With the Chisel Expert, you'll be powering up climbs, shredding singletrack, and everything in between on a bike that has you questioning why alloy's received such bad press. Whilst traditional welding methods create frame joints by connecting tubes to cylinders, this leaves the performance and security of the connection up to the skill of the welder. D'Aluisio (DSW) , however, enabled Specialized to move the joint away from the area of the highest stress, making for a lighter frameset that's stiff, compliant, and incredibly strong - everything you need in a hardtail XC rig.
The Chisel also features a XC geometry to further improve this feel, which combined the previous XC race geo with some trail DNA. This equates to a longer top tube, a shortened head tube, and a slacked out front-end, resulting in a tremendous increase in downhill stability, plus a wider range of fit. Just as importantly, this doesn't require any sacrifice of climbing proficiency.
The build on the Chisel Expert features a SRAM NX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, powerful SRAM Level TL hydraulic disc brakes, and 25-millimetre-wide alloy wheels that are optimised for weight and traction.
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M5 aluminium was the natural choice for the frame's construction owing to its lightweight and ultra-stiff characteristics. When complemented with a speed-focused XC 29 Geometry, D'Aluisio Smartweld technology, and internal cable routing, you get a bike that makes no compromises in delivering explosive speed, confident handling, and hassle-free maintenance.
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A custom RockShox Reba RL 29 fork offers up 90/100mm of smooth travel (size-specific), while an easily accessible compression and rebound adjusts allow you to customise the feel according to the terrain you're tackling.
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SRAM's 12-speed NX Eagle groupset, with its 11-50t cassette, provides a wide gear range that lets you spin up the climbs, yet have plenty of top end for the descents. One-by setups also decrease weight and make it next to impossible to drop a chain.