MY REVIEW of the SPECIALIZED CRUX - DO IT ALL BIKE

After 3.000 kilometers I can comfortably say this is the most fun ride of a bike I have ever experienced - gravel or road.
My setup:
2022 Specialized Crux - Satin Smoke/Black/Cool Grey
Sram Rival Etap AXS (WIDE)
- Front ring 43/30
- Cassette 10/36
Wheels
Road setup: tidd.ly/3Tr9Tso
Gravel setup: tidd.ly/3V8lNcb
Bikes I would consider a great "Do it all Bike"
- Factor Ostro Gravel
- BMC Kaius
- Rose Backroad FF (Great value)
- Canyon Grail (Great value)
- Cervelo R5 CX
AFFILATE LINK FOR CYCLOWAX
Use the link: www.cyclowax.com/?sca_ref=439...
LINK TO MAAP:
linktw.in/MtrQum
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[@allantimm2003]

I love my Crux ...iconic bike and such a fun bike to ride !!

[@tobiasTbager]

Agreed!

[@thiagoalmeidapetramale190]

Great video man! The Sram Wide front derailleur can clear a 48/35 chainring, I have it on my bike for over a year and it works great! Keep up the great content man! Cheers

[@tobiasTbager]

That would be sick! But my brother has actually explored that option and it seems like SRAM says the max for a Wide front derailleur is 43 tooth, and therefore I can't seem to find a mechinic willing to set it up :/

[@thiagoalmeidapetramale190]

@@tobiasTbager the channel Outdoorbros has a video about his Crux with a similar set up. The installation is not complicated to do it yourself if the mechanics are not willing haha! Hopefully you can figure smt out!

[@justinasg5637]

Hi, great video! I have right now Grizl AL (using as one bike to all) and thinking of upgrading to Crux. How is the ride quality? I'm worried that it can be too harsh as it is so light? From the geometry, Grizl and Crux looks like have almost the same frame.

[@tobiasTbager]

Thanks, I appreciate it! I wouldn’t say it’s a more harsh ride. Instead I would describe it as more lively. But in your case I think that you would experience a big upgrade in ride feel as you would upgrade to a carbon frame. I had a Giant Revolt in aluminum before the Grizl CF, and that was a way bigger upgrade than I had thought. Having a stiff frame when going off road gives you so much more confidence as you know exactly how the bike is going to handle.

[@SoManyMiles]

Really appreciate your detailed review. Very nice and reasonable build. Looks awesome with the LEEZE wheels. I am thinking about buying one too but I feel caught between sizes (54 and 56 - 1.83m and very long inseam (92cm)). Do you mind sharing your frame size and dimensions? Happy riding 🫶🏼

[@tobiasTbager]

Thanks man! Really appreciate it I'm also 183 cm. don't know my inseam but I went for a size 56 and for me it's the right size

[@SoManyMiles]

@@tobiasTbager thanks a lot for your reply. I tend to go for 56 too (with a shorter stem). It felt amazing and almost too easy to hit pace. Lovin‘ it! What you‘ve said about the beauty of this bike, I fully agree with that. Round tubes with aeroesk wheels are simply perfect.

[@tobiasTbager]

@@SoManyMiles Agree! Another reason to why you should go for the bigger size if you intend to use it as a gravel bike is that it will be a bit more stable. I think this is particular important as the crux is a lively cyclocross bike :D

[@SvenfromKiel]

Hej, thanks for the review...thats what I am looking for. I am actually between the Grizl CF with Apex XPLR and the Crux Comp. Both almost same price. It is really hard to decide...I have still an old CAAD10 which does the job well on the road + an old OCCP CX Team modified to be a more GRVL ;)..Should I go for the carbon grizl or crux comp?...I am really struggling and appreciate your tip. Cheers!

[@tobiasTbager]

I’m glad to hear! Sounds like a tough decision. If you need a do it all bike go for the crux, but I would recommend getting a 2by setup. But if you just want a nice gravel bike that can also do some road then just go for the grizl :)

[@SvenfromKiel]

@@tobiasTbager Wow..thanks for fast and informative feedback...today I reserched, there is a Canyon Dealer "Rad Race" in Hamburg/D nearby me, which offers testrides with all bikes from Canyon and I think I will try this out and decide then. The Crux is very hard to find here in the North ;)

[@tobiasTbager]

@SvenfromKiel Sounds like a good idea 👍

[@KevinMatassa]

Same thing for me but I found and love my Factor LS with 2 wheelsets and Ultregra di2 12speed.

[@tobiasTbager]

Also a great setup! No problems with chain slaps over rough terrain?

[@KevinMatassa]

@@tobiasTbager Not so much actually. I was thinking the same and that I'd switch out the rear derailleur for the clutched grx version that would eventually come out later. But, I haven't had enough of a problem that I need to take action. Perhaps it's just the assortment of gravel I have locally isn't rocky enough.

[@tobiasTbager]

@KevinMatassa If it ain’t broke don’t fix it 🤷‍♂️

[@pipb]

How’s it perform on road vs the aeroad? Did you consider different rear cassettes for road v gravel? Ie 10-36 for gravel and 10-33? 10-33 gives you a 14 cog which seems golden for road!

[@tobiasTbager]

@pibp I think it's very hard to compare the Aeroad to the Crux on the road as they are two very different bikes. The Aeroad being an all out aero bike is a lot more responsive but also stiff/harsh road feel, as the Crux being a gravel bike is a lot more stable and a lot more forgiving. But so far I'm very satisfied. I just did a training ride yesterday with a world tour pro (new video will be out sunday), and it did the job. But it did of course feel a bit more sluggish in accelerations. As for the cassette I will be riding the same cassette on the road as on gravel. The main reason being I want it to be as easy as possible to switch wheelsets from gravel to road without any adjustments.

[@pipb]

@@tobiasTbager sweet. Yeah I’m planning a similar build at moment to replace my road and gravel. Thinking of two different Cassettes. Such a small difference between the 10-36 and 10-33 in terms of range so I’d imagine you wouldn’t need any adjustment switching between the two

[@tobiasTbager]

@pipb cool! You might be right 😁 What size chainring are you getting on the front?

[@denniszimmermann]

Hey Tobias, thanks for sharing your build. I‘m looking right now for a crux. I’m 180cm and could decide between 54 and 56. What size is yours and you…?

[@tobiasTbager]

Cool! I’m 183 and riding a size 56 cm. Fits me perfectly

[@denniszimmermann]

@@tobiasTbagerthank you for the fast reply. would you say I should go also for 56 or 54?

[@tobiasTbager]

@denniszimmermann oh man that’s a tough question to answer. If I were you I would probably go find a shop that has the bike and try out the two sizes. If that’s not an option, then take this into consideration (as I think you can fit both sizes) A smaller frame will feel more agile and twitchy and the riding position will be more aggressive. On the flip side a bigger frame will be more stable and have a more relaxed riding position.

[@denniszimmermann]

@@tobiasTbager thank you for the info. I will look up for a shop in my near field to get a test ride. For now my intention is go for 54

[@tomvanlaer7507]

Do you know (or anyone else) know if a 650b 2.1 inch wide tire works with the "wide" front derailleur?

[@tobiasTbager]

To be honest I don’t know. But I can’t see why it should be a problem?

[@gamedevjames]

lol I am doing the exact same swap right now - Canyon is fun but man is it hard to find stock parts because they refuse to sell them

[@tobiasTbager]

Haha nice! Did you also both have the Aeroad and Grizl?

[@shawndrxyz]

How bout Aspero though?

[@tobiasTbager]

I liked the old one. Not sure the new one would be as good as a do it all bike. Seems more geared towards pure gravel. Would probably choose their cyclocross bike for a do it all - that one looks sick

[@lukeholloway7836]

I’m confused with the new crux is it a cx bike or gravel

[@tobiasTbager]

Great question! I don’t really think there is a hard line between what a gravel bike is. To me a gravel bike is a road bike with big tires. With that being said there is a lot of differences between how different gravel bikes handle the terrain. A traditional CX bike is fairly twitchy and easy to maneuver where a gravel bike on the other hand often is more stable and has a bigger tire clearance. The “new” crux is a CX bike that has gotten some of the characteristics from a gravel bike, like a bit more stable handling and wider tyre clearance. Or at least that’s how I understand it. I only bought my crux to ride road and gravel. No intention to do cyclocross :)

[@lukeholloway7836]

@@tobiasTbager definitely want one one day

[@lukeholloway7836]

Just a bike

[@davetbassbos]

was anyone else waiting for him to hit those jumps he's in the middle of?

[@tobiasTbager]

Haha Maybe next time 😁😁