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Specialized sizes the Chisel hardtail by height. You’ll need XS if you’re 4’10” to 5’1″, an S fits 5’2″ to 5’5″, an M fits 5’5″ to 5’10”, an L fits 5’10” to 6’1″, and an XL fits 6’1″ to 6’5″.
The Chisel is built as a cross-country race bike, and its frame sizes follow reach.
Below is the chart with the exact frame numbers, a clear pick for riders who sit on a line, and what changes from size to size besides the frame.
However, if you want a size for any mountain bike, I recommend you use the mountain bike size calculator.
Specialized Chisel size chart
The seat tube and standover columns tell you how much frame is under you. Standover is measured in millimeters, so divide by 25.4 for inches.
| Size | Rider height | Rider height (cm) | Seat tube (mm) | Standover (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 4’10” – 5’1″ | 148 – 155 | 367 | 732 |
| S | 5’2″ – 5’5″ | 158 – 165 | 400 | 762 |
| M | 5’5″ – 5’10” | 165 – 178 | 430 | 792 |
| L | 5’10” – 6’1″ | 178 – 185 | 470 | 816 |
| XL | 6’1″ – 6’5″ | 185 – 195 | 520 | 847 |
The M range is the widest on the chart, five inches of rider height in one frame.
A 5’6″ rider and a 5’10” rider can both buy it, so reach matters more here than anywhere else on the chart.
Height is a starting point, If you haven’t measured your inseam, you need to try mountain bike size calculator, that guide will show you how it matters for the saddle more than the frame.
Specialized Chisel geometry by size
The Chisel hardtail has 29-inch wheels on every size and a 432 mm chainstay on every size. What changes is the front of the bike, and these are the numbers in millimeters.
| Size | Reach | Stack | Head tube | Effective top tube | Wheelbase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 385 | 591 | 95 | 555 | 1070 |
| S | 405 | 605 | 95 | 578 | 1099 |
| M | 430 | 605 | 95 | 603 | 1124 |
| L | 455 | 619 | 110 | 632 | 1154 |
| XL | 480 | 633 | 125 | 661 | 1185 |
The S and the M have the same stack and the same 95 mm head tube.
The M will give you 25 mm more reach, so moving up from an S will stretch you out without lifting your hands.
The L and XL are different: they add reach and height together, with head tubes of 110 and 125 mm.
Reach steps up 20 mm from the XS to the S, then 25 mm for each size after that.
Compare the reach numbers across sizes.
Between two Chisel sizes: S or M, M or L, L or XL
Just like Marlin, the Specialized also overlaps its ranges at 5’5″, 5’10” and 6’1″. At those heights, your legs and arms break the tie.
The inseam cutoffs below are the same ones I use in my size chart.
| Your height | Your inseam | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| 5’5″ | under 79 cm (31″) | S |
| 5’5″ | 79 cm or more | M |
| 5’10” | under 84 cm (33″) | M |
| 5’10” | 84 cm or more | L |
| 6’1″ | under 89 cm (35″) | L |
| 6’1″ | 89 cm or more | XL |
The 5’10” row is the one that costs people the most. The M has a 430 mm reach and a 95 mm head tube.
The L has 455 mm and a 110 mm head tube, so it’s longer and taller up front.
A 5’10” rider with short legs and a long torso fits the L fine, and the same height with long legs and short arms is stuck reaching on it.
If you’re a racer and want the lowest, stretched-out position, size up in your row.
If you ride mostly climbs and tight singletrack, size down. You can fine-tune either with the stem.
Fork, brakes and cranks change with the size
Specialized tunes the parts to the frame, so a few things differ across the range:
- Fork: the S through XL run a 100 mm fork, the XS gets an 80 mm fork to keep standover low.
- Handlebar: 750 mm on every size.
- Cranks: 165 to 175 mm, getting longer as the frame grows. The exact split shifts between model years, so check your build.
- Front rotor: 160 mm on the XS, S and M and 180 mm on the L and XL on the Comp.
The stem is your fine-tuning tool. A 10 mm longer or shorter stem moves your hands the same 10 mm, which is a bit under half of the 25 mm between two Chisel sizes.
If you land on the smaller frame in a pair, a longer stem will give you back some of the reach.
On the larger frame, a shorter one pulls the bars closer.
The Chisel frame also takes a 30.9 mm dropper post, if you’d like to add one later.
Chisel standover: why the old stand-over test fails
The classic advice is to straddle the top tube flat-footed and check for a gap.
However, the evo says that doesn’t really work on modern mountain bikes, because most are built with an extremely low standover height.
The Chisel proves the point, cause the XS has a 732 mm standover, and a rider around 5’1″ has an inseam of about 73 cm.
Those two numbers are almost equal, and the bike still fits that rider, because Specialized fits the XS with an 80 mm fork to keep the front end low.
So you want to use standover for one job: make sure you can step off the bike safely in your riding shoes.
Don’t use it to decide between two sizes; reach does that.
Two riders stuck between L and XL
I read the Chisel sizing thread on Mountain Bike Reviews, and that showed the problem better than a chart.
One rider at 6’2″ had ridden an L and an XL on the Chisel and the Epic hardtail, which share geometry.
He found the L cramped, with a lot of seatpost showing and a big drop from saddle to bars, and he preferred the XL with a 70 mm stem.
Another poster, 186 cm tall (6’1″) with an inseam near 85 cm, wasn’t sure whether to take an L or an XL.
Their numbers match the table earlier I shared. Specialized puts the L at 5’10” to 6’1″ and the XL at 6’1″ to 6’5″, so a 6’1″ rider sits on the line.
The 85 cm inseam falls under my 89 cm cutoff, which points to the L, while the 6’2″ rider’s report points the other way.
That’s why I’d want you to test both if you can. If you can’t, take the XL when you’re 6’2″ or taller, and take the L when you’re 6’1″ or shorter with an inseam under 89 cm.
How the Chisel’s height ranges compare with other XC hardtails
Brands draw the lines in different places, and a letter size from one doesn’t carry over to another.
Here is the Chisel next to the Orbea Alma, a similar cross-country hardtail, using the ranges Nashbar publishes:
| Size | Specialized Chisel | Orbea Alma |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 4’10” – 5’1″ | not listed |
| S | 5’2″ – 5’5″ | 5’1″ – 5’6″ |
| M | 5’5″ – 5’10” | 5’5″ – 5’10” |
| L | 5’10” – 6’1″ | 5’10” – 6’2″ |
| XL | 6’1″ – 6’5″ | 6’0″ – 6’6″ |
As you can see, the two bikes agree at the M, and they split at the top. The Alma’s L stretches an inch further, and its XL reaches 6’6″.
A 6’2″ rider sits in the Chisel’s XL and the Alma’s L.
If you’re shopping across brands, compare the reach in millimeters and not the size letter.
Specialized’s M has a 430 mm reach, and the Orbea Laufey, a related model, lists 435 mm in its M.
What you can tune on a Chisel after you buy it
The Chisel’s cockpit parts give you room to adjust the fit.
Specialized lists the bar as an alloy XC minirise with a 10 mm rise, 8 degrees of backsweep, 6 degrees of upsweep and a 31.8 mm clamp, with a 7 degree rise stem, so your options are:
- Stem length: a 10 mm swap changes your reach by 10 mm, which covers part of the gap between two sizes.
- Spacers: moving headset spacers under or over the stem changes bar height. The Chisel’s stack is low, so riders who feel stretched forward often move spacers up.
- Saddle position: sliding the saddle back on its rails lengthens the reach to the bars. You can see my saddle height calculator. There I’ve covered height and fore-aft.
- Dropper post: the frame is compatible with a 30.9 mm dropper, and my dropper post size guide shows what travel fits.
However, the parts can fix a few millimeters, but they can’t fix the wrong size, so you want to choose the frame first.
Specialized Chisel sizing FAQ
What size Specialized Chisel for a 5’10” rider?
An M or an L, and your inseam picks, and with an inseam under 84 cm (33″) take the M. At 84 cm or more take the L.
What size Specialized Chisel for a 6 foot rider?
An L. It covers 5’10” to 6’1″ with a 455 mm reach and a 110 mm head tube.
Riders at 6’1″ or taller with an inseam of 89 cm or more should look at the XL.
What size Specialized Chisel for someone 5’6″?
An M. It starts at 5’5″ and has a 430 mm reach.
Is the Specialized Chisel XS a good fit for a short rider?
Yes, for riders from about 4’10” to 5’1″. It has a 367 mm seat tube, a 732 mm standover, and an 80 mm fork that keeps the front end low.
Does the Chisel come in more than one wheel size?
No, the hardtail has 29-inch wheels on all five sizes.
Should I size up or down on a Chisel?
Size up for stability at speed and through rough ground, and size down for a bike that feels more playful and nimble.
A racer who wants a low, long position sizes up, a rider on tight, twisty trails sizes down.
What size Specialized Chisel for a 5’8″ rider?
An M. It covers 5’5″ to 5’10” with a 430 mm reach.
What size Specialized Chisel for a 5’2″ rider?
An XS or an S, the XS covers up to 5’1″ and the S starts at 5’2″, so you’re on the line. Use the reach: the S has 405 mm, and the XS has 385 mm.
