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I bought a Heckler about 6 months ago, best bike I've owned, it's just rapid, although slightly scary because you can just chuck it about like a big BMX. Afan is my local trail centre, and I've yet to see another one, and I ride there a lot. Plus the bike is simple, I've had no problems mechanically, it just works and is very, very good fun.
Your not the only one 
I ride there quite a lot on my heckler, up until last week when I bought a new frame.
Heckler was nice and lively, but after sitting on a few different bikes it was too short for me and my back would ache after a while.
the downside now is its taking a little adjustment to get used to a slightly bigger bike!
I wouldn't say SC are stupidly expensive frames, its about the going rate for most of the big companies. (excluding the direct order ones)
Had a test ride on a carbon Tallboy recently and was very disappointed. Riding position was perched on top and over the front and it felt very cramped. Regardless of this I expected it to be nimble and good uphill due to the light carbon frame. It was not, it just felt dull imo.
They must be good cause a lot of the most media savvy riders / coaches [s]get given[/s] own one.
I've had two SC bikes and they've both been really fun to ride - Chameleon and an older Bullit. Probably would've kept the Chameleon if I got a 16" but it was 14" and a bit too small for the kind of riding I wanted to do on it. Great little dirt jumper though! I just wished it wasn't so stiff. The Bullit was awesome, yes it was a bit tall and steep compared to modern geometry but it was just a fun bike to ride. I wish I'd never sold it and got a newer bike tbh, ignorance is bliss.
Went in a specialised concept store today and a carbon enduro frameset is £2800 so about the same as a santa cruz really - why does everyone think they are expensive compared to everything else?
Nice bikes though I don't think they are any better than some of the bigger brand offerings (e.g. a trek or a giant). I think people are attracted by the pseudo-boutique label. Bit like buying a Beemer over a Ford, no better, a bit more expensive, and actually less exclusive!
Went in a specialised concept store today and a carbon enduro frameset is £2800 so about the same as a santa cruz really - why does everyone think they are expensive compared to everything else?
Specialized are very poor value for their frame sets for some reason (probably because they get such good deals on forks and group sets). You can probably buy a bike with that frame set for not much more cash. Always seems to work out cheaper to buy a bike and flog the bits you don't want.
Mrblobby !!
That's a classic statement. I love the concept that people would by a Ford over a BMW !!
Put down that crack pipe son.
Skiboy, don't understand your comment.
It is a good example of the power of brand preference. For example, doesn't matter how good they are it's very unlikely I'd buy a Specialized, no real rational reason behind that though and their bikes are clearly top notch and win at the highest levels of the sport.
Mrblobby fair point they did have a carbon enduro 29er with £1k off which at £3.5k looked a great bike at the right price (but no CCDB shock)
You are talking bobbins about ford vs bmw though-Bm is a much better car
Wasn't me
Errrrr
Oh yeah LOL. I think I was trying to wind up the 26" for life crew more than anything.
JCL, i find it hard to take anything you say about bikes and how they 'handle' seriously after you diss'd the 26 stumpy evo for being crap. It's really not.
I had one for a season. Isn't slack enough and the rear centre is far to short.
Anyway to go back to the original question I think SC bikes really are that good and it's up to you if you think they are the right money or not. I have had four: a chameleon,; bullit.2; v10 mark 3; nomad. 2 aluminium and the latest nomad 650b.
I have been over the bars on all of them and two of them required hospitalisation (so far!) so you definitely CAN fall off them-but then again I also fell off my demo, norco, commencal and epic.
The new nomad has the best geometry of all of them and I realise now the older gen ones were too short-but this is the best bike I have ever had and after 3 weeks in the Alps and riding round a bit in the UK I know I don't need a dh bike and an xc bike, I can just have this.
As long as the kids have got shoes and the mortgage gets paid, get one!
Socking paint job on my current Blur LT, other than that it's a great bike.
Just got back from the States, where I reckon 50% of the bikes I saw were SC, certainly not boutique there.
You are talking bobbins about ford vs bmw though-Bm is a much better car
Most probably one for another thread! Though it is a question of your criteria for evaluation and whether you are comparing like for like too (e.g no question that a top of the range 5 series is better than a mid range mondeo, but then that's not a fair comparison.)
Anyway I'm sure they are excellent bikes (love my old Alu Blur XC, best all round bike I've owned even if it did eat pivot bearings, and I'd have a Highball too if anyone offered.) Doubt they are any better than the top end big brand offerings though. Though if you are spending thousands on a bike I can see why you'd not want to end up with, say, a Trek. Bit like buying that Audi super car thing, at the end of the day you'd be driving an Audi when you could be driving maybe a Ferrari, even though it may actually be a better car.
I enjoy JCL's posts, he/they remind me of the guy we bumped into this summer in the the woods who was not having a good ride as he had the wrong compound tires on...
Are they any SC dealers in France?
They're very good bikes, but no better or worse than any other decent bike out there. There are three SC owners amongst my regular riding mates - a Bronson, Heckler and Nomad. Two of the riders are better than I, but were on their previous non SC bikes, and no better'er on their SC's than me than when they rode their previous steeds. Very nice bikes, but there are loads of very nice bikes out there.
Can't speak for the bouncers but my chameleon is the most fun bike I've owned in my 40 years. But then it suits my needs very well. I like mucking about and mainly ride street and short off road trails plus skate and pump track, and nothing has been as good as the cammy for this. Bought second hand pretty cheap so didn't part with silly money and the frame is that solid I've no worries about its past history. It's as light as any of the skinny steel singlespeeds I've owned and manuals better than my bmx... I love it 🙂
Do people not find the are bikes made by manufacturer X any good a bit too vague to answer with any worth?
Most manufacturers have made good and bad bikes over the years.
Still it's mildly entertaining to see all the fanbois and haters getting into geo arguments over such a daft question. 🙂
I enjoy JCL's posts, he/they remind me of the guy we bumped into this summer in the the woods who was not having a good ride as he had the wrong compound tires on...
A bit like that mixed with some die hard evangelist. You will pry my stumpjumper 29'er from my cold dead hands! Oh and the 26" version is the worst bike ever 😆
haters getting into geo arguments over such a daft question.
What is more entertaining is hearing people assert that bike A must definitely be better than bike B because they've posted faster Strava times on it 😆
I have had loads of top end bikes over the years, the worst was the Mojo HD130, utterly shit hateful bike. Best probably the Bronson I had before my Newmad. Don't get me wrong the Newmad is a mega bike but it needs a hell of a lot of rider input to get the best out of it. I have a Solo CC as well now so I can have the best of both worlds.
If I did it again I'd probably buy a Capra.
In my opinion they are good (very very good!).
However, the cost of new ones is getting quite silly though. Whether they are 'that good' to warrant the price other similar bikes is certainly questionable!
A bit like that mixed with some die hard evangelist. You will pry my stumpjumper 29'er from my cold dead hands! Oh and the 26" version is the worst bike ever
Not the worst ever as the suspension is great but it's nothing on the 29".
Like Porter I'm just fighting against mediocrity and marketing. You have no idea the kind of responsibility guys like us face.
Though if you are spending thousands on a bike I can see why you'd not want to end up with, say, a Trek. Bit like buying that Audi super car thing, at the end of the day you'd be driving an Audi when you could be driving maybe a Ferrari, even though it may actually be a better car.
No hope for me, I've had 3 successive expensive Treks, and my dream car is an Audi R8 😳
deadkenny - Member
Well built, well designed, reliable, robust, easy to maintain, great support & warranty and look fantastic. There's a reason why they are popular and the frames are expensive. You get what you pay for.
I really liked my sc frames but easy to maintain and robust are two things I wouldn't agree with.
Top shock bushing needed replacing every 500 miles or so and the bottom four bearings with funny sized inner sleeves that could only be sourced from sc needed done every year or about 1500 miles at about £10 a bearing in a kit. To change the top link bearings needed Allan keys cut down and custom made pullers or sc sourced tools at very high prices.
Think things are better now but too far out my price range these days
The disdain for santa cruz based on their price / value seems a bit odd to me. If you spend 2-3k on a 'mainstream' brand and don't like it, then spending 4-6k on a santa cruz (if you do like it) is better value, surely. If you can't tell any difference or just plain prefer the mainstream brand, then sure, the SC will appear massively overpriced - but it's just preference.
For example, I don't like single pivot bikes. That's the oranges' and the SC heckler. It doesn't bother me that others do prefer them to horst/4-bar/VPP/whatever, it's just preference. If you get on with it, buy it, ride the shit out of it and let that be the end of the discussion.
Personally, I've got a SC 5010 & a bronson. Why? Because I like them both and got on with them both. I tried a norco sight, liked that too, but not as much. Didn't like anything in specializeds' range, never found a trek I got on with and didn't again this time - basically they were the best for me that I found.
Now, I slung my leg over a yeti SB6c two days ago - that's the first time I've found one I think could be better (again, for me) - but I'm buggered if I'm being an early adopter on that. Clearances look interesting to say the least for mud. Rides like the proverbial off a shovel though.
The one thing I would say though is that SC build quality is generally awesome. The finish is superb & hard wearing. I saw one quote about screwing directly into carbon, but both my bronson screws into alu which is bonded, so I don't think that's an issue (and my 5010 is just alu). I don't know if quality issues are something which affected only older kit or if I've just got lucky so far.
In a word ... Yes.
The irksome thing with SC pricing is how much they are here compared to the US. An S-Works, or top end Trek is about the same, but we get screwed over for SC!
I just think they're in a position with the brand where if you want a SC it doesn't matter if the frame is two grand or two and a half, you're still going to buy it, and that position is being suitably exploited as any good business would!
Although the highball aluminium is a bit of a bargain, and rides better than many carbon frames, a bit like the cannondale caad10 frames for road bikes.
I have two SC bikes and they take loads of abuse and still ride great.
Probably won't go to SC again though given they've gone 650b/27; I'll get a 26 frame
Saw some lovely 650 SC's over Surrey Hills Saturday, they look fit for purpose 🙂 I test rode a Blur LT many years ago and didn't get on with it, in hindsight it probably just wasn't set up right for me.
If I was buying a full susser again it would be between a 5010 and a 5. When specced out similarly with reverbs etc there is less than £150 difference, both around £3800. I had a 5 and loved it. Would the 5010 be any 'better' I wonder.
A notoriously picky friend of mine bought a Tallboy and amazingly , his only complaint is 'it's a pain to clean'.
High praise from him.
A notoriously picky friend of mine bought a Tallboy and amazingly , his only complaint is 'it's a pain to clean'.
High praise from him.
Blimey well that's me sold 🙂
doh - Member
Top shock bushing needed replacing every 500 miles or so and the bottom four bearings with funny sized inner sleeves that could only be sourced from sc needed done every year or about 1500 miles at about £10 a bearing in a kit. To change the top link bearings needed Allan keys cut down and custom made pullers or sc sourced tools at very high prices.
Bushings are down to the shock and mount kit, not the frame. Bushings are designed to wear. Replacement bushing is a couple of quid. Or buy TF Tuned heavy duty mount kit and poly bushings and they'll last longer. I've had the same level of wear from bushings on my Nomad with the Fox RP23 it came with, as I've had with Fox on other bikes.
The bearings in the linkages are all covered under lifetime warranty. If you're DIYing, they'll cost you the price of postage to send your old ones back.
I'll give you that getting them out is a git and needs the special tools, but a) you can pay labour only at a Santa Cruz authorized LBS to do it under the bearing warranty (cost me £35), and b) if you regularly relube the lower link using grease gun and decent marine grease you'll find the bearings last a lot longer. That's one of the key things that makes it an easy maintain as you don't have to pull it apart to clean and regrease bearings, like I've had to do with other bikes.
Is this still going on?
AWSUMZ.
May as well ask red bikes are they any good.
May as well ask red bikes are they any good.
Yes, all my Strava KOMs are set on a red bike 🙂
Gilles, to answer your question yes.
SC are imported in France via race company. Owing the size and versatility of their catalogue it should be dead easy to have a LBS near you who has a open working account with them.
If I was buying a full susser again it would be between a 5010 and a 5. When specced out similarly with reverbs etc there is less than £150 difference, both around £3800. I had a 5 and loved it. Would the 5010 be any 'better' I wonder.
If you like a 5 I'd advise caution over a SC. I'm a confirmed Orange fan and could not get on with the SC Tallboy, as mentioned before. The 5 RS blew it away IMO, as did my 5 29. My 5 29 cost less then half the SC I tested.
Friend of mine bought a Blur 5 or so years ago to replace an aging Scott FS. She never got on with the SC, kept using the Scott and it went virtually unused until recently when she sold it.
They obviously suit some people but a test ride is essential from my experience. Proper Marmite bikes.
Sorry for going off track but i simply [i]must [/i]know the answer ...
Isn't slack enough and the rear centre is far to short.
.. for what pray tell?
Euro - Member
Sorry for going off track but i simply must know the answer ...
Isn't slack enough and the rear centre is far to short.
.. for what pray tell?
Standard JCL response for any bike that isn't a stumpy 29er innit. That or crap kinematics.
A long time since I have been here but i just ordered a 5010c frame this morning.
This will be my third Santa Cruz - I have a Nomad Mk1 bought new in the states and a '06 Heckler from ebay that I overhauled over the summer. They are not cheap and do take some proper looking after to keep them working 100% but having ridden a lot of different bikes over the years they certainly do it for me.
A good friend got a 5010C for his fiftieth birthday treat last year, I am just getting mine a year early - have ridden his a bit and it is more heckler than nomad but if you like light and flicky it is the nuts I think.
I guess I am a fanboy !
Sana Cruz bikes are they really that good?
I've owned [b]quite a few[/b] over the years. I've yet to find one that didn't feel right from the off. That doesn't mean SC make all their figures average or make each bike as neutral as possible- I think Specialized make very neutral bikes (boring). Santa Cruz's- you just can't go wrong. Even with guess work.
I bought my current Butcher frame blind- its not disappointed one bit. Recently I threw my leg over a SC Blur LT- that was set up for a different rider and I rode it straight down the Beast in the Peaks and felt immediately at home on it.
If the latest SC's are like the previously I can't see them being shabby 🙂
When I was looking around for a new trail bike I more or less dismissed SC on price alone. Not that I was looking for a budget bike, just thought there were too many cheaper bikes out there of comparable quality. Sizing looked a bit odd mind on some models - I'm thinking of the Tallboy here.
Can see the attraction of SC though.