Specialized Chisel Review (Full-Suspension): Good Bones

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By Logan Watts

Founding Editor & Routes Director

2,138 Posts

With a compelling “speed metal” aluminum frame, versatile geometry, and a forward-thinking design, we put the 2025 Specialized Chisel on our list of short-travel, full-suspension bikes to review as soon as it was released earlier this year. Find our Specialized Chisel review after testing one for several months, and learn how it bucks industry trends as an excellent bike for progression-minded folks here…

Action photos by TJ Kearns

Back when I first started cycling, it was normal for beginner and intermediate riders to consider a mountain bike purchase as a relatively long-term investment. The typical approach—at least from my middle-class perspective—was to seek out a bike in your budget that had good bones: one that fit your riding style, had a thoughtful and capable frame design, and came equipped with a decent set of components that could be upgraded over time to lower weight, improve performance, and of course, help you progress as a rider. This evolutionary strategy seemed to be encouraged by popular magazines and local bike shops in this pre-throwaway culture.

Don’t get me wrong, bike companies have always been out to sell more new bikes. Alas, the gears of the bike industry are turned by eager cyclists looking for shiny improvements to help them ride better, longer, and faster. But this was before the mountain bike industry became absolutely hellbent on pushing consumers to upgrade their bikes once per season because of new standards or novel geometry discoveries that would completely transform their ride. Whether or not that utopian era ever truly existed, as I started my Specialized Chisel review, I was reminded of a time period in the early/mid-2000s when I was shopping around for a new mountain bike. I was looking for a solid and affordable entry-level full-suspension bike that I could keep for a while, be happy riding as my skills advanced, and upgrade as I improved. The latest full-suspension Specialized Chisel may have been the perfect bike.

Of course, buying a long-term, upgradable bike is no longer in the zeitgeist of modern mountain biking. As an industry insider, so to speak, my perspective might be slightly skewed. But I hear tales from folks at my local bike shop and watch friends buy the latest bikes, keep them for just one or two seasons, and then sell them to eke out what little value remains, immediately upgrading to the latest and greatest model that promises something different. Many people do this in hopes of finding their perfect bike, as that’s part of the fun, but there’s no doubt that marketing and technological shifts feed the churn.

Why the Specialized Chisel?

The 2025 Specialized Chisel seems like a bike that could upend that industry paradigm—kind of a game changer, in its own right. That statement might come across as odd when discussing an aluminum alloy bike that’s made and marketed by an industry juggernaut. It’s also a bike that doesn’t appear to be too out of the ordinary at first glance. However, the reason behind that sentiment is that the Specialized Chisel seems to have staying power. It’s relatively affordable, at least compared to many other full-suspension bikes, and it generally seems like it could remain relevant as a race-ready and all-around light trail bike with the potential for upgrading, tweaking, and fine-tuning to fit a variety of purposes.

It’s also a metal bike that, by comparison, is slightly more advanced than others. Specialized claims that it’s The Lightest, Fastest Alloy Full Suspension Bike in the World, 18.4% lighter than similar options. Not having ridden many alloy full-squish bikes to compare, I can’t really prove otherwise, but I will say that it’s very fast. It also has a sharp-looking frame that uses hydroformed M5 alloy tubes joined with Specialized’s patented D’Aluisio Smartweld technology. This technique adjusts critical junctions to shift welding points away from high-stress areas by integrating the joints into the tubes during hydroforming. The most impressive detail, albeit subtle, is the seat tube, which is made from a single piece of alloy that incorporates the bottom bracket shell, main pivot, and seat tube pivot into one cohesive structure. Specialized also touts that this tech allows more varied wall thicknesses that decrease weight while ensuring durability and delivers stiffness and strength where needed for efficiency and some compliance in certain places for comfort.

I’ll talk about how the frame feels later, but it’s refreshing to see this level of attention to detail at a time when most new full-suspension frame tech comes in the form of carbon fiber. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with carbon, but I prefer metal bikes, and carbon simply gives the impression of being temporary—on one level, it almost irradiates the notion that you need to upgrade it regularly. This is undoubtedly a mental scrimmage, but two of our household bikes illustrate a clear example in my mind. Virginia has kept her Ibis Ripley AF for going on four years. It’s a great bike, but it also doesn’t seem like it loses value as quickly as a comparable carbon bike. By comparison, I’m currently looking to sell my Transition Smuggler. There’s nothing really wrong with it, other than the fact that I just don’t ride it, but it also feels like I need to get rid of it before it reaches some sort of abstract expiration date.

What is the Specialized Chisel?

To put the cart after the horse following that long ramble, the Specialized Chisel—not to be confused with the hardtail they’ve had in their lineup for years (which is now called the Specialized Chisel Hardtail)—is a short-travel 29er featuring a 120mm suspension fork. Most people think of it as a cheaper alloy version of the carbon Epic 8, Specialized’s legendary flagship cross-country bike. They’re not wildly mistaken in that claim, although the Chisel’s 110mm rear end has a centimeter less travel than the Epic. They share the same form factor and a very similar geometry, however, and both utilize the same single-pivot suspension layout with flex stays and a two-piece linkage. The kinematics are also reportedly very similar between the two models.

The Chisel also has a top tube-mounted shock, which allows it to accommodate two bottles inside the front triangle or a massive frame bag. Unlike the Epic 8, it doesn’t have hollow downtube storage, but it shares other specs, such as a threaded bottom bracket, internal cable routing, a 30.9mm seat post, and a UDH derailleur hanger.

Specialized Chisel Comp Shimano Build

I tested the top-end $3,400 Specialized Chisel Comp (Shimano) model, which has a mixed bag of budget-level components and a couple of upgrades over the low-end models priced at $800 less. Really, the big upgrade, and the only reason to consider this model, is the SID fork. It, the RockShox Deluxe Select+ shock, and the SLX shifter and derailleur might make it worth plunking down the extra dough for the Comp over the base model, which comes with a Deore drivetrain, the RockShox Recon Silver RL fork, and an X-Fusion PRO-02 shock. I can’t really claim that the higher-end suspension components perform all that much better, but they probably shave a few hundred grams off the total weight. Here’s the full kit with some thoughts on it to follow.

• Saddle: Body Geometry Power Sport, steel rails, 155mm (XS-SM), 143mm (MD-XL)
• Handlebars: Specialized Alloy, 20mm rise, 31.8mm, 760mm wide (all sizes)
• Stem: Specialized, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 7°rise, 60mm (all sizes)
• Grips: Specialized Trail Grips
• Seat Post: TranzX Dropper post, 30.9mm, XS-SM: 100mm, M: 125mm, L-XL: 150mm
• Seat Clamp: Specialized Alloy, 34.9mm
• Rear Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select+, Two Position, Rebound Adjust, 190x40mm
• Fork: 120mm RockShox SID, Rush damper, 44mm offset, Maxle Stealth 15x110mm
• Front Brake: Shimano M6100, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc, 180mm rotor
• Rear Brake: Shimano M6100, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc, 160mm rotor
• Shift Levers: Shimano SLX, M7100, 12spd
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX M7100, SGS, 12-speed
• Cassette: Shimano Deore M6100, 12spd w/Hyperglide+, 10-51t
• Chain: Shimano Deore M6100, 12spd w/quick link
• Crankset: Shimano MT-511, 32t chainring, crank arms: 165mm (XS), 170mm (SM-MD), 175mm (LG-XL)
• Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-MT501 BSA
• Rims: Specialized Alloy, Tubeless ready, 27mm inner width, disc, 28h
• Front Hub: Shimano MT410-B, Centerlock 28h, 15×110 Boost
• Rear Hub: Shimano MT410-B, Centerlock 28h, 12×148 Boost, Microspline
• Spokes: Stainless, 14g
• Front Tire: Specialized Ground Control, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29×2.35
• Rear Tire: Specialized Fast Trak, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29×2.35

There are a few things that I liked about the suite of components that came on the Specialized Chisel Comp Shimano build I tested, which is at the high end of the models offered. The Power Sport saddle is a comfortable saddle, a similar variation to a personal favorite of several of us on the team, and the SLX derailleur and shifter and Deore cassette and crankset add up to a decent drivetrain that shifts well, offers a good gear range, and has proven to be hardwearing from past experience, despite it being a bit heavier than a comparable XT drivetrain. On the other hand, a few stock components fell short. The 150mm dropper post was annoyingly short, particularly when attempting more steep and technical sections of trail. I think 170mm should be standard on a size large mountain bike. The heavy 760mm Specialized handlebars were also too small. I immediately replaced them with a wide 800mm Whisky bar from my parts bin. For me, 760mm is far too narrow for a size large bike in this day and age. And if I’m splitting hairs, I’d prefer 170mm crank arms over the stock 175mm, although I understand that’s a fair choice for an XC-ish bike.

The weak link in this build kit might be the Shimano MT410-B rear hub, at least as my luck would dictate. After just 150 miles, I was greeted by an audible crunch while spinning up a relatively mild climb. It didn’t shift well for the duration of that ride, and it wasn’t until I got back to the shop that I figured out the freehub was the culprit. Pulling it off the hub shell revealed a sheared bearing and an explosion of steel balls (above left). According to intel from my local shop, this occasionally occurs with the cup and cone bearings in Shimano’s lower-end hubs but isn’t all that common. It also could have been a result of an improperly torqued cassette, or that the hub seal was breached and contaminated, for whatever reason. The widespread verdict is Shimano hubs are either reliable and last forever, or they are 100% unreliable and fail, as mine did. Take your pick, but that was my experience. Either way, there wasn’t much that could be done quickly or cheaply, so I decided to sub in a WTB wheel I had on hand for the duration of my test period with the Chisel.

Bike Fit

I was quite impressed with the fit and feel of the Specialized Chisel. I’m 6’0″ tall (1.83 meters), and have a 75” wingspan (1.91 meters), or +3” ape index, and a 34.5” Inseam (0.88 meters). The size large fit like a glove. I was a little surprised by this considering the cockpit isn’t as long as many other bikes that I like, but the effective seat tube angle and relatively short stack height stretched it out.

To get a second opinion, I loaned the Chisel to friend and accomplished bikepacker Daniel Jessee for a few days. Daniel took it on a few unloaded trail rides and an overnighter. We have nearly the same inseam, and he came to the same conclusion, stating, “The fit! I got along with it immediately. Too many (everyone?!) rides with way-too-steep seat tubes for tall people—it’s impossible to get your knees in a good all-day position with a no-setback dropper. Chisel nailed it, IMO.”

Progression, not Progressive

I also really appreciated the Chisel’s mezzo geometry. It’s marketed as an XC bike, but I wouldn’t pigeonhole it as one. Specialized seemed to land on a venerable middle ground of angles and measurements that toes the line between speed and poise. I wouldn’t say that it goes as far as the “downcountry” category specification, but it is surprisingly confident on chunky singletrack and could easily be augmented to come close. Riding one of my regular singletrack loops close to my house on day one with the bike, I was blown away by how non-whimpy it felt railing downhill on relatively chunky turf. Daniel reported the same thing, adding, “It had plenty of confidence on techy trail—more than I expected from the angles.”

We both agreed that Specialized’s choice of components tampers its capability. The easiest fix would be swapping out the tires. The XC-tailored Fast Track and Ground Control tire combo is fine for mellow, tacky conditions, and it’s a fast and relatively confident combo for gravel and mixed-terrain, but I found it to be pretty sketchy when negotiating slick roots and rocks. Subbing in a Rekon/DHF combo could easily turn the Chisel into a worthy singletrack beast. I also swapped the 760mm bars for wider 800mm carbon Whisky bars, and I’d be really curious to see what it would be like with a higher-end and more tuneable fork, such as the RockShox Pike.

It took some tinkering with air pressure and rebound, but I ultimately thought the Chisel’s rear suspension design held its own. It felt like more than a 110mm travel bike, which may be partially owed to the flex stays. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like Specialized magically made the Chisel feel like a medium-travel trail bike, but it certainly wasn’t disappointing. For the record, I ran both the shock and the fork with relatively high pressures, something that I learned from using the RockShox SID fork in the past. As a 110/120mm bike, it has its limits, but the geometry isn’t the limiting factor. As Daniel suggested, “The rear suspension was not what I would call refined. It has more traction and comfort than a hardtail but it definitely wasn’t a trail bike in that regard.”

On that note, given the angles of this bike and a moderately low bottom bracket, there’s no reason you couldn’t over-fork the Chisel with a 130mm Pike or Fox 34, which would also shore up this bike’s capability and trail vibe. That would effectively lift the bottom bracket by a few millimeters and slacken the head tube and seat tube a half a degree or so, which seems like a reasonable adjustment for a slightly more progressive bike. According to Specialized, the frame is rated for use with a 130mm fork. Couple that with burlier tires, and I could see the Chisel being a great softail-esque trail bike.

On the flip side, the Chisel has a two-position chip built into the shock linkage. It comes in the low position out of the box, and I never changed it. As you can see in the geometry chart below, it has a 66.5° head tube angle in the low position and a 67° HTA when in high. These diametric metamorphic options with the Chisel—over-forking and burlier tires and using the flip chip to dial up its XC chops—certainly speak to its evolutionary potential and provide some rationale to why it has “good bones.”

An Efficient Ride

Whenever I hear the word “efficient” used to describe a bike, I think of it in terms of power transfer, as in, how well the geometry and frame stiffness work in unison to convert the energy being applied at the pedals to propel the bike forward. For a full-suspension bike, the Chisel has that in spades. Hardtails obviously have an inherent power transfer advantage, since no energy is lost as suspension compresses through the pedal stroke, but the more I rode the Chisel, the more I realized that I was covering more ground in a shorter period of time compared to the same rides on my hardtails. I was generally less fatigued, and I often decided to add an extra lap into my rides with the Chisel to make them more challenging, or I’d tackle longer rides to get a proper workout. Based on loose estimations, I was shaving over 10 or 15 percent off the time it took to complete these familiar rides.

Part of this is because of the Chisel’s speed. It’s super quick to ramp up and deftly maintains its velocity on the flats. It also climbs well and feels planted and balanced while doing so. But there are obviously more ways to define how a bike can be more efficient or increase efficiency. I found that one of the Specialized Chisel’s core strengths is that it handily spins through roots and rocks and maintains momentum over small bumps better than most bikes I’ve ridden, including other relatively short-travel full-suspension bikes. It seems like this is where Specialized focused their attention when buttoning up the suspension design, which fits its intention. The Chisel’s slightly slacker head tube angle (slacker than typical XC geo, anyhow) and not-too-low bottom bracket can also be credited for its built-in momentum advantage. It doesn’t fold up when smashing through roots and chunk while climbing, and you can churn through rocks and obstacles while building momentum. Daniel mentioned that it’s faster than his Transition Spur, for folks comparing notes.

While Out Bikepacking

The Specialized Chisel is a great example of what a full-suspension bikepacking bike should look like. The gearing and components spec is pretty good, save a couple grouses, as discussed above, and both Daniel and I found it to be very stable feeling with bikepacking gear. Of course, the obvious perk is the Chisel’s massive frame triangle—it’s primed for a high-volume custom frame bag. It has a three-pack of mounts on the down tube and a pair on the seat tube, all of which could be used for a bolt-on bag. It’s also suited to use a wedge bag—at least on the size large and XL frames—leaving room for a vertical bottle/cage on the seat tube. This would be perfect for use on regular afternoon singletrack rides, ultra-endurance efforts, and light bikepacking.

It can also be used with a hodgepodge of accessories as I set it up, with a bottle/cage in back, a small triangle bag up front, and a DrJ0n Bagworks mini cargo cage that I employed to carry a Vargo Bot 700 with my cook kit nestled inside. That was actually a useful set up as the cage is minimal and I could leave it on during general trail without any real wight penalty or anything that gets in the way. It also comes in handy if you want to strap on an additional 12oz adventure beverage for a backcountry mid-ride refreshment.

Another hidden benefit is that the shorter 110mm travel makes it more seatpack-friendly. Sure, it only a shaves off centimeter of wiggle room when compared to most 120mm bikes, but every bit counts when avoiding tire rub. Speaking of which, both the fork and shock have a full lockout if needed.

Despite its versatility, there’s no doubt that the efficiency and speed built into the Specialized Chisel will be the defining factor for a certain subset of bikepackers. The Specialized Epic is arguably the most popular full-suspension bike on the US market when it comes to XC competition and trail-oriented ultra-endurance racing. They can regularly be found in our “Rigs of” series—like the Colorado Trail Race and Silk Road Mountain Race—and winning at events like the TNGA. The Specialized Chisel is cut from the same cloth, and I expect to see it in future race coverage as well. More importantly, at nearly half the price, it will be a little more attainable than the Epic for riders getting into the sport, offering a platform they can evolve to meet their specific needs as they grow and progress.

• Model/Size Tested: Specialized Chisel Comp, Size Large
• Actual Weight: 13.5 kilograms (29 pounds, 13 ounces)
• Place of Manufacture: Taiwan
• Price: $3,400
• Manufacturer’s Details: Specialized

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