Trek Supercaliber SLR Vs Specialised Epic World Cup: Which is the final word cross-country velocity machine?

Specialised and Trek have each debuted new brief journey suspension XC race rigs this 12 months. And provided that the Trek Supercaliber and Specialised Epic World Cup look extraordinarily comparable in design, we figured they’d make the right XC head-to-head take a look at.

Trek and Specialised are giants within the mountain bike world, and each of those new XC bikes weigh in below 10kg and have 5 determine value tags. And that’s not all they’ve in widespread. Dynamic geometry and element alternative of the Trek Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XX AXS Gen 2 and Specialised S-Works Epic World Cup are intently matched too. They really feel surprisingly completely different on the path although. So what are the small print that have an effect on the dynamic efficiency, and which one – if both – do you have to decide for final cross-country velocity? That’s the query this head-to-head take a look at will reply.

Now, in the event you’ve not been following World Cup XC racing not too long ago, you’ll have missed out on some wonderful competitors from insanely expert and match athletes. You additionally gained’t know that the majority programs now function sections that you just’d assume had been designed for 16kg, sticky tyre enduro bikes, not sub 10kg, semi-slick tyre-shod whippets. It’s why the finest XC race bikes now appear to be lightened variations of path bikes, with typical linkage-driven shocks giving 100-120mm of journey. And each Trek (Prime Gas) and Specialised (Epic Evo) have bikes in that class too.

Suspension and body structure

Trek and Specialised each used built-in shock designs to spice up stiffness and provides a hardtail look

That’s not what we’re taking a look at right here, nevertheless. Each the Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XX AXS Gen 2 (£10,800) and Specialised S-Works Epic World Cup ($11,000) use a proprietary high tube embedded shock giving 80mm and 75mm of journey respectively. This offers them a conventional hardtail-style body structure, slightly than a distinctly separate entrance triangle and swingarm. The place the elevated triangulation and extra firmly anchored shocks open up potential for larger stiffness with out including further weight. Each manufacturers commerce on that too, claiming hardtail-style energy supply, however with suspension whenever you want it. And it’s true, each the Trek and Specialised really feel stiffer than typical XC full-suspension bikes. However for various causes. On the Trek Supercaliber it’s a structural factor, whereas the Specialised Epic WC creates the phantasm of stiffness with its suspension arrange.

Specialised’s Mind outfitted RockShox SID fork is marginally heavier than the inventory SID

Fortunately issues are so much less complicated up entrance, the place the most recent RockShox SID SL Ultralight 110mm journey fork is hardwired to the identical TwistLoc two place distant because the rear shock on the Trek. Specialised has transferred its lengthy working Mind inertia valve to the most recent 110mm journey SID SL fork. This reactive lockout has preset ‘Brian fade’ sensitivity, utilizing a preloaded spring on the inertia valve. There’s no handlebar distant, however you may attain down and transfer the ‘fade’ lever on-the-fly along with your hand if the path is easy sufficient. The most recent model has had the spike valve eliminated for a extra open really feel, and even when ‘locked out’ you continue to get 15mm of cushion for traction. All-in, the Brian system provides 183g over the usual SID fork.

Left: Trek has a twist grip distant for the fork and Shock. Proper: Specialised depends on good suspension tech

On the scales

Claimed body weights are completely different for each bikes. Specialised suggests a close to 250g benefit over the Trek, however the sub 10kg construct weights for every bike are very shut after we checked them within the workshop. The Trek weighs 9.72kg (21.43lb), the Specialised a smidge heavier at 9.75kg (21.5lb). And that’s as a result of the Epic WC has a heavier Mind model of RockShox’s SID SL fork and an influence meter chainset too. That stated, each add much less to the general weight of the Specialised than the Fox Switch SL dropper does on the Trek. Yup that’s proper,  Specialised suits a inflexible put up. All of which means that the claimed weights are a bit of off. 

Geometry side-by-side

Should you take a fast look on the geometry chart, the top angle on the Specialised is so much slacker than the Trek. However the static geometry doesn’t inform the entire story. The Specialised is designed to run little or no shock sag, so the dynamic head angle with the rider on board is definitely very near the Trek. And it’s an analogous story with the BB heights. The Trek seems to be so much larger, however when you issue within the elevated shock sag, it’s fairly near the Specialised. On the path then, the dynamic geometry of each bikes is way nearer than it seems within the chart beneath (utilizing our personal measurements, not the producers claimed figures).  

	Specialised	Trek
Measurement Examined	L	L
Head angle	66.5º	67.5°
Seat angle	73.5º	71.5°
Eff SA (740mm)	74.5º	74.5°
BB peak	315mm	327mm
Chainstay	430mm	435mm
Entrance centre	760mm	735mm
Wheelbase	1,190mm	1,170mm
Down tube	727mm	723mm
Seat tube	450mm	460mm
Prime tube	640mm	620mm
Attain	466mm	465mm

 

Construct kits

Trek’s high finish Supercaliber has Stage Final 4-piston brakes, a XX AXS drivetrain and a one-piece Bontrager cockpit

Because the mannequin identify suggests, there’s a full SRAM XX AXS drivetrain on the Trek, full with carbon rear derailleur cage and hole carbon crankarms. Whereas the brand new XX transmission isn’t as quick to shift as older AXS programs, you don’t should ease up on effort whereas altering, so the whole lot is actually geared in direction of going sooner. Not like the Specialised Epic WC, there’s no energy meter chainset right here although. Bontrager’s high Race Collection Restricted equipment offers the one piece bar/stem (750/80mm equal) and the carbon rail saddle. The ultralight (however lifetime warrantied) carbon Kovee wheels have a 108 level engagement rear hub, which joins within the quick and livid enjoyable with close to rapid response to pedal inputs.

Specialised’s Epic WC will get much less highly effective 2-piston brakes

It’s an analogous mix of elements on the Specialised. The transmission is SRAM’s high line XX SL AXS wi-fi equipment together with a full Quarq energy meter on the slim stance 168mm Q-Issue chainset. Specialised’s partner-brand Roval offers the Management SL Built-in cockpit, which mimics a 760mm bar in a 70mm stem, and the superlight Management SL wheels. Our solely gripe with the construct is that the two-piston SRAM Stage Final brakes are each much less highly effective and 10g heavier than the four-piston variations. Lever really feel is nice although, and also you get a 180mm entrance rotor for energy compensation.

Efficiency

We struggled to become familiar with the suspension on the Specialised Epic WC

We actually spent months setting and re-setting sag ranges, tweaking the compression and rebound damping on the Specialised Epic World Cup, and driving it in as many alternative conditions as doable. Within the course of we discovered that there are some issues the Epic WC does very effectively. The ‘take no prisoners’ vibe is a psychological present for flat-out assaults. The break up persona suspension works very effectively in firmer modes when powering from easy surfaces to stutter bumps (or vice versa). Mounted seat put up apart, the spec is just about excellent premium race gear, and its clear seems to be had been universally praised. 

For an XC bike, the Specialised Epic WC isn’t as agency below foot as we anticipated

Now for the negatives. The topped out, sat ‘on’ not ‘linked to’ the path suspension response undermines management and traction considerably on descents, and also you get drained actually rapidly on technical trails. The (comparatively) soggy pedalling motion additionally saps power and morale, and being unable to vary that feeling when driving inevitably means compromise, slightly than customised, efficiency for every part of observe too. 

As soon as the shock bushing loosened up, the Trek Supercaliber took off like a rocket

Distinction that with the Trek Supercaliber. Positive it took a few rides for the ZEB bushing on the IsoStrut shock to liberate, and the thin Bontrager tyres wanted switching out too, however the Supercaliber simply felt ‘proper’ from the beginning, particularly from a race viewpoint. The mix of the structural stiffness and the very constructive pedalling really feel from the higher-than-average anti-squat, and additional low velocity compression damping, provides a noticeably completely different character to most typical XC bikes. And though the suspension response is agency, the actual fact it’s progressive makes it extra predictable than the reversed stiff-to-soft motion of the Specialised. 

The Gen 2 Trek Supercaliber is born for velocity

There’s not one of the harsh, hammering topped-out staccato of the Epic World Cup both, and the usual SID SL fork is so much much less spikey than Specialised’s Mind outfitted unit. Because of this, fatigue ranges had been dramatically decreased, even on rougher descents when testing the bikes back-to-back. In reality, the one time the Trek felt at an obstacle to the Epic World Cup was on easy climbs, the place the elevated sag felt much less environment friendly than the topped out Epic. That’s instantly remedied with a twist of the lockout although, and general the Trek Supercaliber simply felt much more sorted, linked and intuitive for racing and flat out XC/Path driving.

Conclusion

And the clear winner right here is the Trek Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XX AXS Gen 2

Having stated that, neither bike is as quick on descents/technical sections as most longer-travel XC bikes, and due to this fact they aren’t as versatile both. They don’t provide any weight benefit both, and with a distant multi-mode suspension, slightly than binary lockouts, most 120mm bikes are sooner on numerous climbs and extra tuneable for various sections of observe. 

So if there’s no actual weight benefit, and each bikes have much less journey for greater hits and the additional issues of proprietary shocks, why would you need to take into account both of them over a standard full-suspension race bike? The reply probably lies of their very completely different experience vibes. You may learn the full take a look at of the Trek Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XX AXS Gen 2 right here and the Specialised S-Works Epic World Cup right here. 

Additionally we’re already seeing each the Supercaliber and Specialised’s Epic Evo utilizing RockShox Flight Attendant digital suspension adjustment on the World Cup race circuit too. That makes investing £10k in a proprietary suspension system and body probably much less appetising when Ai could be find yourself doing a greater job on a extra versatile body within the not-too-distant future.

Check Winner’s Stablemates – options for various budgets 

SRAM or Shimano? You get to decide on as Trek additionally has the Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XTR Gen 2

Trek Supercaliber SLR 9.9 XTR Gen 2 £10,350

Sit squarely within the blue Shimano camp however need all the advantages of the Gen 2 Supercaliber SLR 9.9 body? Nicely Trek additionally has a full Shimano XTR outfitted bike. It will get a Fox 34 Step-Forged fork with 110mm journey paired with the IsoStrut, RockShox SIDLuxe shock and a twin lock out distant. You additionally get larger quantity 2.4in tyres for extra traction and management. Bonus. 

Trek’s Supercaliber SL 9.6 Gen 2 has all the most recent XC tech, with out the sky-high pricing

Trek Supercaliber SL 9.6 Gen 2 £3,780

XC race full suspension bikes are often prohibitively costly, not the Supercaliber SL 9.6 Gen 2. It shares the identical body structure and suspension tech as our take a look at winner, however makes use of a heavier OCLV carbon lay-up and a RockShox Recon Gold RL fork to scale back prices and obtain a extra aggressive value level. You additionally get a 12-speed Shimano SLX drivetrain and a dropper put up, so it’s able to rock and roll.

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