Crockett CX bike gets new tubes, begins Trek transition to T47 bottom brackets?

Written by Zach Overholt Jun 05, 2019 12:30 p.m. ET

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Well ahead of the coming ‘cross season, the Trek Crockett has gotten a serious upgrade. Starting with a new aluminum tubeset borrowed from the Emonda ALR, the Crockett is still built to be a versatile race bike, but it has some interesting new features – like a T47 bottom bracket.

We’ve heard plenty of rumors lately that Trek was planning to add T47 bottom brackets to some new bikes, and this confirms it. The Crockett seems to be the first bike to use the new-ish standard which was originally pioneered by hand built framebuilding community. The threaded standard runs a bottom bracket shell that is almost the same internal diameter as PF30 BB shells, but uses 47x1mm threads to hold the cups in place rather than a press fit.

On Trek’s T47 BB, it uses an 86mm wide shell for plenty of frame stiffness, and it will work with most common cranksets provided you have the right bottom bracket or adapter.

Moving to a new tubeset similar to the Emonda ALR, the Crockett runs 300 Series Alpha Aluminum with Trek’s Invisible Weld Technology. The resulting frame comes in at a claimed 1325g for a painted 56cm frame.

Built with clearance for up to 700c x 38mm tires, the Crockett is still destined to be a race bike with Cross Race Geometry developed in part with Katie Compton and the the Telenet Fidea CX team.

However, to make sure the bike is as versatile as possible in the off season, it regains hidden fender mounts allowing you to run full coverage fenders for training or commuting.

The frame also features front and rear 12mm thru axles, flat mount disc brakes, and an integrated chain catcher for 1x drivetrains. Cable routing is internal with Trek’s Control Freak system, and the bike is now geared only – no more Stranglehold dropouts for single speed use.

Sold as the Crocket 4 ($1499, or Crocket 5 ($2299) complete, the frameset will also be available with the same OCLV carbon fork. Complete bikes include Bontrager Affinity TLR wheels with a 21mm internal width, flat mount brakes (mechanical 4, hydraulic 5), and a SRAM 1×11 drivetrain. Available now.

trekbikes.com

Zach Overholt

5,630 articles

Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.

Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.

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48 Comments

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Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Great job, Trek! Nothing to hate on. Even the color schemes look nice.

The sooner you eliminate BB90 from your whole lineup the better.

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

Actually I found something to hate on. Looking at the geometry, the front center distance is fine for road tires, but too short for off-road tires.

Craig

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

The geometry looks spot-on to me.

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Reply to Craig

A size 56 Specialized Crux has a FC of 611 mm. The size 56 Crockett is only 604 mm.

Dinger

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

7mm is really a very small difference, about half of the adjustment range of a SPD cleat/shoe (I realize that nobody would adjust their cleats just to reduce toe-overlap) .

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Reply to Dinger

> 7mm is really a very small difference

Then why didn’t Trek just make the front center longer as they should have?

At this point I don’t care because Trek has saddled this thing with yet another of their proprietary bottom bracket standards. (Instead of using an 86.5 mm width shell as T47 specifies, they are using an 85.5 mm width shell.)

-1

Dinger

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

“Then why didn’t Trek just make the front center longer as they should have?”

Should they have? I expect they chose the dimensions they did to make the bike handle the way they wanted it to.

I think they should’ve stayed with press fit. Waiting to hear complaints when this new bb starts creaking for some. It’s as if we don’t remember hearing BSA bb’s creaking..

Oderus

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

The team’s results would suggest otherwise.

hugh jass

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

@Velo Kitty @Oderus neither of you could back this up with calcs, nor have you ridden it.

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

It’s the same geometry as the previous 2 generations of Crockett and both generations of Boone.

I’ve owned a couple of these and they’re my favorite CX racing geometry.

Benjamin Reynolds

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

Component specs continue to trend downwards and they dropped the stranglehold dropouts purely as a cost saving measure.

That being said, this is a damn nice looking frame.

Greg

4 years ago

Reply to Benjamin Reynolds

Not a cost saving measure. A nobody cares about singlespeed anymore measure. So it saves weight, removes clutter, reduces creaking. Sounds like a win to me.

Andrew

4 years ago

Reply to Greg

Hey! There are dozens of us!

Dinger

4 years ago

Reply to Benjamin Reynolds

With the component down spec the price has also gone down a lot, too.

The frameset is available for those who’d like a high-spec alloy bike. Probably pretty few.

Jordan

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

I’d argue that losing the stranglehold dropouts is something of a miss here. We’re people having issues with those? I heard nothing but praise personally.

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

Hold the presses… It’s a bastardized T47!!! Just when I thought Trek had changed, they are back to their same old arrogant s*@!.

Woody

4 years ago

Reply to Velo Kitty

Only silly folks would use T47 in 68mm wide format

JNH

4 years ago

If T47 kills off BB86, BB90, BB92 and PF30 I’m fine with that. If companies must insist on using something else than BSA they can at least use the good alternative standard.

Heffe

4 years ago

I’d like to see the Boone with a T47 as well.

Chet

4 years ago

Not having the sliding dropouts is a miss.

Craig

4 years ago

Wow I really like this bike. My price range is 1 x drivetrain with mechanical brakes and I’m wanting to upgrade from my current bike that has QR wheels to thru axle. This Trek looks awesome and the geometry looks spot on too.

Wasn’t the T47 standard developed to also accommodate a PF30 aluminium shell on an existing frame to be able to be tapped to T47? The T47 makes sense given modern frames bigger tube diameters.

Nice bike Trek!

onrhodes

4 years ago

Too bad they come with SRAM…..(let the hate begin)

Dinger

4 years ago

Reply to onrhodes

Up until Shimano came out with their GRX groups (too late for this year), they didn’t have anything for 1x CX bikes. It’ll be interesting to see if they get any up-take in CX with that stuff.

Scott

4 years ago

I love how they just stealthily put these on the dealer site….and I’m learning about it on Bike Rumor…. Trek give your dealers a heads up when you have new models.

Shafty

4 years ago

Reply to Scott

They gave a heads up 2 weeks ago. Sounds like you should login more often.

4 years ago

Reply to Scott

They were on Dexter on 5/22…..and it’s 4 months before CX season starts. Seems like plenty of heads up to me.

Silverado6

4 years ago

Trek is on fire! This, the Top Fuel (top on my wish list) and l can imagine how awesome the new Slash is going to be.

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

I know how long my feet are.

Bobke

4 years ago

Does it come as a rim brake version?

John

4 years ago

Waiting for a Domane in carbon with the T-47 and GRX groupset.

Richard

4 years ago

Reply to John

Absolutely! Not a fan of PF BB. My SuperFly 9.7 has PF BB it works but could been better. My old Cervelo GXP. Love love love.

Dockboy

4 years ago

Reply to Richard

The T in T47 means thread or threaded.

Chad

4 years ago

I like the updates but think they should have kept the Strangehold dropout too. Never heard of people having issues with them and a I know a few people who bought last years version just to build them up as SS bikes. It’s getting harder and harder to find brands supporting SS so it would have been nice if Trek kept what they already had because it worked!

John

4 years ago

Spec’ing a 1x 11-32 cassette on the Crockett 4 seems weird to me when the Apex 1 rear derailleur supports up to a 42T cog and SRAM makes an Apex 1 11-42 cassette, but whatever.

Hey

4 years ago

Reply to John

It is a CX specific bike

John

4 years ago

Reply to Hey

Given the price for the Crockett 4, I would guess less 10% will ever be raced on a CX circuit. The vast majority will be commuters and daily drivers.

Tom

4 years ago

No ridonkulous sliding dropouts FTW!!!

mud

4 years ago

They nailed it with the paint jobs. Too much torque, IMO, for dropouts that slide. Rode a Crockett for two years and sold it, dumb move.

benito

4 years ago

I wonder what’s the rationale for not offering a carbon model. I like metal bikes for CX so no complaints here, but is the idea that if you want carbon, you’ll go for the Boone? I’m not familiar with the differences but presumably they have unique geometries to be different bikes…

4 years ago

Reply to benito

They Boone and the Crockett are the exact same geometry. Think of this as a Boone ALR….or think of the Boone as a Crockett SL if you like. Either way, you’re getting a pretty great bike.

Velo Kitty

4 years ago

Reply to benito

The Boone is the their carbon fiber cyclocross bike.

Benjamin Reynolds

4 years ago

Reply to benito

Same geometry. The difference between the Boone and the Crockett is basically carbon vs aluminum. The big advantage with the Boone is the isospeed imo.

Garrett

4 years ago

As a long time single speeder, I loved that Trek had a bike with sliding dropouts.

However, sliders change your chainstay length, which effects handling. The best way to make a modern single speed is to use a short cage clutch der and lock in the limit screws. Makes wheel removal WAY easier, chainstay length never changes and you actually have more chain wrap on the cog.

Padrote

4 years ago

Reply to Garrett

Wait, what? It’s easier to remove a wheel from a bike with a derailleur, than one without? Also, what is so precious about retaining chainstay length?

Garrett

4 years ago

Reply to Padrote

Shorter chainstays = quicker handling and cornering, which for CX is preferred. If you’re looking to pull double duty with a frame and use it for a gravel bike, the ability to adjust chainstay length to be longer can be great, but this is a CX frame.

True: with a thru-axle, you can drop the rear wheel right out. The wheel removal comment was PTSD from removing wheels from horizontal dropouts that are long gone with thru axles.

However, in the end, you run a clutch derailleur, you never have to adjust dropouts, there isn’t any creaking and you can change cogs without worrying about chain length effecting your chainstay length.

Just my humble opinion.

LemondRider

4 years ago

Reply to Garrett

If I changed your wheel 1/2″ in either direction without you knowing it you would never know it!

Shafty

4 years ago

Reply to Padrote

You’re nuts if you think a RD on a SS setup is sleeker than without. For the difference in chainstay length that the tension adjustment requires, it’s hardly even worth mentioning. About the only benefit is the chain slack that SRAM derailleurs could produce with their locking mechanism. A real niche setup though. At that point, just mount up some gears and be done with it.

The answer to the why, is that they had barely anyone building them up SS, and with no intention of offering a SS stock build, it was a waste of money.

Alex

4 years ago

Glad I bought the 2018 Crockett. I love the stranglehold dropouts. I’ve never had a problem with the PF86 on this or older bikes (unlike BB30), though I’d be happy to see a return to threaded BBs in general – just not enough to buy a new frame.