Every ounce counts. Those words may sound hyperbolic when you’re casually wheeling a bike around town, but when you’re grinding up steep, uneven terrain halfway through a 100-mile gravel race or ride, you may think differently.
The new S-Works Crux SRAM RED XPLR’s frame weighs just 725 grams — about 1.6 pounds — 102 grams/3.6 ounces lighter than its predecessor.
As does one of the world’s biggest bike brands, Specialized, which keeps shaving weight off its top-of-the-line S-Works bikes. The latest example is the new S-Works Crux SRAM RED XPLR, with a frame that weighs just 725 grams — about 1.6 pounds.
SpecializedSpecialized S-Works Crux SRAM RED XPLR
A new standard of lightness
That feathery figure — 102 grams/3.6 ounces lighter than its predecessor — is roughly equivalent to a full bike bottle in your cage. Trust us, we checked: One of our bottles tipped the scales at 1.8 pounds. The whole bike comes in at an equally impressive 7.28 kilograms — 16 pounds, 0.8 ounces — for a size 56.
Specialized achieved this feat by incorporating learnings from the creation of its ultra-light Aethos road bikes, but that doesn’t mean this ride isn’t ready for rough and rocky roads. The new Crux boasts clearance for 47c/650b x 2.1″ tires, which in this writer’s experience are plenty beefy enough for borderline single-track situations.
