Crux 2021

[YH0]

Hey guys,

question for those who hava mount the FD on the Crux: Did you have any issue mounting the backplate as indicated by Specialized? Was the inner tube smooth, making possible to fit the plate straight against the tube wall as showed here?

I ordered a 1x crux pulled parts to have di2 on it. My frame didn't come with a front derailleur mount. I order the one you have pictured. I popped off the rubber grommets and screwed in the mount. I think only S Works uses the full Aethos mount that you posted. I didn't need the backing plate.

Thanks for that. In my case the hanger bolds go inside the frame into two "rivets" made of carbon, that are around 5mm, these rivets make impossible to fix the plate against the wall or even to screw the bolds into it. I didn´t think, the plate could be not needed in this build.

[scale29]

I fitted the Aethos hanger to my Crux Expert when fitting Di2 2x. I didn't use the backing plate either as mine had threads on the inside of the seat tube.

[yinzerniner]

Coming back to this, as some of you have said to go Wide Dub if I wanted a 46t chainring, the SRAM RED cranks doesn't have the Wide option, right?

There is a SRAM Red Axs wide crank but it's basically unibtanium as they only offered it with complete builds of certain Lauf bikes

I ended up purchasing one to use on my (very delayed) Crux 2x build. It's def a bit heavier than the regular width Red axs arms but still roughly 100g lighter than Force wide.

[1swiftvelo]

Hey guys,

question for those who hava mount the FD on the Crux: Did you have any issue mounting the backplate as indicated by Specialized? Was the inner tube smooth, making possible to fit the plate straight against the tube wall as showed here?

I ordered a 1x crux pulled parts to have di2 on it. My frame didn't come with a front derailleur mount. I order the one you have pictured. I popped off the rubber grommets and screwed in the mount. I think only S Works uses the full Aethos mount that you posted. I didn't need the backing plate.

Thanks for that. In my case the hanger bolds go inside the frame into two "rivets" made of carbon, that are around 5mm, these rivets make impossible to fix the plate against the wall or even to screw the bolds into it. I didn´t think, the plate could be not needed in this build.

Post a picture if you can ? Will clear it all up.

[pedalstriker]

Coming back to this, as some of you have said to go Wide Dub if I wanted a 46t chainring, the SRAM RED cranks doesn't have the Wide option, right?

There is a SRAM Red Axs wide crank but it's basically unibtanium as they only offered it with complete builds of certain Lauf bikes

I ended up purchasing one to use on my (very delayed) Crux 2x build. It's def a bit heavier than the regular width Red axs arms but still roughly 100g lighter than Force wide.

Fascinating. I saw one for sale on eBay a while back (it might still be there) so realized that Red with a wide spindle was a thing, but this backstory helps make a little more sense of it. Props to you for hunting one of those down!

[pedalstriker]

I haven't picked this bike up yet, but am so stoked on how it came out that I wanted to share some pics from the mechanics. I'm so stoked on how it came out, the paint was done by Tyler Marchesano (@tunedbytyler) and he knocked it out of the park. All the blues and purples are iridescent.

The build kit is a mix of old and new parts and kept pretty standard for racing, although I did use an Alpitude chain catcher and titanium cages and bolts to make it worthy of this forum.

These are borrowed wheels for the setup, I'll most likely be using CLX50s with 33mm Challenge Strada Bianca tires (I love them) and Terra CLXs with 40mm G-One R and RS. And I love AXS now that I have a setup on a few different bikes. I can swap between the 2x or 1x road derailleur (10-33 or 10-36), 1x XPLR (10-44) or 1x Eagle (10-52) in 15 minutes or so.

I'll weigh it when I get it, it's a 61cm with a lot of paint so I'm not expecting anything crazy but I'm guessing it'll beat my current Crux and look good doing it.

OMG wow! This bike looks insanely good! I've followed Tyler for a while via instagram and everything he does is supremely droolworthy (this bike being no exception).

Also impressed with your dual wheel setup - I've run the Terra CLX with 30mm RapidAir tires on my Crux and found it to be incredible. Kinda curious as to how much of an aero benfit the CLX50 would provide when running tires in the low-to-mid 30mm range? I've always assumed that the aero benefit drops off when you get above 28mm.

I've found the SRAM AXS XPLR RD to be the sweet spot for 1 shifting, since it covers 10-36 for road and 10-44 for gravel while requiring only minimal adjustment. Kinda curious how often you will end up swapping between the 3 RDs you noted, since although it's cool and 15 mins really isn't much, it's also not nothing. Either way, it's great to have that kind fo flexibility in a single bike!

[FestiveNoodle]

Hey guys,

question for those who hava mount the FD on the Crux: Did you have any issue mounting the backplate as indicated by Specialized? Was the inner tube smooth, making possible to fit the plate straight against the tube wall as showed here?

Just finished the build last night with an 12s Ultegra. There were 2 screws in place where the FD mount would go, and I wasn't sure if there was a backplate or not, so I carefully removed one by one and installed the FD mount. Could not look inside if there was plate or not, but there maybe rivets or something. Also the hole for the wire was on the right of the mount and not under it like on the Aethos (which I also have). Let me know if you need a photo.

[dtm311]

I haven't picked this bike up yet, but am so stoked on how it came out that I wanted to share some pics from the mechanics. I'm so stoked on how it came out, the paint was done by Tyler Marchesano (@tunedbytyler) and he knocked it out of the park. All the blues and purples are iridescent.

The build kit is a mix of old and new parts and kept pretty standard for racing, although I did use an Alpitude chain catcher and titanium cages and bolts to make it worthy of this forum.

These are borrowed wheels for the setup, I'll most likely be using CLX50s with 33mm Challenge Strada Bianca tires (I love them) and Terra CLXs with 40mm G-One R and RS. And I love AXS now that I have a setup on a few different bikes. I can swap between the 2x or 1x road derailleur (10-33 or 10-36), 1x XPLR (10-44) or 1x Eagle (10-52) in 15 minutes or so.

I'll weigh it when I get it, it's a 61cm with a lot of paint so I'm not expecting anything crazy but I'm guessing it'll beat my current Crux and look good doing it.

OMG wow! This bike looks insanely good! I've followed Tyler for a while via instagram and everything he does is supremely droolworthy (this bike being no exception).

Also impressed with your dual wheel setup - I've run the Terra CLX with 30mm RapidAir tires on my Crux and found it to be incredible. Kinda curious as to how much of an aero benfit the CLX50 would provide when running tires in the low-to-mid 30mm range? I've always assumed that the aero benefit drops off when you get above 28mm.

I've found the SRAM AXS XPLR RD to be the sweet spot for 1 shifting, since it covers 10-36 for road and 10-44 for gravel while requiring only minimal adjustment. Kinda curious how often you will end up swapping between the 3 RDs you noted, since although it's cool and 15 mins really isn't much, it's also not nothing. Either way, it's great to have that kind fo flexibility in a single bike!

Thank you! Posting some more build pics below, I'm running 33mm Challenge tires on the CLX50s right now and absolutely love them. Very fast and very plush, and they don't feel too wide for road riding. I'm running the CLX50s because I think they're kind of the perfect wheel for all conditions, and also I already owned them. The Terras are more suited to wider tires, which is why I have gravel tires on them, but my previous Crux came with these CLX50s stock for 'cross.

I have a friend who used to do R&D for Specialized, and based on what he had tested, a 28mm tire is going to be fastest but a CX-sized tire is still going to get some aero benefit for free essentially—CLX50s were and still are light for the rim depth, so there's not much reason not to use them over a shallower but wider wheel. A wider and equally deep wheel like a Zipp 303 would be faster for 30-33mm tires most likely, but in the real world I think it's not all that important below road racing speeds. I've run 40mm tires on the CLX50s a bunch and did notice they were a lot harsher in crosswinds, I think because of the lightbulb shape, and ran 40mm tires on Rapide CLXs at Unbound last year, which was pointless but felt more stable.

My fastest bike is an SL6 with Rapide bars (not cockpit) and wheels w/ 28mm Vittoria Corsas, and based on the first rides with the Crux I don't think I'm losing much. The Tarmac is faster at road racing speeds but here in Norcal with shit roads and a lot of punchy small climbs, I'm probably making up the difference with the smoother Crux. I'm feeling a lot less beat up after the three or four hour mark, and that's worth a lot. I'm guessing an SL8 is the best of both worlds but I think a bike that's best optimized for the rider and conditions is more important than outright testing performance unless you're racing. I do want an SL8 though...

On the derailleur side, I'm planning on running 2x through gravel season and then using 1x XPLR for cross season, but it's nice to know I can switch things up quickly if need be. (I've run Eagle with a Garbaruk 50t for a few gravel races, which like the Rapides was a result of thinking too much about marginal gains for an amateur, and I suppose I'm happy that I can run it again if I'm feeling particularly cocky one weekend.) But still, given how small the margins are now between well-optimized top-tier bikes, I generally think variability in our own human performance is a bigger variable than equipment choice up until you're on a ride averaging above 20 mph, or even 40kmh. I'm also 193cm tall/79kg so my body affects speeds a lot more than a few watts in the frame or a couple hundred grams. Before I get kicked off the forum, I do care about free speed though!!

[pedalstriker]

I haven't picked this bike up yet, but am so stoked on how it came out that I wanted to share some pics from the mechanics. I'm so stoked on how it came out, the paint was done by Tyler Marchesano (@tunedbytyler) and he knocked it out of the park. All the blues and purples are iridescent.

The build kit is a mix of old and new parts and kept pretty standard for racing, although I did use an Alpitude chain catcher and titanium cages and bolts to make it worthy of this forum.

These are borrowed wheels for the setup, I'll most likely be using CLX50s with 33mm Challenge Strada Bianca tires (I love them) and Terra CLXs with 40mm G-One R and RS. And I love AXS now that I have a setup on a few different bikes. I can swap between the 2x or 1x road derailleur (10-33 or 10-36), 1x XPLR (10-44) or 1x Eagle (10-52) in 15 minutes or so.

I'll weigh it when I get it, it's a 61cm with a lot of paint so I'm not expecting anything crazy but I'm guessing it'll beat my current Crux and look good doing it.

OMG wow! This bike looks insanely good! I've followed Tyler for a while via instagram and everything he does is supremely droolworthy (this bike being no exception).

Also impressed with your dual wheel setup - I've run the Terra CLX with 30mm RapidAir tires on my Crux and found it to be incredible. Kinda curious as to how much of an aero benfit the CLX50 would provide when running tires in the low-to-mid 30mm range? I've always assumed that the aero benefit drops off when you get above 28mm.

I've found the SRAM AXS XPLR RD to be the sweet spot for 1 shifting, since it covers 10-36 for road and 10-44 for gravel while requiring only minimal adjustment. Kinda curious how often you will end up swapping between the 3 RDs you noted, since although it's cool and 15 mins really isn't much, it's also not nothing. Either way, it's great to have that kind fo flexibility in a single bike!

Thank you! Posting some more build pics below, I'm running 33mm Challenge tires on the CLX50s right now and absolutely love them. Very fast and very plush, and they don't feel too wide for road riding. I'm running the CLX50s because I think they're kind of the perfect wheel for all conditions, and also I already owned them. The Terras are more suited to wider tires, which is why I have gravel tires on them, but my previous Crux came with these CLX50s stock for 'cross.

I have a friend who used to do R&D for Specialized, and based on what he had tested, a 28mm tire is going to be fastest but a CX-sized tire is still going to get some aero benefit for free essentially—CLX50s were and still are light for the rim depth, so there's not much reason not to use them over a shallower but wider wheel. A wider and equally deep wheel like a Zipp 303 would be faster for 30-33mm tires most likely, but in the real world I think it's not all that important below road racing speeds. I've run 40mm tires on the CLX50s a bunch and did notice they were a lot harsher in crosswinds, I think because of the lightbulb shape, and ran 40mm tires on Rapide CLXs at Unbound last year, which was pointless but felt more stable.

My fastest bike is an SL6 with Rapide bars (not cockpit) and wheels w/ 28mm Vittoria Corsas, and based on the first rides with the Crux I don't think I'm losing much. The Tarmac is faster at road racing speeds but here in Norcal with shit roads and a lot of punchy small climbs, I'm probably making up the difference with the smoother Crux. I'm feeling a lot less beat up after the three or four hour mark, and that's worth a lot. I'm guessing an SL8 is the best of both worlds but I think a bike that's best optimized for the rider and conditions is more important than outright testing performance unless you're racing. I do want an SL8 though...

On the derailleur side, I'm planning on running 2x through gravel season and then using 1x XPLR for cross season, but it's nice to know I can switch things up quickly if need be. (I've run Eagle with a Garbaruk 50t for a few gravel races, which like the Rapides was a result of thinking too much about marginal gains for an amateur, and I suppose I'm happy that I can run it again if I'm feeling particularly cocky one weekend.) But still, given how small the margins are now between well-optimized top-tier bikes, I generally think variability in our own human performance is a bigger variable than equipment choice up until you're on a ride averaging above 20 mph, or even 40kmh. I'm also 193cm tall/79kg so my body affects speeds a lot more than a few watts in the frame or a couple hundred grams. Before I get kicked off the forum, I do care about free speed though!!

Those are some beauty shots. I've got a set of CL50 wheels on my Tarmac and would agree that they are a goldilocks wheel for this type of bike (regardless of what tire is mounted to it). And if you already gottem, then there's no question.

As you noted, there's so much tech at the margins that is fun to play with and experience, but the real benefit of a bike like this is the comfort that is provided at a weight that is competitive with many racier machines. Enjoy dialing it in this season!

[imajez]

Is anybody using the Crux for bikepacking?

I do.
None of my bikes have any mounts for traditional rack and panniers, but modern bike luggage makes that irrelevant.
This is my current kit mounted on my Chisel but everything fits just as well on the new Crux.
I just haven't used it for that yet, so no pics.
Ortlieb QR on bars.
Tailfin Aeropack on rear with additional Tailfin cargo cages and 5L cargo packs.
Topeak Top tube bag - since replaced by a Tailfin 1.5L fliptop bag. Easier to access and more waterproof.
Everything comes off bike in around a minute. 2-3 minutes to place it all back on. Very useful for packing/unpacking in poor weather.
The Tailfin Aeropack clicks onto axle and seatpin. Tailfin do axles to fit thu axle, QR etc

This is my previous Crux with same gear on it. But minus the cargo cages and cargo packs.

Side view with previous Salsa front bag setup. Slightly too wide for drops with cable brifters, so swapped to the better all round Qrtlieb QR.

[imajez]

The Crux is not the best option for bikepacking. Nevertheless the carbon tubes are really thin and can crack easely.

True, not the bikepacking rig par excellence. But, I never saw a cracked frame. Did you?

True, but when backpacking one must be prepared for any scenario, which is why it is useful to practice welding your steel bike frame together using a car battery and a clothes hanger. Anything less would be irresponsible.

Perfect reply.

[imajez]

Is anyone runniing Teravail Rutland 700x47 on their Crux? How have they been and what's clearance like? 700x47 is at the upper end of what the Crux can fit, I'm not sure if these tyres come up big or small. I'm thinking of grabbing a set for when my G-One R's wear out. Living in the UK I think I need something a bit more mud-capable.

I have been using the 44mm Vittoria Mezcal over Winter in UK instead of the stock Pathfinders. And it's been rather moist at times, shall we say. Tyres have been great. I used Barzo/Mezcal on my Hardtail and was so impressed, I tried the Mezcal on the Crux too. I'm still impressed.
Wouldn't want anything bigger because these 44mm tyres already cause minor toe overlap with my bigger winter boots.
Since going tubeles with the much lower pressures you can run, I find I can run my 'Summer tyres' in Winter now. Fat tyres plus mud also means more likelihood of clogging around BB area or worse chain stay wear.

[Alejogon]

So here is my Crux after swapping my di2 2x for an AXS mullet drivetrain, no regrets. 46t on the front and 10-52 on the back.

Not a weight weenie, but works perfect for me. The only thing left is to consider going back to the Pathfinder Sworks 42mm or a semislick tire (ReneHerse, Challenge) in 40-44mm, I do not get to like these Schwalbe G-One RS in 45mm.

I may have made a mistake by not going with the WIDE cranks from the very beginning, as there is a scary 2mm clearance between the frame and the chainring and my mental health is suffering with the possibility of damaging the frame . So I'm considering about going Rival Wide 46t with PM instead of Force, which would be cheaper than the Force+Quarq spider, which I was planning to buy either way. Luckily I haven't bought the Quarq yet.

[robbosmans]

Yeah definitely don’t ride it like that

[kode54]

Put a 1mm spacer in there and that should be good.