I previously raced road bikes, but recently moved to a rural county with mostly dirt roads, double track, and single track. I preferred a 1x rather than a 2x since I figured my road skills don't really translate to navigating mtn bike terrain, and a 1x would give me one less thing to worry about. The local salesguy was kindly open to my suggestion to try the men's instead of the women's, and I'm really glad I went with it! Specs are similar enough that it doesn't feel to me like it mattered. I'd recommend this model to other women interested in a 1x for whatever reason -- though I hear Specialized is moving to a unisex frame, if you're buying used/older models, it's worth trying out the men's. This one's good!

I purchased this bike a few months ago and it's super quick and nimble. The frame and fork are fantastic. The slx group is always a solid choice. The wheels are a little heavy and sloppy in my opinion. I personally like to huck things as hard as possible so the stock brakes just don't cut it. I have since upgraded the wheels, bars, stem, saddle, cranks, pedals, bb, seatpost and brakes. My opinion is that this is a fantastic alternative to a carbon race bike and for the money can't be beat.

I have had this bike since it came out and race and ride a lot. this bike is the best intermediate bike for racers trying to rank up the wins.

My background: I am forty years old, stand 6' 3"", and weigh 210 lbs.. I have been riding regularly for about 10 years. I log between 120-150 miles per week. I ride a combination of Rails to Trails, Road, and Single Track trail. I own or have owned a vast assortment of bikes over the years everything from road bikes to hybrids to hardtail mtb's (26"", 650b and now a 29'er). I recently purchased a '19 Chisel Comp X1. Let me be the first to tell you this machine rips. It is light, stiff, smooth, supple and playful all in one beautiful package. I had some very specific criteria my new bike had to meet: X1 quality groupset, quality fork, aluminum frame, thru axles front & rear, tubeless ready rims, low weight, and internal cable routing. Because of my physical size, I purchased an XL. I honestly cannot believe this bone stock rig weighs in at a measly 26 lbs.. I personally weighed it three times to verify my results. Due to its low mass, it is extremely effortless to maintain high speed over long distances. I cannot say enough good things about this bike or Specialized for that matter. I find myself grabbing this bike to ride more often than any other. I have even done some road riding with it, although I will admit it is geared a little low with the 30t chainring for road riding. I ordered my bike directly through Specialized on a Sunday afternoon it was delivered to my local bike shop on Tuesday, it was assembled and ready for pick up on Wednesday. The entire process was so effortless and smooth. Thank you for building such an incredible bike at an affordable price point. My riding buddies have bike envy! I do plan to convert to tubeless and replace the front chainring with a larger 34t.