Pros Fuse Expert 27.5 rental for riding in Rio Verde AZ.
First time on a mountain bike in over 10 years. I was amazed at how much the susoension/tire combo absobed rocky descents and floated over sandy washes. Dropper post was completely new to me and such a game changer in how to ride tricky sections. 1x12 gearing was amazing, I think my renal was new though and had some cable strech slop after 50 miles.
Cons Sluggish on smooth trail sections, especially uphill
I LOVE this bike. It was a toss up between this and the Trek Roscoe 7, but the difference for me was the Specialized bike shop was closer to my house. I paid around $1500 after taxes and out the door with it and have not regretted it in anyway yet... I will create another post in a couple months to let you all know how it's holding up
Pros Plus tires, 1 by 11 drivetrain, air fork, dropper post
For a hardtail this is a really fun do most things bike. I am able to keep up with my wife and buddy who ride Pivot and Yeti bikes. They are better on the technical uphills, fat tires and heavy aluminum frame slow me down. Downhill like riding a jackhammer, but I can still hang with them.
I have always questioned when a manufacturer uses the same components for an XL or XXL as a M frame. A bigger rider not only weighs more but is able to generate more torque and force on those components. Pair that with a larger frame all the leverages get bigger. Seems to me that bigger frames should have upgraded components to deal with the larger stresses of the bigger rider. The Fuse is a great bike and the fit on the XXL is perfect for large riders. But, if you want to anything other some simple trails I wonder if this bike will hold up.
After 6 months I've had the bike in the to shop now twice for fork work and now brake work.
Customer service from Specialized is ridiculous... and not in a good way. I reached out to specialized regarding my issues and they apologized for the experience and were kind enough to send me the 800# for SRAM's customer service center.
If your a big rider, you might consider other brands and spend a little extra money to get a bike that will last, or plan to upgrade your components (brakes and shock).
Pros XXL frame
-Fun hardtail with lots of grip.
-Comfortably big for a 6'5" rider with 39" sleeve length and 38" inseam.
-Stable and fast on chunky down hill sections
Cons XXL frame
-Hard to turn in fast flat corners
-Avid DB3 brakes are cheap; lost rear braking power after 6 months. Problem unknown but no amount of bleeding helps. Likely something internal to pistons.
-Serious stiction at 50hours. Completely rebuilt fork (250hr service). Stiction back after 3 rides.
-Dropper post has a lot of rotational play and always feel "loose" when riding.
-Creak in bottom bracket after 4 months
Pros EVERYTHING! I love this bike! It's lighter then I thought it would be, brakes are awesome, great 1x11 with very smooth shifting, dropper post, great fork, great grip on the trails, (rides great on pavement too).
Cons the pedals that they give you with the bike. replace those with good ones
Pros After being away from the trails for about 20 years, the Fuse fattie makes it really easy to get back into it. Lots of fun on those tires and dropper seat is an advantage!
Cons Probably a bit on the heavy side but if I had to decide I would choose the same.
Like the bike. I'm a Clyde so I'm a little harder on my gear than a normal sized rider. That being said, the brakes need upgrading and I find I am truing my wheels way too much (never on my fatboy). Spokes come loose on the rotor side about every other ride. Other than that, I have been having a ball, never going back to a normal sized tire.
Pros Great traction and flotation without the bulk of a fat tire.
I love this bike! It's impossible to compare any hardtail to a full suspension, but for the riding I do I didn't feel the need for full squish. I demoed some full squish and wasn't completely sure I needed to spend the extra money/deal with the hassles of a full suspension (yearly service, more moving parts = more things that can go wrong). I thoroughly enjoy all of my rides on the Fuse. I have crushed Strava PR's on all of my trails, whether they be cross country or flowing downhill style. I think this wheel size is going to be the next big thing! I plan on even racing in a cross country race this summer just for fun on this bike!
Pros -Fun to ride
-Big tires = BIG confidence
-Going uphill is a breeze with the hardtail and large contact spot, added weight of the bigger tires doesn't bother me
-Expert model comes with a reasonable spec
-Manitou fork performs well, beefy stanchions (I believe 34mm)
-Dropper and 1x drivetrain were two big selling points for me personally, and have not disappointed
-Light for a bike with such big tires (mine weighs in at just about 30lbs with clipless pedals and tubeless
Cons -Stock Specialized Stout rear hub blew out, but got lucky and didn't have to pay for an upgraded wheelset (thanks Specialized!)
It's a win. Faster than a FatBike, easily capable on hardpack snow. Can't wait to see how it does on the trails this spring.
Pros Fun in the snow! 1x 11 is flawless, fork is nicely plush. Dropper post rocks, brakes feel great. 3.0 Ground Control tires handle the packed trails nicely.
Cons What's with wide bars? We have trees. Changing for 680's.
ProsI'd love to hear more about this bike. I'm thinking of buying one, and wondering if it's a good trail-XC bike for southern calif., maybe a recreational racer too.
great bike for getting back into the sport
Pros
Fuse Expert 27.5 rental for riding in Rio Verde AZ.
First time on a mountain bike in over 10 years. I was amazed at how much the susoension/tire combo absobed rocky descents and floated over sandy washes. Dropper post was completely new to me and such a game changer in how to ride tricky sections. 1x12 gearing was amazing, I think my renal was new though and had some cable strech slop after 50 miles.
Cons
| ThankSluggish on smooth trail sections, especially uphill
I LOVE this bike. It was a toss up between this and the Trek Roscoe 7, but the difference for me was the Specialized bike shop was closer to my house. I paid around $1500 after taxes and out the door with it and have not regretted it in anyway yet... I will create another post in a couple months to let you all know how it's holding up
Pros
Plus tires, 1 by 11 drivetrain, air fork, dropper post
Cons
| ThankStock seat
For a hardtail this is a really fun do most things bike. I am able to keep up with my wife and buddy who ride Pivot and Yeti bikes. They are better on the technical uphills, fat tires and heavy aluminum frame slow me down. Downhill like riding a jackhammer, but I can still hang with them.
I have always questioned when a manufacturer uses the same components for an XL or XXL as a M frame. A bigger rider not only weighs more but is able to generate more torque and force on those components. Pair that with a larger frame all the leverages get bigger. Seems to me that bigger frames should have upgraded components to deal with the larger stresses of the bigger rider. The Fuse is a great bike and the fit on the XXL is perfect for large riders. But, if you want to anything other some simple trails I wonder if this bike will hold up.
After 6 months I've had the bike in the to shop now twice for fork work and now brake work.
Customer service from Specialized is ridiculous... and not in a good way. I reached out to specialized regarding my issues and they apologized for the experience and were kind enough to send me the 800# for SRAM's customer service center.
If your a big rider, you might consider other brands and spend a little extra money to get a bike that will last, or plan to upgrade your components (brakes and shock).
Pros
XXL frame
-Fun hardtail with lots of grip.
-Comfortably big for a 6'5" rider with 39" sleeve length and 38" inseam.
-Stable and fast on chunky down hill sections
Cons
| ThankXXL frame
-Hard to turn in fast flat corners
-Avid DB3 brakes are cheap; lost rear braking power after 6 months. Problem unknown but no amount of bleeding helps. Likely something internal to pistons.
-Serious stiction at 50hours. Completely rebuilt fork (250hr service). Stiction back after 3 rides.
-Dropper post has a lot of rotational play and always feel "loose" when riding.
-Creak in bottom bracket after 4 months
I would recommend this bike to anyone.
Pros
EVERYTHING! I love this bike! It's lighter then I thought it would be, brakes are awesome, great 1x11 with very smooth shifting, dropper post, great fork, great grip on the trails, (rides great on pavement too).
Cons
| Thankthe pedals that they give you with the bike. replace those with good ones
Pros
After being away from the trails for about 20 years, the Fuse fattie makes it really easy to get back into it. Lots of fun on those tires and dropper seat is an advantage!
Cons
| ThankProbably a bit on the heavy side but if I had to decide I would choose the same.
I would recommend this as a great startup to work on your skills. Somewhat inexpensive option with good features.
Pros
Love the bigger tires. Lots of grip. Lighter than it looks. Dropper post was included. And the 1x10 shifts flawlesssly after some adjustment.
Cons
| ThankBreaks are not the best, but still work well. Chainring is a bit small for my area since I don have big climbs.
Like the bike. I'm a Clyde so I'm a little harder on my gear than a normal sized rider. That being said, the brakes need upgrading and I find I am truing my wheels way too much (never on my fatboy). Spokes come loose on the rotor side about every other ride. Other than that, I have been having a ball, never going back to a normal sized tire.
Pros
Great traction and flotation without the bulk of a fat tire.
Cons
| ThankComponents are on the low side.
I love this bike! It's impossible to compare any hardtail to a full suspension, but for the riding I do I didn't feel the need for full squish. I demoed some full squish and wasn't completely sure I needed to spend the extra money/deal with the hassles of a full suspension (yearly service, more moving parts = more things that can go wrong). I thoroughly enjoy all of my rides on the Fuse. I have crushed Strava PR's on all of my trails, whether they be cross country or flowing downhill style. I think this wheel size is going to be the next big thing! I plan on even racing in a cross country race this summer just for fun on this bike!
Pros
-Fun to ride
-Big tires = BIG confidence
-Going uphill is a breeze with the hardtail and large contact spot, added weight of the bigger tires doesn't bother me
-Expert model comes with a reasonable spec
-Manitou fork performs well, beefy stanchions (I believe 34mm)
-Dropper and 1x drivetrain were two big selling points for me personally, and have not disappointed
-Light for a bike with such big tires (mine weighs in at just about 30lbs with clipless pedals and tubeless
Cons
| Thank-Stock Specialized Stout rear hub blew out, but got lucky and didn't have to pay for an upgraded wheelset (thanks Specialized!)
It's a win. Faster than a FatBike, easily capable on hardpack snow. Can't wait to see how it does on the trails this spring.
Pros
Fun in the snow! 1x 11 is flawless, fork is nicely plush. Dropper post rocks, brakes feel great. 3.0 Ground Control tires handle the packed trails nicely.
Cons
| ThankWhat's with wide bars? We have trees. Changing for 680's.
ProsI'd love to hear more about this bike. I'm thinking of buying one, and wondering if it's a good trail-XC bike for southern calif., maybe a recreational racer too.
Thank