It also probably matters what your motivation is. A pro is more likely to suck it up if it gives them an advantage on the course. OTGG is a pretty hilly course and Sofia looks pretty light, so bike pounds will matter more for her than, say, Cam.
I’m looking to purchase a new gravel bike over the winter, and like many folks, I want to fit 2.2 f/r at this point. I love the crux - in fact I still have my 2015 aluminum crux in service. It’s an awesome bike even today, with the exception of the poor clearance in the back of course.
Anyone know if the new model will size up to 2.2 clearance or that will be reserved for Specialized more adventure type bike?
My guess is it will be 50mm. Reason being is I heard Diverge will be either officially be 2.1 or 2.2 so I don’t think the Crux will be the same given its more race focused and they will position the Diverge as the less aggressive but bigger clearance adventure or rowdy gravel race bike ie Unbound.
Also the fact Specialized just dropped new gravel tires that max out at 50mm has me thinking the Crux will be able to take 50mm max.
I love my crux too and will almost certainly be buying the next model but I don’t think ppl are gonna be happy when it’s not an aero Tarmac that can take 2.2s. If you look at Specialized latest wheels (Roval rapide iii and sprint) they are still rocking 21mm internal. A lot of ppl would say this is outdated. Maybe it is or maybe Specialized isn’t buying the wider is always faster narrative. It remains to be seen if Specialized is behind the times on things like this or if they are stubborn but correct. They never adopted hookless on road for example …
Anyway I’m excited to see what they cook up! But I would be surprised if it can take a 2.2. Honestly give me like 2.1 and I’d be stoked but even at 50mm I’m likely buying the new frame. It’s too good of a platform and I trust Specialized to deliver again.
Hey yo, the 2026 colors are updated on their website. I just notice people posting their 2026 wish list, but the updates are posted.
Lighter with some of the Aethos tech, wider (47 on 700c and 2.1 on 650c) and UDH.
I’d agree with your educated guess/take on the new Crux. I do wonder if though, they could still differentiate the diverge from the crux in many ways, while boosting the clearance for both to 2.2. The diverge can have storage, all the mounting options for bags and stuff, more relaxed geo, higher stack etc. The crux can be your no nonsense race bike to tackle any course you throw at it - race geo, and no storage or mounts to save weight and keep things clean esthetically.
Light weight isn’t something I get too amped up about, but sub 7kg on a stock build gravel bike is pretty impressive.
Has anyone ridden the Crux DSW frame? What did you think of it? It seems like a great deal for slightly more budget-friendly build and robustness. It has all the specs of the carbon Crux models (UDH etc).
Fully integrated, clearance for 2.2s, and spec’d with the new Roval deep-ish gravel wheels is my guess. Basically a gravel tarmac
The Crux DSW is great. I built my first non-carbon bike for many years from the frameset and was surprised how nice it is. Quite easy to get it relatively light too: with Roval Terra, SRAM Force XPLR AXS etc. standard parts the weight is around 8,2 kg without pedals.
The Diverge 4 officially released today. Room for 50mm and 2.2.
I would consider this bike if it didn’t have that future shock.
I have never used future shock. What’s wrong with it?
There’s too many changing factors for me to narrow down unequivocally, but going from a carbon diverge with earlier future shock to a titanium mosaic, the mosaic is far more compliant on rough gravel.
Granted, it was going from 42>47 pathfinders, aluminum to carbon wheels, much better components, way narrower bars, etc. Once I added a redshift stem to the mosaic it broadened the gap even more.
While many variables in the above, I’d never consider another future shock bike. It was also 100x worse on washboards.
This might belong in the unpopular opinions thread but the Future Shock seems like a gimmick that’s a solution in search of a problem.
Admittedly I haven’t ridden it and also feel suspension forks on gravel bikes mean you should ride a mountain bike.
Heavy, external cables, FutureShock. Pretty boring release. At least they got rid of that weird seatpost suspension thing from the last model.
Anyways…back to the crux.
I have the normal gen and am considering putting Zipp XPLR wheels on. I am kinda scared cause of tire clearance. I know you “can” run 45’s on them, but that it gets iffy results. Any suggestions on how to test if a 50 with the XPLR wheels will fit in a size 56? I have tried a 2.1 on a wheel with a 25mm rim. That was too wide. Not sure how wide the tire blew up to. So, any tips on how to figure it out? P.S. You can apparently put a 2.2 on the front of a cruxx with a normal gravel tire. At least I was able to.
How dose the 45 work? I have herd some say that the side wall rolls to much in corners due to it being so narrow. Do you run only Zipp-approved tires? I really want to run the Pathfinder in a 47 (old version) or the new in a 45 °C. But I’m worried about it not being approved. Does it blow out to like a 47 or 48? How do they work on the road? Do you feel limited on the tire’s you can run? How much bigger in the back could you go?
Thanks man!
Gorgeous. I’m a sucker for powder blue
I just switched to a titanium gravel bike from a 2018 carbon Diverge with Future Shock this spring and while I love the new bike I do miss the Future Shock at times. I felt like it was nice to have on washboards and bumpy gravel. The only time it felt less efficient was during uphill climb/sprints out of the saddle but I switched to a heavier spring in these cases. 10,000+ miles on the original shock and no issues. Lots of hate locally on Future Shocks here but never understood. There are Future Shocks “delete kits” available third-party for those who don’t want the FS at all. Saw one at a race this summer on a bike and dudes Diverge was decked and race ready running Thunder Burts, said he went with that over a Crux (which he really wanted) because he got a killer deal on it. My current bike has clearance for big tires but I’m also wanting to add a Redshift stem to the quiver to rotate to for long, bumpy races. Either way the new Diverges look sick, hoping that the big S makes some cool updates to the Crux in the future as well for the performance crowd.