RH Clark

I have begun communication with a guy with a used 2018 Specialized Crux Elite X1. The Crux is a bike I like the thought of. One issue is that I am a 55-year-old guy who has never owned a carbon bike and I have a near unreasonable fear of carbon failure. Are there any possible problematic areas of this bike that I should inspect particularly well? I'm about to receive detailed pictures but it looks to only have very light scuffing of the paint in some areas.

Another issue which I doubt is an issue at all is that the sizing chart would put me in a 58cm for my 6'2 height and this is a 61cm. I do own and ride bikes from 58cm to 62cm already. The stack and reach difference doesn't seem like too much for me between the 58cm and 61cm. It should be simple enough to change a stem if I need slightly less reach, shouldn't it?

I weigh 190lbs but I don't ride all that aggressively and I won't be racing or jumping on this bike.

Please tell me of any known issues with this bike model. Any info or assurance of quality would be appreciated as well.

My use for the bike would be fitness riding on pavement and long distance on light gravel Forrest roads.

tFUnK

I bought all 6 of my carbon bikes used and while I've not had any issues, I'm just some guy on the Internet and whatever I say might not be enough to assuage your apprehension towards buying used carbon. It's a risky exercise; I just look for obvious cracks in the joint areas, do some tapping along the tube. If I'm buying sight unseen from BBB or TPC, I feel more assured that they've inspected it thoroughly, plus they have a warranty/return period IIRC. In the 2000s, I feel the general thinking was that one little scratch on your carbon bike might make the thing unsafe to ride; nowadays carbon manufacturing has come a long way and they get abused plenty in MTB and CX applications, and I think people now understand that scratches and scuffs are no big deal, and even with big cracks, carbon can be repaired.

The part about fit, I've gone thru enough bikes now to know a good fit from a suboptimal fit. On frames that are one size up, I could always make them work but it's never perfect and I seem to not be able to put out as much power.

RH Clark

Thanks for the feedback. I can get it for $1K probably. I've seen pictures but won't be able to fully evaluate it until I drive 2 hours one way. It looks dirty but not too abused. There are some scuffs but nothing that looks obviously damaged. He's a young guy. The bike is in a big garage with several expensive toys. The size is likely close enough that I will have to ride it to tell.
Is it out of the question to ask a bike shop to look over the frame if I see any questionable spots? Is that something a shop would do for a small charge?

t2p

Is the Crux SCS ?

https://builtbyjerry.com/blogs/news/...ail-me-i-guess

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RH Clark

I don't know. I read the article. Is it only an issue when buying a new wheelset? Is it something that was only designed into one particular year model?

tFUnK

This is a good idea and maybe you can see if the seller is willing to go through this exercise with you. I've never gone this route myself but that's because I'm lazy, not because this isn't a prudent thing to pursue.

I'm not here to talk anyone out of N+1; if it were me I would be hesitant to drive 2hrs to check out a bike that may not be the ideal fit and have a questionable history, but that's because I live in an area where the local CL market has plenty to offer.

I once sold a used carbon bike to a fellow who drove at least an hour to get to me, and he wanted to examine every part of the frame to the point of being annoying, but I let him take as long as he wanted in the hallway of my apartment building. I didn't clean the bike beforehand and he brought his own towels to wipe the frame down and inspect every little scratch. All I could do be is honest and truthful in answering his questions and in the end he did try to talk down the price a bit (though I was firm) and he ended up buying the bike from me that day.

tFUnK

I think this looks pretty standard, given it's a 2018 model.

RH Clark

I'm not that kind of critical but it is difficult to evaluate anything unless in person. I drove an hour a couple weeks ago to look at a Checkpoint. The seller swore it was like new. When I arrived, it had terrible deep horizontal scratches in the fork that the seller apologized for and claimed his kids must have done getting it out of storage. I didn't buy the bike. All it would have taken was for him to look at it before telling me it was perfect.

t2p

agree - if it’s a 2018 model :


‘ In case you're wondering, the latest Crux now uses a 142mm-wide rear axle rather than the SCS 135mm of a few years ago.

‘https://road.cc/content/review/25115...zed-crux-elite

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t2p

looks like a sweet bike

t2p

check the area around the seatpost - this can be a problem area for frames of any type of material

check the area around the bottom bracket - carbon frames are tough but thrown chain can result in significant damage

Phatman

I've got a 2021 Crux which is the same frame as a 2018. I'm also 6'2". I would not get a 61, the 58cm I have is almost too big as is.

Its a great bike though, I'd say the only shortcomings on it are that it can only fit a 40mm tire in the back and the seatpost clamp is pretty fiddly. I've got mine to where it doesn't slip, but it took some messing with it to get it right. Now I don't touch it haha.