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For the new Crux DSW, Specialized announces that it has used everything the brand learned during the development of the carbon Crux and applied it to the D’Aluisio Smartweld patent to make it an aluminum reality. According to Specialized, it is the most capable, agile, balanced, and responsive aluminum Gravel bike ever designed.
Source: Press Release
At only 1,399g, the Crux DSW is the lightest aluminum Gravel frame ever created by Specialized. Combined with the Fact12r carbon Crux fork, the complete Crux DSW weighs only 9.37 kg equipped with Sram Apex, for a price of €2700.
More clearance means more capability: that’s why the Crux DSW has the same tire clearance as its carbon big brother: 47 mm and up to 2.1 inches on a 650b wheel.
D’Aluisio Smartweld – or DSW – is an engineering process that uses hydroforming to precisely match the joints between tubes to achieve better, stronger welds and, ultimately, a lighter frame that can be twice as durable as a traditional aluminum frame. Smartweld helps create a Crux DSW-specific one-piece down tube and bottom bracket shell, which reduces weight and increases responsiveness. The seat tube and chainstays are then assembled to the one-piece hydroformed down tube and bottom bracket using the Smartweld welding process.
Specialized designs these tubes to connect exactly as needed, and adds material to the end of the tubes where they are welded. The benefits of this method are enormous. By focusing on material needs in highly stressed weld areas and adding the necessary materials exactly where they need to be, the brand also has the freedom to use tubes that offer the desired riding characteristics instead of having to settle for oversized tubes that sacrifice ride quality to be strong enough to survive the trauma of old-fashioned welds.
Ultimately, D’Aluisio Smartweld allows for the creation of a Crux DSW frame that is not only the lightest aluminum Gravel frame but also offers the best ride quality, handling, and responsiveness. This is what Specialized means when we talk about “Gravel Reimagined.”
Price:
Frame kit at €1650
Complete bike with Sram Apex at €2700
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