sir_crash_alot

Hello all,

I'm building a gravel bike right now, and picked up a 2019 Specialized Crux Expert off eBay on the cheap (relatively speaking). As I started to research this frame, I noticed that both the Expert and S-Works level of the the 2019 Crux were ostensibly described as using the same frame lay-up with 11r carbon. Technical specifications say the Expert is "Fact 11r Carbon" while the S-Works is "Fact S-Works 11r Carbon". Both frames are reported to have more or less the same weight at 900g or so (56cm).

So I was wondering if anyone knows about that generation of Crux: was the only difference between the Expert and S-Works the groupset, wheels, and other components they shipped with?

Thank you all!

sir_crash_alot

Never mind, found my answer. The layup is the same and they pulled the carbon from the same stock, but the S-Works frames are the result of a process of selecting the lightest carbon fiber from that same lot and setting it aside for just S-Works frames. So it's sort of like buying the apples from the bin of regular apples or from the bin of apples selected for their better shape, texture, and color: they come from the same farm but these are the best of what we produced.

Source: Spoke to Specialized reps over the phone this morning.

Phatman

Lol, they don’t pick and choose. It’s the same frame, just with S-Works on the downtube. That’s the reason I got the one with the cheapest group on it in 2020, it was pretty much the same price as the frameset!

Either way, I think you’ll like the bike, I really enjoy mine. It’s stiff and quick handling but somehow doesn’t beat me up too badly. I wish it had a smidge more tire clearance, but 40-41 is plenty for my riding.

A pro tip from a fellow owner, if you’re going to be pushing the tire size limits, I’d do something to protect the inside of the chainstays. I cut up an aluminum can and packing taped them to the inside of the stay where the tire would rub after I noticed that the little mold release nubs scuffed up the clearcoat.

RH Clark

It would seem to me that if two frames are made with the same materials in the same way, and one is lighter, one of them would have to be out of spec. in some way.