Epic Evo is far from the only bike with a top tube in danger of being smashed by handle bar bits. I’ve got a nice gouge across the top tube of my Orbea Oiz M10 TR to prove it. Flat bars & -12 degree stem are not a top tube’s friend!
My girlfriend has a 21 EE & it’s way longer than my Oiz but the cockpit really doesn’t feel it. I was very much considering one of these for my next bike but I think the Ibis Exie is what I’m looking for. Longer reach than my Oiz & also longer top tube will help me find a sweet spot between the wheels for descending. I’m a small guy & feel cramped on my medium Oiz. Exie also seems to have a much higher bb which is the thing I least like about my Oiz. Pedal strikes are a thing & always on my mind. Made in the US is big for me & the XT group just works. I’ll put my btlos/dt240 wheels with XTR cassette on it, my own saddle, bar, grips & stem & it’ll be perfect for me. Stoked it’s specd with a Bikeyoke Revive -for my money, it’s the best cable operated dropper on the market.
That’s amazing. Shocking actually from a credit card company!
Yes, @ibaldwin, I have a 2020 Top Fuel 9.9 (as here - https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/mountain-bikes/cross-country-mountain-bikes/top-fuel/top-fuel-9-9/p/28091/). Picked it up as a good deal just over a year ago specifically as my race bike for BC Bike Race this year.
In the build I have with XX1 it is decently light and it rides/races well - all just works, good on the climbs and descends fast as well. Can answer more specific questions if you need, just ask.
BMC also has a very stealth looking bump stop under the headtube.
Hump
Re weight & bikes; in an effort to keep my 2018 Spark 900RC alive, I’ve renewed a few bits - bearings, GX mech to XT, new cables/outers, new rotors. I took the opportunity to weigh it at 23.4lbs with bottle cage, Conti-light spare tube wrapped on and 'puter mount - not bad I thought.
Some bad cable rub under the BB will likely see the end of it but I reckon a new bike is coming in 2023, there’s lots of Blur’s appearing on the XC scene, but I like the epic evo also.
So, an update on my Epic Evo project. The build is almost done and comes in at 10,03 kg/22,11 lbs so only a near miss of the elusive aim of going sub 10 with a downcountry steed with power meter.
Unfortunately I had to replace the minimalist Extralite stem with a more sturdy model with positive rise to make the bar clear the top tube - which doesn’t add to a racey look but structural integrity is key with Specialized’s pricing 
Still some tidying up to do. First is getting rid of the green stem (for fitting use only), shortening cables, cutting steerer/seat post and replacing the golden pins of the pedals with something more subdued.
Lessons learned from my first ground-up weight-centric build: Never trust your spreadsheet alone - all the small parts, lines and fluids add up. Pics of the final build (hopefully) soon.
btw anyone running Zirbel shifters with the electronics hidden in the bar? I am not able to do that alone (I‘d probably kill myself with a soldering iron) so any tipps regarding a source would be great. Getting rid of the AXS shifter is the only way to get a low cockpit and keeping the TT safe at the same time.
You can buy them set up I think? Most all the Zirbel stuff I’ve seen is on DangerHolm IG.
You can get the shifters and bars with pre-drilled holes from Zirbel. To make the shifters work you need either a SRAM blipbox (for which I have no perfect place on the bike) or you are using the electronic innards of an AXS shifter and move them within your bar. This is strictly DIY at the moment and includes soldering and sanding down electronic components - things I simply am not able to. So I am looking for the right source/person who can provide just that.
To get an impression of the task at hand:
Intend Grace XC or Intend CC stem (I think that’s right, I’ll check later on after the kids breakfasts). The blip box sits right inside and it’s so tidy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeMWUU6MW3A/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Yep, you can get the box inside the Grace stems as well as in certain models of Newmen and Syntace. My problem is that all of this stems are long (at least 66 mm) and have negative tilt. I can probably live with slightly more length but with the negative tilt the brake levers will hit the top tube ad long as I don’t add a stack of spacers under the stem or add a high rise bar to compensate. That‘s why I am looking for a way to get rid of the shifter and to be able to use a neutral stem (—> eat the cake and have it too).
You’ve obviously done a heap of research and thought this through:slightly_smiling_face:
. One other thought then, are you committed to slammed stem? You probably have a fair bit more than 0.03kg of steerer left there to come off. What I’ve done on my bike is replaced the Syncros headset cover with a Syntace Mega one that is also the equivalent of a ~10mm spacer (so probably like running a 7-9mm spacer on a normal zero stack headset.
You could do something similar and that would allow you room to move in the future and you could run a -7 or -12° Intend or similar stem to get to where you want to be.
Very envious of your build. Looks lovely (except the temporary green stem 
). The Zirbel and AXS thing is way, way up on my wishlist for any bike.
Yes I admit I spent way too much time online to make this build a special one. The cockpit is - as expected - a little tricky.
I not going to slam the stem as even with the positive tilted stem and a 15 mm bar I need some spacers to make the shifter clear the top tube. Thanks for the info on the Syntace Mega - I’ll get one of those
Anyone seen the wireless blips in the wild? I admittedly haven’t don’t any research on these, but is there a way to integrate those? Also, can those be utilized for the AXS dropper? I saw Nino’s bike and it still has wires, so I’m assuming no, but have to ask the brain trust here.
Per SRAM and either Brad Copeland or DangerHolm, they haven’t enabled any Reverb connection as it needs “held down”.
It should be possible soon you’d hole given it’s already happening with the blip.
Nino is running a Yep Components dropper with mechanical lever. Joystick type that looks awesome
That’s what I get for reading older pinkbike articles.
Why did he switch away?
I think just purely weight. Might also be to support Swiss, but that’s a stretch.
Nino used the JoyStick in Leogang as well. Looks like a very nice solution. It‘s also available in the r2-bike shop.
What does this do for him?
Hump
(Never mind, saw the actual post above)
Looking for a new race bike for the local XC circuit. Races are in the 14-24 mile range, about 100 feet of climbing per mile on average.
I am teetering between two bike choices… Santa Cruz Blur or Santa Cruz Highball. Both CS models that will be upgraded to AXS & reserve wheels I already have.
I know they are two different bikes. I demo’d the blur and loved it. Handles similarly to my Tallboy and climbs like a beast. Highball is obviously lighter and a hard tail so a bit rougher ride.
Anyone have a highball and care to chime in? Thoughts?
I have a hardtail (not a Highball) that I use for racing, and it’s great. You don’t really miss the rear suspension too much as long as you have a dropper and realize that you have to be more active and engaged when descending or technical climbing. If your races are fairly smooth, then the HT would be fine. The Blur would be nice for descending, but it’s not going to have as direct a power connection and going to feel more flexy when really pushing. You can also use the Highball for gravel riding as well, and it’ll be faster than the Blur for that.
