2018 Specialized Chisel Comp 29

If you're thinking about taking the plunge into XC racing, do it with Specialized's Chisel Comp. It embodies all of the qualities you'd expect from an XC race bike, like light overall weight, incredible stiffness, and a race-oriented geometry. Consider it the vessel that's bringing performance to the masses. D'Aluisio aluminum allows Specialized to make a lighter frameset that's stiff, compliant, and incredibly strong—the optimal characteristics for a hardtail XC rig. You'll be powering up climbs, shredding singletrack, and everything in between on a bike that has you question why alloy as gotten such a bad rap. To further improve this feel, the Chisel features XC 29 geometry which took their previous XC race geo and added some trail DNA to the mix. This equates to a longer top tube, a shortened the head tube, and a slacked out front end, the result of which is a tremendous increase in downhill stability, plus a wider fit range. And just as importantly, this doesn't require any sacrifice of climbing proficiency. The build features a mixture of Shimano Deore and XT two-by components for a wide range of gears. You'll also find powerful MT500 Deore hydraulic disc brakes, a historically revered RockShox Judy fork with up to 100mm of travel (size-specific), and 25-millimeter-wide alloy wheels that are optimized for weight and traction.