We figured the production cycle was nearing its end. We heard the internet chatter. We’d seen the spy shots and race-day photos. The cat has poked its head out of the bag. Specialized appears to be getting ready to release a new Crux and a completely redesigned one at that.
Just two weeks ago, Specialized Off-Road rider Geerike Schreurs won the Gralloch UCI Gravel World Series race aboard what appears to be this new steed. And it can easily be summed up as a fat-tyred Tarmac. Gone are the classically round tubes, the round seatpost and the visible cables. In their place: sleek, wind-cutting tube profiles; a proprietary aero seatpost; a fully integrated cockpit and, likely, even more tyre clearance.
That, of course, is the direction the industry is headed, both on gravel and on the road: more integrated, more aerodynamic, wider tyres, faster and cleaner-looking bikes.
(Image credit: Joe Cotterill / Red On Sports)
But before the new Crux officially arrives and the old one gets relegated to “previous generation” product pages and closeout sales, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the outgoing Crux, a bike I have ridden and loved the absolute hell out of.
With the 2022 Crux, Specialized pulled off something rare: they built a bike universally loved by almost anyone who rode, raced or reviewed it. And I don’t mean merely liked, respected or admired, but genuinely loved.
Historically, the Crux had been Specialized’s cyclocross race bike. But by 2021, cyclocross was shrinking while gravel was booming, and Specialized wisely repositioned the Crux as the lighter, pared-down alternative to the Diverge. In doing so, they created one of the most versatile drop-bar bikes of the modern era.
The frame’s impressively low weight is paired with beautiful ride quality, while the handling strikes a rare balance of agility, playfulness and stability in a way cyclocross bikes should and very few gravel bikes do.
Most gravel bikes ask for compromise somewhere along the line. The Crux asks for very little, happy to please on tarmac, gravel, light singletrack and, of course, the cyclocross course from which it was born.
Since that 2022 overhaul, the Crux has changed very little in silhouette. Later versions gained a UDH, new paint schemes and different finishing kits, but the geometry and layup stayed intact…until now.
I bought an S-Works Crux at the end of 2021 and, since then, it has carried me through thousands upon thousands of miles on gravel, pavement, snow, ice, singletrack and any combination thereof. It became my benchmark bike, the one against which every other gravel bike is measured, while also serving as the primary platform for testing new components.
Over the years, I’ve built her up with multiple SRAM and Shimano drivetrains, more wheelsets than I can remember and enough cockpit combinations to make me deeply appreciate the external routing up front.
And it’s been ridden hard. Sometimes perhaps too hard. I’ve bikepacked on it (despite it really not being intended as a bikepacking rig), ridden mountain bike trails on it and raced on it. It survived a horrendously muddy Unbound XL in 2023 and a T-bone car crash later that year. Yes, it’s had to be carbon-repaired once, but in general, the bike’s strength and versatility belied its low weight.
It’s my favourite bike I’ve ever owned. And while some of that may be sentimental, the bike truly is just that good. The handling, the low weight and, most of all, the versatility.
Rook’s Specialized S-Works Crux post-Unbound XL
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
As I said, I raced 350 miles of Unbound XL on this bike and yet I would happily line up for a local criterium aboard this same steed. And with 32mm tyres and fenders, it makes for a fantastic road bike for long winter miles or summer adventures on sun-cracked roads. Throw on some chunky rubber—I ran 50s at Big Sugar Gravel—and a dropper post, and it rips singletrack with ease. And if you really want to blur categories even further, it’s even compatible with a suspension fork.
This is all thanks to some thoughtful, and apparently outgoing, features like external cable routing up front, a 27.2mm round seatpost, a BSA bottom bracket and already generous tyre clearance. Those details make the bike easy to service, easy to travel with and easy to customise. They also add a certain timelessness, because you won’t need to hunt for proprietary parts on eBay five years from now.
Writing all this feels a little like composing an obituary. And that’s silly because I suspect my 2022 Crux will continue to see plenty of action. And to be clear, I’m not condemning whatever comes next. The new Crux may very well be just as fun to ride, only more aerodynamic and probably faster. But it’s also bound to come with more compromises.
So take this love letter as a hot tip: snag one of the current Crux frames while they’re still available. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
