2022 Specialized Crux info?

Equipment
101

Thanks, as I’ve got wheels, that would see me potentially $5k + tax for a GRX Crux 10r (with my DT350/alloy rim 650B wheels). (the 10r frame colors are terrible though. There’s the multicolored one which is okay, then two boring almost identical colors. I know they want to upsell you into s-works, but seriously, for a $3200 frame, couldnt they do some nicer paint jobs?).

As I said earlier, I’m really viewing the direction the Crux has gone as a good thing for bikes. I also view the Canyon Grizl as a good thing for bikes. Unless you race road races, then a Crux + another more offroad bike would be a great combo. Some gravel bikes seem to fall between Crux and Grizl. So too heavy/slow steering for pure road riding (if the others you’re riding with are on road bikes), but then not setup for rougher gravel either, so still not quite there.

Question for someone who has insight into Specialized deliveries. Back ten years ago, most brands seemed to order 12+ months out, and then say August 2021 they’d receive the entire 2022 allotment of bikes. Once they sold out, there were no more bikes until August 2022. If they under estimated demand, then they’d have no stock left come summer 2022. This happened in the UK a lot, where in April a friend went to buy an XL mountain bike, and specialized said completely sold out of XL’s, and no more until next years models. Which is crazy, that at the start of the season, you have already sold out.

So, modern manufacturing scheduling etc, COVID and all that. Is specialized (for US market) getting the entire 2022 stock over the next coouple of weeks/months delivered, and that’s it? Or is the entire 2022 order locked in, but deliveries are spread out over the next 9 months? Or do they have a number coming now, and then depending on demand they can get more (with maybe a 6 month lead time?).

Essentially, if you don’t go order now, and these sell well, could they all be gone by Christmas and then it’s waiting for 2023 colors to arrive in Oct/Nov 2022?

Long rambling question, but hopeful that someone who works in a shop that sells specialized can explain how it works these days.

102

I agree about the colors. I won’t buy a bike that I think is ugly or boring. I mean, I’m going to be staring at it for hours on end; I need to like it.

Do you like the colors on any of the higher models? If I were in your situation I would consider buying the comp or expert, swapping out the drivetrain, and selling the drivetrain that came with the bike. Given the shortages we’re facing now you should be able to sell that stuff (especially if you bought the expert, you’d be able to sell the rival AXS group quickly). For the same bike, I would be willing to increase my price threshold by several hundred dollars to get the color I liked.

103

I’m 100% aligned. Sure, for a cheap bike i don’t mind, but $5-6k bike, which would be my pride and joy … I’d want pretty paint. Remember Kliens? Their paint was stunning. A beautiful paint job (which could just be a nicely chosen single color), to me, makes the bike look great for years and years. I typically own my bikes for a decade, so I want to really like it.

It’s not like I want a more expensive paint job as such, just not the 10r frame only ones … (maybe the multi colored one, but the other two are almost the same, and just boring). This higher model looks nice to me, and actually the light blue Comp looks pretty good, or this green s-works of black s-works. (I totally get it that to others they may love the other paint jobs that do nothing for me, or they may not care at all).

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I was thinking actually that a comp, ride it as it is until next summer or the following summer when I think GRX 12 speed will come out, and then strip the SRAM off and upgrade. Its an interesting option.

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104

Really? I think these are way overpriced across the board. $6K for Rival? Ouch. I’ll never understand how/why people justify Specialized prices.

Anyways, I saw these in person at Trek Cup and imo there is literally nothing impressive about them other than the weight. I do like the geo, especially the 61, seeing as most CX bikes run “small”, but overall I don’t get the hype. Specialized has perfected the dark art of fleecing people IMO.

105

Honest question here. If you like the weight and the geo, then what else were you looking to be impressed by? Just the general look?

My computer background in grad school was a Klein Quantum. So fucking pretty.

106

Just a couple quick comparison models without diving hard into the specs. These all seem in the ballpark to me, despite the Spesh being the most costly on the surface.

Trek Boon 6 Disc (mech GRX) = $4000

Giant TCX Advanced PRO 1 (mech GRX) = $3900

Cannondale Super Six EVO CX (mech Force) = $4000

I get it, bikes are REALLY expensive these days. It’s been covered in depth in another thread (reasons, conspiracies, etc.) so we don’t need to retread that here. Stuff in general costs more, so comparisons to stuff even in early 2020 is not really practical in a “I paid $X for Y” just a bit ago. The market is what the market is, and people are free to buy or not, however they see fit.

2 Likes
107

I am somewhat of a Luddite, so the threaded bb, nothing fancy in the headset etc. Basically would build up light enough for road biking, with geo that doesn’t make it terrible (good enough that my road bike would be sold), it looks nice (some of the modern aero bikes really don’t excite me).

Reservations are SRAM groupsets and price (potentially availability too). Other contenders remain the Santa Cruz Stigmata, or the heavy Ritchey Outback or heavy Jamis something. The steel bikes are just so heavy that I don’t think they’d replace my road bikes.

108

I was also checking out the new Boones and there’s cable optimization (might be seen as a pain in the ass), but the aero tweaks are what stood out the most. The Boone’s updated fork is gorgeous and the bike itself just feels much more dialed than the previous iteration.

On the other hand there doesn’t seem to be a single aero benefit to the Crux, and if it’s marketed as a gravel/cross bike that’s odd and needs to be called out—seeing as aero advantages add up in long gravel races.

1 Like
109

I was talking to Blue-Stages coach Grant Holicky about their Blue Norcross and was very impressed by the look and feel of the bike. And at $4300 for Rival AXS it sort of solidified my POV that Specialized is REALLY good at selling over-priced bikes. But I get it, what I think is over priced might be a value to someone else—it’s all preference.

110

Pretty sure the designer I have used for some projects lately was the guy behind the Norcross. Good looking bike….but Blue has a different business model than Specialized, too and that accounts for some of the price difference. Plus they need to entice riders to consider a relatively small brand instead of one of the big boys.

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111

No doubt. I like the new Crux’s geo and it looks inoffensive. Actually reminds me of a steel tubed carbon bike, which I like.

112

Anyone with a good understanding of bike geometry able to help me out how the crux would fall down as a road bike and gravel bike.

I have a diverge but am contemplating selling it for the crux.

On the road How would the crux be for 200km+ days?
For climbing?
For sprinting?

On gravel: high speed?
Slippery conditions?
Endurance gravel events?

Understandably opinions would just be based on what is available on paper!

Kind regards
Gg

113

As I understand it, the Crux has a slightly shorter wheelbase and a shorter front-center vs. the Diverge. It also has a slightly higher BB.

So that will result in a bike that will feel livelier and more responsive than the Diverge…but compared to the old Crux, more stable and predictable.

On a spectrum of bikes with MTB on one side and Road bikes on the other (and gravel in the middle), the Diverge will be closer to the MTB side and the Crux will be closer to the Road side, but both still somewhere in the middle (if that makes sense).

Of course you will also be losing your Future Shock, which will probably be the most noticeable difference.

7 Likes
114

If it is as close to the Aethos as Specilized claim, that’s a yes.

High speed: yes
Slippery conditions: depends on tire choice
Endurance: if the more aggressive geometry (compared to other gravel bikes) doesn’t bother you.

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115

You forgot they will also be losing about 3 pounds of weight.

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116

That, too!! :rofl:

117

Good luck finding a frame. I am looking for a 56cm frame in the coral blue and other colours. Nothing in stock or available to order. Canada does not offer frames, but I buy from frames in the US and called 2 stores in the US and I cant even put a deposit down on one of them.

118

I got to lay hands on a new crux today in my shop. Expert build, forest green color. 18 lbs on the money without pedals. A few thoughts:

  1. I pedaled it around the store and it felt stable. I understand that this is meaningless, but I felt it nonetheless.

  2. To call it green is basically a joke. I can see no green in it. I guess ‘Light Black with a little character mixed in’ is too long a name for a color. Still, it looks good.

  3. I like the fat round tubes. Looks very retro.

I’m trying to decide if I want to replace my Boone with this and use the Crux for both CX and gravel. Looking at it today didn’t make the decision any easier.

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4 Likes
119

Buddy of mine has one coming…the black / gold / silver S-Works frame. Shop pulled everything off his Diverge and built up the frame. Should have it next week.

121

No joke, I slid it up and down my arm five or six times. Must have looked bonkers to the other customers.

No flattening at all. I could definitely tell that it wasn’t flat, but it didn’t bother me. Seemed to be plenty of room in the main triangle (size 56) for me to get it up without banging my elbow.

1 Like