Cyclist
Specialized says its new Crux DSW is the lightest alloy gravel bike on the market
Specialized has launched a new alloy version of its Crux fast gravel bike with a claimed 1,399g frame that Specialized says makes it the lightest alloy gravel bike you can buy.
It’s available as a complete build in Comp spec only, priced at £2,300, with a claimed weight of 9.37kg and the same geometry of the carbon Crux. There’s a frameset-only option costing £1,500.
A lower-priced Crux option
The Specialized Crux morphed from a fancy cyclocross rig to a very fancy gravel race bike a few years ago; the carbon S-Works Crux cost over £10,000 when we reviewed it in 2021 and was claimed at the time to be the lightest gravel bike in the world. Specialized no longer sells the complete S-Works Crux in the UK, but you can still buy it frameset-only for £4,500. Even the lowest priced carbon Crux, the Comp spec, still retails for £3,500.
So the new alloy Crux DSW slots in nicely below the carbon Crux, with the Comp spec priced at £2,300 and a frameset at £1,500. Specialized claims the Comp DSW is the lightest alloy gravel bike frame you can buy, with a 1,399g frame paired with a Fact 12r carbon fork.
The frameset as sold, with fork, headset bearings, three sets of bottle cage bolts, derailleur hanger and seatpost clamp has a claimed 1.98kg weight in a size 56. A complete Crux DSW Comp bike has a claimed 9.37kg weight.
Geometry-wise, the Crux DSW takes its cues from the carbon bike, with 47mm tyre clearance on 700c wheels or 2.1” on 650b. Specialized says that the reach is a little longer and the stack lower than non-race gravel bikes, for better weight distribution.
One-piece down tube and BB shell
Specialized says that the key to the Crux DSW’s low weight is its D’Aluisio SmartWeld tech – hence the DSW in the bike’s name – seen previously on the Allez Sprint road bike and named after Specialized concept engineer Chris D’Aluisio, who was also behind the Diverge STR gravel bike’s rear suspension system.
SmartWeld allows Specialized to fashion the down tube and bottom bracket shell in one piece, rather than welding the two together. This is claimed to lower weight and increase frame rigidity. Elsewhere Specialized claims that the precise tube-to-tube welds are also stronger and lighter, which helps to avoid overbuilding the tubing to cope with the heat generated in welding, so ride quality is improved.
Crux DSW Comp spec and international pricing
As well as the frameset-only option priced at £1,500 / $1,700 / €1,650, at launch Specialized is selling the Crux DSW in Comp spec only.
This has a SRAM Apex XPLR mechanical 1x groupset with 40t and 11-44t gearing, DT Swiss G540 alloy wheels and Specialized Pathfinder Pro 38mm tyres with inner tubes, although the wheels and tyres are tubeless-ready. It’s available in six sizes from 49cm to 61cm, priced at £2,300 / $2,600 / €2,700.
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