The Specialized Podcast

Epic 9 | Creating the Fastest XC Bike Ever

The Specialized Podcast

Show Notes

You know Christopher Blevins from his record-breaking 2025 season, where he finished #1 in UCI XC points, claimed both the XCO and XCC overall titles, and helped the Specialized Factory XC Team sweep the World Cup podium twice aboard Epic 8. So why change the bike? Because lead engineer Jason McDonald and the rest of the Specialized Science Club knew they could make it faster. In this episode, Jason explains how the team started with Epic 8’s world-beating benchmark, then removed what held...

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