Are you using the normal specialized recommended sizing for the Epic or did you have to size down for the drop bar conversion? I'm 5'11"-6' and looking to build a gravel bike for Ohio Gravel Series. Thanks!
My Gravelbike is 110/120mm travel full-sus Specialized Epic Evo XC bike with 700x47 Specialized Pathfinder Pro Gravel tires and a flat handlebar cut very narrow. Using a narrow flat bar is more aero than a wide flat bar. I can totally feel the difference going from a 30in to a 24in wide flat bar. This bike is just has fast as a Gravelbike on pavement and gravel. Unlike a Gravelbike, it performs very well on singletrack. The Pathfinder tires hookup better than would be expected. 47mm is 1.85in. XC bikes, from 15 years ago, came with 1.9in/48mm tires. 1.9in semi-slick tires and 25in wide handlebars came stock on my full-sus 100/100mm travel 2009 Epic. 15 years ago XC races were a lot like modern Gravel races.
XC bikes now have 2.4 tyres because they are faster that 1.9... You build seem totally missig the point. The main reason o use MTB frame for gravel race is to use 2.2 ~ 2.3 tires, not full sus.
I ran a Pivot LES drop bar rig with Thunderburt 2.1s and a 100mm fork for Despair-good enough for 8th. It was fantastic-drop bar mountain bikes are here to stay!
I just rode a black diamond trail in north Georgia mountains (seriously steep rocky trail) on Thunder Burts Super Race and they did amazingly well. Incredible tire! (The ride was 80% gravel hence why I had them on-same as you)
Try one of the Exposure Lights.. made in the UK, machined & built like a tank and last 'forever' and/or turn night into day for hours and aren't the most chunky boys after all. Come in different sizes/runtimes but in general best investment I've ever made. They do ship to the US, cost 2-3 arms and a couple of legs but my oldest one of theirs is > 10 years old and still going strong.
That’s what I used. It was a Diablo. I own a 6pack also but just really misjudged the amount of night riding lol. My Diablo lasted 7 and a half hours. Amazing product
Wow! Good job and congrats! Good thing you've changed the setup to a "gravel setup" a total departure and imho a smart choice from the usual "mtb setup" you proclaimed as the best gravel bike on a previous video. The point of contention was that original mtb setup was... well, for mtb. Tires, rigidity and aero (dropbar and aero bars) made this bike into a good gravel bike. Dylan Johnson achieve his best race result on a similar setup. Again, congrats! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’m currently thinking of it as an aero mtb lol. I proclaimed the WC frame to be the best gravel bike. I still think that. It’s the same bike. Even with a flat bar it’s the best gravel bike. It’s just not aero without the drops
@@bicyclestation yeah aero mtb = modern gravel bikes. WC cup frame could be the best gravel "frame". Drop+Aero bars has all the advantages vs flatbar on 200 mile race except probably in Unbound.
While some factor depends on the rider but race course would largely dictate what bike and bike setup is best to use. Crux is a good example of a well accomplished race bike, add aero bars + wider tires you may get best result in Unbound.
Was riding with Carter up until the second single track section where the mountain bike was such a huge advantage. Unfortunately mechanicals took me out of the race, but we were definitely gunning to try to catch up with you! Awesome accomplishment and it was cool racing with you (briefly there at the beginning haha). Hoping to get back down there and put an ITT effort in sooner rather than later!
Lael Wilcox set records on the Tour Divide and Dirty Kanza with a drop bar epic hardtail and there's a recent video on u-tube about a factor drop bar mountain bike . Someone has the idea that that we don't need gravel bikes , or that gravel bike geometry will evolve into 148 spacing . It seems gravel bikes are faster on smooth gravel in a straight line but these races aren't smooth gravel in a straight line .
Congratulations! Love the look of that bike, especially the crazy pink one. Been toying with trying drop bars on my procaliber. What's the most challenging part about fitting them?
I recommend starting with the same size sent you normally would use with a flat bar then adjust from there. I’m actually still using the same stem on this set up
@@bicyclestation are you saying same size frame, same size stem as you would normally ride? The added reach of a roadie bar gets you to the right position?
Congrats on the win! Really interested in running a similar setup. Would you recommend sizing down when getting a frame or the same as your normal mtb size with respect to reach?
Because I all ready am split between medium and large it worked well to size down. Treys large was just gigantic and long. If you’re between sized definitely size down
really interesting to see good results from the wc gravel build! congrats on the win! do the etap shifters push enough fluid for the 4 piston calipers you have set up? also, did you run any bottles at all? i wonder if you could squeeze in those fidlock 450ml bottles in that limited space. ive ran a custom frame bag on my previous-gen epic evo with a 50oz camelback that barely squeezes in (plus a 22oz bottle on the seat tube) and i could totally see squeezing more on-bike hydration with the roomier frame of the wc. im curious on your thoughts on running that smaller top tube bag if you arent using the rest of that real estate for hydration or storage. great video otherwise, would love to see more race recaps like this on the channel!
The idea was to cut weight and carry less water. That was a last minute idea but it worked amazingly. They do push enough fluid and it’s an approved set up but mine I think needed some maintenance lol. The thunderburts have terrible breaking traction and I think that had more to do with the subpar breaking performance.
Would you consider this bike with drop bars a good option for Unbound, and then switch back to flat bars for Leadville? I currently ride a 2020 Aspero, which doesn't seem to fit big enough tires for Unbound.
Ummm I think it would have been significantly slower than the drop bars. But I can’t speak on what it would have done to the results in therms of placement. The drop bars are just so much more aerodynamic
We have recently launched a new storage system along with a dedicated bike storage solution that is very bicycle-friendly. Would you be interested in giving it a try?
The review is that the epic 8 outclasses the WC in everything and you should buy an epic 8 lol. I’ll try to make that video but yea. The WC is so much better with drops
@@bicyclestation I got your point here...But, would you still recommend epic 8 over WC to mostly climbing oriented 135lbs rider who rides smooth XC trails 90% of the time? Thanks for the answer.
@@bicyclestation The Evo downhill package is absolutely insane - not so bright that it washes the trail out, but such wide coverage you can see everything. I use them at 24HOP every year and they are amazing.
I'm trying hard to give you the benefit of doubt that you have a reason for having your drop-bars and brifters pointing down. Riding on hoods and drops set like that looks miserable, especially for such a long ride!
Oh that must have gotten cut out. The reason I say the only thing I’d change is the carbon bar is because it shifted down at some point during the race. I think the bar broke lol.
@@bicyclestation That's a good reason! Those aero bars can add a lot more torque to the stem clamp, add a few bumps and they're going to slip. Maybe try a longer stem with shorter reach bars to set the arm pads further behind the stem clamp, and carbon paste even with aluminium bars. As a roadie who hates time trials, it took me a while to solve clip-on bars.
Why would me asking u to make ur video better not just for me but for all the viewers be thought of as a complaint? Seems like ur giving us all a wonderful character reference in just two comments. U know u need one cause u have put captions in the video. So instead of replying with soon, getting one, I know, in the mail, thanks for the feedback, thanks for watching, wer not that tech savvy …….u act rude. As to say I know we need one but because someone else has said we need one, because they can’t hear the video, I’m triggered and lash out. Sounds like u have stuff going on inside that u need to address and find peace in ur life. The nerve of someone wanting to enjoy my video, sounds pretty dumb don’t it.
I ran a Pivot LES drop bar rig with Thunderburt 2.1s and a 100mm fork for Despair-good enough for 8th. It was fantastic-drop bar mountain bikes are here to stay!
Check out the shop - www.thebicyclestation.com
Are you using the normal specialized recommended sizing for the Epic or did you have to size down for the drop bar conversion? I'm 5'11"-6' and looking to build a gravel bike for Ohio Gravel Series. Thanks!
My Gravelbike is 110/120mm travel full-sus Specialized Epic Evo XC bike with 700x47 Specialized Pathfinder Pro Gravel tires and a flat handlebar cut very narrow. Using a narrow flat bar is more aero than a wide flat bar. I can totally feel the difference going from a 30in to a 24in wide flat bar. This bike is just has fast as a Gravelbike on pavement and gravel. Unlike a Gravelbike, it performs very well on singletrack. The Pathfinder tires hookup better than would be expected. 47mm is 1.85in. XC bikes, from 15 years ago, came with 1.9in/48mm tires. 1.9in semi-slick tires and 25in wide handlebars came stock on my full-sus 100/100mm travel 2009 Epic. 15 years ago XC races were a lot like modern Gravel races.
XC bikes now have 2.4 tyres because they are faster that 1.9... You build seem totally missig the point. The main reason o use MTB frame for gravel race is to use 2.2 ~ 2.3 tires, not full sus.
Just rode our lead product testers World Cup with Drop Bars yesterday. Felt so good! 💥
I ran a Pivot LES drop bar rig with Thunderburt 2.1s and a 100mm fork for Despair-good enough for 8th. It was fantastic-drop bar mountain bikes are here to stay!
John Tomac would be proud 👏 😅
Great race recap!
2025 your going lol
I just rode a black diamond trail in north Georgia mountains (seriously steep rocky trail) on Thunder Burts Super Race and they did amazingly well. Incredible tire! (The ride was 80% gravel hence why I had them on-same as you)
I’m more impressed by it every ride. It’s really good at everything
I have been enjoying your videos! Could you do a quick video on how you set up the fork for gravel? Congratulations on the race win!
It’s a specialized brain fork. It’s pretty much set up for grave out the box. Just put air in it and go
LOL
Great job man 🤘🏽. Drop bar MTB FTW!
Reminds me I need to hurry up and finish my lefty drop bar build!
I wanna see that lol.
I’m now considering that for my lefty
@@bicyclestation I’ll make a video of it once done 👍🏽😅
I’d subscribe
Try one of the Exposure Lights.. made in the UK, machined & built like a tank and last 'forever' and/or turn night into day for hours and aren't the most chunky boys after all. Come in different sizes/runtimes but in general best investment I've ever made. They do ship to the US, cost 2-3 arms and a couple of legs but my oldest one of theirs is > 10 years old and still going strong.
That’s what I used. It was a Diablo. I own a 6pack also but just really misjudged the amount of night riding lol. My Diablo lasted 7 and a half hours. Amazing product
@@bicyclestation Просто нужен спонсор для фонаря)), разыскивается спонсор!!!
Wow! Good job and congrats!
Good thing you've changed the setup to a "gravel setup" a total departure and imho a smart choice from the usual "mtb setup" you proclaimed as the best gravel bike on a previous video. The point of contention was that original mtb setup was... well, for mtb. Tires, rigidity and aero (dropbar and aero bars) made this bike into a good gravel bike. Dylan Johnson achieve his best race result on a similar setup. Again, congrats! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’m currently thinking of it as an aero mtb lol. I proclaimed the WC frame to be the best gravel bike. I still think that. It’s the same bike. Even with a flat bar it’s the best gravel bike. It’s just not aero without the drops
@@bicyclestation yeah aero mtb = modern gravel bikes. WC cup frame could be the best gravel "frame". Drop+Aero bars has all the advantages vs flatbar on 200 mile race except probably in Unbound.
I think it depends on who you are. I definitely wouldn’t wanna race 200miles on like a crux and would rather race this bike at unbound
While some factor depends on the rider but race course would largely dictate what bike and bike setup is best to use. Crux is a good example of a well accomplished race bike, add aero bars + wider tires you may get best result in Unbound.
I know I would 100% be faster on the WC then I would a crux.
A sign of affirmation for me to pursue the conversion!
Was riding with Carter up until the second single track section where the mountain bike was such a huge advantage. Unfortunately mechanicals took me out of the race, but we were definitely gunning to try to catch up with you!
Awesome accomplishment and it was cool racing with you (briefly there at the beginning haha). Hoping to get back down there and put an ITT effort in sooner rather than later!
I couldn’t have done it without yall chasing me down. Hopefully you beat my time! I’ll definitely be back next year to do it all again lol
Lael Wilcox set records on the Tour Divide and Dirty Kanza with a drop bar epic hardtail and there's a recent video on u-tube about a factor drop bar mountain bike . Someone has the idea that that we don't need gravel bikes , or that gravel bike geometry will evolve into 148 spacing . It seems gravel bikes are faster on smooth gravel in a straight line but these races aren't smooth gravel in a straight line .
Congratulations! Love the look of that bike, especially the crazy pink one. Been toying with trying drop bars on my procaliber. What's the most challenging part about fitting them?
I recommend starting with the same size sent you normally would use with a flat bar then adjust from there. I’m actually still using the same stem on this set up
@@bicyclestation are you saying same size frame, same size stem as you would normally ride? The added reach of a roadie bar gets you to the right position?
That’s what worked for me. I think I might shorten the stem by 10mm but I raced the same length stem as I would run with a flat bar
@@bicyclestation thank you. Do you have to change the brake callipers so xt matches GRX shifters?
Idk why you’d wanna run shimano lol
Sweet set up, congrats man!
Great job on the race. Curious why you would go with aluminum bars instead of carbon?
Sorry that part got cut out. They slipped down and I think broke lol. Its just something I don’t wanna think about in the future
That natural water probably helped you a lot. The minerals in that are super important.
That’s what I was thinking also
Wow.
I’m liking this setup for something like Tour Divide.
Congrats on the win! Really interested in running a similar setup. Would you recommend sizing down when getting a frame or the same as your normal mtb size with respect to reach?
Because I all ready am split between medium and large it worked well to size down. Treys large was just gigantic and long. If you’re between sized definitely size down
i am about to ride a gravel ride soon whit xc hardtail with 700 mm wide straight bars whit slammed stem and slammed cockpit.
really interesting to see good results from the wc gravel build! congrats on the win! do the etap shifters push enough fluid for the 4 piston calipers you have set up? also, did you run any bottles at all? i wonder if you could squeeze in those fidlock 450ml bottles in that limited space. ive ran a custom frame bag on my previous-gen epic evo with a 50oz camelback that barely squeezes in (plus a 22oz bottle on the seat tube) and i could totally see squeezing more on-bike hydration with the roomier frame of the wc. im curious on your thoughts on running that smaller top tube bag if you arent using the rest of that real estate for hydration or storage. great video otherwise, would love to see more race recaps like this on the channel!
The idea was to cut weight and carry less water. That was a last minute idea but it worked amazingly.
They do push enough fluid and it’s an approved set up but mine I think needed some maintenance lol. The thunderburts have terrible breaking traction and I think that had more to do with the subpar breaking performance.
Your breaking issue may have been why you where two hours ahead😂👍
Possibly haha. The Burt’s are just dumb fast.
Would you consider this bike with drop bars a good option for Unbound, and then switch back to flat bars for Leadville? I currently ride a 2020 Aspero, which doesn't seem to fit big enough tires for Unbound.
Yea. I kinda consider this bike a good option all the time. Shoot me and email to sales@thebicyclestation.com if you wanna talk more about it.
Did I miss why you would switch to aluminum bars ?
I may have missed it but what size tires are you running?
2.35
Hi did you size your S-works frame differently for drop bars than you would use for standard configuration (flat bars)?
Same size. And actually I recommend starting with the same stem as well. Then adjusting from there. I run the same stem either way
can you please tell me the inside measurement of your wheelset and the size tires you used?
It’s a roval control sl wheelset with 29 internal
2.35 thundderburts
24:14 It happens, charging 5 sram battery in one screen cut.
Was it harder than the Marji 100? Think I saw they have a 200 option this year
I doubt this is harder then marji 200 but it’s harder then marji 100. Took me 7 hours longer. Last year I finished marji in like 13
What kind of pack is that? I have an epic wc and my current frame bags don’t fit at all.
www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com
Hi, where did you set your dropper remote on thous bars?
And congrats on the win!
Just press both buttons at once is how it works
Maybe I missed it, but why change to aluminum bars?
The carbon ones slipped
What drop bars did you run?
Roval Terra 44cm
Needs butterfly bars
What’s that?
Find a reason to install the dynamo. XD
If you used a flat handlebar, would you still have won?
Ummm I think it would have been significantly slower than the drop bars. But I can’t speak on what it would have done to the results in therms of placement.
The drop bars are just so much more aerodynamic
We have recently launched a new storage system along with a dedicated bike storage solution that is very bicycle-friendly. Would you be interested in giving it a try?
Ummm maybe? Really depends on what it is
@@bicyclestation I'm confident that you will definitely be interested in this. I've sent you the details in an email, don't forget to check it!
You should’ve just charged ur light off ur phone battery no? I’ve done that with my vape before
The flash light battery would have reversed and charged my phone. Its a super powerful light.
Congrats on your win. At least 3 videos about WC so far from you and none of them is XC review...Just saying
The review is that the epic 8 outclasses the WC in everything and you should buy an epic 8 lol. I’ll try to make that video but yea. The WC is so much better with drops
@@bicyclestation I got your point here...But, would you still recommend epic 8 over WC to mostly climbing oriented 135lbs rider who rides smooth XC trails 90% of the time? Thanks for the answer.
Ummm I’d say if you want the feel of a hard tail go wc. If you want a real mtb go epic 8
My guy - outbound lighting. Please.
What’s that
@@bicyclestation Number 1 lights for 24HOP. Outbound lighting make the best MTB light setups in the business. They're not cheap, though.
I have a set of exposure lights but I’ll definitely check that out!
I used a exposure Diablo for this race
@@bicyclestation The Evo downhill package is absolutely insane - not so bright that it washes the trail out, but such wide coverage you can see everything. I use them at 24HOP every year and they are amazing.
@@bicyclestation oh and - they allow pass-through charging. So you can charge the light as you're using it.
I'm trying hard to give you the benefit of doubt that you have a reason for having your drop-bars and brifters pointing down. Riding on hoods and drops set like that looks miserable, especially for such a long ride!
Oh that must have gotten cut out. The reason I say the only thing I’d change is the carbon bar is because it shifted down at some point during the race. I think the bar broke lol.
@@bicyclestation That's a good reason! Those aero bars can add a lot more torque to the stem clamp, add a few bumps and they're going to slip. Maybe try a longer stem with shorter reach bars to set the arm pads further behind the stem clamp, and carbon paste even with aluminium bars. As a roadie who hates time trials, it took me a while to solve clip-on bars.
The cuts make these videos unwatchable for me. I love the content but the cuts actually make me woozy for some reason 😢
Im sorry about that. Hopefully we can get better in the future.
Nothing to do with the bars
What does it have to do with then?
Could it be the rider not rocket science
The rider is the fixed variable in my mind. If I did the same race with flat bars on the same bike I would have been slower
@@bicyclestation keep kidding yourself
Kidding myself about what? I don’t understand what your trying to say
Wireless mic needed!!!!!!
Send me one
@@bicyclestation typical entitled millennial. U have a business it’s a tax write off.
You’re the one complaining. It’s funny to be called entitled by the person demanding I buy a mic. You’re not entitled to good audio…
Why would me asking u to make ur video better not just for me but for all the viewers be thought of as a complaint? Seems like ur giving us all a wonderful character reference in just two comments.
U know u need one cause u have put captions in the video. So instead of replying with soon, getting one, I know, in the mail, thanks for the feedback, thanks for watching, wer not that tech savvy …….u act rude. As to say I know we need one but because someone else has said we need one, because they can’t hear the video, I’m triggered and lash out. Sounds like u have stuff going on inside that u need to address and find peace in ur life.
The nerve of someone wanting to enjoy my video, sounds pretty dumb don’t it.
You called me an entitled millennial right off the jump. Talk about a stellar character reference!
Jezus man.... buy a wireless mic.
We did lol. it made it worse and all crackly sounding
I ran a Pivot LES drop bar rig with Thunderburt 2.1s and a 100mm fork for Despair-good enough for 8th. It was fantastic-drop bar mountain bikes are here to stay!