The Thuringian aluminium forge Crossworx wants to offer the perfect all-round hardtail with the Zero29. Can the bike live up to this claim? The workmanship leaves nothing to be desired: elegant look, clean weld seams, chic cable entries on the frame. The extravagant geometry is particularly striking. Crossworx combines the short reach with an extremely steep seat angle of 77 degrees.
This means that the rider sits very compactly on the Crossworx and pedals almost lightly from the front. The Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate with 145 millimetres of travel responds excellently to fine bumps and still offers sufficient reserves for rough gravel passages. The Magura MT5 brakes the 13.1-kilogram Crossworx Zero29 reliably with the 180 mm brake discs, which are the minimum size due to the design.
Uphill it gets tough on the Crossworx Zero29
However, due to the compact riding position and without the option of mounting a second bottle cage, the idea of taking the Crossworx on tours with a lot of elevation gain disappears. The bike really only wants to eat up trails. Longer connecting sections can still be completed efficiently without any influence from the rear triangle. However, at a proud 3899 euros for a hardtail with a Sram GX Eagle drivetrain, the Zero29 doesn't get a price-performance tip. On the other hand, you get quality made in Germany and playful riding fun thanks to the short chainstays for free.
Conclusion on the Crossworx Zero29
Thomas Weschta, BIKE tester: At 13.1 kilos, you're more likely to reach for a fully for tours in the mountains. Nevertheless, the Crossworx offers a lot of fun on technical trails, trains riding technique skills and is a great change from everyday full-suspension riding. However, it is not the one bike for everything.
Technical data
General
- Price: 3899 Euro
- Frame material: aluminium
- Frame size: M /L / XL / XXL (Tested size L / 45 cm)
- More info->
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 13.11 kg
- Suspension travel: 145 mm
Equipment
- Wheels: DT Swiss EX 1700
- Tyres: Onza Ibex 29 x 2.40
- Fork: Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate
- Brakes: Magura MT5 / 180 / 180 mm
- Gear system: Sram GX Eagle 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 10-52 / 520 %
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: Bike Yoke Divine / 185 mm / 30.9 mm
You can download the full test report here: Test 2022: Crossworx Zero29 from BIKE 7/2022
