+1. I considered it as a replacement for my scott. I even toured the Allied factory last month when I was there for Rule of 3. Super group of people and really cool to see stuff like this make in the US.
I ended going with a new Epic and It wasn’t so much the frame weight (BC40 about 1/2 lb heavier than an non-sworks epic 8 frame), but the price on a full build quickly got out of hand. By the time I added carbon wheels, lockout, etc. to get it configured similar (weight and specs) to the epic 8 expert, the BC40 was about $1500 more expensive than a comparable epic 8 retail vs. retail, and I ended up getting some bonus stuff thrown in with the epic. I know the epic is basically the toyota camry/honda accord of XC bikes and they are all over the place, but I look at my XC race bike as a tool and it had everything I wanted. A cool paint job and the unique brand (made in the US) is cool and I would have paid a ~$500 premium, but it was over $2k difference by the time everything was considered and I just couldn’t justify it. If I was just buying a frame and building up, I probably would have looked harder at the Allied and scheduled a test ride, etc…
Yeah I’d guess it was for a size L, maybe even XL, but there’s a lot of reviews out there with actual measured weights of BC40s coming in mid 24 or low 25 lbs pre-Flight Attendant. While FA is slightly heavier, I think it’s really the chunky Reverb AXS dropper on the FA build that is tipping it high. The sub 25 lb builds were all with lighter droppers.
Is 1-2 lbs really going to make or break your day? No, but in the end I was able to get a bike with very similar geo and travel for 3lb lighter even with a chunky AXS Reverb dropper on it, while also saving a few grand. That was just too many things for me to look past for the sake of having a really cool boutique bike.
fwiw after pouring a lot of time into my custom ZFS-5 build my honest conclusion is I should have just bought an Epic 8 and called it a day. I have something that is technically lighter and cheaper, but I spent a lot of time on it for the sake of being non-conforming that I don’t really think was worth it in the end. Turns out people buy Epic’s because they’re good.
Here are my KPCs:
2x bottle cages
High anti-squat (similar to 2020 OIZ)
~67* head tube
Fox factory suspension (34sc fork)
Under $9k, bonus points for every $ under
Brands/Model:
Cervelo/ZFS-5
Orbea/OIZ
C-Dale/Scalpel
Scott/Spark - out for anti squat
Allied/BC40
Pivot/Mach 4SL- out for 2x bottle mounts
Giant/Anthem - out for 2x bottle mounts
Norco/revolver - just kind of uninspiring
Assumptions:
XTR build kit
Most likely will remove dropper and stick with my high post
Wheels and tires are a minor consideration for what is supplied OEM. IE if two bikes are “tied” but for the same money I can get better wheels, that may sway me
Should be able to get some discounting if I play my cards right for everything but the Allied
Well the Scalpel is now available with standard forks or a Lefty, but Boost off set is standard too, so replacing wheels doesn’t require AI offset gymnastics.
I have the 2021 gen with a Lefty 120 which makes it about as slack as current gen, and it’s super stable but very responsive even with my 700ml bars. Even with the lockout off, for me suspension bobbing is minimal at best.
The only one that Cannondale lists that comes with XTR is the 2021 Hi-Mod, so that might strike things for you.
I feel like the antisquat on my ZFS-5 is way better than my 2019 Oiz, but some of that may be that mine has RS and the tune is less plush than Fox.
My whole sthick has been that the ZFS-5 120 is a great bike if you can find it on sale, but no one seems to have the Shimano spec at all, let alone on sale.
No I don’t think it was a defect. I don’t know what the proper term is but I make the suspension do a lot of the work as opposed to standing up, we call it humping the bike here and a good example is I power up to a oncoming steep uphill/roller and just stay seated as the bike “humps” it
Here’s what I think happened
I don’t even remember where that seatpost came from but it’s crazy light (145g total).
I “hump” the bike, it’s just my riding style
I’m over 90+kg
There is a lot of seat-post extension/exposed.
I really think the seatpost was too light/weak.
I put a Race Face NEXT post on the bike now, it’s pretty sturdy.
The BC40 that Dylan Johnson built is a M frame that comes in at 10.26 kg or 22.5 lbs.
Not flight attendant but Fox and Sram AXS build-kit and some pretty cool parts. But still, that weight is pretty good for a full suspension bike with a dropper post.
I’m hesitant to weigh in for fear of it looking like a have vendetta against this bike, again I think it’s a killer bike, but Dylan’s build is running 100m Fox 32, an extravagant custom 1 piece handlebar and stem, previous non-T type eagle, very light and minimal tread tires, and what looks like to be at most a 75mm drop Transfer SL.
This is weight weenie build that you’d only run for light non-technical trails, which makes sense since it was his Sea Otter build.
There are multiple reviews out there from Pinkbike, Escape, Pros Closet, etc with real world weights. With an actual 120 spec it’s a 24-25lb bike. That’s fine, you can just get a good bit lighter for cheaper if you care about that sort of thing.
at this point seems like the Yeti or Sworks Epic 8 are the lightest bikes you can build with the same components? The yeti might even be lighter than the Epic
I believe the yeti frame/fork is slightly heavier than than the s-works epic, but it’s a little lighter than the regular epic. But they are all really close. The epic does have the in-frame storage compartment adding some weight, but that’s a good trade off in my opinion.
The top of the line ASR and the S-works Epic both come in under 23 lbs and both include the “heavy” reverb dropper and flight attendant suspension. You could easily get either of them under 22lbs with pedals if you wanted to go full weight weenie.
No, you are right, it has some really weight-weenie parts. And a more robust, down-country even, bike will always be heavier. My personal riding is pretty mellow most of the time, so we could get away with a bike like that. But I understand it’s not for everyone.
Super interesting, all the xc race bikes are around 23-25 lbs. Seems like the racers are very tuned into where a bit of extra weight is well worth it, with many running inserts.
Seems to me like 25 lbs is a great target weight for a an xc race bike that still is super capable and robust. Us mere mortals are also mostly running reasonable tires, rather than the ultralight disposable tires those WC racers are on, which makes 25 lbs more realistic.
This might be a bit of coping on my part, as my blur TR is at 27 lbs…
