A big rig for a big dog: Matt Beers' fully tricked-out Specialized S-Works Crux 5 from Gravel Burn
The two-time Gravel Burn champion went big this year, sporting a pair of dinner plates, a slew of clever Karoo-taming hacks and road bike pedals
Matthew Beers needs no introduction - the big South African is one of the most feared protagonists on the off-road circuit, where he competes in both cross-country mountain bike marathon and gravel racing. He is a key member of the Specialized Off-Road Team, racing alongside his teammates, Keagen Swenson and Mads Würtz Schmidt.
Having grown up in Knysna, the four-time Absa Cape Epic winner and two-time Gravel Burn champion knows the terrain better than anyone, having cut his teeth riding around the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo) and Outeniqua Mountains.
His unrivalled local terrain acumen, matched by his enormous engine and equally tuned technical skills, has equipped him with the confidence to not only compete at the highest level but win, too. In 2026, Beers returned to defend his Gravel Burn crown on the all-new Specialized S-Works Crux 5, a marked step up from the Aethos-inspired Crux 4 model he rode to victory last year.
Although he didn't win a single stage at this year's edition of Gravel Burn, Beers' consistency over the seven stages kept him in the leader's jersey from stage 3 to the end, finishing 32 seconds ahead of Scott-SRAM's Filippo Colombo in the general classification.
Age: 32
Raised: Knysna, South Africa
Lives: Cape Town, South Africa
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 82kg
Rides for: Specialized Off-Road Team
Best results: Absa Cape Epic win (‘21, ‘23, ‘24, ‘26 ) Gravel Burn win (‘25, ‘26), Big Sugar Classic (‘25)
We use TyreWiz for stage race events like Gravel Burn because of the rough terrain. We link it to our head unit and it tells you if your pressures are holding.
Matt Beers
At 1.96m (6 feet 4 inches), Beers uses a size 61cm frame. Finished here in gloss black and complemented by white Specialized and S-Works wordmark logos, it's one malevolent-looking machine. As the range-topping model, the S-Works Crux 5 is constructed from Fact12r carbon fibre tuned to balance stiffness with weight - the new model represents a significant departure from its predecessor, with a frame blueprint inspired by the Tarmac SL7 road bike.
For stage 6, he chose a 'mullet' drivetrain that melds a road bike chainring with a mountain bike cassette and rear mech. As a result, he has paired a SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission complete with a dinner-plate-sized 10-52T cassette and X-Sync Aero 50T chainring. During the other stages, he used an X-Sync Aero 48T chainring and Red XPLR AXS rear assembly. Beers runs 170mm cranks.
A closer look reveals a freshly waxed chain, complete with Squirt lube.
The bike rolls on a pair of 1,340g Roval Terra Aero CLX wheels, wrapped in 2.2-inch Specialized Pathfinder tyres, complete with TyreWiz sensors. Beers told us that he uses the tyre pressure sensors for stage race events such as Gravel Burn due to the rough terrain, allowing him to link to his Hammerhead Karoo2 cycling computer to monitor his pressures in real time.
The front end features a Roval Rapide cockpit measuring 38cm wide and paired with a 135mm stem. The one-piece design fully integrates the brake hoses and provides confidence on rough descents, preventing bar-stem slip if he hits a rut at high speed. The balance of the touchpoints comes from a 143mm 3D-printed Specialized S-Works Power Evo Mirror saddle and Shimano Dura-Ace road pedals.
An old hand at stage racing, Beers has strategically plastered spares to the frame for easy access in the event of a mechanical - a practice he's employed ever since learning the trade of stage racing in South Africa. As such, a Ryder Slug Plug is taped to the rear stay, a C02 canister sits under the stem, and a TPU inner tube is fastened to the top tube.
Like Mattia De Marchi's Wilier Rave SLR ID2, Beers has cleverly fastened elastic bands to his bottle cages for extra security over rough terrain. Golden titanium hardware from Better Bolts is used throughout the build to shave off a little more weight and also add some bling to contrast the largely dark-hued frameset.
Tech spec
- Frameset: Specialized S-Works Crux 5 Fact12r carbon
- Fork: Specialized S-Works Crux 5 Fact12r carbon
- Cockpit: Roval Rapide, 380mm/135mm
- Seatpost: S-Works Tarmac SL8 Carbon
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS/XX SL Eagle Transmission, X-Sync Aero 50T/10-52T
- Wheelset: Roval Terra Aero CLX
- Tyres: 2.2in Specialized Pathfinder
- Saddle: Specialized S-Works Power Evo Mirror
