Rival/Eagle X01 Axs mash up with a copper 10-52 out back and Wolf Tooth 44t chairing up front.
32 Likes
Nice! Like my Tarmac w/o dropped stays.
1 Like
Wow! Love the styling on the crux and that always kept it near the top of my list.
2 Likes
Beautiful!
This looks like a great do-it-all bike.
1 Like
Nice bike! How much clearance do you have between the 44 tooth chainring and the chainstay? Are you using the regular Rival crank or the Wide version?
1 Like
I like your style! Makes me want to go into further debt and pick up a Crux and go mullet style too.
3 Likes
Nice bike. I’ve been running the mullet setup on and off for certain gravel races for a few years now. Really no downside except a little weight and the bigger gear jumps for the bail-out section of the cassette. With Eagle coming as standard spec on many gravel bikes now, it’s hard to call it a mullet setup any more. I’d run it all the time, expect I share the AXS eagle RD with my XC MTB bike. With Apex Eagle AXS now available, I should just bite the bullet and get another eagle RD.
2 Likes
Mmmmmm…fresh bike pjorn.
Nice job accenting the copper color across the board. Subtle, but well done.
3 Likes
Is this a size 61 and are you looking to sell?? Haha bike looks great!!
2 Likes
Crux Expert and Comp on sale right now. I really like mine for both gravel and CX.
3 Likes
I can fit a pinky finger.
what do you think compared to a 2x setup? I’m having trouble making the gearing math work for steep long climbs we have in the nearby mountains. For example at 5mph here are the cadences:
- 68rpm with my Tarmac’s 2x at 33 x 36
- 68rpm with 1x at 40 x 44 (on the used Checkpoint just bought)
some 1x options for the Checkpoint:
- 72rpm if I replace front chainring ($60) with 38 and run 38 x 44, but compromise speed on the flats
- 74rpm if I spend a lot more money for Eagle derailleur/cassette/chain and do 44 x 52
- 67rpm if I optimize for flats and go 46 x 52
I always wonder about the chainline. Honestly I’m tempted to put my 46/33 Red crank on the Checkpoint, and put my 48/35 crank on the Tarmac and call it a day. But thats because the Checkpoint is my winter training bike, and for once or twice a month gravel rides.
That’s a nice looking bike!
I have been running a Mullet Rival Wide/XX1 on my Open Wi.De now for a couple of years (I would have gotten Force but couldn’t find one back during Covid). I love it. I swap back and forth between a 38 and 42 chain ring depending on terrain. Only minor downside I have encountered is the bigger gear gaps which can sometimes require a small cadence adjustment when riding in a group. The dealer originally installed a 44 chain ring (all they had in stock at the time) which worked with enough clearance but Open specs the maximum for this frame at 42 so I no longer use the 44.
2 Likes
I didn’t have any problems with the stock 40/10-44 except running out of gear on the top end. I just wanted the 52 as a bailout for some known tough climbs at my favorite local races.
2 Likes
yeah, my concern is running out of gear on the top end while riding to gravel.
Your RD and cassette are 1x specific, pretty sure it won’t work with 2x. I’ve never personally tried it, but I did try running 2x with an Eagle RD once just for grins (yeah, not even close).
If staying 1x, eagle RD (mullet) is obviously going to get the best range, but the explr 10/44 is pretty good and switching to the 38 front ring is workable if you don’t race. I do a ton of road training (and some fast group rides) with my XC MTB running a 38 front ring and used that bike as my gravel race bike for a few years with good results. You’ll be spinning out at times, but it’s workable.
1 Like
I have 2x crank, a 10-36 cassette, and the Rival RD is 2x compatible with 10-36 if I’m reading this correctly:
1 Like
I don’t know the model numbers, but if that’s a rival xplr rd (ie not road), my understanding is it won’t officially work with 2x. The rd’s can only deal with so much chain take up. You either get the wide range in the front (2x) or the rear (eagle and xplr), but you can’t have both at the same time. At least that’s my understanding, sometime sram/shimano are conservative in what they say will or won’t work. That xplr rd might be fine if you are running a road cassette w 2x, but I’m not sure that provides the gear range you want.
1 Like
I have a e*thirteen cassette with a 9-45. No mullet needed. Just using a Force XPLR rear derailleur and getting nearly an identical range using a 42t chainring and it’s about 250g+ lighter. Just so people know this setup isn’t really necessary unless it’s cheaper or cooler for you. I like using the smallest cogs possible within a range so the jumps between cogs are less. The Mullet setup was necessary before XPLR came out but now it’s less desirable.
Edit: By “nearly identical” I mean to say identical, but my “hard” gear is 0.2 harder and my “easy” gear is 0.1 harder using a 42:9-45 vs 44:10-52. My gear range and Ian Boswell’s gear range on his 2021 Unbound winning mullet bike is 100% identical. The rider is not. 
Also, you got a sweet looking bike. Love the brown and black too. chef’s kiss
4 Likes
Thanks everyone, I’ll probably pick up 38T and 46T Rival chainrings.
you got that right, @TexanDad planning to steal that brown tape for my Tarmac. Too bad I don’t have that copper cassette and chain! So so awesome looking!