2012 S-WORKS EPIC 29er

 hahahaha....Yeah mate i can say the sharp corners were a bit of a puzzle at 1st but i learnt to steer a little sooner than i would on the 26er.....650b is something i am really keen to hear about,problem is i hear that Norco etc wont be selling them here in Oz.I already spoke to the wife and a flat "NO" sort of told me the Trance will be around for a while yet....Great to hear you and your young bloke AM series.Did he kick your ass again bro?

 I would say a ass kicking times three. I think I can hear your wife from my deck. I sure you have heard mine a few times. it sorta ends with that look.

 Oh yes dear friend....i have heard her often.I am sure my wife would not understand if I got a new bike,she says the one i have now is only 1 year old lol....Not too fussed and love the Trance but i am even more 29er curious now but really want to try something i could afford as this bad boy is a little out of my budget.I was dead against a 100mm travel bike but this felt great.I never got to do a huge climb (couldnt anyway) or a fun down section but know the way i ride (not very well) i think i could get away with such small travel.......The Fun Buster (wife) is all for me riding and loves the fact i am on a trail and not in a Pub (wanna bet love?) but i understand her about the on going costs.Bike licence,tubes,gloves and all the little stuff that adds up.I snapped a chain the other day and had to replace it which led to me replacing the cassette as it was worn and a good one is not cheap.I never get hassled off her for spending cash but i can read her face "f*ck,you are a fat 42 y/o surely this is not gonna help you ride?" .....i have tried the forgiveness over permission thing before and i must say i prefer a clear conscous these days.......must be great having a Son that you can share your passion with? My eldest Girl is in and out of MTB all the time.

 Hey guys! I share the same views about the wife's awareness
As for the wheel size I can comment on 650b which I'm riding currently. There is not many MTB frames at the moment for this standard so what I did is I stick those mid-size hoops on a 29-er frame with 120mm Fox's 26" standard forks and it blows me away. It corners amazingly due to fact the BB height is lower than the average. The only downside is longish chainstay but it ads up the stability and comfort so all in all I'm very pleased with this 'experiment'.

 I like the concept...nice experiment buddy

 awesome mate...yeah bring that bad boy over ASAP......I see your point but the trails here are pretty tame,just need a rake and some love.

 Very good point about the bars mate.I sat on this bike with the little 680mm wide bars and thought "shit,im dead" but due to the big wheel i was comfy and would recomend a short bar and long stem.I have gone from 785mm with a 60mm stem on my Trance to 720mm and 80mm stem and love it.I find it so much easier climbing but i can really get back on the steep bits and the feeling is so natural.Big 203mm rotors are a must,this bike had XTR and stopped on a dime.
Salsa Horsethief is a bike i love.29er i think would really suit me but the down side is the down sections feel a bit too tame...maybe thats a good thing for us old fat riders ????? i too am still on the fence but the more i think of it i feel a 29er would actually make me a better rider but would i enjoy it more??????? maybe not

 I guess is also depends on the terrain. For a lot of the stuff around me a 29 would be at home. In fact we've seen a lot more of them in the last few months. Another reason I would consider getting one is that there is now more tires to select from as well as forks.

I didn't have a chance to take the 29 down anything steep. I did find that whenever I got into a nice flowy single track that didn't had a lot of sharp corners that the bike railed nicely But I think you're right. I think the stem and bar geo has a lot to do with it - just like on any other bike - but it seems like on a 29 it's really important!


The one thing I did not get a chance to evaluate was climbing. I'm told they climb just as well as the 26 albeit slower?

 Yes mate terrain has to be smooth i feel.But i think a better rider could throw down nicely on big wheels.Our LBS has just put a huge order in and 29ers are 80% of the list.Tires and fork choice are huge now they say but with the 650b stuff its not quite as big.What i liked about the 29er was i was a little higher at the front and could move around quite well but i really believe a longer stem is the key here so the steering is not too dead and you can get over the front a little better for climbs.....I did feel very safe on the down sections and on turns and at some stages didnt even worry about line choice,i just went for it.
What you say about climbing is right.But i found it easier to get to the top but not sure if that was because i was riding a bike half the weight i was normally used too...bit slower but less power needed.

 I think you nailed it about a better rider being able to throw down better. I'm not a better rider!


The stem that was on the Salsa that I rode was pretty short. I want to say 30-35mm. It sort of put me in a more up-right position which was comfortable but I lost some leverage when having to pull the front up to clear an obstacle.


The sitting up taller was also kinda nice. Though it took a bit to get use to. In some of the technical sections I felt like was going to topple over - mostly due to the bars being too wide and because I didn't have a lot of leverage when it came to pulling up the front.

But climbing was decent. I had it in my head that it was going to be harder with the larger wheels. Getting the bike going on a flat section took some effort but once they got spinning the momentum made it feel like I had another top gear!


I had fun on it. It did change my personal opinions and reservations about the 29ner in general.

Again, I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I would get one. That said, if I were to get one it would be a hard tail. Not sure if it would be a single speed or gears. I suppose I could get gears and convert it to SS if wanted.

Are you going to get one? 80% sounds pretty tempting!

 Mate i would say for now a 26 but thats today.Yesterday i was 29er mad and tomorrow who knows hahahaha...keep testing them out is all i can do

 Haha ! They're also trying to bring back 27.5!!

 Mate this bike felt like it had 6 inch of travel...i didnt have to drop the post at all either.Its a Medium it has a very long seat tube bro,the seat was not up that far really.I think a large would do me.Even the 700mm straight XC bars were nice...Try a 29er bro,it blew me away at how nice they are to ride.Great for us 40+y/o who think they are Matt Hunter still.....To get back on the 5 inch Trance after this 2 min ride was a huge let down.Still my baby is a great bike and i would need a lot more reviewing before i chose one.Saitori by Kona and the EVO Stumpy 29er are sweet but i dont think i could ever ride a better bike than the S-works Epic 29er......great song to suck you in eh?

 Yeah i wanted to go a lot faster but its not my bike and set for up for a 78kg rider....i am only 30kg heavier (lol)....I think the main point of difference mate is the "in the bike feel" not on it.But as i said to another guy i want to test a 29er in my price range before i declared a winner.This bike was so nice i didnt even worry about the brake levers being set up on the wrong side (we run rear brake lever on the left) and the 100mm of travel felt like 180mm....but i only had a short ride....there was one little jump i was keen to try though and regret doing the chicken line......thanks mate,3 months since any real riding was done so now i have to drop the 10kg i put on from not riding ....

 I wondered about the weight difference too. I hear ya on not being able to ride. I had a crash and have a 3rd degree AC joint separation (shoulder). I see the surgeon on Tuesday. I'm out for a while. You'll drop the weight fast once you get some regular riding in.

 Oh mate thats bad.The V10c ??????
hope it is healed up some time soon so you can enjoy some part of the season.
Really enjoyed the whole XC type of thing on this ride.My Trance is set a little too heavy ATM at 28lbs but a 10min change of parts would fix that.I enjoyed the slower pace and having to think about things a bit more than a normal trail ride like gear selection and line choice.....I can see myself doing this stuff more and more....get well very soon mate.

 Yeah, DH. Just hoping I won't need surgery. Any type of riding is amazing. Just keep pedaling.

 Great advice buddy......

 Mate this bike was great.Still trying to work out the pros and cons .....as i stated before,its not fair to compare this bike to my Trance.I should only test bikes in my price range.This Epic was just beautiful to ride though i must say.

 Pure magic bro.....really impressed.I am still not sure if it was the bike or the wheel size that was great.I want to try a 29er at the price range i would be able to buy.This bike is 3 times the price i could go for hahahahaha...thanks bro

 3 times brother? Must be a really expensive bike...and what about 2nd hand?

 $10000 AUD i was told......they are $6000 second hand......I think a bike like this is something i will never own lol

 Too expensive for me too...I'll will give it a go at a 29er, but a much more cheaper model mate...

 yeah bro,i couldnt justify spending that amout at all.

 Mate words cant describe the feel....but i can state that if i was to compare this bike to my Trance it would not be fair......i will have to compare the Trance to a 29er i could one day afford not a bike 3x the price i could....but carbon felt just the same bro.....a few more climbs would have been nice to get the most out of the set up

 Its always fun to ride and try new stuff! The 29 would suit your trails very greatly I think! This trial could take even bigger tires, ahahhhhhhhh I too would like to give it a go on a 29er! Sounds really fun!

 mate the 29ers take out some fun in a way.But they also open up a whole new experience.You dont notice the big wheels until you get off and look at it.Its just so unfair to compare this bike to my Trance ......But i would love to throw a FR bike around the down sections on this trail,you get pretty fast mate.

 Sounds like some fun times! 29er is now in your blood!

 Mate it was fat person heaben on this bike.I just got home from doing this trail again about 20mins ago....last ride was 1 hour 14 mins lol...the ride today was 42mins.....I did it on my Trance and loved it.I still have to drop 12min to be up there with my mates but its only been two weeks back riding after 3 months out with illness so i am so happy......But the S-works is without a doubt the best bike i have been on.....i am very lucky to be able to ride such a fine bike.

 I didn't mean to say you're fat! :o
I meant that 29ers are not for the likes of me... I'm 1,66m!
And take your time (and have fun) returning to the sport.

 hahahaha all good bro,but i am fat
i am 1.8m and loved the big wheels......having so much fun buddy,its incredible.

 You bet it is....as i have stated in above posts Manny,i want to try a 29er more in my price range not a bike 3 times the cost of what i could afford.It sort of takes a seditive to the trail which is something at my age and riding abillity i am not to worried about.If a 29er can help me ride a trail i am in brother

 I'm glad you're sensible and can resist the temptation of buying an expensive toy. An affordable bike can just be as much fun and you needn't be afraid of really using it!

 very well said Manny.I try to never over commit to anything out of my budget....learnt that lesson as a young fella.

 Brother it is not my bike hahahaha....it is the shop owners bike we took out while waiting for the other riders bike to arrive......wish it was but thanks for watching bro

 hahaha no no no...its a mates bike.He is riding my Trance in front of me.....i wish it was but

 one day mate,never know