It started out as a Specialized Chisel X1 comp, but it has morphed over the summer into a much more everyday bike.
Since then I have swapped the bars and stem for a very short dmr stem and carbon riser bars, carbon s-works 'overendz' (these scratch like hell!)
The forks are full carbon Lauf TR Boost with 60mm travel
The wheels were changed to a set built with hope pro 4 with CX-Ray blades spokes and carbonal rims and Vittoria Mezcal tan-wall tyres.
To be honest I commissioned these through lockdown boredom and for the looks rather than because they offer any real world advantage. I guess i am a bit of a weight weenie as well, the bike is less than 10kg as it is.
The seatpost is a Thudbuster LT topped with a Fabric scoop elite. this brings its own clearance issues.
hope people can see the pictures, let me know if you cant
These changes make it great for the local trails in suffolk which are mainly flat forest gravel and heathland. I live on the edge of a large heathland/forest/nature reserve with trails starting 1km from home.
It also needs to be an all-round bike as I am slightly challenged for storage, although I do also have 2 X Bromptons as well, plus an older sirrus hybrid, a Raleigh twenty awaiting restoration and an old Dawes English 3-speed that I keep at my mother's as a 'village bike'
So the Chisel is an everyday bike, though admittedly a rather OTT one.
This year I would like add a front rack/bag for going to the shops or work and also make the bike more bike-packable. im hoping to take my first bikepacking overnight in the spring once lockdown is eased. im thinking local first, then a couple of days in the new forest perhaps, then maybe a few days of the king alfreds way.
gearing is currently 1x 36 x11-46 but i have a 38T ring that may fit and would consider a 11-50ish although i would prefer 12-50 if one was made.
The chisel is devoid of braze-on and luggage mounts so this is a bit of an issue.
I have never been that fond of seat-pack bags anyway but the Thudbuster makes fitting one very awkward anyway.
I have ordered a pair of Baryak Mules to attach bottles/cages to the Lauf forks(not my photo, im waiting for them to arrive)
i bought a large bar bag (altura vortex) but it just flops on the front wheel and touches the tyre so im having a rethink and i don't like it getting in the way of the controls.
A conventional front rack is not possible (afaik,) so I am thinking of adding a Timtas steerer-mounted front support and custom bag. I debated trying to source p-clips and a more conventional rack but I'm also nervous or attaching something like this to the carbon fork. i suppose that the stresses the steerer is designed for (i.e. people/crashes) should far outweigh the stresses of a rack so it should be ok
At the rear, to get round the lack of eyelets and the travel of the Thudbuster seatpost, I originally thought if a carradice bagman support and bag, but am now erring more towards a simple rack.
For the rack I like the Tailfin racks or the nitto R-10. Both these options mount at the seatpost and then either the thru-axle or the seatstays which gets around the lack of eyelets.
The Tailfin can have eyelets/braze-on for cages on the support struts, this would be very handy and it would get used for more than just bikepacking so handy too.
but i also love the simplicity of the nitto
or the other option is a full custom timtas rear rack which would basically mimic the nitto but add cage mountings to the support strut.
just wondering about peoples thoughts and ideas really. any other mounting options for narrow tubes, carbon forks etc?
if you hate it, i wont be offended, i know the forks are a bit devisive.
