Takeaway: Using what they’ve learned from the successful Aethos road bike, Specialized has remade the Crux into quite possibly one of the most versatile and exceptional drop-bar bikes (maybe) ever.
- The standard 10r carbon frame is exceptionally light at 825g. At 725g, the S-Works version is claimed by Specialized to be the lightest gravel frame in the world.
- English threaded (BSA) bottom bracket, a round 27.2 seatpost, and a standard bar/stem combo make the new Crux refreshingly hassle-free and straightforward for riders and mechanics.
- The refreshed geometry strikes the perfect balance between stability at speed and responsive handling.
Pros
- Very light
- Fantastic handling
- Massive tire clearance
- No proprietary parts
Cons
- The price
Price: $8,000
Weight: 17.6lbs.
Style: Cyclocross or Gravel Race Bike
Wheel Size: 700c
Frame: CruX FACT 10r Carbon, Rider First Engineered, Threaded BB, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc
Fork: FACT Carbon, 12x100mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc
Drivetrain: SRAM Force XPLR eTap AXS
Cranks: SRAM Force 1x
Chainring: 40 tooth
Cassette: SRAM XPLR XG-1251, 12-speed, 10-44t
Brakes: SRAM Force eTap AXS Hydraulic Disc, 160mm, Centerline rotors
Wheels: Front: Roval Terra CL Rear: Roval Terra CL
Tires: Pathfinder Pro 2BR 700x38
Saddle: BG Power Pro, hollow titanium rails
Seatpost: Roval Terra Carbon Seat Post, 20mm offset
Handlebar: Roval Terra carbon, 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12º flare
Stem: Specialized Pro SL, alloy, 90mm length, 4-bolt, 6º
In the press release Specialized sent about the new Crux, the word “gravel” appears 21 times. The word “cyclocross” appears only twice, both times in the FAQ section. Once in the question, “Is the Crux a cyclocross or gravel bike?” Then a second time, in the answer to that question where Specialized insists that the new Crux is focused on gravel, but you could, if you want, still cyclocross it. This is to say that Specialized says the Crux is their new gravel “race” bike. My verdict is slightly more sweeping; the Crux might just be the best drop bar bike I have ever ridden.
At a glance, this bike looks like the design team at Specialized took their much loved Aethos road bike platform, mixed it in with the Crux, did some geometry tweaking, kept all the non-proprietary standards we love, gave it massive tire clearance, and kept it extremely light.
The Crux Pro, which I tested, weighs 17.5 pounds with pedals, bottle cages, a computer mount, and 38cm tires set up tubeless. It uses the second tier FACT 10r Carbon frame, which Specialized claims to weigh 825g (an S-Works 12r frame is claimed at 725g) paired to a single fork used across all models that weighs in at just under 400g. Combine that light weight with clearance for 700x47c or 650b x 2.1” tires, and you get one exceptional bike.
The Crux comes as close as I can imagine to being the one bike that can conceivably do it all. It’s so light and responsive that I could easily see myself putting some 30mm width tires on the wheels, bolting up a front derailleur, adding a chainring, and entering a road race or criterium with this bike. Likewise, I could also put some knobby tires on, jump into some rough singletrack, and the Crux will maintain its incredible poise and precision on either surface. It almost breaks my brain thinking about how good one bike can be on so many different surfaces, but the Crux manages to do just that.
Despite Specialized’s best efforts to convince us otherwise, the Crux lives up to its name’s lineage. While writing this review, I’ve won two cross races on the new Crux to confirm that yes, it will cyclocross just fine. Perhaps further blurring the lines between what companies market as “fast gravel bikes” and cyclocross bikes.
Bike Family, Pricing, & Availability
The new Specialized Crux will be available in four builds as well as two frameset options. With each option getting some unique paint schemes. The S-Works, Pro, and Expert builds all feature SRAM’s XPRL AXS 1x drivetrains. With the Comp build instead, opting for Rival 1 mechanical shifting.
- The S-Works version built with SRAM RED eTap AXS sells for $12,000.
- A Pro build with Force eTap AXS will set you back $8,000.
- The Expert build is $6,000 with Rival eTap AXS.
- The Comp is the most affordable complete Crux at $4,200.
If you’d like to build a Crux from scratch, you have two options—the premium S-Works frameset for $5,000 or the slightly heavier 10r carbon frameset for $3,200.
Bikes should be available at your local Specialized dealer now, which I confirmed with two local shops in my area receiving limited bikes the week before launch. If you want one, I do not suggest waiting.
Geometry and Fit
Specialized resisted the urge to fully take the new Crux down the long, slack, stable trend of modern gravel bikes, and I’m so happy they did because there are already plenty of those (that are good). Trek’s latest Checkpoint is a perfect example of such a bike.
Still, the latest Crux geometry is more progressive (without getting carried away). The new Crux drops the bottom bracket height by 3mm. The seat tube angle gets a hair steeper, adding half a degree or less (depending on size). The head tube angle remains the same as the previous Crux, except for the smallest and largest sizes (it gets steeper on the 49 and slacker on the 61).
Overall the new Crux gets longer in reach, wheelbase, and trail proportionally on all sizes. Bikes now ship with shorter stems to match up with the longer reach. In many ways, it seems the approach to the new geometry was to split the difference between the stability of the Diverge and the quick handling of the older Crux. Based on my ride impressions, I would say that the designers at Specialized steered closer to the older Crux than the Diverge, and I think that’s a very good thing.
Ride Impressions
While writing this review, I had a few close friends reach out to me about my thoughts on the new Crux. At first, I hedged my bets a little because I’m not sure how cool it is to love a bike unabashedly, but after a few of these conversations, I had to be honest with myself and my friends.
“It’s the best drop-bar bike I’ve ever ridden, period.” and I mean that sincerely.
I didn’t care if it was a gravel bike or a cross bike. It was simply a drop-bar bike with massive tire clearance and no weight penalty over my road bike that could handle any ride I wanted to do with it, and I was absolutely loving it.
The Crux has a unique blend of stability at speed and precise handling. The ultra-low weight of the bike is felt as soon as you clip in. It’s likely one of the few disc brake-equipped cross bikes that will routinely break the UCI’s 6.8 kg bike weight limit. This was confirmed to me by Maghalie Rochette, who’s already won several UCI cross races on it.
But the bike’s lightweight would be moot if it didn’t also handle well, and on that, the Crux absolutely delivers. It’s snappy and precise, both up singletrack climbs and down chunky descent. It maintains that same composure on the road as well, with some 35c slicks fitted. I did my best to throw as much different terrain at it as possible, but I could never find something where the Crux didn’t exceed my expectations.
One particular moment stuck out to me from a recent ride where I was bouncing down what could very generously be described as a ‘road.’ It more closely resembled a creek bed full of chunky rocks and roots. This is precisely the kind of terrain where most bikes without suspension struggle, with larger hits throwing you off line and forcing you to slow down to regain composure. Instead, on the Crux, I didn’t have to touch the brakes. The faster I went, the more precise and planted the Crux felt. Changing lines on a whim felt effortless without ever feeling twitchy. All the while, I was thinking to myself, “this is something special.”
Much of the new Crux’s DNA came directly from the work Specialized did with the award-winning Aethos (Bicycling’s Bike of the Year for 2021 ). So, while I wasn't totally surprised to see an English (BSA) threaded bottom bracket and a complete absence of proprietary parts on the new Crux, I was still very happy about it and excited to see Specialized continue this trend forward in the industry.
As I’ve learned, however, no bike is perfect. I was sad to discover that the new Crux is not compatible with 2x mechanical drivetrains, though electronic 2x will work fine depending on chainring size due to chainstay clearance. Specialized said the decision to omit mechanical 2x compatibility was made because they didn’t see enough interest in that type of drivetrain to justify the weight penalty it would incur. Still, eliminating this option on such a versatile bike does a disservice to riders looking to swap over existing parts to a new Crux frameset or simply looking for a lower-cost 2x option.
Despite all the Specialized warnings about the new Crux not being a cyclocross bike (If that’s true, why did they call it the Crux?), I decided to race some cyclocross on it anyway. I rode it back to back at a local practice race with the new Cannondale SuperSix Evo CX, and the new Crux absolutely rips. It felt so much more responsive under hard pedaling that it felt like cheating. Because the Crux is nearly ¾ pound lighter than the Cannondale, it accelerated more quickly out of tight corners and up the sharp little kicks found on cyclocross courses. The Crux also has a noticeably smoother ride on the bumpy track, which could be down to the more traditional round tube shapes used on the Crux than the massive, aerodynamic tubes used on the Evo.
The premise of the Crux is simple: take the wildly successful Aethos and add massive tire clearance. Doing this Specialized hit it out of the park with the new Crux, and it’s a bike that will appeal to many riders. Maybe some who are looking for that mythical do-it-all bike, the one that can race a crit, a hill climb, a cyclocross race, and a gravel race with a switch of the tires. But anyone that want’s the versatility, and all-day comfort of large tire clearance combined with the handling of a race bike will be happy on the new Crux.
Perhaps the only riders who should look elsewhere for a drop-bar bike are ones looking to do some version of bike packing and want to attach racks, fenders, and other gear to their frame for much longer journeys. For pretty much everyone else, the Crux might be the best bike you’ll swing a leg over. I’m so confident in that sentiment that I will be looking to spend my own money on a Crux in the near future.
Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer.
