Chisel LTD

Specialized Chisel LTD Elements – Bike or Art?

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Specialized has revealed four limited edition runs of the Chisel, its alloy XC race hardtail: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Let us grab some lamé and chiffon and boogie this way for a closer look.

Just as the Chisel rides a thin ribbon of dirt through the landscape, we are riding a thin line between a physical and digital reality in our daily lives–a line that is becoming increasingly blurred every day. As our natural world decays and our digital world continues to expand, we challenge you to question the relationship of the two with our latest Artist Series—Disrupt the Decay. We used the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water as inspiration to push against the digital world to create four unique, limited-edition Chisel frames that beg the question, “Where does one world end and the other begin?”

Specialized

Far out, man. If you want to blur the lines between art and sport, reality and fantasy, or just ride so fast you are a blur, then perhaps a Chisel LTD is for you. Each one comes with a premium collector’s book that showcases the art, words, and inspiration for the Disrupt the Decay series from the designers.

Earth

The subdued colors on the Earth frame are inspired by the ceramic-like tones and textures of the desert landscape interrupted with a digital glitch effect, creating a gap in the information. The glitch appears on areas of the seatstay and the collage photography of the seat tube.

Specialized

Air

The luminous wash on the Air frame symbolizes the fog rolling over the hills off the Pacific colliding with Silicon Valley. Just as the fog envelopes you in the natural world, the digital world can also envelope you in its technicolor infinity, which is represented in the colorful and glitch-filled logos.

Specialized


Water

The flowing layers of color on the Water frame are inspired by the shifting blues of Icelandic lakes. This flow also takes place in the digital world through the binary code of 1’s and 0’s. Binary 1’s and 0’s create the Specialized downtube logo and the S head tube badge. When translated to English, the binary reads “Nature Digital Nature Digital. . .” over and over again.

Specialized

Fire

Fire can be overwhelming and creates a barrier, with only small gaps between the flames to pass through. Similarly, digital firewalls are a barrier, only allowing small pieces of data to pass through. Reflective foil pieces under red tint on the Fire frame represent data passing through, while the Chisel graphic on the seat tube melts from the heat of fire.

Specialized

Are you moved to buy one of these frames? Is your heart burning with desire? Would you go through hell and high water to get one? Have they taken your breath away? See what we did there? Depending on which you want you might need to be patient. The frames are all priced at £1099, and the Earth and Air models are launched today. If it’s Fire and Water you’re after, they’ll be on sale on 8th June.


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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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