This isn't just the lightest mountain bike frame Specialized has ever made; it's their lightest, stiffest, best-handling frame—period. The Epic Hardtail was redesigned from the ground-up to give you an unparalleled performance advantage on the XC track. It flies up hills with ease, descends with unmatched confidence, and wastes nary a watt. Consider it a cross country revolution, and remember, this is Epic.

Chris has spec'd this bike to be ready for all of his favorite adventures and style of riding.

The frame is made from Specialized FACT 11 carbon fiber with Rider-First Engineered™ Technology. Now, the frame design applies specificity to every tube size and carbon layup for every frame size. This creates the optimal balance of rigidity, weight, and responsiveness, so every frame, regardless of size, performs just intended. The Rider First technology is especially helpful to Christopher as he is a very tall rider, which can sometimes mean frames will be more flexy and less responsive feeling. This is not the case at all with the Rider First frames. The bike feels tailor-made for you. It's quite an amazing experience when you first get on one.