Insane—take my money!
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Aside from the down tube cutout, would buy.
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Isn’t there a machine that will print one out for you? You’d be in business.
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Glad we’re moving in the right direction. Was a little bit 3T Racemax² Italia inspired with that cutout, imagining some big tyres up front.
Well, the weight weenies forum is in meltdown after some product leaks following a recent Specialized webinar.
Looks like we are seeing very much tarmac tubing spec’ed with a 50mm to 2.2 tyre clearance, a subtle cut-out for clearance in the rear tube, an extended wheelbase, and no front derailleur mount (top tube bolts have been added). This fits in nicely with the growing ‘performance gravel’ category, without going too overboard with the aero shaping we have seen from Ridley. Potentially more 10R frames and colours to come, which might make this a great frame to build with.
Quite the departure from the previous Crux, it seems CX bikes are becoming an endangered species. I’m mostly glad to see some entry-mid Rival and Force builds on offer alongside the fully spec’d Red builds; I was a little worried this might be more halo bike (Aspero 5-esque) than a full refresh of the line (note the lower-spec builds drop the integrated bars and deep aero wheelset).
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Soooo a Tarmac with wide tire clearance
or a Crux with internal cables.
A bit ho-hum, IMO. It all seems just….obvious. Was hoping for more, I guess.
But they will sell a schit-ton of them.
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Yup, the marginal gains we have come to expect from Spesh, but I’ll also get in line to grab one 
Correct me if I’m wrong but 55mm/2.2” clearance + aero design + and clocking in at 7kg (claimed) might be pretty novel? Is there a competitor out there that can match those 3 features?
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Interesting point Hunter, I think the recent cascade of aero bikes with big clearance has desensitised us a bit to this news - the new Felt Breed at 7kg, the Ridley aero RS2 concept running 2.2 Dubnitals, as well as spyshots of Canyon’s Grail CFR and Factor Ostro Gravel with a One Fork. As a generational change for the model itself, I think it is a nice/big pivot from Specialized, but it could also reflect having our expectations met after a year or two of speculation.
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True! The Felt Breed is the closest competitor for sure until we get official weight and clearance numbers on the Grail CFR. Frankly, I love all of these bikes.
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Looks pretty good imo…. I wonder if the head tube design is indicative of the SL9. Looks like a subtler speed sniffer.
Great question, it does appear to be a much more refined and integrated speed sniffer design - however, it is lacking the depth a lot of people are seeking from an SL9 head tube (Venge-esque aero, in line with concepts like the new Ridley Noah). While the top of the head tube is very tarmac-inspired, the head tube base/top of the fork is much more Diverge in styling, imo.
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Good:
10R level frame with top shelf build. Thats different
seatstay/seattube interface = sexy
Headtube: Way less obnoxious than SL8
Geo looks non-radical
Nah:
1x only (because this would otherwise be a legit 1-drop bar bike stable)
Paint schemes are blaaaaahhhhhh
Wonder:
compatible with wireless only?
Except on a Tarmac you can have 2 chainrings…
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