I went down to my LBS / Specialized dealer and asked them to order me a Fuse Expert after reading Travis Engel's ""First Ride"" review in Bike Magazine back in June 2019. TBH, I was hooked on the looks. Specialized nailed it with the understated satin brushed finish and black componentry. Since the purchase I've logged over 700 miles on my medium and boy was I happy to find out she performs just as well as she looks. As the article indicated this bike comes ready to shred. I've only swapped in a stubbier 32mm stem and 35mm bar for a better fit. With just enough new school geo., big volume 29"" tires, Eagle and a dropper this bike handles about 90% of the riding I do in Marin County, CA. Half of that riding can be considered ""technical chunk"" so I've definitely put her through the wringer. Needless to say the bike is so much fun whipping around the trails seeing what I can clear that I find myself reaching out for it more than my 140/150 DW-Link squishy bike.

I've had mine since January. I've been riding it 3 to 4 times a week since then and all I can say is I love this bike! Its very quick on technical climbs and fast and in control going down . I will add that I also use clipless pedals and inner tubes . Yah I'm old school. But I'm loving this modern geometry with 29 inch wheels. There's been alot of questions about the Rockshox 35. All I can say is maybe I was one of the lucky ones because mine was butter smooth when I got this bike. Last weekend I did a lower leg service myself and it's still buttery smooth. The fork performs well , good travel, stiff construction and plush. I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes this fork. The only thing I wish was different out of the box is the rear hub. A bike with ""Expert"" in the name deserves a quicker engagement hub. All in all , I've had no problems with this bike and nothing but fun killer rides!!.

I love the looks of this bike, and it rides just as well. It feels very nimble on the trail, and climbs good too. I bought mine as a secondary bike, for when I can't ride my full suspension.I noticed on my second ride, the fork, as others have mentioned, was sticky and kind of clunky. After taking it in to my LBS, they were advised to do a lower service by SRAM. After the service, I took it back out, and while being a little bit better, the stiction was still there. Small bump and slow speed felt horrible, but bigger hits, and higher speeds felt fine. After taking it back in, my LBS contacted SRAM and had it sent off for warranty. As others have stated, the lowers were replaced, being out of spec. The fork feels much smoother now. I wish Specialized had spec'd the bike with a better fork, such as the Fox 34. Other than this issue, I wish the size Medium had a 150mm dropper post. If you're slightly taller, but can fit a medium, be aware that you may have to run your seat post at minimum insertion. Overall it is a really fun bike with a great frame and some really good components, and the raw aluminum finish with chameleon graphics look amazing!

I've had my 2020 Fuse Expert for about five months. It is a fantastic bike. Geometry feels spot on. The components have all performed very well with the exception of the Rock Shox 35 Gold fork, which suffered from the same malady as one of the previous reviewer's described. It was noisy and felt stiff at the beginning of its travel, but worked fine on big hits. There must be a manufacturing issue with this new fork. However, my local Specialized dealer had the fork fixed under warranty by Rock Shox in short order, and it's working fantastic now.

I've owned this bike Fuse Expert (L) since February 2020 - I ride roughly 10 hours a week. I've taken this bike to bike parks, my local singletrack (Ashton Court/ Leigh Woods), trail centers (Cwmcarn), some light freeride and my local pump track. It's brilliant on singletrack, climbs & flow trails. Handles techy stuff well - the head angle is slack enough to give you confidence, I'd be interested to know what it would feel like even slacker?. It was perfect at the trail center - feels like a very capable hardtail. I've been learning freeride on it with my friends who have full suss 27.5 - I havent felt that limited apart from on some big drops full squish certainly gives you big benefits. I love pump tracks, I live 3 minutes from one and I use them for fitness and typically do it on my 24'' dirt jumper - this pump track is all little pumps so mainly legs with tight berms. Now this is a 29er so the feeling is muted, and the effort required is more so that con unavoidable. Anyhow - I went round it on this with a friend for a joke - it was actually great and i've now sold the DJ and just do it on this bike, it's fine, gets you fit & is amazing practice. I'm not amazing at cycling - and I crash a lot, this bike seems to just take it - though I did upgrade the wheels & tyres but i'm sure the stock ones are just fine. Frame design is immense allowing me to run 27.5 SS and 29er geared depending on what i'm doing. Every frame every should have these drop outs - just keep simplifying the adjustment so it can be done easily ( I couldn't find a guide on how to do it online so lots of trial & error) Cons - The seat - The head angle is slack & the seat angle is steep - this is great, however, long days in the saddle I realised the seat was not designed for that combo (if it was then it was designed poorly) I swapped it out for a better seat. Very happy with this bike - If you want a fun, good looking, simple hardtail that is fine just about anywhere then this is the on

I upgraded to this bike from a 2018 rockhopper expert and i'm very glad i went with this. The geometry is amazing, very playful and the slack geometry helps relax some of the rougher stuff. The 2.6 tires aren't insanely wide, but they offer good stability and traction. My only complaint would be the brakes. Out of the box they felt sticky and the pads didn't return properly. I had to put DOT grease on the pistons, and while it made them feel much better, the pads are to close to the rotor, so a lot of work is needed to make them not rub, the rotor has to be practically perfectly straight for them to not rub. Everything other than the brakes are amazing though, geometry is dialed, good fork, good drive train, and i would be happy to buy again.

I bought a medium and I loved riding it from day 1. From singletrack to gravel, to small jumps and everything in between, it handles very well. My fork was extremely sticky and not ""plush"" by any means. It would handle big hits OK, but small bump compliance was nonexistent. I had it sent in for warranty, and RS's official statement was that the lowers were ""out of spec."" Read: wrong size lowers... How or why that happened I cannot say. However, the lowers were replaced quickly under warranty, my shop got me back up and running in 2 weeks and it feels WAY better up front. Specialized should consider revising their fork choice for this bike. 8/10 would recommend to a friend, but I'd recommend having the fork serviced or lowers replaced before even riding it if it feels sticky like mine did.

Just went for my first ride this afternoon.....still smiling. This is my 6th 29r that I have owned and by far the most balanced. The components are noisier than I expected, at one point when shifting up I cranked too hard and it sounded like a I broke a part off - all is good- it is a tough bike. I plan on pushing it to the limits. The geometry is excellent, I have Been riding a rigid 29 plus for trail riding- my other bike is harsh but the Fuse just eats up the trail with ease.

Looks great, rides great. If you're looking for a fun trail bike, get this one.

So far so good... Tried around the city, because trails are close (too much rain). Couple of jumps here and there. Feeling excited about my new MTB! Will come back for another review after I visit the trails...