A tribute to my favorite bike of all time

[fa63]

As I went on a ride around Capitol Reef National Park yesterday, I realized that what was supposed to be a paved road had been stripped to the subgrade and now a gravel road Luckily for me, I happened to be riding my trusty Specialized Crux, which got me thinking about how this has been my favorite bike that I have ever owned.





What makes this frame so special (for me):

- It is perfectly capable of running 47mm tires (currently on Pathfinder Pros) on a 2x SRAM AXS drivetrain. Lots of frames offer this type of clearance these days, but a lot of them are 1x only which is a deal breaker for me, or they have longer chainstays than I care for (the Crux has 425 mm chainstays). With a 43/30 crankset and 10/36 cassette, it gives me enough top-end while also providing a nice easy gear to spin over steep sections.
- It has a threaded BB, external cables, and a standard 27.2mm round seatpost. Plus, it looks like a normal bike without dropped seatstays or kinked chainstays Building it up was super easy, maintenance is a piece of cake, and I have never had any issues with any unwanted creaks / noises.
- I also have a set of wheels set up with 35mm Conti GP5000 A/S tubeless tires that I swap in for road rides. I have done 20+ mph group rides on it, and while it doesn't feel as fast as my pure road bike, it gets the job done perfectly fine.
- It handles great both on and off-road. I like that it is not super long and slack like some modern gravel bikes; it is more like a road bike with really large tire clearance - exactly how I like my gravel bikes. I have also ridden plenty of chunky gravel and even some decent singletrack on it without any major drama.
- It is not a touring bike; it has no rack mounts etc. But I have gone bike-packing on it (including a trip around Westfjords in Iceland) with a Tailfin rack system in the rear and a handlebar bag up front, and even with all that weight on the bike, I thought it still handled great. It does have a third bottle mount under the frame which is also handy for these sorts of trips.
- It has proven to be very durable so far (knock on wood); the frame has taken plenty of rock strikes, been transported in a bike bag and handled by TSA several times, etc. The original headset is also still very smooth (though I keep it clean and properly greased which I am sure helps). I have the standard frame, not S-Works, but it is still impressive to me given how light even the standard frame / fork are.

In touring / bike-packing mode in Iceland:



Here it is with its road wheels / tires.



Never thought I would be so enamored by a Specialized, a brand that I don't particularly care for due to their treatment of their dealers and marketing machine, but here we are I will be curious to see what the next iteration of this frame will look like; it would really be the absolute perfect bike (for me) if they kept everything the same but made the stack about 20mm taller. Otherwise, I might have to buy a second frame of the current generation and keep it as a spare

[kppolich]

Great write up and single bike quiver killer there for sure!

[XXtwindad]

Totally agree! I love mine! I use it in a similar fashion: as a fat-tire road bike. I’ve set all kinds of PRs with it. The phrase “quiver killer” is obviously cliched, but warranted in this regard.

P.S. a big shout out to the OP and Lavi who convinced me that the bike would live up to all the hype. And to Baron Blubba who threatened to make a limerick about my indecision if I didn’t make the leap into carbon.

[EB]

Cool write up. There are some sales running on these on the Spesh website right now, get one before the inevitable headset cable routing debacle.

[November Dave]

Same bike, different color, same feelings about it. It's a wonderful bike.

[AngryScientist]

Awesome. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. Riding a bike you love that works for you.

[LegendRider]

Looks great! I love the fact that it has nothing gimmicky.

[skouri1]

I am very tempted to get this to update my old serotta concours CX. One of the bikes on the top of my list for the reasons you mentioned.

[KonaSS]

Same bike, same color, very similar components and 2 wheelsets. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I still have a separate go-fast road bike, but I am considering going down to just the Crux. It is very good.

[exapkib]

That is one of my favorite corners of southern Utah. How were the temperatures? Any photos?

[XXtwindad]

I thought I’d repost my thoughts from Mike’s ad: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...highlight=Crux

Well, you need to “sell the sizzle” Mike. So, allow me. After circling round and round doing my Hamlet routine when it came to carbon (and working the OP of this FS thread’s last nerve): https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=294135 I finally pulled the trigger on a Crux a few months ago.

Since I’ve already waded out waist deep into a sea of cliches, let me add another: it’s a game changer. A total revelation. I’ve smashed all my PRs on climbs by a considerable margin. Yes, weight matters. The Crux comes in at 16 lbs and change with pedals. Unbelievable for a gravel disc bike. And it descends just as flawlessly, which is crucial for a Nervous Nelly like myself.

BIG BONUS POINTS: It’s one of the best (if not the best) looking modern carbon bikes I’ve seen. This is also super important for a peacock like myself.

But, don’t take my word for it. Ask James Huang:
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/...d-crux-review/

“As for how it performs, I’m just going to come out and say this straight away: this is quite likely the best gravel bike I’ve ridden, and one of the best drop-bar bikes I’ve ridden of any sort. I realize this thing is obscenely expensive so it should be amazing, but allow me to explain nonetheless why it stands out in my mind.”

Or this video, which ultimately sold me: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1RHuyLKlccw

Is the Crux the Clash equivalent of the bike world? I.E. “the only band that matters?” No. But if I had to sell all my other bikes (hey kids…having a mid-life crisis and like bikes? Don’t join the Paceline Forum!) and keep one?

The Crux.

[merlinmurph]

That's super, nice write-up.
Nothing like a bike that does everything you want.
Thx for posting

[nmrt]

I am glad that people who like the Crux like it so well.
The bike's "quiver killer" attributes do not do much for me simply because I cannot fathom the Crux with a 67 trail (for a size 54) having the acclaimed "snappy" handling attributed to it by many Youtube influencers. Also, the wheelbase of 1023 mm, while great for a gravel bike, is a little long in the tooth for the Crux to moonlight as a road bike.

Now, the Enve Fray, that looks like a quiver killer.

[Likes2ridefar]

I do think they are wonderful bikes but just remember most any ‘gravel’ bike of similar build will do the same thing

My surly midnight special = Santa Cruz stigmata = 3t exploro race max.

They all take fat tires and 650b or 700 and ride pretty much the same.

[fa63]

I am not sure. I had an Argon18 Dark Matter prior to this; also really liked that bike. But it didn't ride as well on pavement, and I couldn't fit 47c tires on it with enough clearance. That said, the 3D headset system on that frame is genius.

I also did two gravel rides on a friend's 3T Exploro and didn't care for the way it rode. Plus the cable management and quality on those frames is less than ideal Maybe the newer ones are better.

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

I do think they are wonderful bikes but just remember most any ‘gravel’ bike of similar build will do the same thing

My surly midnight special = Santa Cruz stigmata = 3t exploro race max.

They all take fat tires and 650b or 700 and ride pretty much the same.