More RockShox Flight Attendant news, Specialized's Chisel FS, 5Dev's gravel cranks and our Tweedlove highlights

This week's top tech stories.

Liam Mercer

Jun 22 2024

This week we've seen releases from both ends of the price scale with Specialized making waves with its new Chisel FS cross-country bike and 5Dev unveiling its mega spendy titanium cranks for road, gravel and XC. RockShox has once again made headlines with more Flight Attendant updates and we ask the question, are cross-country bikes the real quiver killers?

We reckon that cross-country bikes are severely underestimated

Almost every brand and every rider partake in the hunt for the true quiver killer or one bike to do it all. That's a great thing for mountain biking as it saves the consumer money and maintenance in the long run.

However, enduro bikes used to be crowned with the quiver killer moniker, praised for their hell-for-leather capability downhill while being able to pedal up the hill for more. However, we reckon the table has turned and the ever-growing progression of XC tracks has resulted in the most capable cross-country bikes ever.

Are cross-country bikes the new quiver killers?

Suvi presented her Tweedlove highlights

Tweed Valley's biggest mountain bike festival was back for 2024, welcoming top-class racing and a host of bike brands. Our Suvi popped by to check out who's showing what and stumbled upon some proper cool bits of kit. Deviate was showing off its Tilander prototype and eyes were on Atherton as the brand displayed its latest A170.

It wasn't all about bikes, however, as there was stuff from Muc-Off and Endura showed its school competition to design a custom jersey. If you attended and were caught up in the soggy racing, this is the best place to catch all the expo action.

Tweedlove highlights: Atherton S170, Propain e-enduro mtb, Deviate Tilander, Orbea Wild and more.

The Specialized Chisel FS looks like a cracking entry-level XC machine

Cross-country mounting biking is expensive and the bikes continue to soar in price. This week, Specialized unveiled its new Chisel FS which looks set to solve that problem with its alloy frame claimed to be the lightest alloy full suspension frame yet and costing just £2,000 for a full bike.

With the release of the Epic 8 being so important for XC and Spesh, the Chisel FS borrows a lot from the cutting-edge carbon bike in terms of geo but is built using the brand's new D'Aluisio Smartweld construction with a one-piece seat tube and bottom bracket. This not only increases strength but reduces weight – a frame weighs just 2,720g.

Hopefully, we'll have a Chisel FS in for testing but, for now, here's the story - Specialized reimagines the Chisel FS as a budget-friendly full-suspension cross-country bike.

The ZEB, Lyrik and Pike got RockShox's latest Flight Attendant

With the launch of the Specialized Epic 8, RockShox released its updated Flight Attendant which automatically adjusts suspension compression settings on the fly to make a bike as efficient as possible. For the likes of Nino Schurter, it's a system that makes upwards of a thousand automatic adjustments over a 90-minute XCO event.

Now, that updated technology is available on the new Charger 3.1 equipped ZEB, Lyrik and Pike forks, the Super Deluxe shock and, importantly, the Vivid Coil. I say importantly because it's the first time an automatic suspension adjustment system has been available on a coil shock.

RockShox updates Flight Attendant for Lyrik, ZEB and Pike

When should you replace your bicycle helmet?

If you're riding a bike, you must be wearing a helmet. They're imperative for safety as even minor spills could result in major injuries. But it's worth noting that even the best mountain bike helmets aren't meant to be worn forever. So we caught up with some industry experts to learn more about helmet longevity and how a helmet should be cared for to keep it working as it should for longer.

When should you replace your bicycle helmet?

Robots make 5Dev's latest gravel and XC cranks

5Dev, the brand best known for creating some of the fanciest cranks on the market has expanded its range, now building cranks for road, gravel and XC use. Of course, they're built from titanium and CNC machined using 5Dev's five-axis machining method.

These cranks benefit from an aerodynamic design that saves 1.3- to 4.4 watts at 24mph (based on CFD analysis). Even the tips of the cranks have been shaped for aero gains, coming cut with channels to aid airflow and minimise the risk of rock strikes. Oh, and the coolest thing – robots laser-weld them together.

5Dev brings robot-made titanium cranks to gravel and XC

Author block

Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.