This bike is perfect for me since I'm a beginner in the trails the tires make it all nice and smooth booting your confidence as a beginner so yes this bike is definitely a very forgiving hard tail. I added. A yari rock shocks fork, made my tires tubeless and but some carbon bars this is just about as light as the expert now and the new bars definitely raises the bars a bit making the bike feel better on Down hill ridding. The geometry of the makes you feel like you're on a much expensive bike, really enjoy my bike and was having second doubst wether I should get a full suspension but now I changed my mind and this fattie is not going anywhere soon... The bike that is lol.....

I absolutely love the bike, but since I bought it may of 2018, I've had a lot of things wrong with it that were not my fault. For example, i had I have my x5 shifter warrantied because it did not shift correctly(my LBS tested this for me). My bottom bracket was totally shot after just a couple months of medium riding. And now I have this awful noise coming from somewhere on the bike that may be a bad part again. I really think I bought a lemon. Other then that the bike is fun, fast, climbs beautifly and defends with ease.i just wish i haven't had so many problems with it.

I purchased my 2018 Fuse in the hopes that with a couple simple modifications, I could make it comfortable for a 335 mile (gravel, dirt and rocks) bike tour. So, I raised the handlebars using a stem adapter and installed a softer touring saddle. This native trail bike became a touring sensation! This bike was soooo at home on the trail. The frame geometry and plus size tires worked together to chew up and spit out small bumps like a power sander. The front suspension forks made quick work of larger obstacles like potholes & tree roots. My body thanked the bike after every leg of the tour. Some days we road up to 10 hours on the trail, and every night my body communicated only minimal cycling fatigue. Nothing a shower and a good nights sleep couldn't easily reset. On the trail, the bike inspired confidence & control which amounted to the ideal bike touring experience. Most people on the tour seemed to be riding gravel grinders, older standard mountain bikes or hybrid mountain bikes, which all performed reasonably well on the trail under most conditions. Several people loved the look of the Fuse and asked to get a closer look. After riding many many miles, they expressed how much they'd rather be riding on fat tires to help smooth out the trail. On more than one occasion, we rolled through large sections of trail that appeared to be soft sand. The skinny tires sank into the sand, causing some panic for the riders. They'd call back and warn the other riders... the Fuse and it's fattie tires rolled over the sand without a hint off effort. The riding comfort, softer smooth rolling tires and the ease of operation of the 1x10 drive-train kept me motivated to continue pedaling toward mile marker zero. For me, pleasant cycling experiences kept coming mile after mile, and my comfort level on the Fuse allowed me to just relax and enjoy the back country scenery. That's what a bike tour is supposed to be about, and that's why I purchased a 2nd Fuse for my wife! Enough

Excellent fast bike, goes over and thru anything! My first plus bike,and a long time specialized fan.love the wide bars! Great bike on a budget but doesn't feel like your on a budget.