Two sir ... you must be private practice
Can’t agree, i think that’s an awesome looking thing myself.
How so? It's got more angles than a protractor...
Two sir … you must be private practice
😂😂 I all seriousness, I have always thought they're overpriced, but I like how they ride, along with the warranty. I have a Hightower and a Chameleon.
The Hightower is a few years old now, and I hesitated at the price I paid for the frame back then. They've gone up about another £300-400 since then - and I'd be very hard pressed to pull the trigger on another. I got a cracking deal on the Chameleon and built up the frame with some old parts I had around.
Before the Hightower I had a few Transitions. Extremely good bikes, but the finish was poor, and the experience I had with their warranty for crap paint wasn't great. They've probably rectified lots of that by now.
How so? It’s got more angles than a protractor…
Not sure exactly, some things just make you go "mmmmm yeah" and for me a nice SC in yellow or raspberry kinda do that for me. I have no clue whether i'd like how one rides as i've never ridden one. But as an object of desire, it's just 'right' to me.
Can’t agree, i think that’s an awesome looking thing myself.
How so? It’s got more angles than a protractor…
Some people like Mondrian. Some people like Van Gogh.
One man's protractor is another man's dreambike.
Fair to say from the numbers out on the trail that plenty of people like them.
Or ahead of the curve – isn’t more stack the next big thing?
I wouldnt say ahead of the curve, but to be fair, disproportionately short stack heights on bikes that have got bigger & bigger is a total pain in the ass for us taller folk.
The bikes seem really good now. They've caught up with modern geometry and they're supposed to ride pretty well.
But like Orange, I wouldn't stump up RRP for one.
There's a lot of whinging about PON (more on PB comments that here TBF), but it's ironic that they seem to have nailed the bikes after being taken over by a faceless multinational corporation.
I’ve been to the Morzine “HQ”. Sort of looked like a museum/touchy-feely type place with bikes.
I guess it's like Luis Vuitton having shops in major airports. Part of the plan, luxury goods brands positioning themselves like that.
I suspect he’s been booted out because he spent too much money on headtubes – they all look ridiculously long on the current batch of bikes.
As a tall bloke who cares about bike fit more than looks, I chose my XL Bronson specifically because of the tall head tube, and even then I run a 30mm riser and 30mm of spacers. No other brand offered anything close to the right geometry for me.
Yet again, different strokes for different folks.
Having said all of that, I am not sure what all of this means to change of CEO unless the incoming one will also double hat as head of geometry.......
I have a Tallboy. It cost a fortune but I don’t spend my money on anything else. I ride it pretty much every day and I’m not rich.
I love it. Not because it’s “boutique” but the build quality is superb. I like VPP suspension and I like the “free” bearings. I also had a 2018 Hightower with a paint defect replaced no questions asked last year.
There’s a weird inverse snobbery thing going on here when every 2nd topic is about campervans, watches and expensive riding holidays.
Also the dentist jokes are well past their sell-by date 🙂
I'll admit, Santa Cruz as a brand has never appealed to me, but I do admire how their marketing has given them some kind of exclusive desirability.
Personally if I wanted a main stream brand, I'd rather have a Trek or Specialized.
As for the stereotypes, I did bump into somebody I knew who'd recently bought a SC. I jokingly asked them when they were getting the T6 to go with it, and they said they'd just bought a new Audi instead 🤣
I know a dentist, he's spent hundreds of thousands on racing yachts, has several sports cars and properties. Never seen him riding a bicycle tbh. I'd have thought silly priced bicycles are more likely to be bought by kids priced out of the housing market with some money to burn once the rent is paid.
As above I bought an alloy Tallboy for local duties that frame due to a small issue was warrented with a v5 cc version at very little cost to me over the free c version. I paid £1800 for the alloy frame then another 300 for the CC upgrade which was my choice and for resale in the future should i ever need my head examining . Rapid is one way to call the it on almost every level , light looks the part and is sooo much fun to ride even to the point I was debating taking it o Morzine this year instead of its bigger mega brother . Besides it makes me laugh when you turn up at the trail head with a £5k+ bike on the roof of a 3k car .
but I do admire how their marketing has given them some kind of exclusive desirability.
As above, this has not influenced my decision to buy one in any way. I don’t do trail centres so no opportunity to show it off.
They make really decent bikes, backed up by an amazing warranty.
3k car
3k car sir! Must be private practice... I'm in a 18 year old Octavia with 215k on the clock 😂 worth probably nothing.
I know a dentist, he’s spent hundreds of thousands on racing yachts, has several sports cars and properties. Never seen him riding a bicycle tbh.<br /><br />
it’s more of a US trope (although your yacht friend seems to fit too) where a dentist commands a large salary but unlike many other high earning professionals they aren’t typically saddled with big commutes, business travel, 80 hour weeks, unsociable shift patterns etc. plus there are dentists everywhere, whereas there probably isn’t much call for investment banking in Moab. <br />Free time and large disposable income in a small city or large town means the chance to buy your way into any number of equipment heavy outdoor activities, not just mtb.
Is it just me, or are they not quite as aspirational as they used to be anyway?
Definitely. They are a mainstream brand like Trek and Specialized who all make great bikes (at a similar price range…) backed up with a great warranty. I just happen to prefer Santa Cruz.
Disagree about 'Specialized' and 'great warranty' in the same sentence.
'Total whhaaaaaannnankers' is what I'd have described them as when I had to get a frame that had a fatigue crack mid-span on a tube sorted (which wasn't sorted)..
Don't know much about the business but my brother visited the factory when out in California last year and was very impressed. Came away with the impression that they made all the carbon in house though I'm not sure that's correct. He was impressed enough to buy one (2nd hand) for my nephew.
I'm not set on the looks as the bend DT is a no-no for me and the top link is just too long and makes it look like a BSO but I'd consider one if the price was right and I wasn't more into steel skinnyness.
I did listen to one of the podcasts back in the summer when Joe was on it and he did come across as a sound guy. All the best to him for the future.
Came away with the impression that they made all the carbon in house though I’m not sure that’s correct.
Check out their Factory Tour playlist - from memory the frames (minus linkages etc) are made overseas but the Reserve carbon rims are made in house.
My daughter’s bike begs to differ
Disqualified for having colour matched Hope kit.
Tbey said they will never make an ebike, they had to… and they’re not good ones.. they are completely behind the curve.
How so? I spent a couple of months riding a Bullit and it was the best handling full fat eBike I've ridden, also the lightest. Coincidence? Yeah, the Shimano motor wouldn't be my choice but ridden solo it was great. With a Two Battery Turbo **** on a Levo the motor's shortcomings were clear but that doesn't make it a bad bike.
The colour matching Hope kit is nice, the rest is meh, any bikes with the shocks down there look wrong.
(Oh I’m a SC owner, but even if had cash, I wouldn’t buy a current FS from them)
I've owned multiple Santa Cruz bikes right from their beginning with the first Heckler(before it became the Superlight) right up until the first Hightower.
They were all well put together bikes and on the few occasions I had to use the warranty it was delt with without fuss.
I'm not now and never have been a dentist or an IT person.
However they did seem to get left behind a few year ago with their geo so I stopped buying them.
They just don't appeal to me anymore for some reason so I doubt I'll be buying another anytime soon.
I used to see them everywhere at my local trails just a few years ago, they were definitely the brand to have. Now everyone is riding ebikes, but none of them are Santa Cruz.
I owned a VP Free years ago, it was lovely but they don't do anything that floats my boat these days.
Now everyone is riding ebikes, but none of them are Santa Cruz.Now everyone is riding ebikes, but none of them are Santa Cruz.
They're quite new in a relative term to Ebikes.
honourablegeorge
Full MemberContrast to Yeti, who are more expensive, are hugely failure prone, have a maintenance heavy slider built into the suspension and have weak warranty support – but there’s not this gang of obsessives on every thread going on about their image or their owners
That's because Santa Cruzes are still popular while no bugger buys a yeti. Seriously, how many do you see of each on the trails? I can literally remember seeing one yeti in the last year, whereas pretty much every ride I'll see a santa cruz or a flock of them.
That’s because Santa Cruzes are still popular while no bugger buys a yeti. Seriously, how many do you see of each on the trails? I can literally remember seeing one yeti in the last year, whereas pretty much every ride I’ll see a santa cruz or a flock of them
Depends where you are, I guess. I see a few Yetis about, not anywhere near the scale of SC though.
I have an outright prejudice against Yeti though, from past experiences. So I automatically assume when someone is on one; they are either someone who barely rides it so it doesn’t fall apart, a total punter who doesn’t ride it hard enough for it to fall apart, or a supported rider, so when it does fall apart, it gets dealt with.
The Irony is that having been arguably late to the ebike party from what I have been told by friends in the industry is that they have become a ebike manufacturer who does a few normal bike on the side, a bit like Porsche who are now an suv brand that makes a few sports cars on the side. Such has been the swing in demand for their products
I don't know about that....they make 13 bikes and 3 ebikes. I recently bought a heavily discounted Santa Cruz and hey ho it's like a bicycle but nicer. I've had Norco, Transition, Kona and a couple of German brands before and the Santa Cruz just feels and looks much more premium, rides really well too.
As for the Yetis , i have looked at the sb140 and 150 but living up north where bikes get dirty the infinity link is a problem and are the reports for verious LBSs about rather flimsy rear triangles .. I will stick with what I know and works . Some massive savings at Stiff if anyones looking .. prices are about that same as a mid range Whyte ..
I always thought Santa Cruz full builds were there because they had to have them but that nobody really bought them as most were sold frame only and built.
I went frame only on my Hightower a few years ago. I’m not a dentist. The frame from sigma was cheaper than a privateer by way of a comparison.
Santa Cruz might be expensive but they still seem to be a fair chunk cheaper than the equivalent Orange and look a whole lot better too!
They lost quite a bit in the CRC crash. Looked like they offloaded build kits (remember those fox forks with odd decal kits) and never got the money back
The discounts on some year and a half old builds are incredible. Especially the 5010. Assume they have massive overstock (most sizes available) and almost no market like everyone else.
dc1988Full Member
I used to see them everywhere at my local trails just a few years ago, they were definitely the brand to have. Now everyone is riding ebikes, but none of them are Santa Cruz.
I take it you don’t ride in Surrey hills on a sunny Sunday morning 😉 there are loads of Santa Cruz e-bikes!
Santa Cruz might be expensive but they still seem to be a fair chunk cheaper than the equivalent Orange and look a whole lot better too!
Really? What are you comparing? Hightower C seems similar if not more expensive compared to the Stage 6 Evo.
Mentioned before that I used to like the look of Santa Cruz but they seem to make less effort now and the current head tube area looks terrible.
A thread about a change in CEO. Amazing. It's was a business with pressure from stakeholders, and... Still is.
Don't see much change happening.
Don't own a santa cruz, never have. Just a random "what now" will probably be "same as every other bike co"
But are they going to be sucked up into full commercialism now and cut their ties with niche
Lol.
Meh, I didn't know who was boss at SC before and I still don't care now. They've always been an 'aspirational' brand and that's not unique I guess.
I'd always assumed their need to keep on top of fashions (geometry and colours), maintain a solid race team presence for publicity and bait the transporter crowd (specifically by being pricey) was why they were priced higher.
There's nothing wrong with that but they've never offered an 'affordable' product (that's not their market) and their core products are MTBs, there's not much appetite for them outside of fat tyres. I think the market for aspirational bling MTBs is about to contract a bit.
So if I'd made myself a tidy sum already, and I could see the next few years will be challenging as CEO of an aspirational brand, I would be tempted to jack it in too.
