Crux 2021

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

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justRideIt
Posts: 203
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:10 am
Location: Germany

by justRideIt

Basscadet wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:17 am
Specialized not offering this bike with GRX Di2 from the factory is confusing. I'm pretty sure 2x customers constitute more than just an insigifnicant portion of the gravel bike demographic? Do they REALLY think most of their customers are speccing and building their bikes?
I think it might have to do with Shimano's delivery issues. Shimano cannot deliver enough groupsets to put on the bikes for model year 2022.
2020 S-Works Tarmac SL6 Disc @ 6.35-ish kg: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=159454
2021 Specialized Diverge viewtopic.php?f=10&t=165482

by Weenie


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FlatlandClimber
Posts: 2491
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:37 pm

by FlatlandClimber

32 Mill tires are not gravel for me...
also, i was thinking the same thing ("Can't own an Aethos and a Crux, why not build up the Crux to be the one climbing bike?").
Well. For me, riding a lot on mud, riding in the forests with steep pitches, but also racing, a mullet set up is just perfect.
The bigger gear jumps don't phase me nearly as much, as grinding up a 25% grade with mud on it at 40rpm.

I would however not want a Mullet on my Aethos.
Cervelo P5 Disc (2021) 9.1kg
Factor Ostro Gravel (2023) 8.0kg
S-Works SL8 (2023) 6.3kg

*weights are race ready, size 58/L.
Sold: Venge, S5 Disc, Roubaix Team, Open WI.DE, Émonda, Shiv TT, Crux, Aethos, SL7

maquisard
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

I am curious as to why Specialized have avoided the use of a dropped drive side chain stay in the gravel range. The Diverge I have has the solid carbon chainstay section to allow for increased tire/chainring clearance but it seems not so good design. These bike would have been designed 2-3 years ago for 2020/21 model year so perhaps then there was uncertainty in Specialized about IP rights or trademark around the use of the dropped stay by OPEN. Many other companies have used this design to good design but perhaps Specialized were cautious. Weight of course would be an issue but that does not explain why they would not use such design on the Diverge.

Like others I feel frustrated by the chainset issue. If that was resolved this bike would be perfect I think. Maybe things are not so bad as thought given the photo above but I hate running chainsets with very tight clearances to chainstays as chainsets and chainrings deflect slightly under load and this also gets worse as bearings age.

romanmoser
Posts: 573
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 8:30 pm

by romanmoser

maybe the can't make a frame without void in a dropped chainstays design like open ( proven by bambini ) ?

most cx don't have dropped chainstays
you have gravel bike nimble enough for cx with dropped chainstays

maquisard
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

For CX yes, but if you want a N+0 bike which can,

- Take large chainrings
- Take large tire clearances
- Is lightweight

Then I cannot understand how this can be achieved without a dropped chainstay design and is what Open has achieved with the UPPER.

niklasp
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:36 pm

by niklasp

The industri can't source enough Shimano groupsets... That's my guess.

justRideIt
Posts: 203
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:10 am
Location: Germany

by justRideIt

maquisard wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:56 am
I am curious as to why Specialized have avoided the use of a dropped drive side chain stay in the gravel range. The Diverge I have has the solid carbon chainstay section to allow for increased tire/chainring clearance but it seems not so good design.
Why do you think its not a good design?
2020 S-Works Tarmac SL6 Disc @ 6.35-ish kg: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=159454
2021 Specialized Diverge viewtopic.php?f=10&t=165482

justRideIt
Posts: 203
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:10 am
Location: Germany

by justRideIt

maquisard wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:56 am
I am curious as to why Specialized have avoided the use of a dropped drive side chain stay in the gravel range. The Diverge I have has the solid carbon chainstay section to allow for increased tire/chainring clearance but it seems not so good design.
Why do you think the solid chainstay section is not a good design?
2020 S-Works Tarmac SL6 Disc @ 6.35-ish kg: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=159454
2021 Specialized Diverge viewtopic.php?f=10&t=165482

FactoryMatt
Posts: 1014
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:35 am

by FactoryMatt

Good analysis Maquisard. I point to dropped CS on Ibis..

maquisard
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

justRideIt wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 1:33 pm
maquisard wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:56 am
I am curious as to why Specialized have avoided the use of a dropped drive side chain stay in the gravel range. The Diverge I have has the solid carbon chainstay section to allow for increased tire/chainring clearance but it seems not so good design.
Why do you think its not a good design?
I do not like the aesthetic of it I guess, it seems less elegant. But I understand others may like it. I also think that a dropped stay offers increased clearance than such a solid stay design can ever offer... unless there was a dropped solid stay!

fizzaz
Posts: 274
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:02 pm

by fizzaz

If a bike is supposed to be n=1 then mullet 1x is the only way to go. You're asking a build to do everything pretty good which means it will suffer in some situations. I've been rocking 46t mullet build on my gravel/cx for a while now and I literally never notice the jumps on either the 11-40t cassette that I race cx on or the 11-46 that I ride/race gravel with. I think those gear jumps are a bit placebo in everyone's heads.

If the Crux fits even most of an upper-end road gear, you'll be fine. Again, you're forcing something not designed to be that n=1 into it so you'll have to be the one to make a concession. That "some millennial kid on the west coast" didn't make this bike to spite your old ass, so there is no reason to be mad at a company making it.

TwC
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:33 pm

by TwC

I think the best way to use it as an n+0 would be to use SRAM XPLR with 2 sets of wheels. The road with 10-36 and the gravel set with 10-44.

Ive been using 10-50 for road winter training and I only end up using the bottom 4 gears most of the time.

LegPower
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:10 pm
Location: San Francisco
Contact:

by LegPower

FWIW I own an Aethos now and decided to go 1x to further reduce the weight. 42T chainring in front and 10-33 in the rear. I've climbed Rocacorba, Sa Colabra, and the Col de la Madone with this gearing. Yes, you have to get out of the saddle for a couple hairpins for a few seconds but in general I'm able to tap out 80-90 rpm in the 42-33. The only time I've needed another gear was when I did the Valley of Tears... that one I went with the 10-36.

I just ordered the Crux and plan on swapping my Aethos parts over. I've also got an Aspero so will be selling that and only having two bikes (SL7 and Crux). For road, I'll have the 44T and 10-36 (I plan to test the 10-33 even though it's not supposed to work) and then for gravel I'll go with the 10-44. This will give me enough range in both scenarios to do whatever I need to do. I also heard that an Eagle chain will work so if that's true I'll use a 42T and an E Thirteen 9-46 cassette.

toronto-rider
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:58 pm
Location: Toronto

by toronto-rider

I plan to run this with GRX 2X and will be selling my 2016 Sworks SL5 road bike and Open Gravel Bike. I ride my road bike maybe 20 times outside on the road a year, and almost nothing from October to May. I am 90% gravel. Have already 700c and 650 B wheels for my Open.
I live in Toronto, so most of my gravel rides involve a fair amount of road. So prefer 2x.

Just before I take the leap, I presume using a Gravel NG Rotor ALDHU R 24mm w/ Cranks 2x Chainring Package would be ok. I plan to run 700 x 40 0r 42 and 650 x 42.
I guesses I will wait until I see what the people have said with 2x and tire clearance. Would be interesting to see what Ten Dam and Boswell use, as they are 2x and sponsored by Shimano and Specialized.

by Weenie


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FlatlandClimber
Posts: 2491
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:37 pm

by FlatlandClimber

This is all personal, depending on where you ride and what you prefer, but:
I really would hate a 1x with a small chainring and 10-36 or 10-40 for road...
A 44t would probably be okay for road riding where I live, although I would like to sprint on in or ride intervals to power.
For going into the mountains... so basically very vacation I have done in the past 2 years:
44/36 gearing is 13.6kph at 80rpm. For an 80kg system (70kg rider, 8kg bike, 2kg stuff) that's roughly 340W at 10% grade.
Considering several climbs in the Alps have several kilometers at that grade, I wouldn't want that. Also, the "saved weight" goes out of the window with the:
A. Biomechanical inefficiency of pedaling at low cadence B. The inefficiency of the drivetrain with that chainline.
Also, large gear jumps on a road climb annoy me. I rode a good 20HC climbs this year, most of them with 48/35 10-36 and while the gearing was great, even those gear jumps were too much for me. I will switch to 11-34 for that reason for the next season.

For Gravel the 42 10-44 *CAN* definitely work, especially if you use it as a true "gravel" bike.
I use my Gravel bike more as a "go anywhere bike". Basically anything from road (not primarily obviously), beat up tarmac, light gravel, forest paths, double trail, single trail, mud, heavy gravel, gras etc. Nothing is off limits (unless I reach my physical or skill limitations).
42 10-44 would allow me to go fast enough for anything but sprinting or road descents, but 42/44 clearly wouldn't be nearly enough for me on muddy climbs (that force you to stay seated), steep pitches in the forests or even longer off road climbs on gravel marathons or bike packing.

So if it works for you: great.
I would really find this extremely compromised for both road and gravel.
Cervelo P5 Disc (2021) 9.1kg
Factor Ostro Gravel (2023) 8.0kg
S-Works SL8 (2023) 6.3kg

*weights are race ready, size 58/L.
Sold: Venge, S5 Disc, Roubaix Team, Open WI.DE, Émonda, Shiv TT, Crux, Aethos, SL7

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