2025 specialized chisel fs

[racefaceec90]

i have wanted to get another fs bike at some point (my last fs bike was a 2010 giant anthem x2 which was great but i ended up selling it towards a charge duster bike).

am 49 now and have been feeling the bumps a lot more nowadays even on the k & a canal towpath so wanted to get another fs bike again because of this (and love riding fs bikes anyhoo that i had).

i didn't want a lot of travel as i live in devizes and ride places like the marlbrough downs/ salisbury plain and the k & a towpath (also the road) basically a bit of everything.

saw reports/reviews of the new chisel fs bike online and it def interested me as it was a short travel bike but was actually reasonably priced (as opposed to the cost of a new car etc lol). my local/favourite bike shop also is a specialized dealer.

anyhoo i picked up the bike on monday and i loves it i have to say (this is my first 29" wheeled bike along with 12 speed and dropper post and modern geometry).

i did a short bike video the following day whilst up on salisbury plain near earlstoke.

the bike weighs about 30 lbs (small size) at a guess so not light but you don't feel it when riding, it feels fine on the road also with the rear shock switched to pro-pedal mode suspension works fine but you don't feel like you are loosing any power either. the bike just fits us like a glove so to speak. i definitely do plan on upgrading things on it once i have finished paying it off but all the components feel fine to me so far.

all in all i love the bike i have to say (and the colour is just like chipps dekerf smokey bacon crisp packet but with added glitter :-D

 

[brocklanders023]

Very nice, been looking at these myself but the weight put me off a bit. Epic Evo 8 looks good too.

 

[benjabbi]

Cool, let us know how you get on with it. I've been looking at the frame only option, it ticks all my boxes, even the fruit salad paint job.

 

[clubby]

Very nice, been looking at these myself but the weight put me off a bit. Epic Evo 8 looks good too.

I've not long bought a 2023 Epic Evo Expert and it's brilliant. Even on sale it was a good chunk more money than the Chisel though. If you don't mind a bit of extra weight that Chisel is a bargain.
I'm like you @racefaceec90 my local trails don't need my big enduro bike but can be pretty rooty and tough on a hardtail. I've found the suspension really active and supple for 110mm travel but ramps up nicely and I've yet to bottom it out. Found Specialized's set up pressures a bit off though. Need less pressure in the fork but more in the rear shock, and have also removed the bottomless token from the rear. Only other things I've done is wider, taller bars, changed the grips and put a bigger rotor on the front. The stock 180mm would have probably been fine, but my other bikes are all 200mm and now I can change wheels between them more easily for different tyre combo's.