The Epic 9 dropped today. It’s lighter, it’s faster, and Specialized will tell you it’s the best XC race bike ever made. They’re probably right.

I’m still not buying one.

I’ve been riding my Epic 8 Evo for a while now and it’s genuinely one of my favorite bikes I’ve owned. Around 26 lbs with my setup — Fox Float SL fork, Fox Float rear shock, OneUp V3 dropper, and tires with enough meat on them to actually handle trail riding. It’s not a race build. It’s not trying to be. It’s a lightweight XC platform that I’ve set up to ride real terrain, and it does that really well.

If you want to see the full build and first ride impressions, I covered it on the channel:

When I look at the Epic 9, the first thing I notice is how race-focused every decision is. The in-frame SWAT storage is gone — most of the weight savings came from pulling that out. Makes total sense if you’re racing and don’t want to carry anything. But I use that storage. Tube, tool, gel. Having it tucked inside the frame is one of those things you don’t appreciate until it’s gone.

The headset cable routing is the other one. The Epic 9 is wireless drivetrain only, and cables route through the headset. Again, clean for a race build. But I run a OneUp V3 dropper with cable actuation — it’s light, simple, and works flawlessly. Headset routing and mechanical droppers don’t play well together. That’s not a dealbreaker for everyone, but it’s a real consideration for how I have my bike set up.

Could I build an Epic 9 closer to what I ride now? Sure — it’s 130mm fork compatible, so you could push it in a trail direction. But at that point I’m spending a lot of money to move a race-focused bike toward something I already have. That math doesn’t work for me.

The price doesn’t help either. $7,499.99 is where the Epic 9 starts. That’s the Expert, with FACT 11m carbon and a GX groupset. Calling that entry level is a statement.

There’s also no Evo yet. The Epic 9 consolidates the whole lineup into one bike, which is clean from a product perspective, but the trail-oriented variant hasn’t shown up. Maybe it will. When it does, I’ll be paying attention.

Until then, my Epic 8 Evo is exactly where I want it. And honestly? If you’ve been thinking about getting into the Epic platform, now might be a great time to watch the used market. A lot of Epic 8s are about to get listed.