Anton Cooper (Cannondale Factory Racing) is racing onboard a size small Cannondale F29 for 2013 World cup and other cross countries(Image credit: Cannondale)
Cannondale also provides his bottle cage(Image credit: Cannondale)
A partial look at the front triangle of Anton Cooper's F29. Note: the special graphics for the New Zealand national champion(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper's Cannondale F29 will be raced on the 2013 World Cup circuit by the first-year U23 rider.(Image credit: Cannondale)
There is a Lefty XLR Hybrid fork with 70mm travel and a remote Rockshox lockout(Image credit: Cannondale)
A look at the lower leg of the Lefty XLR Hybrid fork(Image credit: Cannondale)
Avid XX World Cup front brake and 160mm rotor(Image credit: Cannondale)
Avid XX World Cup rear brake, with 140mm rotor(Image credit: Cannondale)
A look at the back end of Anton Cooper's F29(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper is running Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires, size 2.1(Image credit: Cannondale)
On the right side of the cockpit, there are an Avid XX World Cup brake lever and SRAM XX1 rear shifter(Image credit: Cannondale)
On the left side of the cockpit, there are an Avid XX World Cup brake lever and lockout for the Lefty fork.(Image credit: Cannondale)
The rear end of Anton Cooper's Cannondale F29(Image credit: Cannondale)
The bike has a SRAM XX1 drivetrain.(Image credit: Cannondale)
An FSA K-Force (27.2mm diameter) seatpost, with 25mm setback holds on a Prologo X0 CPC saddle in custom Cannondale colors(Image credit: Cannondale)
SRAM XX1 rear derailleur with a 10-42T cassette(Image credit: Cannondale)
Things look clean up front with a single 36T chainring on Cannondale SISL2 cranks(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper is racing Shimano XTR pedals(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper is using a special, custom-made stem/steer to get his front end low enough.(Image credit: Cannondale)
Special graphics for the New Zealand national champion are visible from the front(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper's bike with special stem (with negative 20-degree rise), holding on FSA SL-K bars with 9 degrees of backsweep and 4 degrees of upsweep(Image credit: Cannondale)
Anton Cooper's Cannondale F29 hardtail for World Cup and other cross country racing. It has a special paint job celebrating his recent win at the New Zealand National Championships(Image credit: Cannondale)
When Anton Cooper was entertaining offers from teams for the 2013 season, he was concerned about making sure he'd sign for one with a bike that would fit him. Cannondale Factory Racing promised to take care of him. They don't make the carbon F29 in a small size, but for the junior world champion they were willing to make a special bike.
"Basically, I wasn't quite fitting on the medium bike – the reach was a little long," said Cooper, who is 1.64m tall (5ft 4in). "I discussed with [team manager] Daniel [Hespeler] if I could possibly get a small one made up and get that front end a bit lower. I never actually hopped on the medium, but I worked out from the measurements that the medium wasn't going to fit."
Cannondale sent him an alloy framed, small F29 as soon as he was on the team, and Cooper confirmed the sizing so they could move forward with a custom carbon frame.
However, even with the small size, the Lefty XLR Hybrid was going to put the front end too high with stock stems, so the next step was a custom stem. Leonardi Racing CNC-machined a Cannondale model per its One Piece Integration (OPI) technology, but with a negative 20-degree rise. Stock stems only go down to a negative 15-degree rise.
"Getting the bike low enough is an issue with the Lefty, and it's cool to be a part of a solution working around that," said Cooper, whose fork is adjusted to have 70mm of travel. "It's an amazing fork."
The standard amount of travel on a production Lefty XLR Hybrid is 100mm, but Cooper doesn't need more than 70mm for modern World Cup cross-country racing, especially given his size. The lesser amount of travel is another way Cooper gets lower and into a more aggressive racing position.
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Cooper is happy with the lengths Cannondale have gone to accommodate his stature. "I was assured that something could be done and they stuck to their word and delivered the bike ahead of time."
The first-year U23 racer won the elite national title in New Zealand in February, on a bike similar to this one.
"I didn't ride this exact bike at the New Zealand championships. I had a bike like this, but it didn't obviously have the NZ national champion's colors. It had the team colors. I got this after I won the title. Now I can ride it – it's cool. It was a big surprise to come into the service course and see it. It's so special."
Custom stem and small frame size aside, Cooper runs a SRAM XX1 drivetrain with a 36-tooth chainring and 10-42T rear cassette. Avid World Cup brakes handle stopping duties (160mm rotor up front, 140mm in the rear).
ENVE provide their 29 XC wheelset with DT Swiss 240s hubs (left-specific up front) and DT Aerolite spokes. Cooper will race Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1 tires with snakeskin sidewall reinforcement.
He's also running an FSA SL-K 600mm bar with 9-degree backsweep and 4-degree upsweep. A Prologo X0 CPC seat, in custom Cannondale team colours, is mounted to an FSA K-Force (27.2mm diameter) seatpost with 25mm setback. Prologo also handle the grips.
Note the special graphics for the New Zealand national champion
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Cannondale F29 with team paint job Size: Small (custom geometry; small carbon frames not available for production) Rear shock: None Fork: Cannondale Lefty XLR Hybrid, 70mm travel, remote Rockshox lockout Headset: Cannondale Headshock SI Stem: Custom-made by Leonardi Racing (-20 degree rise) with Cannondale One Piece Integration technology Handlebars: FSA SL-K 600mm, 9 degrees backsweep, 4 degrees upsweep Tape/grips: Prologo Front brake: Avid XX World Cup, 160mm rotor Rear brake: Avid XX World Cup, 140mm rotor Brake levers: Avid XX World Cup Front derailleur: None Rear derailleur: SRAM XX1 Shift levers: SRAM XX1 (rear only, no front lever) Cassette: SRAM XX1, 10-42T Chain: SRAM XX1 Crankset: Cannondale SISL2 Bottom bracket: Cannondale SI, BB30 Pedals: Shimano SPD XTR Wheelset: See Rims/Front Hubs/Spokes Rims: Enve XC29 Front hub: DT Swiss 240S, Lefty-specific Rear hub: DT Swiss 240S Spokes: DT Aerolite Front tire: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1 with Snakeskin sidewall Rear tire: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1 with Snakeskin sidewall Saddle: Prologo X0 CPC, Custom Cannondale color Seat post: FSA K-Force 27.2mm diameter, 25mm setback Bottle cages: Cannondale Alloy
Critical measurements
Rider's height: 1.64m (5'5") Rider's weight: 60kg (132lb) Seat tube length, c-c: 330 Seat tube length, c-t: 390 Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 665 Tip of saddle nose to C of bars: 520 C of front wheel to top of bars: 630 Top tube length: 575 (actual) Total bicycle weight: 8.55kg (18.84lb)
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
