During my yearly pilgrimage to the Sea Otter Classic, I was asked to take a detour before the bulk of the event to check out a new off-road bike from Specialized. I wondered what this new bike would be, certainly not an Epic the Epic 8 just came out two years ago, and its kinda the bike for most racers. So I set my heart for a new Epic HT, and thought this is whats coming, some magic gravel middle super hardtail. Boy, was I wrong.(Photos/Jordan Villella)Meet The New Specialized Epic 9I found myself face-to-face with an all-new Epic design, one that looked different from the Epic 8 but had the same calling cards. I wandered over to the bike, with no real information given just yet, and, as most riders do lifted it up. Truthfully, I was kinda shocked and very excited to see what Specialized couldnt wait another two years to launch.(The one and only Ned Overend, hes ridden every Epic ever, and knows all the details)How did we get here? The Specialized Epic is a bike that is easy to spot and easy to understand. If you were a mountain biker from the 90s, frozen in time (ENCINO MAN style), and brought back to the current youd see the Epic 9 and say, Wellthat must be the top of the line Specialized full suspension race bike amongst other hilarious 90s weezing the juice style one liners (hopefully).The reason is that Specialized kept the Epic name (and trademark) synonymous with racing and performance. They never ventured off the path, bounced around new names, or deviated from the plan. So when the design team thinks they can improve it, they push out a new one as quickly as possible.(Ride Photos/Specialized)The thing that works about the Epic being the same but fluid is that its always changing toward what CX/marathon riders are looking for. Nearly every iteration forecasts the trends and nails it. I can say that about nearly every Epic (Epic WC really wasnt my bag, though). The S-Works Epic 9 follows all the lines laid before it, but makes some of its own.S-Works Epic 9 RecapIf you missed the tech and news piece, you can check out all the details here as Im gonna mention the hits to get to the ride impressions faster.Specialized has taken the current Epic formula, shaved off a meaningful amount of weight, and made the suspension calmer and more active. They kept the handling modern without turning it into some confused downcountry detour, but also kept the platform open enough for a 130mm fork allowing for a make your own EVO design.Impressions: S-Works Epic 9My bike for the two days of mixed XC riding was the S-Works Epic 9. This is the same model the Specialized Factory Team will be racing all season, and the same one they helped to develop. It sits right at the sharp end of the new lineup, and unlike the even lighter LTD UL build, this one feels like the more complete expression of what the bike is meant to do. The LTD UL is lighter (and slightly less expensive) but has less travel and no RockShox Flight Attendant. The S-Works Epic 9 has everything that youd need to be the fastest: S-Works FACT 12m carbon frame, RockShox SID Ultimate Flight Attendant fork, RockShox SIDLuxe Ultimate Flight Attendant shock, SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission, Quarq power meter, Super light Roval Control World Cup wheels, SRAM Motive Ultimate brakes, and a RockShox Reverb AXS dropper. The whole package weighs 21.29 lbs without pedals bonkers.The S-Works SpecIf youre looking for more in a spec, you dont need it. That is, unless youre looking for Shimano shifting or Fox suspension. The Epic 9 comes with all the top kit from SRAM on the mountain side. I love seeing the high-power Motive Ultimate brakes on a cross-country build, and I believe this will be the standard moving forward.As for wheels, you cant find many (production-wise that I know) lighter than the Roval World Cup wheels (the 993g NOBL Ethos 180SL is one such example, though its not clear if that includes tape and valves like the 998g Roval World Cups). They are under 1000g, and you can beat the heck out of them.As for touch points, the S-Works Epic 9 arrives with the newly minted S-Works EVO Mirror saddle and some very new (launched with the Epic 9)Roval Control SL MTB bars. If youre a fan of the older version of the Control SL bars, youll like this one more, I promise.New Bars Who DisThe new Roval Control SL integrated cockpit looks like Specialized took the old one-piece bar/stem and gave it a little less World Cup chiropractor energy. The big shift is the stem angle, which moves from a very aggressive -12 on the previous setup to a more livable -6 on the new Epic 9.The upsweep bumps from 1 to 2, backsweep stays at 8, and stock width remains 760mm, so the overall feel is plenty racy, just not quite as slammed and severe at the hands. The new bar keeps the sharp XC intent, but with a slightly more neutral wrist position. This creates a front end that will be easier to get along with for more riders over longer days.S-Works Epic 9 Ride ImpressionsSometimes, at press events and other rides, its hard to separate the location from the bike or gear youre riding. For this launch, we were in Monterey, near the Sea Otter Classic XC course, and as an East Coaster, I was more than excited to get out of the cold.However, riding in new locations and unfamiliar terrain takes you out of your comfort zone. It lets you see what the gear can do, because you might not know exactly whats coming, and thats what happened to me on most of the riding.My BikeFirst, throwing a leg over the Epic 9 (after getting my fit numbers in) felt like I was riding my own bike after a tune-up. A very comfortable feeling one that Im used to. As I mentioned, I know the Epic well, and this feels like the Epic 8 from the saddle. Once the ride kicked off, I needed that familiarity, as Matt Beers was a ride guest and everyone wanted to see just how fast he was. After a long morning flight, I was biting the stem to keep my spot.I quickly learned that the new Epic 9 is an all-out race machine, but allows the rider to roll with the punches (and I felt like I took a few). The very first thing I noticed was the weight. Its not all the wheels, but they play a central part in the equation. Paired with the stiff lockout of the Flight Attendant and the one-piece bar, the 998g wheels sing uphill.Then you notice that extra bit of confidence in the way the bikes geometry and vibe. Its hard to describe; its like a good cup of coffee. You feel like, yeah, Ill gap that and put a bit more intention into the trail features. This sensation is a mix of the slightly tweaked geometry and suspension feel. The updated suspension design is a huge part of what makes the Epic 9 a threat in the tech.Welcome to the Magic MiddleThe Specialized design team says this new Epic has 11% less stiction than the Epic 8 suspension. You can feel it in the slightest bits. The suspension is active but buttery-smooth, so you really dont notice it. It adds to the climbing, the traction, and more importantly, the way the bike feels on most of the riding youll encounter.Oh @#$! ModeAs for the fully open mode, it comes on when you least expect it, and when you need it. I never bottomed out the travel, but the sensation on the trail makes you feel like you might. When ripping down hill over the roots and rocks of the Santa Cruz trail systems, it was point and shoot. On the gnarlier bits you crawl, the suspension is active, constantly adapting with Flight Attendant input.I noticed the fully open mode, especially when I brake-checked some unfamiliar features. These were drops and gaps that were new to me. I didnt bail, but I could have had more speed if you know what I mean, and the lines I took would make most cringe. But the Epic 9 ate it up; it enabled me to pull myself out of a tailspin without pogoing me off the front end or making me feel like I was jumping on a blown-out mattress. I was greeted with positive suspension feedback and, to my surprise, not a bottom-out knock.As for the fully locked mode, theres not much to say. Its there when you need it, like at the start of a race, hitting the pavement on climbs, long open sections, and a sprint for the line. The one thing I noticed is that the combo of the bar/stem, lightweight wheels, and lighter overall package puts an exclamation point on the lockouts efficiency.There are more ride notes to take, and we hope to include more than its faster in the full review. In every way except one, the new Epic 9 feels like an excellent predecessor to the short-lived Epic 8 series. That one glaring detail is the price.The $15,250 Elephant in the RoomIf theres one thing that can change the tune of a great product, its the price. Now, that doesnt mean the product isnt worth the asking price; its that the pricing itself might be out of control. In this instance, $15,250 for a cross-country race bike feels like its too much. Just like the $25,000 Factor Bugattiand the new Colnago C72 especially with how much we have going on in the world currently. But again, this is the race bike, the halo build, the factory team spec.The Pricing TrendBut looking at the trend in Epic pricing from the past five years, the trend is pretty clear: Specializeds top-end XC race bike has gotten a whole lot pricier, and they set the standard.The 2021 S-Works Epic landed at $12,000 (this was a big pill to swallow at the time), the 2024 S-Works Epic 8 jumped to $14,500, and the new 2026 S-Works Epic 9 now sits at $15,250.2022 S-Works Epic $12,000.2024 S-Works Epic 8 $14,499.99.2026 S-Works Epic 9 $15,249.99.The big picture doesnt need much help: in just a few seasons, the halo Epic has gone from painfully expensive to yeah that is a used-car conversation, with the new Epic 9 now about $3,250 higher than the 2022 S-Works Epic, or roughly a 27% jump.I understand that the Roval World Cup wheels are $3,000 compared to the previous SL models $2,000, but its still hard. The same goes for the inclusion of Rock Shox Flight Attendant suspension, I know, thats another added layer of cost.The lower-spec models are not much of a price break; theEpic 9 Prolands at $12,000, and theEpic 9 Expert at $7,500 (no Flight Attendant).For Who Then?I guess the larger discussion is, are we still willing to pay for bikes this expensive? For the XC racer at all costs crowd and the Triple A Jr Squads with team buses, yeah, Im sure they have them with a few to spare in the trailer. But for the working racer, this lineup is hard to navigate and justify. The prices are too much for anything else in the race budget.But Specialized knows this bike has a buyer, and eliminating the Evo and World Cup versions will undoubtedly push them towards one of these models.More to come in a long-term review. The post Specialized S-Works Epic 9First Ride Impressions: $15k Buys a Very Fast, Light Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

La Vuelta Femenina 2026 was blown wide open on Stage 2 as Shari Bossuyt sprinted to victory in San Cibrao das Vias, while race leader Noemi Ruegg crashed out of the race in a chaotic finale. The Belgian proved fastest from a reduced group on the uphill finish, but the stage was ultimately defined b...

Tailor-made to suit the Allygn Diamond Back Rack, the new Gramm Diamond Back Pack is a rack-mounted saddle bag that offers a sway-free, waterproof 12 liters of rear capacity. Learn more about the small Berlin brands latest release hereThe post The Gramm Diamond Back Pack Offers 12L of Rock-Solid Rear Storage appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

The preparation at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is taking two different directions ahead of the Tour de France, with Remco Evenepoel stepping away from racing while Florian Lipowitz continues his build-up in competition. Evenepoel will not ride the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, previously the Criterium...

Paul Seixas is off to the Tour de France. The decision was taken last week and shared today. It always seemed likely but question of his participation as an ongoing story shows how hell face a lot of attention. Should Paul Seixas ride the Tour de France? The question has been doing the rounds since last years Tour de France. The Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale last summer included Bastien Tronchon who remarked one day to the team boss Dominique Serieys that as often as hed been told the Tour de France is bigger and harder than anything else on the calendar, it was only by experiencing this for himself that he could understand this. Based on this Serieys told Frances RMC Radio he was minded to take Seixas to the Tour de France already, the thinking being that he might well serve some kind of apprenticeship in July.RMCs long time pundit Cyrille Guimard has taken a different position. When he took over the Renault team in the 1970s he quickly became a leading team manager and after convincing Bernard Hinault to turn pro with the team in 1975, then convinced Hinault to only start the Tour de France when he was ready to win it, thus serving three years as an apprentice and then winning the 1978 Tour. That was a long time ago but Guimard and others have returned to it.When the 2026 Tour de France route was revealed, Frances Vlo magazine did not put the map on their front cover but Seixas instead, along with the question of whether he should ride. Because if question was the same, the answer was changing as Seixas had finished in the top-10 in Lombardia, going head to head with the best of the rest behind Pogaar on the final climb of the day. Plus hed been third in European championships behind Pogaar and Evenepoel.All this got amplified this spring, first following his second place in the Strade Bianche and then the rest in April: winning the Itzulia Basque Country and the Flche Wallonne and then being second to Pogaar in Lige-Bastogne-Lige. His climbing performances in the Basque Country were at level superior to those deployed by Jonas Vingegaard in Catalunya. Comparing two brief data points requires more than a cautionary pinch of salt, but you can see how what we and his team know about Paul Seixas has changed significantly since last July.One observation is this was Paul Seixass decision. Listen to his comments on the subject in recent weeks and hed reply in the first person, as in I will decide and not we, although he did also speak of discussions with the team. This was not a note of rebellion nor trying to create a fait accompli, just confidence.Seixass contractual future is up for grabs too. This blogs piece The Race For Paul Seixas argued he is the central rider on the market right now, and since posting it in early March its even more so, some phrases conditional tense or reservations feel more secure now. Which is why if Seixas wants to ride the Tour then his team are hardly going to say non to him, for fear of an argument with him that pushes him to walk away to a new team. As an aside here, every team would like to sign him and it suits UAE to make the right noises and winks in the media as this alone entrenches their position as the top team who get to shape the future; but the likes of Netcompany-Ineos arguably need Seixas more.You can see why Seixas decided to go to the Tour. Imagine if you were 19, really into your cycling and had just won the Basque Country and rode everyone off your wheel except Pogaar this spring: what would you fancy doing this July? Imagine if Seixas was a rapper, would he turn down the chance to go on stage with Jay-Z at the Yankee Stadium this July? If he was a tennis player, would he decline to play at Rolland Garros? Doubt it.A further thing is Seixas is fascinated by Pogaar, the Slovenian is his model. When Pogaar was winning his second Tour, Seixas was a 14 year old watching the Tour on TV. Pogaars attitude to the sport, including racing the cobbled classics, is something Seixas wants to emulate too. Its partly why Seixas was swapping turns with Pogaar after La Redoute on the roads to Lige, its because he yearns to race with him.One difference to Pogaar is the Slovenian surprised us on the way up, including his first Tour de France win when Rogli looked like the likely winner, even on the morning of the penultimate stage. Similarly it took a while for the Merckx vs. Pogaar debate to get going too. Perhaps its due to Pogaar as a pioneer but the rise of Seixas seems to be a steeper trajectory, at least in expectations.One thing the rise of Pogaar but also plenty of others has shown is that any apprenticeship these days is different. Many were wondering if Seixas could cope with a 250km Monument in Lige but hed managed in Lombardia last year and the Worlds and Euros were long races too. He knows better than most that you just have to eat and eat at the prescribed rate for the event. Theres more to it but a lot of the lore and experience required to handle long races has been cast aside in recent years. So handling a three week race is not the test of stamina and grit it once was.All this though circles back to the Tronchon-Serieys conversation. As much as Seixas readies himself for the Tour, itll still blow his mind to take to the start. Cyrille Guimard used to point out that wearing the yellow jersey each day at the Tour cost a rider an hour in extra media time and the extension of this was one hours less sleep a day, so in a week that equated to a whole nights lost sleep. This works better as a rapid-fire remark on radio than a paragraph of text but you get the point: the daily media round and other duties can sap a rider. Paul Seixas will likely face similar demands in July and risks being as tired as the race leader, assuming it is someone else.The challenges ahead are as much for the Decathlon-CMA CGM team as Seixas. Some of the thinking around Seixas Tour debut had revolved around taking him to the Tour to discover the race, but with the pressure firmly on new hire Olav Kooijs shoulders for sprint wins. Only the Dutchman is only just beginning to resume riding after a lingering viral infection and so who knows if hell be able to do the Tour de France?If Kooij is absent then so is his train or this is redeployed as a bodyguard service for Seixas. Suddenly theyre putting a lot of eggs in his basket. Riders like Jordan Labrosse have thrived this season by riding in his service. But can they do this at the Tour de France? One thing the team needs to do and is doing reportedly doing with Pavel Sivakov is to hire extra help.In the meantime Seixas will race once at the Dauphin/Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes in June find a route to suit, more so since Remco Evenepoel has opted not to ride it today too.ConclusionThere are arguments for and against but Seixas has decided and you can see why he wants to do it, and why the team is supportive. But blog posts like this and the flood of other articles reinforce the point that his every move and utterance between now and July will be tracked closely.The post Seixas Goes To The Tour first appeared on The Inner Ring.

If youre looking to improve your training, there's no better way to spend your money than on a power meter. While youll also need an accompanying bike computer to realise the results, training with power enables you to calculate efforts and training load, and track your fitness. Training by power was once the reserve of professional cyclists, with power meters more expensive than many top-spec bikes when they first launched. Now, with this deal from Merlin Cycles, you could have a power meter for only 189. Only the crank arm is recycled. Merlin Cycles You may be wondering how this is possible, but the device is part of 4iiiis reCYCLED programme. The brand takes in used Shimano 105 R7000 crank arms and installs a brand new 4iiii Precision 3+ Powermeter. Merlin says all Ride Ready reCYCLED cranks come with 4iiii's legendary three-year warranty. Power meters are great for real-world training data. Nick Clark / Our Media This deal is so good that even my father couldnt resist, scooping one up for his winter hack bike. Hes had no issues with it, and there was hardly any wear to the arm before hed done a winter in his SPD-equipped Wellington boots. If you're like my dad, you'll scuff them up in a season anyway. Nick Clark / Our Media Merlin says it has photographed the average marks on the crank arms for its website, with the ones you receive possibly being different from those shown due to the number of power meters it has in stock. The power meter itself features an Apple Find My feature, which could prove useful should your bike be stolen. If you want to up your training this spring, be sure to check the link below: Buy the recycled 4iiii Precision 3.0+ power meter now from Merlin Cycles

Shari Bossuyt was not the rider expected to win Stage 2 of La Vuelta Femenina 2026. Not on a day that fractured the race, and not from the position she found herself in approaching the final kilometre. Yet in San Cibrao das Vias, she timed it perfectly. This victory means a lot to me. I was not ex...

Franziska Kochs 2026 continues to gather momentum as she moved into the overall lead at La Vuelta Femenina following Stage 2, backing up her breakthrough win at Paris-Roubaix Femmes with another significant result. The German rider finished second on the stage behind Shari Bossuyt, but emerged as t...

Threefold Objects in British Columbia, Canada, is a new bicycle accessory brand, and their flagship product is an intriguing stainless basket thats now available in two sizes. Take a closer look hereThe post New Threefold Objects Stainless Steel Baskets Come in Two Sizes appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Vos sprinted to 7th place despite fracture, while the red-jersey-wearer abandoned after a late crash in Stage 2