[Flash]

Gotcha on the tires. That makes total sense to me. I have spare set of 27.5 but old axle width, requires redishing rear wheel, etc. Have definitely thought same as you about trying out different combinations. Ran very technical river bottom trail over the weekend and was wishing I had the extra tire volume. Then I started enjoying the challenge and changed riding style to suit. The Chisel is definitely bringing me back to what I loved about mountain bikes when I started years back. Love, love this bike.

Everything I've read tells me I need a Chisel in the garage. Now if I could just find the frame color I want. The black on black seems to be a non-USA thing. Cali Fade and the other digital cam scheme are ok but not my style. Might have to go with one of those if I can't find something else.

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[j102]

I have the Comp and I think the gloss charcoal/black combo looks great.

 

[Flash]

I have the Comp and I think the gloss charcoal/black combo looks great.

I agree. I wish they sold it and frame set only. I plan on building so as of yet I only have the two options. The charcoal color is pretty cool though.

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[levity]

Still exploring the possibilities. At 5'11 and 32 inseam. I like a bike I can toss around. I'm old school (just old) and like the feel of my medium 2012 Epic Carbon Comp with a 90mm stem, which has a similar top tube length as a medium Chisel. In my mind I'm thinking medium with 90mm stem vs large with 70mm stem. I'll be using either 27.5x2.8 or 29x2.6ish. Thoughts?

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Take a look at post #610 above for my take on larger tire sizes and a pic of the 27.5+ setup. 29x2.6 fits but the bike sits pretty tall. I like 27.5x2.8 - more cush, gobs of traction, and it lowers the bike a bit for nice handling.

I just switched my 175mm cranks 170s (LBS swapped them with a set on a new Stumpy), so pedal strikes should be less of an issue even with 27.5 wheels.

 

[akindofbrian]

I was just at my local Specialized store picking up some little things and ogling the sale bikes. There's a Chisel Comp in my size, but no Expert.

But I got to talking with the sales guy and he said the 2019s were available to order. He was excited because the Expert is getting 12 speed Eagle. Info is up on the site:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/mens-chisel-expert/p/154335?color=239070-154335

I'm curious, though, the 2018 had 11 speed, but most of the drivetrain was GX (with an NX cassette). The 2019 is all NX. One more speed, but this strikes me as a bit of a step down in quality and maybe up in weight.

Admittedly, I have no experience on NX or GX. So for those for those who are in the know, what would you do? Find a 2018 Expert? Or go all eagle and get a 2019?

 

[hesitationpoint]

That NX Eagle cassette is heavy at 615g. Of course, the NX 11 speed was hefty too at 538g. I ended up buying a new wheel with an XD driver and put an XG-1175 on it (325g). Spend more and you can even get it down to 268 or something like that with one of the higher end SRAM cassettes. It might also be worthwhile to just upgrade to the Epic HT comp which comes with a carbon frame, better wheels and XD driver. That's what I would have done but my LBS cut me a good deal on the Chisel but couldn't do anything on the Epic.

 

[akindofbrian]

That NX Eagle cassette is heavy at 615g. Of course, the NX 11 speed was hefty too at 538g. I ended up buying a new wheel with an XD driver and put an XG-1175 on it (325g). Spend more and you can even get it down to 268 or something like that with one of the higher end SRAM cassettes. It might also be worthwhile to just upgrade to the Epic HT comp which comes with a carbon frame, better wheels and XD driver. That's what I would have done but my LBS cut me a good deal on the Chisel but couldn't do anything on the Epic.

Thanks for the breakdown. I had hard the cassettes were pretty darn heavy. Unfortunately you have to get up to the super pricey XO1 to make a big difference.

And thanks for the thoughts on the Epic as well. The new color on the 2019 is super sweet. But that's out of my price range. I'm hoping to stay below 2k. So for that reason I'm also scouring the used bike sales. My wife just got a killer deal on a used bike and it's light years ahead of what she was riding before. Everything is just a little dusty and pre-scraped, which makes that first crash a wee bit easier. So I guess my big decision is '18 Chisel v. '19 chisel v. used something.

 

[Flash]

I've been watching for a used Chisel. Bit much out there, especially in frames. I have a carbon boost wheelset just waiting for a home.

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[Mike2MTB]

Chisel Mud Ride, Self Service, and Nitro Button

Just got the Chisel back up and running.

Bent the rear derailleur hanger (see story above #691). Decided to fix it myself. Ordered a hanger tool (Park Tool DAG-2.2 Derailleur Gauge) and a stand (Foundation Bike Repair Stand). Both worked great. Only did minor work before (like changing tires and tubes).

This bike is sooo easy to work on. Now I've removed, reinstalled, and tuned the derailleur. Also, removed, cleaned, and realigned the rear brake disc and pads. Plus learned how to removed the cassette to free a stuck chain. All fairly easy on this bike.

YouTube videos are so cool. : )

I used to be scared of working on my own bike. Did not want to bust anything. But now that I am riding daily, figured I need to learn how to service this bike ... so I don't miss out on riding days waiting for a bike shop.

Took the bike up the mountain yesterday. After riding the old 2003 Epic, the Chisel felt SOOOOOO good. This bike flies up the mountain ... and down.

When I'm going downhill, if I do a quick bunnyhop, this bike TAKES OFF. It's like hitting a nitro button. Happened many times. Anyone else experience that?

This morning I rode Chisel after we had a nasty hail/rain storm last night. Lots of wet dirt and MUD. The bike did push thru it, BUT the tires caked mud and slowed down. The stock Fast Trak tires are NOT the best in mud (although they rock on dry surfaces).

That said, this race bike loves to run fast ... very fast. Love it.

 

[Mike2MTB]

But I got to talking with the sales guy and he said the 2019s were available to order. He was excited because the Expert is getting 12 speed Eagle.

I'm curious, though, the 2018 had 11 speed, but most of the drivetrain was GX (with an NX cassette). The 2019 is all NX. One more speed, but this strikes me as a bit of a step down in quality and maybe up in weight.

Admittedly, I have no experience on NX or GX. So for those for those who are in the know, what would you do? Find a 2018 Expert? Or go all eagle and get a 2019?

I just purchased my 2018 Chisel 1x last month. The 2019 was not announced yet, but suspected the heavy NX Eagle would be on 2019. Although I was very interested in Eagle for steep hills, I decided against it for two reasons:

1. Weight of NX Eagle cassette / drivetrain.
2. Inability to immediately upgrade to lighter GX Eagle (or higher) due to hub not being XD.

As hesitationpoint mentioned, you'd need a new wheel.

So I pulled the trigger on the 2018. So glad I did. I have steep trails here in Colorado. So far, I have not needed a lower gear than the 42.

As an option, I figure I can always replace the NX 11 speed cassette with a SunRace CSMX8 11 speed cassette that achieves the exact same lower gear ratio as the NX Eagle cassette, but weighs less (485g) and only costs 50 bucks.

In the end, get a 2018 or a 2019. You are going to be happy either way. The Chisel is a killer bike.

P.S. My bike store did not have the Expert in stock either. Only the Comp (and I did test ride it - three times). Then I drove far away to find a store with an Expert to test. It does ride different ... lighter. Glad I went for Expert.

 

[j102]

I agree. The Chisel is a great bike, the Expert or the Comp, both great.
If you get the Comp, you can make it a 1x if you want.

 

[colabike]

New to the forum, and mainly a road guy, but the 2019 Chisel was too good looking to pass on for my initial foray into XC Racing (went with the Matte Black/White to match my Tarmac).

Quick question, hoping someone on here may know...

Is the driver body on the "Stout/Specialized wheelset" assuming they haven't changed it for 2019 able to be converted to an XD Driver?

Thanks in advance for any assistance that can be provided. Want to throw on lighter cassette and switch out a few minor parts once the bike arrives this weekend.

 

[dunleavy]

New to the forum, and mainly a road guy, but the 2019 Chisel was too good looking to pass on for my initial foray into XC Racing (went with the Matte Black/White to match my Tarmac).

Quick question, hoping someone on here may know...

Is the driver body on the "Stout/Specialized wheelset" assuming they haven't changed it for 2019 able to be converted to an XD Driver?

Thanks in advance for any assistance that can be provided. Want to throw on lighter cassette and switch out a few minor parts once the bike arrives this weekend.

I was told by a dealer that the driver on the 2018 could not be converted to XD. I'm interested to hear what you end up doing, as I'm thinking of buying a chisel but do want to ditch the NX 12 speed cassette.

 

[colabike]

As an update, i spoke with Specialized this AM, and the following part is in fact the XD Driver for the stock wheelset hub (which they confirmed is a Formula body again for 2019). I have one on order from AMain, will post update once installed.

Specialized Formula XD Driver Freehub (11 Speed) (FH-535HA) Part No: S162100006

https://images.amain.com/images/large/bikes/specialized/s162100006.jpg

New to the forum, and mainly a road guy, but the 2019 Chisel was too good looking to pass on for my initial foray into XC Racing (went with the Matte Black/White to match my Tarmac).

Quick question, hoping someone on here may know...

Is the driver body on the "Stout/Specialized wheelset" assuming they haven't changed it for 2019 able to be converted to an XD Driver?

Thanks in advance for any assistance that can be provided. Want to throw on lighter cassette and switch out a few minor parts once the bike arrives this weekend.

 

[colabike]

Mods pls delete.

 

[colabike]

I was told by a dealer that the driver on the 2018 could not be converted to XD. I'm interested to hear what you end up doing, as I'm thinking of buying a chisel but do want to ditch the NX 12 speed cassette.

Hoping Specialized didn't lead me down the wrong path, but apparently the 2017 adapter I posted can be used on the hub body (you would simply ditch the axle spacer for 142 and utilize the hub end cap from the existing unit).

 

[dunleavy]

Nice. It is most certainly possible that the dealer gave me bad info.

 

[Justin1212]

I'd go with the 2019. I just picked up my pre-ordered 2019 Expert today from my LBS, and in medium it weighs 24.5 lbs without pedals. Plus, the matte black and white looks awesome! This is my first foray into Sram gear, and the NX feels super-solid...the feel is definitely on par with Shimano XT I generally run on my bikes. My plan for the near future is to chuck on some carbon wheels and an X01 cassette and call it a day. This is one rad bike!

I was just at my local Specialized store picking up some little things and ogling the sale bikes. There's a Chisel Comp in my size, but no Expert.

But I got to talking with the sales guy and he said the 2019s were available to order. He was excited because the Expert is getting 12 speed Eagle. Info is up on the site:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/mens-chisel-expert/p/154335?color=239070-154335

I'm curious, though, the 2018 had 11 speed, but most of the drivetrain was GX (with an NX cassette). The 2019 is all NX. One more speed, but this strikes me as a bit of a step down in quality and maybe up in weight.

Admittedly, I have no experience on NX or GX. So for those for those who are in the know, what would you do? Find a 2018 Expert? Or go all eagle and get a 2019?

 

[j102]

Congratulations Justin1212!
It looks awesome!

 

[Justin1212]

Thanks! Now it's time to get it all dirty!