Id keep the drivetrain. Get a dropper post. Ditch the Judy for a Sid SL. The Judy is quite a bit heavier

With a Sid SL and carbon wheels you will be in great shape.

 

Exactly. I installed a Fox Transfer dropper and swapped out the Judy for a Reba SL and saved 1.5 lbs in the front. Handles incredibly well!

Would like to get carbon wheels, but I find it hard to spend more on wheels than what I paid for the entire bike.

 

Two basic suggestions:
1. find a carbon wheelset with a lifetime warranty and consider it an investment.
2. do some extra research on aluminum options and save a bit of money. There's definitely some high quality aluminum wheelsets out there, and they don't weigh all that much more than carbon.

 

Is the LTD frameset the same as the frameset on the built bikes, aside from paint? Having a hard time confirming this.

I've been kicking around the idea of a lightweight Chisel XC build and the framesets seem pretty unobtainable, so might be stuck with getting a build bike and parting out to rebuild.

 

Yes. All Chisels are the same except for the paint.

 

I really like the LTD frames, there were some available not too far when searching on the Spesh website.

 

Use that as a guide but call and double check the shop. When i was looking for my Chisel I called a few places that the Spesh site said had stock and they said they hadnt had stock in months and were not expecting stock for months. So its not always accurate.

 

When I bought my frame (a few weeks ago) I just looked through the Google Shopping section for options. There were a few. Selection seems much thinner now, unfortunately.

If you're only looking for a frame then it's worth broadening your search. My frame arrived in the factory packaging, so some bike shop might still have a few of them in boxes waiting to be shipped. And...if it's being shipped then it doesnt really matter where it comes from, as long as shipping isn't too crazy from a cost standpoint. That much is up to you.

 

Going to call a few LBS, but thought I would check here too. Anyone know how big of a dropper can fit on an XL?

 

Anyone know how big of a dropper can fit on an XL?

How much of a drop do you need?

 

I am running a 125mm dropper on my large chisel and its raised about 1.5” from the frame. I think a 150mm would be max for me on a size large.

 

Oneup dropper can get you some extra travel.

 

So I was chasing an annoying creak, cleaned the bottom bracket, seatpost, also tried aligning the cables.

Turns out the rear axle was loose..

 

Nice, my annoing creeks have came from the seat post seat clamp & the headset. The headset that came with the base model chisel was not the best quality. Plastic split race I believe is what caused the creaking.

 

A PNW Loam 150mm dropper fits into a size L frame.

 

I got the same in 170mm and its great.

 

If anyone is looking for a cheap upgrade on their stock chisel I recommend changing the shifter cable to a Shimano Optislick cable. I just changed my Jagwire cable that came on my base chisel to a Shimano Optislick cable and it was night and day different. The shifter is so much easier to change into high gears now. Best $25 I have spent so far on my chisel

 

I noticed the shift lever being much stiffer than similarly specced Marin and trek which had much lighter action. Didn't realise the chisel came stock with jagwire cables..

 

Alright, new bike day has arrived...

Limited edition "water" frameset that looks awesome in person, but like blah in photos. The notables include a Sid Select fork, Sram GX groupset + AXS upgrade, Roval Control Carbon 29 wheels + Ground Control (Grid) rubber, Magura MT Trail brakes (4 pot front, 2 pot rear) + Sram HS2 rotors (180f/160r). Weight? Not real sure, and don't really care. It's somewhere in the low 20lbs range.

 

Now enjoy it! Nice rig


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Looks awesome!! Congrats!!

 

I installed my new cane creek 70 headset today and it took care of the creek that I was having.

 

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

seems the 22 models with the sram bits are out in places..

 

Changes from stock:
22 Fox 34 stepcast
22 fox Transfer SL and Remote
The $1350 Rovals
Esi silicon grips 34mm
Race face Chesters
XL frame - 25.5lbs - it was close to 30 stock.
She RIPS

 

Changes from stock:
22 Fox 34 stepcast
22 fox Transfer SL and Remote
The $1350 Rovals
Esi silicon grips 34mm
Race face Chesters
XL frame - 25.5lbs - it was close to 30 stock.
She RIPS

View attachment 1983650

Nice!!! Did you go with the 44 or 51 rake?

 

Do your kids still ride nicer bikes than you do? Dropping 5lbs should make a nice difference!

 

Nope! Lol. Need to update that to something like “sorry kids, dad blew your tuition, but you weren’t college material anyway… “

 

Hello Chisel peeps! Ive been wanting an xc hardtail to complement my Ibis Ripmo AF. I was a bit over biked for about half of the local trails I frequent so, pulled the trigger yesterday. I have a gravel bike but never ridden a hardtail so didnt really know what to expect.

Just finished my ride and….LOVING IT! Its the goldilocks zone between my RAF and gravel for a number of trails. I bought the base model with the intention of upgrading with the parts I want. I have to say though, even with a relatively basic build, Im impressed with it.

The bike came in at 27lbs at the shop. My goal is to get it down to about 24. From what Im seeing here, this is possible with a lighter fork and wheels. Im thinking of a Sid SL and perhaps a set of hunt xc wide wheels. Looking forward to more rides and some new parts in the coming months.

 

Congrats! Yes a SID SL and carbon wheels will get you in the 24 range. Specialized has the Roval carbon wheels for 1350 plus 15% offwith an inline coupon. They are 30mm internal width and weigh 1350 grams for the set. Hard to beat the price and weight value. Plus an amazing warranty.

 

Thanks jrhone. What psi are you running? I know everyone has their preference but just wanted to see the range on this bike. I usually run 23/24 on the bigger FS and about 31/32 on the gravel. Im thinking 26/27 ish on the 2.3 fast traks.

 

23/25 is what i run. Works ok for the trails im on. I got about 1000 miles on these tires so im planning on trying the sworks fast trak and sworks renegade combo.

 

i'm running tubeless on the stock wheels, but the valve stem isn't sitting too well on the asymmetric rim with leaking valve. Any tips?

 

My LBS could not set up my wheels tubeless, sealant was leaking from the spokes and valves. They retaped with Stans and problem solved. Probably not the reason for the valves not sitting properly but….?

Just put in the order for the Hunt XC race wide wheels. Not as light as some carbon options but at 1517g for under $600, its worth a shot.

HUNT Race XC MTB 29 Wheelset

Our lightest alloy Race XC wheelset weighs in at an incredible 1517g a pair. Ultra-low weight 24mm wide rims perfectly engineered for use with modern XC tires. FEA developed, lab-tested and race-proven.

us.huntbikewheels.com

Reviews seem pretty good as well.

Review | The Hunt Race XC Wide Wheelset Is Proof That Carbon Ain't All That And A Bag Of Chips

As the lightest ever mountain bike wheelset from Hunt Bike Wheels, the Race XC Wide is also lighter than many carbon options. But how do they ride? Are they as good as carbon wheels? And just how tough are they? Read on for the full review.

flowmountainbike.com

 

Yeah, there's definitely some quality aluminum wheelsets out there. I've been real happy with the Easton aluminum wheelset on my gravel bike.