Gone are the days when a date with a hardtail race bike meant paying for it for days to come. Now the Epic Hardtail Comp’s reality-altering combination of comfort and capability in a lighter-than-life package means counting down the hours until you meet again. Working towards the lightest bike possible has long been the race within the race but at what cost? The battle of the grams certainly hasn’t been without its casualties with hardtail XC race bikes coming to stand for a harsh twitchy ride at the expense of capability and versatility. But who said fatigue from fighting against your bike makes you any faster? Instead recognizing that the fastest bike is more than simply the lightest bike we said out with the jarred-to-death tail the measure-your-posterior’s-sorrows-by-the-yard tail  and in with the avant-garde tail. The ridiculously capable mystifyingly comfortable head-shakingly light and all-around fast Epic Hardtail. Sure we optimized every inch of the Epic Hardtail frame to achieve the lightest production hardtail frame in the world anyway—but we also prioritized our commitment to creating an Epic Hardtail that’s as capable as it is comfortable with aggressive singletrack-inspired geometry increased tire clearance and a frame obsessively engineered for increased vertical compliance all while creating a bike that lives and breathes the fundamentals of fast. On the Epic Hardtail Comp RockShox's long-beloved SID SL fork is tasked with handling suspension duties while a full SRAM Transmission groupset leaves no doubts about why it sets the benchmark for accessible performance. Ridiculously capable incredibly light and refreshingly comfortable the Epic Hardtail’s dropper-post friendly FACT 11m carbon frame rewrites the hardtail playbook with game-changing success. The SID SL doles out travel with a steady hand courtesy of RockShox's Rush RL damper while Debon Air adjustability makes dialing in suspension performance a breeze. Frame Specialized FACT 11m Progressive XC Geometry Rider-First Engineered™ threaded BB UDH 12x148mm rear spacing internal cable routing SWAT SWAT EMT Tool Seat Binder Specialized Alloy 34.9 Steel bolt Fork Rockshox SID SL Rush RL Damper Debon Air 15x110mm 44mm offset 100mm Travel Grips Specialized Trail Grips Saddle Body Geometry Power Sport steel rails Seat Post Specialized Alloy Single Bolt 30.9mm Handlebars Specialized Alloy Minirise 10mm rise 750mm 31.8mm clamp Stem Specialized 3D-forged alloy 4-bolt 7-degree rise Front Brake SRAM Level Bronze 2-piston Stealth 180/160mm rotor Rear Brake SRAM Level Bronze 2-piston Stealth 160mm rotor Rear Derailleur SRAM S-1000 Eagle Transmission Shift Levers SRAM AXS POD Controller Cassette SRAM XS 1270 Transmission 10-52t Chain SRAM GX Transmission Crankset SRAM S1000 Eagle DUB 165/170/175mm 34T Chainrings 34T ...