Specialized Epic Evo 8 Custom Build

Matt Overton
Sep 19, 2025
2 min read

This is my 2024 Epic Evo 8. I bought it to be a dual purpose build to serve as a trail bike and XC bike for NICA coach duties. I have multiple forks that I swap depending on the season to change up the performance of the bike. I purchased the Specialized Comp Build from Sycamore Cycles, and then swapped components from a previous bike. It is hard to get a sub-30lb build with an XL frame, but this bike in XC mode, is right around 29lbs. My goal is to do some adventure races in the future on this bike. The Epic 8 platform is amazing out of the box, and does well on most any trail. I like being able to change out forks from trail to XC, as it really changes the bike. I find myself not riding my Santa Cruz Megatower V2 very often because this bike is so fun to ride. If you live in a flatter area with more mild terrain, this would be the only bike you need! The newer builds of this bike are a great value that include the SRAM T-Type wireless drivetrain. This bike gives you a lot of bang for your buck, I highly recommend it!