Bear Crux Review

December 16, 2014 By Jon E. Silks

Bear Archery has a history of bringing strong contenders to the market in the value-to-performance bow class. These rigs may not have all the same bells and whistles as their flagship counterparts, but they do have many of the core technologies and demonstrate high performance relative to their price tags. The Crux is Bear Archery's best bang for your buck heavy hitter for 2015.

The Crux is built with its Max Preload Quad limbs, Hybrid A-Cam system, aluminum reflex riser, Offset String Suppressor and much more.

Grade 'A' Hybrid

Bear's A-Cam is a hybrid system, which means it uses two elliptical-shaped cams, a control cable, a split harness power cable and an evenly placed string. The even string distribution is important, as it reduces the effects of mechanical string seating and string stretch. The top cam in this system is often called the control cam, and it has two tracks that are home to the string and control cable. The bottom cam, or power cam, is designed with three tracks, which are used by the string, control and power cables.

The control cable links the two cams together so they rotate in unison. As one cam lets cable out, the other takes it in. Most of the load in the hybrid design is handled by the power cable as it is taken in by the power cam and exerts a load on the top axle through the split harness, which gives a wide base for stability. It is commonly believed the hybrid system requires less hassle to maintain, suffers fewer synchronization and timing issues and produces straighter, more level nock travel.

A single rotating module on each cam offers the full range of adjustability from 26-30€‰1„2 inches, in half-inch increments. No bow press is needed to customize the draw length. Be sure to move the draw stop into the corresponding hole when making these changes. Cams ride on a hardened axle and sealed bearings and generate a system letoff of 70 percent.

Loaded to the Max

Bear's Max Preload Quad Limbs reach a past-parallel position while at full draw, capturing the inherent benefits of this configuration, such as reduced shock, vibration and noise. Individual limbs are made with machined Gordon Composites materials and matched into sets of four through the deflection values they register when flexed. Their high strength-to-weight ratio allows them to bend further and store more energy. Limbs are available in 50-, 60- and 70-pound peak weight options.

Limbs are aligned to the centerline of the riser through Bear's Zero Tolerance 2-piece pocket. The cap and pivot components cradle each limb section for precise positioning at this critical interface. Any misalignment in this area will result in a bow that is difficult, if not impossible, to tune correctly and general inaccuracy. Limb pockets pivot during the draw-weight adjustment process, which allows the limb-to-pocket alignment to remain consistent.

Cast Platform

The Crux riser is first cast with aluminum and then CNC machined into its final form. It has a moderate reflex configuration, which with all else being equal allows Bear to increase the power stroke and speed as a result. A casting process is used for the first manufacturing step followed by a CNC machining process that finishes it into its final form.

A set of slender panels are set into shallow pockets on both side of the contoured handle area to complete the grip. Each panel is made of injection-molded plastic, which includes the Bear name, and is over-molded with rubber for comfort.