SPECIALIZED CHISEL COMP X1

£1,500 Can skinny and luid be as fast as fat and stiff?

Specialized debuted their Chisel frame last year and its low weight and fantastic flow meant it won the 2018 edition of this test. The frame is now dropper ready, and the new Comp X1 model has a fresh fork, bar and single-ring transmission to create a really costeffective race machine.

The frame

The standout thing about the Chisel is just how skinny it looks. Most alloy bikes use oversized tubing, but the Chisel’s top tube, seat tube and rear stays have similar dimensions to those on steel bikes. That’s due to the ‘DSW’ construction allowing really thin tube walls, to save weight and increase ride fluidity.

It’s a practical rather than fragile frame though, with reasonable mud clearance for fatter tyres. There’s internal routing for a dropper post, although the 27.2mm seat tube limits your options. A cable stop is provided for a front mech, matched with a clever mount that bolts onto the seat tube bottle cage bosses.

A bolted cable cover on the down tube exit hole for the internal cable routing clamps the cables to stop them rattling. The bottom bracket is threaded rather than press-fit, and the rear through-axle screws into the gear hanger mount for easy replacement in case the receiver threads get damaged. While the head and seat angles are the steepest on test, the reach is more generous than on most race bikes.

The kit

This latest Chisel has a spec based around RockShox’s new Judy fork in its lightest ‘Gold’ version. As with the Trek, the rebound adjuster is a basic twistable ‘flag’, but this fork has no bar-mounted remote lockout. The bolted through-axle combines with a ‘Torque Cap’-equipped front hub to lock down the wheel connection.

While the 24-spoke front wheel is flexy when worked hard, the 28spoke rear is slightly stiffer, and they combine with super-light, minimallytreaded Specialized Fast Trak tyres to create a fast and featherweight tubeless-ready set-up.

The transmission mixes a Specialized crankset with chunky direct-mount ring with a wide-range 11-46t SunRace 11-speed cassette, controlled via a Shimano SLX mech and shifter. Shimano’s MT500 brakes are the best-feeling stoppers on test. The bar has been upped to a 750mm version for more leverage.

The ride

That wide (for XC) bar accentuates the fluidity of the skinny-tubed frame and front wheel. But while the Chisel favours lines of least

resistance, if you hold the bar on target, the extra leverage keeps you pointing in the right direction while the bike finds its own way through. It’s easier to keep on-line through roots and ruts than the stiffer bikes here. The bar width also helps you to lean in hard and use wheel angle for grip. This means that, despite having the steepest head angle on test, the front end feels more balanced than those of the other bikes.

The same ‘smoother is stickier’ logic applies to the rear wheel, with the Chisel pulling a remarkable amount of traction out of rough terrain where stiffer bikes will stall or spin. You’ll soon realise that the way it flows along and conforms slightly to the trail – rather than smacking into obstacles – is brilliant for maintaining momentum. It also lets you keep a smooth pedalling action through everything from lumpy grass to rocky sections. Less jolting and jarring means a much less fatiguing ride – its forgiving, still-fresh feel will be a blissful revelation for some. While maxeffort sprints produce obvious warp and twist through the frame, this is a whip-spring feel, not an energysapping softness, and, along with the fast-rolling tyres and low weight, acceleration is electrifying.

As with any bike that takes an extreme tack, the ride feel won’t be for everyone. Riders who want a bike to bludgeon the course may be happier on the Cube or Trek, just don’t blame us if you get overtaken by someone on a Chisel!

THE WAY THE CHISEL FLOWS ALONG AND CON FORMS SLIGHTLY TO THE TRAIL RATHER THAN SMACKING INTO OBSTACLES IS BRILLIANT FOR MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

Electrifying ultra-light, super-supple, hightraction, ready-to-race package