After riding several FSR's since 1998, I decided I wanted to go back to the simplicity of a hardtail. After testing several different bikes, I pulled the trigger on the Fuse Expert 27.5+. I love the 27.5 diameter wheel (29's just feel too big for me) and the 3.0 tire width is the perfect balance for me between speed, traction, and float on a hardtail. I've been riding this bike for about 6 months now and the one word I would use to describe it is simply ""FUN!"" Switching back to a hardtail has challenged me to focus more on my skills as a rider to still conquer the same trails I have ridden for years on the FSR's, but that is adding to the fun and challenge. If you are a trail/freeride oriented rider, the FUSE is a bike you should check out.

When I searched for a bike I wanted a good drivetrain and plus tires or 29 inch wheels, this bike was perfect. I ride pretty aggressively and this bike meets all my expectations. It was a great purchase.

This bike is a great all around bike that you can ride around town with, use for workouts, or tear up some local trails. My only confusion is what the front break is, website says ""SRAM Level TRL"" but I can't find anything on ""TRL"". Only upgrades I'd recommend is putting a bigger chainring upfront like a 34t or 32t, and/or getting a set of 29s if you ride payment a lot. If you're looking at this bike, get it, if you're looking for a versatile hardtail, get it, if you're looking for a ""plug-n-play"" type bike that is fantastic right out of the box, get it.