Takeaway: This fun, frisky bike defies the typical hardtail label.
- The 130mm fork lets you hit rockier lines than most hardtails allow.
- The frame fits 27.5+ wheels and tires, too, if you prefer a more floaty ride.
- A dropper post and slack geometry make it super fun and confident on descents.
Price: $1,675
Weight: 30.9 lb. (XS)
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The Fuse Comp hardtail 29er has a semi-slack setup and a 130mm RockShox Recon RL fork, making it a capable and maneuverable little ride. Adding to its ability to take on rowdier trails is the smooth-operating TranzX dropper post and the well-knobbed 2.6-inch tires. Those grippy, wide tires aren’t quite plus-size (though the frame accommodates 27.5+ tires and wheels, too), but they deliver plenty of traction on rock, snow, and slick clay. On climbs, the combination of the steep seat angle and long reach help keep the rear wheel driving you forward and the front wheel tracking where you want it to go.
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
SRAM Level with 180mm (front) and 160mm (rear) rotors
Dropper Post
100mm on our size XS
Knobby Tires
Provide great control at speed and in corners
Low-Slung Top Tube
Lowers the center of gravity, making for snappy handling
12-Speed Drivetrain
SRAM SX Eagle with room to spin uphill
For the price, the Fuse Comp has a huge range of capabilities and features, including hydraulic disc brakes, a 12-speed SRAM SX Eagle 1x drivetrain, and a 750mm-wide handlebar (780mm on sizes medium and up), which slows steering for a more stable ride. Whether you’re new to mountain biking or a seasoned veteran, the fun-loving Fuse will have you grinning on every ride.
A 130mm Fork on a Hardtail?
Oh yes. It’s just a bit more travel than on a standard cross-country hardtail (or the same as the fork on Juliana’s updated XC bike). Riders are constantly pushing the boundaries of what our bikes can do, so we’re stoked to see Specialized bring more technology and capability from its top-of-the-line bikes down to the more affordable models. “Most hardtails are cross-country-focused these days,” said product manager Josh Mercado, “but we wanted Fuse to be the perfect trail riders’ hardtail and excel in rough, steep, and technical terrain similar to a full-suspension bike but at a fraction of the cost.” Based on our testing, Mercado and his team have achieved that.
Most of our “cross-country” trails in the Mid-Atlantic out here loosely fit the definition—they’re rooty and chunky and sometimes downright freaky. “Flowy” trails are something I don’t see super often. And though other hardtails have proven to be a bit too rigid and jack-hammer-esque for the trail system in my backyard, with its more-stable geometry and extra travel, the Fuse Comp 29 was right at home.
Frame Aluminum
Fork RockShox Recon RL, air spring, 46mm offset, 130mm of travel
Drivetrain SRAM SX Eagle, 12-speed
Cassette 11-50t
Chainring 30t
Brakes SRAM Level hydraulic disc
Rims Alloy, tubeless ready
Front Tire Butcher, Grid Trail casing, Gripton compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.6”
Rear Tire Purgatory, Grid, Gripton compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.6”
Saddle Bridge Comp
Seatpost TranzX dropper
Stem Stout 3D-forged alloy, 31.8mm, 6-degree rise
Handlebar Stout Riser
Grips Specialized Trail Grips
Pedals Specialized Dirt
On its website, Specialized describes the Fuse Comp 29 as “punching way above its weight class.” It’s not burly-looking with tons of squish—but a lot of its capabilities come from the subtle yet impactful geometry tweaks anyway. The slack head angle (66.5 degrees across all sizes) lent itself well to chunky, rocky descents and kept me feeling planted and confident even though I was ricocheting off rocks considerably more than I would on a trail bike. The steep seat tube angle (74 degrees) allowed the Fuse to pick its way up rocky lines quite easily as well and dropped easily out of my way with when I was ready to bomb back down hill. The lower top tube added to the maneuverability of this bike, making it snappy to handle and giving me extra clearance to move.
The Fuse has two different tires, both proprietary products—the Butcher up front and Purgatory in the rear. If there were ever anything on a bike that you could call a mullet, this pair would be it: business up front and party in the back. The no-nonsense Butcher is the company’s best gravity tire, with knobs that bite straight into the dirt for excellent traction and control, and its chunky tread on the edges help with cornering and braking. The Purgatory is slightly lighter weight with lower-profile knobs that roll faster and slide around a bit better (with chunky side knobs for great cornering traction as well).
The Specialized Fuse Comp 29 is a super capable and maneuverable little bike that stretches the usual definitions of what a hardtail can be and can do—and does so at a reasonable price.
Riley is a writer and outdoor adventure guide currently based in Tucson, Arizona where she leads mountain bike rides, rock climbing, and hiking trips. In her spare time, she writes stories and reviews outdoor and fitness gear. Find her writing in publications including Outside, Lonely Planet, SHAPE, Bicycling, Runner’s World, and others. When she’s not playing in the mountains, she’s probably laying down somewhere or eating (or both).
