Author Archives: Justin Fox

We did it again!

Link: https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/justinfox/cannondale-super-v-active-3000

Just a before and after of a stock 2026 Specialized Chisel FS 29er in size small vs. my bike with 27.5″ wheels front and back, 140mm fork and angleset.

OEM headset was 88g + 5g of spacers (this headset has a higher stack so I no longer need to run spacers).

I used a piece of string tied to the seatpost to eye and mark where centre was to align the cups.

Rode Loftus with Eugene yesterday. Was good to get Eugene’s opinion on the build as he’s ridden my other bikes and always found 29ers to feel too big.

He loved the Chisel. In his words it was crazy light, wants to get airborne off everything. Super efficient. Climbed like a goat.

I think we both agree that 27.5″ feels more like a spiritual successor to 26″, and a lot more like 26″ than 29″

All that said I came home to a package from Great Britain. A Works Components Angled Headset which slackens (or steepens!) the head tube angle by 1°.

I thought about not installing it as I’m happy with how the bike rides as is, but it’s here now, and hey I’m all for experimentation so I got it on.

The Chisel now has a 65° HTA (67° stock with 29er wheelset), 75.7° STA (+0.2°), -1.5mm reach, +10.9mm wheelbase and -1.8mm BB Height.

I doubt I’ll feel a radical difference, and if there is a difference I’m sure I’ll adapt to it pretty quickly.

The only changes I made were a long 80mm stem.

Was a bit muddy out there.

Fit wise it felt AOK! Suspension wise the bike was a lot more squishy than my Chisel. Bit bobby up tech stuff too. Surprisingly I got no PR’s at all.

I rode the Epic yesterday, today I took my Chisel out for a back to back comparo.

Lots of PR’s!

Put 40mm risers bars on and yup. It’s pretty much a trail bike now, albeit a really light and poppy one! Comparing Strava data to yesterday’s ride on the same loop with Gina’s 29er Epic EVO I was more than 2km/hr average faster on the Chisel with the smaller 27.5″ wheels. What’s interesting is that I got 4 PR’s (got none yesterday on the Epic), of note a PR on the 3 minute Kirrawee Burning Legs Climb.

I think the data (I have a lot of it now) is confirming that I just don’t make enough power to make the most out of bigger 29″ wheels and I especially struggle to crank the bigger wheels (and weight as my Starling Murmur is almost 5kg heavier than my Chisel and the Epic is 2kg heavier) up tech features vs. shifting my body weight to more easily shove the Chisel up the technical stuff with the smaller wheels.

I hate the matchy matchy grips to pedals that most people do to their bikes, but the orange fork on this pink bike is doing my head in so I’m trying everything (in this case some matchy grips and heavy alloy bars). Functionally the bike is awesome, but visually I think it looks like balls. Keen to try some higher riser bars though, could be even more fun!