Arley Kemmerer ( C3-Twenty20 Cycling Co.) took a big UCI win at Nittany last Sunday, and despite Specialized’s top five 2014 Crux cyclocross bikes coming with disc brakes, she piloted a new cantilever-equipped 2014 Specialized Crux Pro frameset to victory (See our review in Issue 19 of this exact frameset with a similar build).
Kemmerer is bucking the trend of more pros switching to disc brakes, as even Lars van der Haar has announced his switch to the new hydraulic disc R785 brake system from Shimano, but racing for the win in Pennsylvania, she wasn’t concerned with braking power.
Arley Kemmerer’s Specialized Crux Pro cyclocross bike. © Cyclocross Magazine
We had a chance to talk with Kemmerer about her winning ride. “The geometry is exactly what I want, it’s super easy to handle.” Much of the build features tried-and-true component choices over the latest model year options, and Kemmerer opted for some personal preferences over sponsor-supplied products.
Kemmerer’s pit bike still had a cage on it: clearly, it’s still early season. © Cyclocross Magazine
Kemmerer’s frame is offered in sizes ranging from 46cm all the way up to 61cm, and her frame is a small 49cm. Constructed with Specialized FACT 10r carbon, her bike is based on the 2014 Crux Pro canti frameset. It comes with a Specialized canti-specific monocoque fork, carbon steerer and crown for 1-3/8″ lower bearing. Specialized has gone nearly all-in on disc brakes for 2014, and doesn’t offer a complete rim brake cyclocross bike similar to the one Kemmerer is racing, but offers this frameset in two color schemes for $2200, or a complete bike with Shimano 105 componentry for just $250 more ($2450).
Kemmerer and the C3 team are sticking with canti brakes for this season. © Cyclocross Magazine
Kemmerer’s bike, as well as the bikes raced by the other women on the C3 team, is decked out with SRAM Red 10-speed components, with Yaw front derailleurs. She elects to use a 42 Spécialités TA chainring along with a 34 chainring for slightly lower gearing than the average cyclocross crankset. To use such chainrings, she eschews the 2012/2013 SRAM Red Exogram crankset with a hidden chainring bolt and proprietary chainrings and instead elects to use the 2011 SRAM Red compact crankset with a standard 110 BCD.
Avid Shorty Ultimate cantilever brakes provide stopping power, and Enve SES 3.4 carbon tubular rims with Chris King R45 hubs and Challenge Grifo tubular tires get her going—she took the holeshot in Saturday’s race, so from what we can see, this is a bike with a lot of get-up-and-go.
As for the color scheme, Specialized is known for its iconic red bikes, and its top-of-the-line S-Works Crux Red Disc still comes in a red, carbon and white color scheme, but Kemmerer’s Crux Pro cantilever frameset features the company’s new Satin Carbon/Charcoal/Multi Keyline color scheme (the same color scheme as the Crux Pro Race Red Disc currently under testing by Cyclocross Magazine). The seemingly Tron-inspired Specialized Crux Pro Carbon is instantly recognizable with its three different fluorescent color highlights on the nude carbon on this frameset. “I wasn’t sure what they were going for with the paint scheme, it’s so atypical. But it’s really grown on me,” Kemmerer says.
Specs:
SRAM Red shifting, with 10-speeds in the back. © Cyclocross Magazine
- Frame: Specialized Crux Pro Carbon
- Components: SRAM Red 10spd
- Chainrings: 42/34, 42 made by Spécialités TA
- Tires: Challenge Grifo
- Wheels: Enve w/ Chris King hubs (although not a sponsor)
- Brakes: Avid Shorty Ultimate
- Stem: Specialized Pro -17deg
- Bars: Ritchey Pro Logic II 40cm (although not a sponsor)
- Saddle: Specialized Romin Evo
Arley Kemmerer’s 2014 Specialized Crux Pro Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery:
