Crux 2021

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

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protocol_droid
Posts: 309
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:40 am
Location: San Diego, CA

by protocol_droid

allrandomletters wrote:One more thing to note - the 2021 Crux has a solid carbon shell inside the bottom bracket. Even if you popped out the BB cups, you would still have no access.

Another trick might be to use string and a vacuum. Hold the suction hose over the hole and feed the string through the frame until the hose sucks the string out.
Ahh. Ok. Thanks for the heads up on bb. I am getting the park tools kit to run the lines.

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fa63
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Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

I cut the hose on the lever side (it is easier to get air out of there than the caliper when re-bleeding), then pulled it out the back with the Park Tool internal kit attached and fished through the frame. Then I pulled the new hose from the back to the front with the Park Tool kit. Reconnected at the lever and bled the system; all good to go.

You can't put a foam sleeve over the hose; it wouldn't fit. But there is no rattling because it is a tight fit.
protocol_droid wrote:Did you have to cut off the fitting on the caliper side and then reinstall the fitting after feeding the line through? Also, did you use foam sleeving to prevent rattling?


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protocol_droid
Posts: 309
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:40 am
Location: San Diego, CA

by protocol_droid

fa63 wrote:I cut the hose on the lever side (it is easier to get air out of there than the caliper when re-bleeding), then pulled it out the back with the Park Tool internal kit attached and fished through the frame. Then I pulled the new hose from the back to the front with the Park Tool kit. Reconnected at the lever and bled the system; all good to go.

You can't put a foam sleeve over the hose; it wouldn't fit. But there is no rattling because it is a tight fit.
protocol_droid wrote:Did you have to cut off the fitting on the caliper side and then reinstall the fitting after feeding the line through? Also, did you use foam sleeving to prevent rattling?
Ok. Makes perfect sense.

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TheDoctor
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:56 pm

by TheDoctor

Just built up my frameset while on holiday. Ashamed to admit I forgot to pack the scales but should be about 7.9kg all in - weights and build list to follow... the basics:
- S-Works frame in Satin Carbon/Spectraflair/Gloss Abalone, size 54
- Force AXS wide 2x, 46x33 with 10-36 cassette and Quarq spider
- Zipp 303s with 700x40 Terra Speeds
- Roval Terra 40cm handlebar
- S-Works SL 110mm stem
- Pro Stealth Team carbon saddle
- Roval Alpinist seatpost (comes with the frame)
- X-Pedo M-Force 8 Ti pedals

Built this specifically with a 2x groupset to have a versatile bike for both road and gravel use, and have a second Zipp 303s wheelset with 30mm Pro Ones and a 10-28 cassette for pure road riding.
Bare frame weight was 753g and fork 389g uncut.

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sculler
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:19 pm

by sculler

Has anybody fitted a Dura Ace 9170 50/34 on their crux? Do you need BB spacers and if so, will the safety pin still locate? Thanks

jadedaid
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:43 pm

by jadedaid

yinzerniner wrote:
Thu Dec 08, 2022 6:40 pm
The Routt 45 is in a word, smooth. Definitely not as stiff as the carbon offerings, but when it flexes for whatever reason everything is flexing in a manner that's predictable and wanted. The ride isn't "bouncy" or "floaty" where you're disconnected from the ground, but rather it absorbs bumps but also gives some rebound/kickback where you can use the frame to adjust the handling at different obstacles. The newer models have more progressive geo, which might or might not work for you depending on the terrain, but by going longer/slacker it appears to be more focused on off-road riding. Frame was a bit of a porker at 1700g for a 56, but feels lighter when riding. Fit and finish are excellent. Supposedly the RSL has slightly racier geometry and is a bit lighter, but I never had a chance to ride one.
Thank you for that overview of the bikes. That lines up with my experience with Moots in general. Sounds like the 45 rode a bit old-school (which again may be good or bad depending on what you like) and that the Crux/Open were objectively the better bikes, whereas the Moots was the better finished product.

steveadore
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Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:01 am

by steveadore

Sorry to revive the original (title-giving) topic, but I'm looking for long-term reviews/opinions of the old (2018-2021) Crux, especially regarding the BB30 bottom bracket with Shimano cranks. If the new (2022) with threaded BSA BB were compatible with mechanical 2x Shimano (and were more reasonably priced), I would obviously go for that. But instead, I'm looking at a new 2021 Crux frame on sale as it ticks all my boxes, except the BB. I've seen the BBInfinite video showing how to remove the glued-in BB30 cups (and this convert it into PF30), but I'd rather not take the risk of possibly damaging the frame. Instead, I'm thinking about installing a decent BB30-to-24mm BB (Hambini, Hope, maybe Wheels Mfg or Token?). But how well are the BB30 cups glued into the frame? Could those become the source of dreaded creaking down the road? Since they can be removed (as demonstrated in the BBInfinite video), I wonder if the bond is too weak to cause problems (i.e. creaking, movement) inside the PF30 shell of the frame. And are do these BB30 cups have decent tolerances not to have fit issues with good BB30-to-24 adapter BBs?

takolino
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Location: USA, SF Bay Area

by takolino

I recently sold a previous gen crux elite. I believe the cups were bonded but I would use a puller instead of hammering out the bearings. I have the Enduro BRT-002 and it's good at gently pulling press fit bearings out of most frames without breaking the bond of the cups. As for a replacement, BBinfinite makes a one-piece for bb30 frames that should work. Make sure your frame has removable circips so that you can press the one piece bb all the way through. I'm pretty sure the previous gen frames had the circlips. I would not use two piece press fit outboard type of bearing since the outboard position of the bearings can put some strain on the interface. Optionally, you could use the cheaper delrin adapters until you decide it's a keeper.

steveadore
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by steveadore

takolino wrote:
Mon Dec 19, 2022 11:04 pm
I recently sold a previous gen crux elite. I believe the cups were bonded but I would use a puller instead of hammering out the bearings. I have the Enduro BRT-002 and it's good at gently pulling press fit bearings out of most frames without breaking the bond of the cups. As for a replacement, BBinfinite makes a one-piece for bb30 frames that should work. Make sure your frame has removable circips so that you can press the one piece bb all the way through. I'm pretty sure the previous gen frames had the circlips. I would not use two piece press fit outboard type of bearing since the outboard position of the bearings can put some strain on the interface. Optionally, you could use the cheaper delrin adapters until you decide it's a keeper.
Thanks. I wish the bond could be broken by hammering out the bearings, as that would be the easiest way to convert the bore back to the original PF30. My main concern is that the 2 alloy cups are epoxied in, but the bond may not be strong enough to prevent creaking if a BB30 adapter type BB installed.
Do you remember if your frame had removable circlips? I would definitely prefer a one-piece BB (BBInfinite is not a option, as European distribution is an issue, but the similar Hambini is top of my list). Though I'm still wondering if the two BB30 cups are structurally strong and stable enough to guarantee creak-free operation long term with a single metal tube (like the BBInfinite or Hambini) pressed in. I would even consider the cheapo traditional FSA/Sram BB30-to-BSA adapter sleeve (basically a metal cylinder with 42mm outer diameter and threaded on the inside to allow the installation of Shimano HTII BB), which I have in an alloy Crux, but again, there are two many interfaces for potential creaking (interface between 46mm carbon BB shell tube and the BB30 reducer cups epoxied in during manufacture + a second interface between the 42mm ID cups and the adapter)

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Nohands83
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Location: Leeds, UK

by Nohands83

Good build. Looking to do something similar myself, do you have a weight for your road setup?

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TheDoctor
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by TheDoctor

Nohands83 wrote:
Tue Dec 20, 2022 11:57 am
Good build. Looking to do something similar myself, do you have a weight for your road setup?
Based on component weights the gravel setup should be 7.87kg and the road setup 7.53kg. Same wheelset but Schwalbe Pro One 30mm (-270g) and 10-28 cassette (-73g), but no scale shots yet :wink:

takolino
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Location: USA, SF Bay Area

by takolino

steveadore wrote:
Tue Dec 20, 2022 8:56 am
.... Do you remember if your frame had removable circlips? I would definitely prefer a one-piece BB (BBInfinite is not a option, as European distribution is an issue, but the similar Hambini is top of my list). ...
If it were me, I woudn't remove the cups, especially since your frame is new. Mine was a 2018 and it had the circlips but not sure about the 2021. I think the threaded adapter is a good solution as long as the faces on the frame are square and or slightly narrower than the adapter. The Hambini will be less error prone since the bearings are already installed.

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Nohands83
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Location: Leeds, UK

by Nohands83

TheDoctor wrote:
Tue Dec 20, 2022 12:49 pm
Nohands83 wrote:
Tue Dec 20, 2022 11:57 am
Good build. Looking to do something similar myself, do you have a weight for your road setup?
Based on component weights the gravel setup should be 7.87kg and the road setup 7.53kg. Same wheelset but Schwalbe Pro One 30mm (-270g) and 10-28 cassette (-73g), but no scale shots yet :wink:
Thanks, planning to use my RSL wheels and Red cranks so hopefully should be able to get close to the 7.2kg mark.

allrandomletters
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:46 pm

by allrandomletters

steveadore wrote:
Mon Dec 19, 2022 4:55 pm
But how well are the BB30 cups glued into the frame? Could those become the source of dreaded creaking down the road? Since they can be removed (as demonstrated in the BBInfinite video), I wonder if the bond is too weak to cause problems (i.e. creaking, movement) inside the PF30 shell of the frame. And are do these BB30 cups have decent tolerances not to have fit issues with good BB30-to-24 adapter BBs?
The cups in my frame were glued in pretty well. I couldn't press them out. I had to score the inside of the cups with a hacksaw, running the blade through the inside of the bottom bracket. Takes a lot of time, not for the feint of heart. Once the cups are deeply scored, you can grip the outer lip with a pair of vice grips, twist and break the cups at the score line, and peel out of the bottom bracket shell. Lightly sand the interior carbon shell and you are ready to press in the one-peice PF30 BB shell (I installed BB-Infinite in mine).

The problem with my bottom bracket was not the bond in the shell, it was the bearings and alignment of the Praxis M30 bottom bracket. The bearings were rough and grinding after just 500 miles. I ditched the Praxis M30, replaced with the BB-Infinite, and kept the Praxis carbon cranks that came on my Crux. Zero issues after many more rough miles with the BB-Infinite bb. Extremely smooth and silent now.

Tolerances are luck. You may have an issue, you may not. Ride it until you find out, then replace as needed.

steveadore
Posts: 386
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:01 am

by steveadore

I've seen the BBinfinite video demonstrating the hacksaw solution. I guess I'm too faint of heart for that :) But if the alloy cups are glued/bonded pretty well in the carbon frame, are there any cons to using sth. like a BBinfinite or Hambini style one piece BB that reduces from 42mm (i.e. BB30) to Shimano? Or, alternatively, just use the cheap FSA alloy sleeve (also available for BB30) that takes threaded BSA?
After all, it's the same solution that you would use in the 46mm carbon shell (once you successfully remove the glued-in cups), it's just the external diameter of the one piece BB (or the FSA sleeve) that varies. And wouldn't the alloy outer surface of either of these form a better bond (with loctite) with the two alloy cups than with the carbon shell (which requires primer/activator, not just loctite)?

by Weenie


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