Not 1, not 2, but THREE new XC Bikes released

[Jeremy]

It was a pretty crazy week of new bikes being released. Specialized Epic 9s, New Canyon Lux WC, and the Giant Anthem from a few weeks. Plus It looks like Scott is working on an updated Spark, based on Spy photos.

It's weird to have XC bikes come out on a non olympic year. I'm assuming that they will all still release new bikes for the Olympics, and that's when you'll see the 32 inch wheel takeover XC.

 

[Steve Vai]

1 XC bike was released under 3 different brand names 😂

 

[Jeremy]

1 XC bike was released under 3 different brand names 😂

Yea they’re all the same. If I got to pick 1, it’d be that ultralight epic. 19lb-ish is pretty sick.


At least the Scott has a different design.

 

[jdog]

Based on what I am seeing, people want to go fast:

-Fast, xc bikes are seling
-Fast, Big hit enduro bikes are selling
-Stupid fast ebikes are selling.

 

[Steve Vai]

Based on what I am seeing, people want to go fast:

-Fast, xc bikes are seling
-Fast, Big hit enduro bikes are selling
-Stupid fast ebikes are selling.

Mountain bikes have 2 categories now. Race and E-Bike, there’s nothing else.

 

[Steve Vai]

Yea they’re all the same. If I got to pick 1, it’d be that ultralight epic. 19lb-ish is pretty sick.


At least the Scott has a different design.

View attachment 280809

I mean, it’s the same across any of the genres. I absolutely loved the Epic WC so if I ever hit the lottery I’ll buy a 9.

 

[Santapez]

Yea they’re all the same. If I got to pick 1, it’d be that ultralight epic. 19lb-ish is pretty sick.


At least the Scott has a different design.

View attachment 280809

The Scott just seems to go for the hidden shock for looks not really performance.

These bikes all look the same because it seems like the industry figured out a flex stay is the best for XC with 100-120mm travel. Since that's been mostly adopted across the board It'll be interesting if there's a big change or discovery to change that. Maybe 32" is it?

The new Epic seems better than the 8 but it's lots of small changes nothing drastic. Definitely seems like the best XC bike out there if you can afford it. And not just race bike but every day bike.

 

[Jeremy]

And not just race bike but every day bike.

I’m surprised they got rid of the downtube storage. It’s not good for racing, but most people buying an epic 9 aren’t racing, they’re just buying a trail bike. They should have kept it on all the bikes except for the s-works.

I think Specialized really wanted less SKUs.

 

[Cassinonorth]

And not just race bike but every day bike.

I see it the exact opposite. Looks like a worse everyday bike but better race bike.

Headset routing across the board, no downtube storage and no cable drivetrains. Geo is almost identical. In for one if I hit the lottery as well.

 

[Jeremy]

Headset routing across the board

That one hurt. The epic was one of the last holdouts. You just need to know how to bleed brakes nowadays.

 

[Steve Vai]

I see it the exact opposite. Looks like a worse everyday bike but better race bike.

Headset routing across the board, no downtube storage and no cable drivetrains. Geo is almost identical. In for one if I hit the lottery as well.

Yeah, removing swat and the EVO option basically cuts 75% of Epic sales straight off the bat.

 

[Steve Vai]

I think Specialized really wanted less SKUs.

They cut so many bikes out of the line up this year. Like bread and butter bikes we sell all day long, gone. They have to be doing a shorter travel trail bike at some point because it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Like the old Stumpy ST.

 

[natlady10]

Bikes are becoming like smartphones where the geo and designs have sort of stabilized and we are no longer seeing notable enough changes year to year to justify buying the latest. I think I’m going to be happy with the bikes I own now for a few years.

 

[Santapez]

I see it the exact opposite. Looks like a worse everyday bike but better race bike.

Headset routing across the board, no downtube storage and no cable drivetrains. Geo is almost identical. In for one if I hit the lottery as well.

I meant purely from a riding/geometry position.

I wouldn't buy one for the reasons you mentioned. No way would I ever do headset routing.

 

[Dave Taylor]

Didn't pivot release a new Mach 4 SL recently too?

 

[Red Mosquito]

Like bread and butter bikes we sell all day long, gone.

Mismanagement at its finest. We'll force our customers to buy what we want to sell them!

 

[shrpshtr325]

Mismanagement at its finest. We'll force our customers to buy what we want to sell them!

Then complain that sales have dropped

 

[natlady10]

Didn't pivot release a new Mach 4 SL recently too?

That’s right. Updated for 2026. Looks just like the old one (to me) so that update isn’t as obvious. Also bucks the trends by continuing use of the dw link and fixed triangle vs flex stays like everyone else nowadays.

 

[avc8130]

Based on what I am seeing, people want to go fast:

-Fast, xc bikes are seling
-Fast, Big hit enduro bikes are selling
-Stupid fast ebikes are selling.

That's where I'm at...the "trail" bike just not as fun. It's more fun to have something on the silly end of each spectrum.

Shouldn't every family member have 5 bikes?

 

[jdog]

Didn't pivot release a new Mach 4 SL recently too?

Yes. It looks very close to the last one, but it's a very different ride. I encourage any looking for an XC bike to hit one of the Pivot demos this summer and see what the fuss is about. The M4 is one of the few in this category that actually feels like the suspension is working. The ran a 52 head tube that allows the euros to run the cable in the heattube and run an angle/reach adjust headset too.

This bike with some trail tires is becoming really popular locally.

Pivot Factory Demo Program - East

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