From its first appearance at the 2015 Sea Otter Classic, the Fuse has been the go-to 27.5+ hardtail from Specialized. However, this year they’ve brought on 29er options and made a few tweaks to the geometry hoping to spark new interest in their front-sprung trail machine.
Updated Geometry
photo c. SpecializedThe most notable changes from years prior include a 20mm increase in reach across all sizes, slackened head tubes to 66.5º on the M4 models and 66º on the A1 option, along with a steeper 74º seat tube. Specialized also dropped the standover height by up to 52mm on some sizes for easier maneuvering while on the bike.
Other frame details
A larger diameter downtube improves stiffness in the bottom bracket while carefully designed seat stays offer clearance for up to 29×2.6″ or 27.5×2.8″ tires with some wiggle room. The Fuse gets the now standard Boost 110 spacing in the front and 148 spacing in the rear to create room for those large tires. At its base is a threaded bottom bracket.
Differences between the M4 and A1 options
Their M4 aluminum frame can be run with gears or as a single-speed and allows up to 15mm in chainstay adjustment. This allows riders to lengthen the wheelbase for a steady controlled ride or shorten it for quicker handling on tight trails. As the name implies, their M4 option is built with their high-grade and lightweight M4 aluminum tubing. Also, the M4 is available for $800 as a frameset option.
The base level Fuse gets an A1 aluminum build and standard, non-adjustable thru axle dropouts.
Longer frame, shorter/wider components
Specialized focused on making the new Fuse a trail shredder, not some podium hungry machine (though I’m sure they wouldn’t mind seeing it up there). Keeping fun and sendy in mind, they gave the Fuse a reduced offset 130mm fork, wide 780mm bars, and a short 45mm stem. Also, each model is now equipped with 1X drivetrains.
29er builds rule the roost
Fuse Expert 29 – $2,150
- 130mm RockShox 35 Gold fork
- SRAM NX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain 30×11-50T
- 34.9mm Tranz dropper with 100m XS-S, 120mm M, 150mm L travel
- Stout Trail SL wheelset
- Butcher GRID TRAIL w/ Gripton 29×2.6″ tires
Fuse Comp 29 – $1,675
- 130mm RockShox Recon RL fork
- 34.9mm Tranz dropper with 100m XS-S, 120mm M, 150mm L travel
- SRAM SX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain 30×11-50T
- SRAM Level hydraulic disc brakes 180/160mm
- Butcher GRID TRAIL w/ Gripton 29×2.6″ tires
Fuse 27.5 – $1,250
- 130mm RockShox Judy Silver TK fork
- Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain 30×11-42T
- 30.9mm Tranz dropper with 100m XS-S, 120mm M-XL travel
- Tektro HD-M275 hydraulic disc brakes 180/160mm
- Butcher GRID TRAIL w/ Gripton 29×2.6″ tires
