Bang for the buck is a relative term, but I saved a full pound when I went to lighter wheels with Race Kings over an already light set of carbon DT Swiss with 180’s and Lighter tires than the Rekons. Race King 2.2 is probably the ideal tire for Leadville too with the low rolling resistance, with maybe the Dubnital taking over but no real durability feedback yet. With your setup - I bet you could save 1-2# there and get the rolling resistance benefit but could spend $2K or more on a wheelset.
The crank, wheels and tires are what stand out to me. And I don’t see a PM, so the first thing I’d do is the crank. Even with a PM, I believe an XXSL is a good bit lighter than the GX. And that’s a long crank for a Med frame, I assume that’s your wife’s preference, but maybe a chance to get a shorter one depending on what you like. The rest of the GX group isn’t significantly heavier than the higher end stuff and it all works the same. EDIT- If it’s the old AXS stuff (not transmission), you can save a good bit of weight going with a higher end cassette also, but they are pricey.
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one could argue not everyone uses the same bars, stem, saddle, tires, wheels… 
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Looks like Specialized has dropped an Epic 8 Pro now with Flight Attendant
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I’m currently in the market for a new setup this season. I currently have the previous gen epic evo although would like to move to a flight attendant setup. I have good wheels, drivetrain, etc.. that I could swap over.
Economically, anyone have an idea on what’s the best way to move to flight attendant and an Epic 8? Frameset and flight attendant kit?
Probably new 8 pro with flight attendant
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Just get FA for your Epic7 would be my recommendation. Frame storage is probably not worth the hassle in switching everything over and having to sell the rest.
Otherwise, yes evo or s-works frame with FA upgrade
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Now that China is back on the menu…this is an option.
Was definitely planning on changing the tires, should’ve probably mentioned that.
Crank was top of mind for me too. My wife doesn’t have a preference for the 175; that’s just what came on the build. I was thinking of going 165. There is indeed no PM; I have Rally XC pedals on my gravel bike but those are quite heavy and have a high stack. Cassette is a good idea—to clarify, it’s a mechanical groupset. Sram mechanicals are not my favorite, but I’m not sure I have the stomach to replace an entire groupset (and what would be the choice: Shimano mechanical? GX AXS upgrade? Transmission? See what Shimano unveils for its new XTR?).
Thanks, y’all.
I like to keep things the same between my gravel and MTB stuff. Just makes it simpler and also nice to have backup parts for big events without having a keep a spare RD and Cassette on hand. SRAM makes that easy since I like running 1x MTB gearing on the gravel bike. I made the transition to Transmission on my MTB last year (bought a new bike that had it) and just got a new UHD gravel frame last week and went Transmission on that as well. I never had any issues with the old Eagle AXS stuff, but I do prefer Transmission and all my Eagle stuff was getting pretty worn out (had a cassette that just started skipping). I think GX is the sweet spot for SRAM, but I also don’t worry much about weight.
If you are 2x and/or Shimano guy for gravel, the whole MTB/Gravel interoperability goes out and window, but I still like SRAM for off road stuff. And you never know when you might have a gravel race that requires MTB gearing (so, it’s nice to have a groupset sitting on your MTB available to borrow when needed).
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It looks like you are comparing weights with the shock. Not sure if anyone lists weight without it, but obviously would be a better comparison if you can find it. And if you can only find weights with the shock, maybe go look up shock weights to net out each frame weight. Since the evo uses fox, it’s definitely not apples to apples. Not sure about shock weight difference on the s-works vs. regular epic, could be a little messy depending on whether they are talking about frame weight on a “build” bike vs. “frame only” since the build bike comes with a FA shock and the frame doesn’t (from what I remember).
How have you liked the ZFS-5? I keep on flirting with getting one on sale, and have noticed the newer X0 version has a Fox shock instead of SID. Is that good? Bad?
Also, how tall are you? I’m 5’9 and that seems to be on the border for Medium/Large on the ZFS-5.
My medium bare carbon S-Works was 1911 with shock and protection. It was 1447 without shock or protection but I think that the swat door was off for that weight.
My white Epic Evo frame size L was 2291g with hardware. I swapped the Fox Shock to the SID FA and also bought the carbon link. I can weigh the Fox with the alu linkage after work if you‘d like to know the weight.
I don’t think this is unreasonable. the white paint easily adds 2-300g
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Everything you said makes a whole lot of sense and I am a 2x AND Shimano guy for gravel. 
Tagging @tgarson who probably has logged many more miles on it than I have. I really like the way it rides though. Super fun. Medium feels right for me, I think a large would be unwieldy. For what it’s worth, I’m a completely average 5’8" dimension-wise.
Nobody has brought up changing out the fork on this build. Not worth it?
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2291 - 327 - 72 =1’892g for the bare* white epic evo frame in size Large.
*with hanger & axle & seatpost colar
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OEMs have often spec’d SID for more XC race focused builds and Fox for more “TR” focused builds due to Fox suspension generally feeling more plush and having better small bump compliance. IMO this comes at the expense of more pedal bob and being squishy under high load. You really need a 3pos lockout on Fox if you plan to use it for XC and aesthetically the rats nest of cables for the lockouts plus dropper offended my delicate sensibilities.
So short version, it’s a good thing if you want more suppleness, but not what I was going for in my build.
Overall it’s been a great bike for me but my criteria for bike selection were mostly irrational. My priorities were 1) light 2) climbing efficiency 3) feeling like I got a deal 4) avoiding my perceived stigma of being yet another a middle aged white man of middling performance riding a S-works. Getting ZFS-5 for 35% off and doing wacky custom build was the only option that checked all my boxes.
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I am in the process of doing this as well and am finding lots of compounding benefits here:
- Fewer backup parts necessary since I have the same drivetrain on both bikes.
- Can easily use either bike in the “grey zone” that both cover (rough gravel or light singletrack).
- 1x on the gravel bike gives me lots of gearing flexibility by changing the chainring.
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Super clear, self aware list! 
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I never knew I had a lost brother out there.
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