As we mark our first half-century, we're celebrating the next 50 years of innovation with the S-Works Epic World Cup Forward 50 LTD.
With multiple World Cup wins in its inaugural season, the Epic World Cup immediately established itself as the fastest bike in the world for smoother courses.
The Forward 50 LTD comes together in a stunning graphic: gold represents our 50th year, while pink recalls our historic Team Stumpjumper and our commitment to racing with an irreverent, rebellious spirit.
These unique bikes are delivered with the best of the best: Specialized/RockShox SIDLuxe WCID rear shock, RockShox SID SL Ultimate 3P fork, Roval Control SL Team wheelset, Roval Control SL integrated cockpit, Roval Control SL seatpost, S-Works Power with Mirror saddle, and CeramicSpeed DUB bottom bracket—ensuring these bikes go as fast as they look.
It's time to hang up your hardtail. The Epic World Cup is a purpose-built machine, and its purpose is to win. We challenged ourselves to eschew the conventional understanding of what it takes to be the fastest. We rose to that challenge with an unprecedented integrated system approach to chassis engineering, revolutionary shock design, and peerless ride dynamics. The result? An unmatched combination of efficiency, control, and lightweight. The whole is faster than the sum of its parts.
THINK FASTEST: The Epic World Cup is the fastest XC race bike in the world on smooth to moderately technical courses, thanks to its unmatched combination of efficiency, control, and lightweight. World Champ Christopher Blevins said it best: "This thing gives me everything I could want from a hardtail, plus the control and capability of full suspension."
SHOCKINGLY FAST: The Specialized Ride Dynamics team conceived of and invented revolutionary shock technology for the Epic World Cup that gives you the efficiency and snappy response of a hardtail PLUS the control, capability, and momentum-carrying of full suspension—all with a simple setup. Co-developed with RockShox, the SID Deluxe WCID shock utilizes unique independently adjustable positive and negative air springs to deliver the sought-after hardtail "snap," combined with terrain-devouring forgiveness and the ability to easily personalize the setup for a specific course or tune for rider preference and feel.
PUNCHING ABOVE ITS CATEGORY: The Epic World Cup’s 75mm of rear travel delivers the control and capability of a much longer travel bike. Because it’s designed to be ridden at or close to topped-out, it yields the same positive travel as a 100mm travel bike with 25% sag. To further optimize suspension performance, the Specialized Ride Dynamics team tuned the spring rate to be relatively flat through the mid-stroke to handle most bump forces like a longer travel bike. Due to its large size, the custom Mega Jounce Bumper is an “industry first” and is crucial in smoothly managing bottom-out on the biggest impacts.
THE WEIGHT IS OVER: With a frame weight of just 1,765 grams (painted with shock and all hardware), the Epic World Cup edges out the lightest competitors. This translates to faster acceleration, more efficient climbing, and more agile handling—all of which add up to speed. We achieved the featherweight and monster stiffness of the Epic WC by applying what we learned in developing our Aethos, the lightest production road frame ever made, specifically the advanced composite layup and tube shapes.
- The Epic World Cup frame features Ride Dynamics-developed suspension technology and 75mm of optimized rear wheel travel. With this shock technology, Epic World Cup delivers unmatched pedal efficiency and is ready for the roughest descents you can throw at it—no lockout switches required.
- SRAM XX SL transmission with CeramicSpeed DUB bottom bracket builds on what top riders need in shifting performance and robustness, making it perfectly matched for the brutal demands of off-road racing.
- A RockShox SID SL with 3-Position Race Day 2 damper featuring Epic 8’s “Magic Middle” tune provides support under pedaling and 110mm of bump-muting, active suspension in the rough to provide ultimate efficiency.
- At 1,190 grams, The Control SL Team Wheels are the lightest production XC wheels on the planet and still fit for the demands of modern World Cup racing. The biggest weight savings came from our revolutionary carbon spokes—after a three-year process involving exhaustive material research and extensive testing in the field and lab, we landed on 20 optimized carbon fiber spokes that are not only 29% lighter than their steel counterparts but also stronger and more durable.
