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| photo from Specialized website |
-I purchased all of this equipment myself (I'm under no obligation to say anything positive, or negative, about this equipment, this is simply my opinion/reaction to it)
-I'm comparing this frame against the 2008 Specialized Tricross Pro I've ridden the past two seasons
-I'm 5'9" and 140 lbs (read: I'm not going to be able to flex things the way you big guys can)
Below is a the component list of each bike, I feel this is important to provide so people know what I'm comparing against. Wheels are frequently changed so I have ommitted those, along with cassette and chain; Crank Brothers Eggbeater SL pedals were run on both bikes.
A little bit of background: the Crux was a new model introduced in the 2011 model year with a standard (threaded) bottom bracket. Changes over the Tricross included a tapered headtube, geometry tweaks, front derailleur mount, bolt-on brake cable stop attached to the fork, and fully internal housing. Specialized omitted the vibration-damping Zertz inserts in both fork and seatstays and went with full alloy stays, rather than the carbon seatstays on the Tricross.
The biggest difference I noticed when first hopping on this bike was the stiffness. I don't believe this was simply changing from standard to BB30 cranks. After inspecting the geometry chart, one will notice the chainstays on the Crux are a whopping 15mm shorter (yes, that is big) than the Tricross (425mm vs 440mm). This, combined with the reshaped chainstays creates a much stiffer frame that scampers up hills without any trouble. On the Tricross I'd find myself fighting lateral motion in the bottom bracket area whenever I stamped down on the pedals, not the case with the Crux. While there is still a *little* flex there it is nothing like what I experienced on the Tricross. While the rounder chainstays of the Crux may collect a little more mud that the Tricross I've found a way around that (Pam, trust me, it works). Additionally, I find the use of alloy, rather than carbon, for the seatstays to be a significant improvement. I broke enough derailleurs over the past two seasons that I was fearful one might eventually just go through the seatstay. Not any more.
Another huge improvement was the incorporation of a tapered headtube. Some just might see this as an industry trend but believe me, this isn't a debate of whether 3k, 1k or unidirectional carbon weave looks better, this actually works. On the Tricross I was terrified to take my hands off the bars if I wasn't on anything other than a perfectly flat road. Enter the Crux and I'm reaching in my pockets and jamming my glasses into my helmet while descending a gravel road at 30 mph. No stability problems there. On my first couple descents I was blown away by how easily I was able to navigate the bike around rocks and away from the edges of the trail. I'd gotten used to constantly fighting the Tricross so I was pleasantly surprised when the bike went exactly where I pointed it.
Another very nice side effect of the tapered headtube is the total elimination of brake chatter. True, part of this is the fact that Specialized includes a custom hanger which attaches to the brake mount on the fork, rather than at the headtube. That said, I tried every solution I would think of to eliminate chatter from the Tricross and no matter what pads/wheels I used, how much I toed them or where I mounted the cable stop I still felt like I was being hit with a jackhammer (ok, slight exaggeration) when I tried to stop. Yes, I do have to give some credit to the Avid Shorty Ultimates I have on there right now but the tapered headtube is the secret to this.
Now I get to complain about something. While the new fork/headtube combination is awesome it does lack something. Mainly, interchangeability. The fork included with the frameset comes with an alloy steer tube. Not a huge deal but it easily adds 100 grams to the front end of the bike, something most people would like to avoid. Unfortunately, after a call to Specialized it turns out they are only manufacturing full carbon forks for their sponsored/professional riders. Fair, but I still don't want that extra weight just hanging around. Even more unfortunately, Specialized went ahead and decided to make it a proprietary system by seating the bearing over a 1/4" inside the headtube (see picture below). Sure, it's nice the lower bearing is hidden from the mud/grit up there but it's a giant pain you can't swap out the fork for something lighter. -1 for Specialized.
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| note how bearing sits well inside frame (photo from Weight Weenies forum) |
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| crown race raised by aluminum spacer (photo from Weight Weenies forum) |
In the end, the Crux is definitely a step up from the Tricross. I don't have exact number to compare weight but I *think* the framesets are roughly equivalent. That said, the addition of the tapered headtube, BB30 and geometry tweaks leave the Tricross in the dust (or mud, as the case may be). I'm still coming up with a suitable alternative to get around the full cable issue but that will come.
In short: the Crux is a stiffer, stronger, more stable, better constructed bike than the Tricross Pro. The big guys may be able to flex it in out-of-the-saddle efforts but it's a solid frame that can take multiple seasons of abuse. With a little creativity and engineering work one would easily be able to modify a fork and replace the boat anchor that currently resides. Furthermore, if you're super-picky about your shifting you may want to find something else. While the full routing will keep your cables clean all season long you'll definitely have some strong fingers at the end of the season.
Pros: tapered headtube, incredibly stiff front end, no brake chatter, climbs well but won't rattle the crap out of you on a rocky descent, BB30, no Zertz inserts
Cons: fork not interchangeable, full cable routing with no option to run compressionless housing or liners, kind of ugly paint job/lots of logos
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