Epic by name. Epic by nature. The 2018 Women's Epic Comp Carbon is designed for the hardest race courses with punchy accelerations, chunky rock gardens and lung-busting climbs. The Epic's role is to make those courses more manageable and to put the rider as close to the top step of the podium as possible.

In response to the steeper and more technical courses of recent years, we've focussed on optimising handling for varied conditions. Anything that could be improved got serious treatment, including a longer reach for greater stability at speed, versatile dropper seat post compatibility and a slacker head angle. The Epic Comp Carbon is a XC mountain bike that will leap into action, behaving beautifully on even the tightest corners and sketchiest decents.

To improve the bike's comfort and efficiency, we joined forces with the RockShox team to develop our pioneering Brain technology. When first introduced, the Brain redefined the way the industry looked at suspension, and now Brain 2.0 takes that innovation into new realms of performance. By moving the suspension closer to the rear axle, you get greater control and improved dampening thanks to the Brain 2.0's ability to react to the conditions under the tyres. For the women's Epic, the tech is custom-tuned for the female physique and what's more, the hoses are integrated into the suspension links which improves the movement of oil and makes the whole package sleek and aesthetically pleasing.

The FACT 11m carbon frame is Rider-First Engineered, meaning that all the tubes are size-specific, making the performance attributes consistent no matter the size. It has also had a major upgrade as far as stiffness is concerned thanks to the complex carbon pieces fixed in all the key places, also optimising control and ride quality. The frame's integrated channels, internal routing, tube profile and optimised torsion profiles all contribute to making a bike which is the stiffest, lightest and simply the best riding XC bike Specialized have ever made.

The 2018 Women's Epic Comp Carbon is equipped with a component package which focusses on performance and value. Reliable shifting is provided by the 1x11 SRAM GX groupset, with dependable stopping power in the SRAM Level TL brakes and a Roval Control alloy wheelset. Everywhere possible, effort has been made to tailor the bike to women, so you'll find narrow bars, shorter crank arms and the industry's favourite Women's Myth Sport saddle.

• Full fact 11m carbon fiber frame combines stiffness, strength, and light overall weight to deliver an off-the-hook race bike. Meanwhile, the new geometry, RockShox Brain shock, and 100mm of travel, make the Epic the best handling, fastest XC rig you've been on.
• A RockShox Reba RL fork soaks up the bumps up front, and features both compression and rebound adjustments.
• An 11-speed SRAM GX groupset handles shifting duties, bringing the convenience of one-by to your XC rig.