[Closed] New bike thoughts: Bronson - Over hyped??

Isn't every bike over-hyped? they're just bikes at the end of the day, they've not fundamentally changed for decades, and everyone knows the best bike in the world is the one they've just bought. I can't imagine any bike, road or MTB, truly justifies a £4k price tag. That is the price the manufacturer can charge as some people will spend that. There doesn't have to be a link between price and cost/worth or even how good a bike it is.

I love my Covert, but i'm sure I would have equally loved the Rocket, Shinobi, Rhune and whatever other bike I considered at the time I was buying.

Carbon is a better frame material in my experience, as well as the obvious advantage of being lighter, I've found the stiffness to be the biggest gain it offers. Is it worth the extra money? Only if you can afford it and it's worth the extra to you. You're doing a demo ride, that's the only way you'll really know.

In reality the Santa Cruz should be about as much as a trek, they are about the same in the USA. However, Santa Cruz charge the UK importer the same for a bike as they do a US dealer and so by the time they get over here the price is up to "boutique" brand levels. Only good marketing has got them to be as revered over here as Intense or yeti.

http://bicyclehabitat.com/product/14trek-slash-7-650b-27.5-193725-1.htm?variations=123319

http://www.cambriabike.com/Santa-Cruz-Bronson-Carbon-Matte-Carbon-Orange-Medium-BCRKOOM.asp

Assuming the two models above are what you are comparing based on the prices you have given, considering the Bronson is carbon the extra £500 isn't so bad. But over here it is £1700 more.

So, to an extent, it is just hype that convinces people to pay for a Bronson in the UK.

I think there's some logic to it being worth more than the Trek.

Not necessarily anything to do with build quality or ride quality, but I know I would value it for longer, because it's not a 'model year' bike.
I would personally build up a frame though, so that I could get the bits I wanted (Hope hubs and brakes for example).

How much extra that is worth for you, only you can decide.

Also - they'll probably ride quite differently - test ride if you can.

Some owners and testers have reported that it's got some negative riding characteristics.

Definitely plenty more bikes out there worthy of consideration.

Lapierre Zesty/Spicy, Norco Sight, BMC, Cube, Canyon, Kona etc.

oh - and the whole frame vs whole bike thing extends down to much cheaper bikes than Santa Cruz.
Banshee and Cotic for example. Transition used to be cheaper too, but I think they're nearer the high end now.

Only good marketing has got them to be as revered over here as Intense or yeti.

And what, marketing aside, inherently makes Intense or Yeti better than Trek/Santa Cruz...?

In reality the Santa Cruz should be about as much as a trek, they are about the same in the USA. However, Santa Cruz charge the UK importer the same for a bike as they do a US dealer and so by the time they get over here the price is up to "boutique" brand levels. Only good marketing has got them to be as revered over here as Intense or yeti.

Yeti prohibit the sale of their frames/bikes by US dealers outside of US, Canada and Mexico (as do many other US "boutique" brands). The MRP at current exchange rates for a Yeti SB-66C frame in the USA is around £1820, the same frame costing £2695 in the UK. They're all at it as Alexsimon says above, not just Santa Cruz. It's up to the consumer at the end if the day, if you want one and it's worth it to you then that's fine.

Complete build kits on the likes of the Bronson, Carbine 275, SB-66 etc are not value for money though in my opinion as you're also paying the import tax on the parts as well. Buying frame only then speccing the bike yourself using UK online prices will give you a total price for the Bronson that is closer to the Trek price.

Big brands have to make sure there bikes are suitable for a wide audience and are easy to ride. Hence why for experienced riders they often feel dull, sure footed and a bit slow. For smaller brands like Yeti they know all their customers are experienced riders and they have a smaller more specific market so can make bikes that are a lot more twitchy and often feel faster and more alive. It's the same with cars between large and small manufactures.

Remember US prices often don't show VAT until the checkout.

I went through this with a Bronson and I couldn't justify 4k on a bike with poor components. Shop around there are loads of quality bikes about. Look at the Devinci Troy or Dixon

http://www.bikeactive.com/PBSCCatalog.asp?CatID=1592727

I got my Bronson back in June and have done everything from XC to full on Munro bashing on it. Can't recommend it highly enough and it has definitely got me doing things I couldn't do with the old bike which was a Blur LT.

Is it worth the money? I think so but then realistically I have not done a direct comparison. I bought it because I had the Blur for 6 years and loved that bike for its ability, reliability and crash resistance.

When I bought the Blur I did back to back tests with a Trek and a Giant. On paper there was no real difference except the price, but riding them was like night and day. Like jumping out of a Golf 2.0l diesel and into a GTi. Having read the ride reports on the Bronson it was reasonable to assume that SC have done with the Bronson what they did with the Blur.

So for me at least, it's not marketing hype, it's real life experience and reading reviews. You will only find out with a test ride. Worth noting with SC that buying a complete build is usually not saving anything. Often cheaper to go for the frame and specify the build you want with your LBS, or build it yourself

Big brands have to make sure there bikes are suitable for a wide audience and are easy to ride. Hence why for experienced riders they often feel dull, sure footed and a bit slow. For smaller brands like Yeti they know all their customers are experienced riders and they have a smaller more specific market so can make bikes that are a lot more twitchy and often feel faster and more alive. It's the same with cars between large and small manufactures.

Really? Since when did Yeti's forward thinking approach of longer, lower, slacker bikes result in them feeling more twitchy? Likewise Banshee - my Spitfire feels awesomely stable and balanced, perfect under a decent but not brilliant rider like me: I'd love to see a pro taking it to its limits, it honestly feels I'll never have the skills and bravery to reach them. Most shops can get them in, highly recommended!

If you turn your point on its head, claiming that niche manufacturers sell frames that need to be ridden hard and aggressively to make them perform (my Spitfire only turns if you throw it on its side like you mean it) then you'd be much closer to the truth.

I love my Bronson now, but it has taken the longest of all the bikes I've own to dial in. Also had to change the rear shock to get the most out of it which is disappointing on a £4000+ bike. Carbon v alumunium carbon lighter, looks nicer but needs care I've now got loads of light scratches on the top tube from a particularly muddy wales trip 🙁

Chiefgroove just waiting on my Banshee Rune to arrive 🙂

The actual US price isn't the issue, more the vast difference in the increase in the difference between the cost of the two bikes from the US to the UK.

Chiefgroove just waiting on my Banshee Rune to arrive

Awesome! CCDBair?

Yeah in 650b flavour as well 🙂

Big brands have to make sure there bikes are suitable for a wide audience and are easy to ride. Hence why for experienced riders they often feel dull, sure footed and a bit slow. For smaller brands like Yeti they know all their customers are experienced riders and they have a smaller more specific market so can make bikes that are a lot more twitchy and often feel faster and more alive. It's the same with cars between large and small manufactures.

Errr... Bollocks.

I concur...testicles.

Agreed.....complete nonsense

and you said 'Hence why'...

If you can afford to spend 4k on a bike fair enough I say. I would have to be riding competitively to justify it myself. Is carbon worth the extra cash or would it be better spending that money on a nice holiday?

Will the price of Santa Cruz bikes go down when the two most expensive DH riders in the world retire I wonder?

I'd ditto what captain mainwaring said.... I've only had my Ali bronson 2 weeks (XT build with pikes and kashima shock upgrade) but I absolutely love it. Previously I'd a giant trance x1 which I was getting on ok with but there were certain trails I just couldn't get right....I got on the bronson (after demoing a heckler and solo) and on the same trail (Kirroughtree) it was like night and day. The thing climbs like a mountain goat. It's the same one every trail I've been on since (Mabie, GT, Cathkin).

My OH has a 2014 orange five pro. We swapped bikes the other day to see what the difference was. They are very different bikes indeed. The bronson handles so much better than the orange and feels much more planted. The orange was better on the tight twisty stuff but we're not sure about the fox kashima forks, so swapping these out for pikes when we can get hold of some. Where the five bottoms out, the pikes hold up very well.

As others have said a bike is worth what you're willing to pay for it. I'd definitely recommend the bronson but I am entirely biased.

@jutzm - interested in your thoughts on the differences between the Bronson and the Solo. Currently on a BLT2 with a 150. Fox on front, which I love but is getting on. I'll demo both eventually ( when I can afford to buy one) I also run a very old Blur Classic for the tighter stuff - hence the question. Bronson with a Talas?

@blurboy... My experience of a Talas was not good on my trance although 'twas a 32.

The solo really surprised me tbh. It does not feel like a 130mm travel bike. It was a small I demoed and I would usually run a medium. I was really I impressed by it. Very similar to the bronson indeed. Only reason I went for the bronson was because I intend to take it to lake garda in the summer and think the longer travel would suit better. All our bikes have Fox front and back but our experience with the Fox on the 650b Five has been so hit and miss that I was tempted by the hype around the pikes. I've not been dissappointed. I particularly like the progressive compression as hadn't experienced this before.

Both the solo and the bronson climbed amazingly well. Hardly any bob at all. The solo hadn't even been set up for me, but I could not fault it.

I have no idea why people pay a premium for a Bronson. The market is flooded with 67 degree 140/150mm 650b bikes. Some with better suspension than the Santa Cruz.

It's just the status IMO. They're more expensive so they must be better right?

JCL you never mentioned the word 'kinematics' once...what's wrong? 😀

The pros:
very light
very stiff
very nicely put together, a premium feel?
attracts lots of attention
climbs very well
very 'sprightly' feel across flat terrain

the cons:
very stiff
attracts lots of attention
centre of gravity feels high/perched
slightly steep head angle by modern standards
chattery ride
fox shock doesn't work particularly well

It's a good frame, but I wouldn't say its a great frame. Personal opinion of course!

@jutzm. Thanks for that. I was planning to keep the BLT2 for the odd trip abroad but most riding is woods, Woburn, etc where you don't need a lot of travel. I'm running a Talas set at 120 on the Blur Classic. Both are fitted with Fox both ends. I think I will try the Solo first but was there a reason not to go carbon with your Bronson?

the cons:
very stiff
attracts lots of attention
centre of gravity feels high/perched
slightly steep head angle by modern standards
chattery ride
fox shock doesn't work particularly well

That's an awful lot of 'cons' for a £3k frame, from someone who owns one!

Plus one for you will find out on a demo. Spent a lot of time narrowing down the numerous bike based on geometry that works for me. Spent day half on SC Bronson C and that convinced me it was the bike for me. It's the ride that counts. Currently still riding a 2010 Zesty which I will keep while waiting for delivery of SC but my Zesty is still a great bike. I thought I'd just replace it with a 2014 model. But on demo I just didn't get on with it. It was too long in the top tube for me and chain stays were too wide for my pedalling. So try before you buy and ignore the forum twaddle about price, industry hype, over biked etc etc It's the ride that counts and were all different.

I don't think buying the bike you really want works out that much more expensive,because in my experience if you stinge up and get a cheaper bike than the one you really wanted you end up lusting after the dream bike every time you see one.once you build up the piggy bank funds you can't resist getting one after you've spent shed loads of money on upgrading the cheaper bike to make it better.if the bronson's a realistic option ask yourself which bike you really want

neallyman,

Are they that light? What isn't with Enve's/240's and XX1?

Well put together? I dont't think they're anything special. The cable routing is a mess and those preload pivots are an over complex faff. Frame wise the Trance is certainly more elegant and Enduro more impressive IMO.

I agree with your points though. I think it's a good trail bike for big heavy guys who ride flats.

My brother bought a carbon bronson xt model rrp£5800 already weve changed the bars to a 30mm rise -took front mech etc off to put a rf narrow wide chainring on - ive had a couple of runs on it and feel as if he could ulgrade the rear shock (fox ctd) a monarch rc3 or dbair cs . Having spent a small fortune on it abd having to spend more is ridiculous (

When do you stop, this is the question. Does it really matter that some new part could/might feel a bit better? Some people seem to spend so much time researching and spending time trying to make their bike better I bet they hardly go out on the thing.

I can assure were not one of those ! My point being for a bike that cost alot it should feel spot on with no need to upgrade

Does everyone put this much thought into buying a bike? My only consideration was would it be big enough for me without being too big (i'm 6'5" but don't like big bikes). Head angles and suspension design didn't come into it. I also bought without any test rides and i'm very happy with my choice. Pretty hard to imagine a better bike really.. Ok it wasn't £4k but it was easily the most expensive bike i've ever bought.

Does everyone put this much thought into buying a bike?

No that's why people buy Bronson's 🙂

@blur boy.... Very female reason for not going carbon, although makes sense to me. Occasionally I do very stupid things and I was afraid I would break it. I was told that the carbon is extremely strong with blunt force but a sharp force in one spot could break the frame. Case in point....first ride out, I went OTB on a flat trail through the forest that I've done loads of times before....because I picked a really stupid line.

Must admit the colours on the carbon are much nicer.

I was very up for a Heckler before I'd tried the Solo and it was the VPP that totally changed my thinking.

Not sure why people aren't happy with the SC Bronson spec? You can have it built up from the frame to your spec? Sent the bike shop a complete list specifying every part. Saves buying twice. Guess it pays to research your purchase first.

shieldsmtb damn right it should.

neallyman,

Are they that light? What isn't with Enve's/240's and XX1?

I was very up for a Heckler before I'd tried the Solo and it was the VPP that totally changed my thinking.

I have a demo on a solo to fit in at some point and a bronson if I can get hold of one, just to see, I expect to be keeping the Blur for a good 5 years.

Occasionally I do very stupid things and I was afraid I would break it. I was told that the carbon is extremely strong with blunt force but a sharp force in one spot could break the frame.

Comparing static head angles on paper for full sus bikes doesn't give the full picture too, depending on design the HA changes differently for different bikes. I'd be much more concerned by how they ride over how they are on paper.

One of the nicest things with dealing with SC is the ability to get the spec you want being able to mix and match forks, build kits and even components is great.

shieldsmtb - Member

I can assure were not one of those ! My point being for a bike that cost alot it should feel spot on with no need to upgrade

"Feeling spot on" is so subjective though, changing bars to taste or switching to 1x10 which is still a niche option is a pretty reasonable thing to have to do on a new bike, if you want those things.

spending 500 quid on a cc db air is more of an issue!

as for bronson, never ridden one but TT seems very short, on paper

santa cruz frames are always short

Got to say I've been very pleased with mine. First time on vpp and first time on a carbon mtb frame after owning 3 types of Heckler.

I went down the frame, fork and wheel route bringing a fair amount of components over from the old bike. One thing that made me stick with Santa Cruz was the 5 year warranty.

Whilst on holiday with a friend in 1998 we passed through Santa Cruz. As my original Heckler had developed a 'rattle' we looked up the factory in the phone directory. We cycled over and went in not knowing what response we would get. The guys were dead helpful and swapped the shock bushes out whilst we chatted about the local riding.

Passing through Santa Cruz recently I e-mailed to see if we could have a look around the new factory. They were as friendly as they were over a decade ago and took the time to show us around the new set up. Although bigger it still seemed a cool set up. Skate boards in use to get around the place!

Time will tell if I made the correct choice to swap off the Heckler but first impressions are good.

Having had a carbon Zesty for nearly 5 years I think carbon is as bomb proof as anything. There is also a distinct difference in the ride between alu and carbon. I know which I prefer.

Re the shock, now got a ccdb air on mine.
For anybody looking to do the same I'd suggest trying a push tune on the fox first, or maybe a monarch. The ccdba is a marked improvement, but I'm not convinced a good tune on the original shock would have been any worse and it would save a wee but weight/££ over the cane creek.

Carbon! No brainer. Lighter, stiffer, stronger.

As for SC, they're not for me. Too short in the top tube

The Bronson does look the part though and the reviews read well. So if the sizing suits and you like how it rides then these are the important factors in making a buying decision.

Does anyone else think SC have been very clever with their marketing/advertising though? They seem to sponsor everyman and his dog of late to get coverage of their bikes. From pro riders, to bike mag journalists to bearded West Yorkshire cyclists.

In the UK its a Jungle products thing rather than SC themselves (I would think). And yes a grand here or there on people who are popular in the mtb world is great advertising.

Might start a blog 😉

I love biking but would never spend over £1500 on a bike, give me deore, thick thin cheapness everytime. I do admit I have a few bikes but one bike is never going to be a high mile cruncher and a downhill demon is it? There is no one perfect bike. Bike is 5% and rider is 95% so what is the point of spending your time working to pay for the bike instead of getting out there riding. Unless of course you are stinking rich.

The best investment for improving my enjoyment skills and speed was by building some drops, gap jump and pump track in the backgarden.

Re the shock, now got a ccdb air on mine.
For anybody looking to do the same I'd suggest trying a push tune on the fox first, or maybe a monarch. The ccdba is a marked improvement, but I'm not convinced a good tune on the original shock would have been any worse and it would save a wee but weight/££ over the cane creek.

I think your missing the point of the ccdb. It allows the rider to custom tune the shock by turning a few screws. If your the type of rider that keeps the same setting all the time your not making full use of the benefits of the ccdb

Thing is, what ever bike you buy, from a £150 BSO to a £7k wonder Enduro(tm) machine might always need slight mods to fit an individual and how they ride. Things like bars, stems, saddles and pedals and even crank lengths etc are very personal. So "having" to change those on an expensive bike is not an issue, especially if you can afford to drop several K on a wonder bike, you can stump up about £100 for some new bars! 😉

I think your missing the point of the ccdb. It allows the rider to custom tune the shock by turning a few screws.

or spend hours feeling like a pro by detailing how you just need one more click of high speed finesse for that bit...

^^^ except for the fact that quality damping can be "set and forget"! In reality, there is a damping co-efficient that is primarily velocity dependent, and a shock like the DBair allows precise enough settings and excellent repeatability so you can set it once and pretty much forget it for what ever you are riding. I hardly ever touch mine, even when i make reasonably significant changes to air pressure to suit the days riding (ie hard to go fast, soft for a days bimbling the hills etc) So, get your setting right for your "max attack" riding and leave 'em be tbh 😉

There is no one perfect bike. Bike is 5% and rider is 95% so what is the point of spending your time working to pay for the bike instead of getting out there riding. Unless of course you are stinking rich.

You do know you can have a job and still go riding as well unless you're some sort of psychotic, black and white thinking workaholic... Black and white thinking on STW, who'd have thunk it?

I have just swapped my blur ltc frame for a Bronson ( blur frame for sale if anyone is keen ) and I am very happy on it .
The main thing that made me go for another sc is the robustness they seem to offer , finish on the frame stands up well and the collet system is the best I have used as far as the pivots are concerned .
I think with the sizing most people don't look at the numbers correctly I ride a large in a Bronson where as most other bikes I would go for a medium (about 5'10) it fits me great with plenty of room for a standard reverb and a 50 mm stem for the radness 🙂

I had a go on a friend's stock Alu Bronson, I liked how it rode, it seemed to suit my riding style. But I've got an Alpine so I won't be swapping anytime soon.

Nice bike though.
Tom Kp

Test rode one yesterday & was very impressed. Climbed well & handled steeper, technical downs excellently. It really likes to get off the ground & is easy to pop over stuff. I only had 2 hours around Bristol though, so no idea how it would handle bigger drops & jumps, but it would definitely need a more progressive rear shock tune as I blew through a lot of the travel with nothing more than 2ft drops. Would be interested to see if anyone's used the Float X on it, as I wouldn't use the CCDBA to it's full potential.
Oh and how good is the new Pike?!

I think with the sizing most people don't look at the numbers correctly I ride a large in a Bronson where as most other bikes I would go for a medium (about 5'10)

this is crazy though - my Turner is the same - I bought a medium originally but now ride a large, and I am 5ft 10.

For many of my jackets, like my NF ones, I am a small, and even my underpants are small, so how come I am large on a bike, jumping up 2 sizes?

Makes as much sense as womens sizing in M&S, or maybe not as they are trying to flatter all the fat women around nowadays...

Yup madness 🙂
Just a sticker on the seat tube and nothing else

Might want to check the SC site for guide line shok pressures I get the feeling shops are setting them on sag alone. For me the suggested starting pressure is 170psi. Quite high when I only run 135psi on the Zesty

...I wouldn't use the CCDBA to it's full potential.
Oh and how good is the new Pike?!

One of the great things about the CCDBA is that on a good frame you can tune it to match the awesomeness of the Pike really well. Really impressive pairing. I think you'd have to be a competitive DH or enduro racer to use either item to their full potential - I know I'll never manage it, but it's a lot nicer than trying to compensate for lesser gear that you are pushing to its limits!

now got a ccdb air on mine.
For anybody looking to do the same I'd suggest trying a push tune on the fox first

That makes me happy. TFTuned advised the same, albeit for a Bandit 26, and I've been very impressed with the result. As for short TTs, I'd advise looking at 'reach' figures too, the Bandit 26 has a TT 20mm shorter than most of its contemporaries but the reach figures are far closer.

Well I've just watched Nial Oxley slay all in his class and register the 4th fastest time by anyone today at farmer johns on his Alu Bronson..

Was impressive against some of the bigger bikes.

I have a carbon Bronson, it replaced a Mojo HD130. In comparison i'd take the Bronson every time. The Mojo just was not for me, I hated the feel of it and people say how stiff they are, well mine did not feel super stiff, in fact I could get so much flex from the BB area the front mech would rub on the chain when really cranking in big ring.

I have a Float X on my bike with a push tune, it feels very nice. I'm sure the standard CTD would feel very good with a tune but as I picked a Float X up very cheap I went with that shock.

New Orange Five will be so much better in so many ways.

Got my Bronson C about 4 weeks ago, after riding a Heckler for last 9 years. Demo'd a lot of different bikes, but just loved the Bronson. It climbs and descends brilliantly, although its not as plush as my Heckler (which had DHX5 and Van32 forks, so not surprised). However, this may be down to my shock (FLoat CTD) setup, which I'm still tinkering with.

I really treated myself with this bike, and went for XX1, Pikes, Enve DH Bars, but resisted the Enve wheels and went for Stans Arch instead on hope hubs. Very impressed with XX1, and the 800m wide bars are really good too, was going to cut them down, but tried them first and love them.

I saved a fair bit by buying frame from LBS and then sourcing bits from other places where cheaper. The XX1 groupset was sourced from a German websites, saving nearly £300! I then built the bike myself.

I couldn't even afford a Bronson Alu !

Instead I got a 650b Heckler with a 160mm Pikes, Flows etc and it rides a dream!

Exactly the same geometry as the Bronosn too and built mine to a superb spec for £3124

160 Pikes, Pro2s, Flows, High Roller TR, Hope Tech E3, X9, Thomson post/stem, Easton Carbon bars & SLX Dbl

here : http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/650b-heckler

New Orange Five will be so much better in so many ways

Well, thats me convinced.

Having ridden both the Solo and the Bronson, I came away disappointed with the Bronson. It felt sluggish and it took me a while to get the suspension feeling balanced, it had a pike up front and the basic CTD evo shock which could partially explain it, but even putting that to one side it didn't impress me like I thought it would. It had the SPX built, XT 2x10, reverb, WTB/DT350 wheels and 2.3 High Roller 2's, so with the carbon frame as well not a cheap bike and yet it weighed over 30lbs with my XT trail pedals which I was not expecting, it was a good 2-3lbs heavier than my Mojo HD140. I weighed the complete wheelset of the Bronson and it was a good 500g heavier than the superstar switch/Stan's crest wheelset, which in turn are some 2-300g heavier than the wheels on the HD, so just in the wheels alone there was a huge difference between what I ride week in week out. Overall I came away really disappointed, it didn't have that wow factor I felt with the HD or indeed the Solo. Sure the Bronson would be lighter if I'd specced it up how I'd want it, but even so I wasn't blown away by it, the weight being one issue, the huge amount of pedal feedback through the VPP under power and the in-balanced suspension put me off it. In a nut shell I was disappointed, perhaps I was expecting too much from it. It wasn't a bad bike, just not as good as I hoped it would be.

A few weeks after I rode the Bronson I finally got a go on the Solo. Now it's worth pointing out I rode a large Bronson and an XL Solo, which was a smidge big for me, but it did come fully ENVE'd, XX1/XTR'd up so it was blinged to the hilt, but straight away it felt far, far better than the Bronson, the suspension felt great off the bat, despite not having anything like the time I had to set up the Bronson and it felt like it railed corners with the lower BB and shorter chainstays, yet thanks to the length of the wheelbase on the XL it felt super stable too. If I had two minor niggles it would be the that the 130mm Fox 32 felt a little flexy, not as bad as my personal 150mm 32, but still more than I'd like, especially after riding Pikes and Fox 34's on other bikes. I also felt the shock could have been a little more progressive as I bottomed it out once or twice, but thats an easy fix with some volume spacers, rather a full re-tune I felt would be needed on the Bronson.

I've banged on about the Solo on other websites, but it really did blow me away. It's exactly the kind of bike I look for, fun, agile yet it has the brawn to really take some abuse and it was fast as fark. Before I rode both I'd have leaned towards the Bronson as my next bike and indeed it was probably the one I'd gone for had I not had a chance to ride either. I'm sure glad I got to ride both though. Will most definitely be purchasing a Solo later in the year and I can't wait!

Will most definitely be purchasing a Solo later in the year and I can't wait!

[shameless brag] Mine is being built on Thursday, after a month waiting. 😀 😀 😀 [/brag]

Will most definitely be purchasing a Solo later in the year and I can't wait!

[shameless brag] Mine is being built on Thursday, after a month waiting. [/brag]

Still my Mojo HD to razz around on for a little while 😉 It's a bit on the small side, hence me wanting something new, bought it during my gap year and I've grown out of it since, but still a bloody good bike, gonna be sad to see her go!

Interesting that youfelt a lot of pedal feedback on a Bronson with XT 2x10, but the Solo with single ring felt good - lot of bikes are designed around that 32t middle ring - what were the ring sizes on the 2x10 setup? Very possible that neither ring size suits the VPP.

Interesting that youfelt a lot of pedal feedback on a Bronson with XT 2x10, but the Solo with single ring felt good - lot of bikes are designed around that 32t middle ring - what were the ring sizes on the 2x10 setup? Very possible that neither ring size suits the VPP.

That was certainly my thought, even before I rode the Solo with XX1 I was a bit like, "I'm sure it shouldn't be this bad" on the Bronson. It had an XT 38/26 chainset so it's a way off the 32t of a standard middle chainring most bikes are designed around. The Solo had a 34t chainring, which is the same size I run on my Mojo, which I can feel zero pedal feedback from. I felt a tiny bit on the Solo, but no where near as bad as the Bronson, and I had to really concentrate to notice it. I think the chainring size could have a lot to do with what I was feeling, I certainly think both bikes were designed with 1x in mind.

I think what excites me most about the Solo is how versatile it felt and the potential it has. Imo the Bronson's geometry is on the conservative side of things, the chainstays are a bit longer than the Solo's which I noticed and the BB a little higher and I don't think it corners as well as the Solo because of that. Sure the Bronson can plough over the rough stuff as well as most 150mm bikes but I was hoping it would feel livelier than it did. Personally the liveliness of the Solo really appealed to me, you just get on the power and it goes like a rocket, but flexy fork aside I didn't think it gave up a huge a mount to the Bronson over rough terrain.

I plan to tweak my Solo a little bit, just to make it suit my style a little more. It needs a beefy fork, the 32 is just too weedy for it, so a Pike or 34 is a must. The XL I rode felt a tough stretched, but I loved the extra stability of the longer wheelbase, so like my HD140 I'm gonna stick a Works Components angleset on it so it sits around 66.5 degrees, so I get the cockpit of the Large but the wheelbase of the XL and a steering feel similar to my Ibis. The longer fork will raise the BB slightly, but the headset should bring it back down a touch so it shouldn't be much higher either. What I should end up with is a bike with a smidge less travel than the Bronson, but more aggressive geometry, how it should be imo! 8)

Obviously it's going to be a very personal set up but thats the great thing about bikes like the Solo, you can go with a light, XC-orientated build and have a bike that can race XC events as well as be happy on the trails or build it a little burlier and it can handle any enduro events you throw at it.

Of course it's over hyped. It's nothing special, nice and everything, but not exceptional. But it's priced absolutely bat-shit mental. Santa Cruz have always been a bit up their own arses when it comes to pricing though.

The full builds are expensive, but you could build one yourself for much less than the RRP of those. There's also the alloy bike for folks whose wallets don't stretch as far and if that's too much there's the Heckler which has exactly the same geometry. Bikes are expensive these days, no matter which end of the market you look at. In comparison to the rest of the market, Santa Cruz are ball-park frame wise for their carbon frames and the only frames are very competitive.

paulrockliffe - Member

Of course it's over hyped. It's nothing special, nice and everything, but not exceptional. But it's priced absolutely bat-shit mental. Santa Cruz have always been a bit up their own arses when it comes to pricing though

They're selling as many of them as they can make, though. Their prices are going up in response to demand, not down.

Same with XX1 - despite the pricing, they've sold eight times as many of them as they expected.