Equipped with an all-new, longer, lower and rowdier chassis, we've added 27.5x2.8 wheels and tires to the Fuse 27.5 to create a bike that lets you hit rocks and roots at speed with absolute control.The Fuse is loaded with smart touches. Thanks!

The adjustable air spring makes it easy to adjust for different rider weights and styles, but the TurnKey damping isn’t as sophisticated or forgiving as the Motion Control set-up found in its mid-range forks.Although Specialized’s website says the Fuse comes with a 30t chainring, my bike had a 28t, which limited speed on pedally descents.And while the other bikes have 11-46t cassettes, the Fuse makes do with an 11-42t spread, so the bottom gear is no easier.The square-taper bottom bracket is likely to be less reliable and harder to upgrade than the external BBs found elsewhere here too. Seb's much happier back-to-back testing suspension on a wet Welsh hillside than riding the latest five-figure bikes on some sunny press trip - although he quite likes that too! The wide-diameter down tube boosts stiffness. Fuse gets it right. Since getting hooked on mountain bikes aged thirteen riding a tiny 24Seven Crosser, he's raced downhill, enduro and cross country, and while no athlete, still enters the occasional race.

The long reach gives you even weight distribution.

Smaller riders may find the sizing more suitable though, and at least you can pop into your local Specialized dealer to see how it feels.If you ride a lot of choppy terrain, the big tyres are a huge bonus so it’s worth a look.This bike was tested as part of a three bike grouptest of top-value trail hardtails priced at under £1,000.Luckily, we measured-up, tested and shot these bikes before the UK went into Covid-19 lockdown. Equipped with an all-new, longer, lower and rowdier chassis, we've added 27.5x2.8 wheels and tires to the Fuse 27.5 to create a bike that lets you hit rocks and roots at speed with absolute control. The frame will also fit a 29 x 2.3in rear wheel/tyre with plenty of clearance, but the fork is 650b-only so you can’t swap between wheel sizes without running a ‘reverse mullet’ setup (not recommended!

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Trail Bikes. Newbury Concept Store is operated Reviews Find a Retailer; en. Contact your local retailer for store hours & COVID-19 safety measures. ).Aside from a few niggles with the geometry (more on that later), the only aspect of the frame design that I didn’t like was the relatively high top tube.Even with the handlebar raised up as far as it would go (by placing all the spacers under the stem), the shifter would contact the top tube when the bar was turned through 90 degrees. That makes the Fuse a comfortable and efficient bike for crossing rough and soft ground.Like a tractor on the road, it’ll bounce and oscillate after hitting a bump as the tyre rebounds, but this is preferable to the harsher feel of smaller rubber.The tyres are undoubtedly slower on tarmac than narrower equivalents, but not as draggy as you might imagine. The XL bike I tested is just too cramped for the people it’s designed for. CA: English; CA: Français; Change region; Sign in; ... Read Here.

Even so, I occasionally ran up against the speed limit imposed by the titchy chainring on gentle descents.On rough and technical downhills, the plus tyres offer a real advantage.

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From seasoned pros and weekend warriors, to kids and commuters—if you ride, we’re for you. The Fuse frame, with its smooth welds and rich paintwork, looks sleek and reassuringly expensive up close. Registered Address: Unit 1 8 West Park, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 1BL. Harrogate Concept Store is operated by Specialized Concept Store (Harrogate) Ltd (06894353). By entering your details, you are agreeing to BikeRadar Don't miss out on MBUK – get your next 3 issues for just £5Get the next 3 issues of the UK's number one cycling magazine for just £5 Magazines

Fuse. ROWDY BY DESIGN The Fuse is loaded with smart touches.

Here's proof you don't need tons of suspension travel to tackle challenging trails.

I’m a big fan of the Specialized’s comfy saddle and grips though.Although the XL Fuse’s 480mm reach (the horizontal distance from the centre of the BB to the centre of the top of the head tube) is pretty roomy on paper, its short stack height (the vertical distance from the BB to the top of the head tube) makes it feel much smaller.Combined with the short 45mm stem and low-rise bar, this makes it feel comparatively cramped. Riding seated, the position was fine unless tackling very steep gradients, when it felt like my weight was too far over the back, due to the 73.4-degree effective seat tube angle.This, combined with the stubby stem and short effective reach, also makes it harder to keep the front wheel on the ground on steep climbs.Shorter riders won’t find the Fuse as cramped, although the long seat tube does make it difficult to ‘size up’ from the smaller frames to get extra reach.At 14.25kg, this isn’t a light bike, and while the plus tyres are surprisingly fast-rolling over bumpy terrain, they can make it feel a little numb and slower to respond to pedal inputs.This may be more about the perception of speed than actual speed, though.