This bike was originally built with a black and red aesthetic theme in mind... however, I eventually decided to go custom with the paintjob as well and it's now flavoured red and white.I started the build with an imported Specialized S-Works Epic '05, but soon made the change to the Carbon Framed '06 model. This was later replaced with an 07 model. Following that change, I had the 07 AFR shock replaced with an 08 model - since the Epic is, above all, defined by its shock, the replacement of the shock proved to be the key to getting the Epic to feel the way I wanted it to.I've been trying to adopt the concept of the bike as a complete "system". In the pursuit of this, many of the changes effected have had 3 major goals in mind: 1) Performance, 2) Serviceability, 3) Versatility and 4) Sensibility. Wit this in mind, the build has gone through a number of changes aimed at making it either faster, easier to ride or easier to tailor according to the needs of the ride. The progress towards building a relatively modular setup and  a catalog of parts to swap where necessary has been quite decent so far and should be complete by the time the last few parts arrive.Early setup included a Rock Shox SID Fork, Avid Juicy Carbon brakes, XT Crank with Crank Bros Candy Ti pedals. since then, the ride has been modified with Rock Shox Reba World Cup forks, Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes, XTR '07 crankset and DMR V8 Pedals. Platform pedals tend to be better for learning tricks and handling on extra muddy terrain. Since then, I've gotten used to Crank Brothers pedals thanks to Acids and tend to rely on clipless pedals more in general thogh the platforms still come out when it's time to practice skills.Cockpit changes include the swap out of an Easton EC90 CNT seatpost (over the original Thomson Elite seatpost) and Fizik Gobi saddle of the ealiest build with Specilized Rival 143 and later Specialized Rival 143 SL saddles. Last change was to the back to Thomson with the Thompson Masterpiece Seatpost. Saddle choice currently rotates between Selle Italia SLR XC or SLR T1 Gel saddles depending on how I feel - on really long dist rides, I use the Rival 143 SL. Also added the option of the Specialized Toupe Team BG saddle for light riding - slightly lighter than the SLR (6g) difference.I swapped the Red DMR V8s for DMR V12s with titanium axels, not much difference in overall feel, but significant weight savings.Recently added Avid's match/makers no real difference in weight but most significantly, adjustments to master cylinder and shifter pods are much easier.Added a Stan's Alloy rotor to the front end. Considering using the other one I have on the rear... The rotor is approximately 57g, which is pretty much half the weight of the stock Avid G2 rotors.Recently purchased the Crank Brothers Acid 2 pedal - large platform for more support when riding with clipless - their weight is almost the same as the DMR V12s with Ti spindles (difference is within 5g). (Update : The Acid pedals are absolutely amazing!! While they aren't very easy to find at the moment, I'd have to say that the hunt is worth it. While not all reviews are glowing, I'd have to say that personally, I think that these are awesome pedals! I feel inspired by their easy and confident clipping-in and clipping-out feel, large stable platform and excellent mud-shedding and smooth performance. The large platform actually does wonders to relieve pressure on your foot (provided your shoes fit it well, and actually makes clipping in and clipping out a breeze - I never have that vague "where's the mechanism?" feeling like I did with Eggbeaters All in all, these have to be the best pedals I've used thus far and they'll work a treat for those who aren't quite as comfy being clipped in or those who find clipless pedals hard to figure out for one reason or the other. Their only real downside being their slightly heavier weight compared to many lightweights and their somewhat delicate paintjobs.) - Locate these at Hup Leong.Swapped the red Wippermann Connex chain with a KMC X9SL (silver) for some additional weight savings. Although these are more prone to getting grit stuck in them (the cutout plates and hollow pins are to blame), they are still pretty damn tough and light to boot.Added some finishing touches - got myself Ti bolting for elements such as the stem plug bolt, seat bolts, waterbottle cages etc.Swapped the SRAM X.O. Alloy Med cage rear D for the Carbon version. Saved approx 6g.Swapped the stock Mavic quick releases for Control Tech Comp-QRs - Carbon levered niceties. Also changed the jockey wheels for 7075 alu ones from KCNC for some extra weight savings.Another minor update: installed a conical Control-Tech Carbon spacer - looks a little sleeker, but not much difference in weight.Swapped over to the 2007 S-Works Epic frame. Some bedding issues with the new shock, but performance so far is pretty decent - not quite the same level of efficiency as the previous shock, but certainly more sensitive.Changed the brake hoses and fittings to Goodridge ones. The difference in weight was approx 34g between the previous stock fittings and the new Goodridge ones, the latter being the heavier of the two. As it is, the 07 Goodridge releases are lighter than previous ones and well worth a look for those looking for just that extra bit of power and modulation. Also swapped the BB bearings to Enduro Ceramic hybrid ones... all this fine work courtesy of Patrick at Eclipse.Swapped the original RockShox PopLoc adjust lockout remote for the Pushloc, action takes a while to get used to and bed in. It runs smooth and is quite intuitive, only  drawback is that the action can feel a little harder and the unit lacks compression adjustment. Quite a nice unit though - solid feeling and nice action once you get used to it. It's addictive! - Thanks to the guys at C2C for their help.The addition of the Pushloc and the Match/Maker clamp and corresponding bindings mean that the handlebar is now essentially a modular piece - bar setup can now be changed in less than 5 mins. Simply remove the Match/Maker and the attached controls and swap for any bar with grips mounted and you have an easily modified setup. Flats or risers - the choice is now easier than ever.Decided to play around with the bolts a bit - decent savings to be made off bolts as well - changed the Ti bottlecage bolts and front D bolt to Tiso's - saving around 1.5 - 3.5g per bolt. The other plus side is that they look a little bit more interesting. - Tiso bolts from Lynten at T.R. BikesAdded the option of a custom wheelset for training - DT Swiss 240s hubs laced with Sapim Laser spokes to Syncros FLR DS23 rims. Great job by Lynten at T.R. Bikes.Changed the rear shock to the 2008 model - just in at Tay Cycles. The bike now pedals much more firmly. The only real difference is the Brain valve - apart from being easier to adjust - it seems to be a lot firmer than the previous version, this results in a much more responsive ride - feeling is somewhere in between the 06 Fox and 07 Specialized AFR models. To me this is a vast improvement - I'll be testing this out on the trails to see if this initial finding holds true. If it does, then this will be a huge improvement for the Epic.>> So far the 08 Shock has met and exceeded expectations - I believe that this is as close to the ideal shock for the Epic as they have come (at least in my books). It is a lot firmer under power and doesn't exhibit the same "ducking" during climbs as the 07 model - the end result is a more confident feel during climbs and a more planted rear end. On the downs, it is as sensitive as the previous shock with none of the sometimes vague feel at the end of rough sections. One area that the new shock does lose a little on is comfort - it's somewhat firmer feel also means that it doesn't have the hair-trigger sensitivity of the 07 model, but this is a pretty small issue when you're out on the trails. Damping and smoothness of the stroke on the new shock is also a little better than the previous iteration and comes close to the quality of the fox version. << All in all, it is a pretty good upgrade that has really transformed the Epic.I swapped the steel I.S.-Post adaptor mounting bolts for Ti ones - in the process I saved about 2.5g per bolt. for a total of 10g.Changed the original Specialized seatclamp for a Token one. Weight is 9.5g compared to the original Specialized one which stood at 30g~ (with Ti bolt kit).Swapped the Token seat collar for a Tune one. The tune weighs in at a pretty light 6 g - which is less than a third of the stock one.Dropped 22g from changing the pads (!). Standard pads weigh in at 22g per pair - the Alu backed Koolstops come in at just 11g. It's now lighter than the XTRs - brilliant since the pads are so much cheaper and should stop better while lasting longer.As the granny ring was kinda worn, I decided to swap it out before it deteriorated further. The original plan was to fit a red anodized Middleburn ring, but apparently Middleburn doesn't make Red anodized ones for the current XTR cranks - fitting and spacing is different. I therefore swapped the original one for a compatible Middleburn Hardcoat ring - just as well since  this one should hold up to wear a lot better - the stock rings (with the exception of the middle chainring) are pretty soft. I also had the red Middleburn bolts swapped out for the Tiso ones I had lying around. No real difference in weight, just that the Tiso ones do seem to look a little more interesting.Specialized Phenom SL saddle has arrived. It offers better padding and a greater variety of riding positions (apart from being really comfy). Weight is an acceptable 202g...Thanks to Patrick at Eclipse Sports - ZTR Olympics, Sapim CX-Rays, Alloy nipples and DT 240s hubs with Ceramic bearings combine for a smooth rolling 1.4kg wheelset (sans rotors, bolts, cassette and QR). Thanks to experimentation and some custom work by Patrick on the spokes, it is able to continue the Red/Black aesthetic theme intended for this bike. The Handling and feel of the bike are drastically different with this wheelset -  also in part because of the tires. Acceleration is certainly much easier with these wheels - as it climbing - although they don't feel as solid as the other wheelset used chiefly on this bike - the CrossMax SLR - they make up for this with the more nimble feel that they provide.I've been sufficiently impresed by the FSA OS99 stem on the M5 Hardtail that I decided to get another one for the Epic! Apart from shedding some weight - approx 25g, it also stretches out the cockpit a little more and provides a slightly less twitchy feel than the 90mm OS115. The tradeoff? A slight loss in stiffness on the front end and less "carbon niceness" in the stem department.I changed the Control Tech Comp MTB skewers for the Carbon.Ti ones - this change saved about 18g. The new levers hold pretty well and adjust just like any other - the only issue one might find is that their lever might get in the way of valve heads on some forks. Still, they're pretty light and nicely finished.Out of curiousity, I decided to go get the Atik Ti/Ti QRs to give them a try. They're supposedly meant for Roadie setups, but apparently they will fit just fine. They feature particularly slim and simple fasteners and are very minimalist all round - still they are very impressive in terms of weight. As they do look kinda fragile, I'll be testing them out to see how they hold up - the most important aspect is whether they can hack it on the trails. Must say that the finishing is very decent for a relatively affordable pair of skewers.After a servicing session, I also had the rocker link replaced for an '08 one -differences are minor.  Another addition was the Acros ceramic bearing BB, impressively smooth and with a solid warranty to go with it.I decided to shed some weight at the cockpit area and the Tune Gum Gum expander and carbon cap option seemed like an interesting choice - I shed 18g this way.Weight tends to vary according to setup - it's 10.1kg with the ZTR wheelset and 10.41 with the Crossmax SLR setup (both including a generous amount of sealant) - apart from the wheelset there are other factors affecting weight and handling, including the tire choice, rotors and even the bolting used so these are rough ballpark figures.The 10kg mark has been breached thanks to a pair of Crank Brothers Eggbeater 4Tis. I finally managed to get used to the Crank Brothers SPD standard  and decided to move back to Eggbeaters after clearing my initial reservations.I had a debate  over what to do with this build because I had received information about the new Epci for 2009 and have seriously been considering making that my new no-holds-barred project. Given that the news about the new bike's weight etc. were all phenomenal, I had a hard time deciding. As it is, I've always felt familiar with the feel and dimentions of the original design and have been quite well acquainted with the pros and cons of the design . Most importantly, I feel comfortable with the bike and this "feeling" led me to decide on my next course of action. Eventually I decided to update the graphics package for the frame - partly as a homage to the Epic line (for which this frame design is the last that bears any resemblance to the original FSR model; 2009's Epic is totally different). I had an inkling that lots of 2009 components (as well as present ones) would be coming in white (and red) and since I felt the colour was interesting because no previous S-Works Epic had come in white, I decided to pursue this project of getting a custom theme done. After a few weeks of work on the graphics, the design and frame were sent over to the Rebound Centre for work. Personally, I'm thrilled with the work they put in over there and am indebted to a lot of people for their assistance in the project - Rebound Centre (I appreciate the hard work and invaluable feedback - you made it look better than my design would have ordinarily), Tay Cycles (cheers to 'Man for the solid and meticulous work),  Chapter 2 Cycles (thanks to Ben and his crew for the heads up on all those important details) and Eclipse Sports (sorry for the late nights Mr L <-this guy really goes out of the way to help out) - not to mention other retaillers who have provided the components for this build.I'll be adding some final updates to the design before I'm done and will also be making some changes to the final spec in an effort to bring the "feel" and performance to a desired level. As part of this change, I'll be transitioning to a 2X9 setup and changiing elements such as the front D, shifters as well as other parts as more 2009 gear becomes available . These updates should hopefully help to further modernize the Epic. The target will be to hit the 9kg mark or lower.I've acquired a 9-speed KCNC 2Ti + 4Scandium cassette from C2C. Straight off, it felt a little rougher than XTR, but after a while, it's bedded in very nicely. The cassette apparently works best with a new KMC X9/X10 SL chain and the recommendation from the company is indeed very accurate! The shifting ramps are a lot more defined that XTR so shifts don't have the same "smoothness"  as XTR, but the chain shifts with a lot of authority and feedback at the rear - making it feel even more "SRAM-like". Durability seems okay! Contrary to my earlier fears,  I expected the wear to be obvious after just a few rides, but it seems to have held up the distance rides I've had so far. The biggest change is that the bike is even easier to loft than before - the lack of mass becomes apparent when you're trying to lift the ride over something. In the issue of cog bite, I shall be reporting back after logging on a few more rides. But so far, initial observations indicate that this cassette tends to mark the freehub body less - with the XTR cassette, the mark where my favored 14t sits already started to appear.Awesomeness! Inspired by "Rabbit" and Kenji Takeya (Japan's National XC Champion), I had a 700C Disc wheelset built.  What I love about the outgoing Epic model is that it's actually a pretty versatile bike - particularly with the 08 AFR Brain shock. This wheelset allows the Epic to turn itself into a fairly efficient road-going bike with handling and ratios that are very familiar to me. There's no need to change anything except the chain with every wheelset swap and changes are done within less than 5 minutesMost of all, with every swap, it feels as if I have a whole new bike as each one gives the bike a whole different character without alienating the rider (me). For this wonderful previledge, I must also thank Chapter 2 Cycles!Thanks to the people at Tay, I got my hands on the latest FSA K-Force Light 31.8 flat bar... other than some revised graphics, subtle changes to the weight mean that they consistently weigh around 8g lighter than the previous ones - 122g (now) vs 130g for the previous one and this is for an oversize bar of 600mm length that doesn't cost an arm and (or) a leg! I'm not sure what is responsible for the loss in weight... but they feel and perform as good as the outgoing model.Wonderful stuff from Mr Ben at C2C! I lost my balance and fell over but thankfully had pasted on the frame a little something that Mr Ben had provided!  after heading back - closer observation revealed that this soon-to-be-retailling product saved my paintwork from what would have been a rather awful set of scratches! This product is now available at C2C and many other fine establishments - Raceguard - ask about it!I've changed the brakes to the newly revised Magura Marta SLs - about 10g lighter than the tuned Avids - 230~g vs 242g  (though the Avids do come with a matchmaker mount). The most major change has to be the ergonomics - they feel a lot more comfortable at the lever than  my previous Martas and I'm not sure it's just the carbon. I only hope they hold up as well as the Avids have. Feel is not quite as positive at the Juicy Ultimates... yet... this should be remedied with Goodridge hoses (coming soon!). If these hold up in the months till the Magura Magnesium Marta SLs arrive,  I'll probably be getting those (hopefully in limited edition rainbow trimmings).In addition to changing the grips to ESI's Chunky grips (just 57g per pair uncut and waaay under advertised weight), I added a pair of red anodized Tune bar ends. Initial fitting was a little tricky, but a bit of CF grip paste at C2C and we are good to go!Next up will be the addition of some minor details and a more complete wrap with Race Shields. I've been running  some sections with Race Shields for a month plus now and have been pretty convinced so far. It's been scratch free and even easier to wash since then!I've acquired an FSA K-Force Light 2X9 crankset  and will pair it with a Campagnolo record front D for race purposes - this offers a 60g weight loss over my other K-Force Light crank (a triple) which is in turn 50g lighter than the XTR that it replaced. So far, ride feel has been very positive and I find myself a little more comfortable with the 170mm lengths - particularly because the stroke is more "natural". In addition to this, shorter arm lengths do give you a bit more clearance and the motion during pedaling is a bit more "centred". However, you really do lose a bit of leverage which means that I generally rely more on spinning. Stiffness seems quite on par but shifting is definitely not in the same league as XTR. The cranks have been meticulously wrapped with Race Shields (courtesy of the good people at C2C) meaning that scuffs are more or less put at bay. Wonderful stuff!Upcoming Changes:+ Custom Wheelsets (BIP) +  New Rotors + Race Shields wrapSpec List:Specialized S-Works Epic Carbon 2007 Frame with 2008 Specialized AFR Shock and Tiso Bolt Kit (Red)Rock Shox SID Team 100mmRockShox Pushloc Remote KitFSA K-Force Light 170mm 2X9 CranksetFSA K-Force Light 170mm Triple Crankset FSA Mega-Exo Ceramic Bottom BracketShimano XTR FD-M971 Down Swing Front Derailleur with Tiso alu bolt (For 3X9)Campagnolo Record Front Derailleur (for 2X9)KCNC 2Ti +3 Sc 11-32T CassetteSRAM X.O Med Length Carbon + Alloy cage Rear Derailleur with KCNC 7075 Alu Jockey Wheels - Ceramic Hybrid BearingsSRAM X.O Twist ShiftersKMC X9SL Chain (Silver)Magura Marta SL (2009 Red Ano) with Ti Bolt Kit (Stock Pads - 5.1 performance)160mm & 140mm Stan's Alloy Rotors - Front and RearFSA OS115/ FSA OS99 /FSA OS99 CSI StemFSA Carbon Fibre Conical SpacerRaceFace Next SL Riser Bar - 31.8/FSA K-Force Light Flat Bar - 31.8/ RaceFace NEXT SL Flat Bar - 31.8Specialized BG MTN GripsSpecialized Team Toupe Saddle 143mmThomson Masterpiece Layback Seatpost 30.9Tune Seat CollarCrank Brothers Eggbeater 4Ti Pedals (Red)Training Wheelset 1 (BIP):Hubs (To Be Specced)Sapim Laser SpokesSapim Polyax-NipplesSyncros FLR DS23 RimsAvid Clean Sweep G2 RotorsSteel Rotor BoltsTraining Wheelset 2:Mavic CrossRide Disc - 2007Avid Cleansweep G2 RotorsSteel Rotor BoltsLightweight Wheelset:DT Swiss 240S Hubs (Enhanced with Enduro ceramic bearings)Sapim CX-Ray SpokesSapim Polyax NipplesStan's ZTR Olympic RimsStan's Ceramic Coated Alu RotorsTi Rotor BoltsJoe's SealantLightweight Wheelset 2:Tune Prince + Princess hubsPillar Ti 1422 SpokesAlu NipplesStan's ZTR Olympic RimsStan's Ceramic Coated Alu RotorsTi Rotor BoltsJoe's (Elite Racer) SealantKCNC MTB SkewersCarbon.Ti MTB SkewersAtik Quick Release Skewers Ti lever/Ti Axle (100mm/130mm)Tire Selection Varies - the range includes:Maxxis Ignitor UST 1.95Maxxis Crossmark UST 2.1Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 - Exception SeriesMaxxis Ranchero UST 2.0Hutchinson Python UST 2.0Kenda Nevegal 2.1Specialized Fast Trak Pro 2.0 - 2BlissSpecialized Fast Trak LK Control 2.0 - 2BlissSpecialized Sauserwind Control 1.8 - 2BlissSpecialized S-Works Roll-X 2.0Specialized S-Works Fast Trak LK 2.0 - 2BlissSpecialized S-Works Fast Trak SLK 2.0 - 2BlissSpecialized S-Works Fast Track 2.0 - USTSpecialized S-Works The Captain 2.0 - 2BlissSpecialized S-Works Sauserwind 1.8 - 2Bliss- Questions on any parts (availability, fit, performance etc.) feel free to ask me!