Got sent an email today advertising the Santa Cruz Bronson. It does look the nads, so I thought I’d see how much the blinged up version worked out at? Ok, so the wheels are £1500 but it came to £9000 !!! The bottom spec starts at £4300. Apparently I’ve got to act fast as there’s loads of interest in them. Don’t think I’ll be able to smuggle that one past my better half. Probably wouldn’t want to leave it outside a pub either? It costs more than any car I’ve ever owned.

It’s about the going rate for any Santa Cruz I think.

I saw these a week or so ago. Really nice bike. Specked so you dont have to change a thing lovely looking thing. I really dont want this thread to turn into a wheel size thread but the wheels would put me off. I dont know why really its just my 26″ wheels work and i have no reason to change them, but saying that i also have no real reason not to change them. hummmmmm

Possibly the best looking bike I have ever seen. But the price 8-O.

The Santa Cruz bikes builder prices are a bit high at the best of times, carbon frame, wheels and XTR bling, what did you expect? :p

£9000

Could buy a freaking Kwak 636 for that or be half of the way towards a BMW S1000RR HP4. There’s no way a bicycle should cost that much.

Kwak 636 – comparable suspension in terms of technology to that 9K build, an engine that makes 20,000 rpm, electronics packages derived from WSBK, a chassis that has been designed, redesigned and tested on tracks to get the correct flex. The list goes on.

The reason that Santa Cruz Bronsons start at 4.5k and ends at 9k is because people are willing to spend that on the name, the 650b wheels and the “oooh it’s shiney” carbon factor. These people tend to be roadies who also splurge tens of thousands on ridiculously overpriced Italian road bike frames.

The reason that Santa Cruz starts at 4.5k and ends at 9k is because people are willing to spend that on the name, the 650b wheels and the “oooh it’s shiney” carbon factor

Correct, I really want one. And I’m not ashamed to admit to what you have said.

. These people tend to be roadies who also splurge tens of thousands on ridiculously overpriced Italian road bike frames.

Incorrect, I’m not remotely interested in roadying.
Call me a spendthrift idiot easily wowed by bling and shiney, but don’t dare call me a roadie 😀

We’ve got three on order at the last count, sadly not mine but can’t wait to see them in the metal! 8)

Marketing these bikes in such a way that makes them such aspirational products that they are worth splurging 9k on is also a great way of earning money in the current climate.

Because the only people that haven’t been hit by the recession are those that can afford to blow that kind of money on something so ridiculous.

The best thing I saw was a review a while back of the new V-10 Carbon that complained it lacked front end feel. Yahhh…..probably something to do with the fact you made the frame, wheels and bars out of carbon….in the name reducing a bit of weight and selling a shiney luxury product.

bwaarp. the carbon puts me off, the 650b puts me off. But it just looks right and i want one. probs will never get one but you have to admit it does just look right. Like that carbon kona dh bike looks right. i dont know why but …..

It does look nice, in a kind of….what if my Mega was made out of carbon way.

In fact, I know someone that could do really nice carbon layups for me. I bet I could get a copy of my Mega prototyped in carbon….with my own custom geometry…for the cost of that build.

Bwaarp is absolutely correct. I won’t buy one, don’t get me wrong. I haven’t got £9k to throw at a bike, but I might if I had it.

If I had that kind of money I’d go the whole hog…spend even more and be having several different frame prototypes made with different geometry and different levels of stiffness….then I’d chuck the ones I didn’t like away or give them to you guys.

If you squint a bit, that looks like a Specialized Camber. You don’t need to squint much, mind, just enough so you can see the rear end hasn’t got a Horst Link…..

Saw someone riding the lime green one in whistler the other day. Looks amazing in the flesh. If I had a spare $10k I’d definitely buy one. Unfortunately I have $300 cad in the bank, so a tad out of my league.

If it was a 26er, I’d probably have got a bronson frame. It’s sufficiently different to my LTc to justify an upgrade (in my mind)
Can’t swallow new forks and wheels though.
Want is a strange thing isn’t it? My LTc is utterly fantastic but I want a bronson. My SXs are brilliant but I want ENVE rims. I cannot justify either in terms of skill of cost, but I still want.

$10k

Yes but in the USA/Canada Santa Cruz’s are significantly cheaper…a frame that costs 2000 dollars there usually cost 2000 sterling here, they have a lower cost of living and they earn the same kinds of wages.

They still aren’t sanely priced but the prices are not totally bat shit insane like here.

Want is a strange thing isn’t it? My LTc is utterly fantastic but I want a bronson. My SXs are brilliant but I want ENVE rims. I cannot justify either in terms of skill of cost, but I still want.

If you want to spend lots on rims don’t go with ENVE, the new Syntaces are where it’s at. 900 quid will buy you wheels that are as light as ENVE’s, wider, nearly as stiff, made out of aluminium and they’ll come with a good warranty and crash replacement policy.

Considering some of the guys at mtbnews.de can’t tell the difference in stiffness…the stupidly huge width of them will also actually benefit you at your level of riding as opposed to the benefits the ENVE’s will give you. You’ll be able to run really really low tyre pressures without worrying about tyre roll, without worrying about cracking the rims (you can bend dents out of aluminium) and you’ll get decreased rolling resistance to boot.

P.S This was all “IMO”.

If you want to spend lots on rims don’t go with ENVE, the new Syntaces are where it’s at. 900 quid will buy your wheels that are as light as ENVE’s, wider, made out of aluminium and come with a good warranty and crash replacement policy.

You don’t understand the reasoning behind carbon wheels or why people buy them if that’s what you recommend. 😛

Edit: I wrote this before you added some extra to you last post!

^^^^hes right you know. I’ve seen ENVE rim stickers on ebay though, so will have a look at the syntaces 😆
More seriously, are you talking about the MX jobs?

Too rich for me, I’m only dicking about in the woods after all and that bike looks a bit serious

And what would those be? Extortionate replacement costs? Enve’s crash replacement policy means you’re still paying 350 per rim.

More seriously, are you talking about the MX jobs?

Yup, specifically the 35mm or 40mm wide models. Long wait times though, I had to really search to find some 40mm models by using google.de….and I bottled the buy as I don’t think I can afford it until the summer.

The 40mm rims are going to make my previous Flows seem horribly skinny

hes right you know. I’ve seen ENVE rim stickers on ebay though, so will have a look at the syntaces

Hah, it’s reverse snobbery with the syntaces though…Enve’s are for show as alluded to, Syntaces are for people that are actually discerning. 😛

Bling is bad, subtly awesome is the best – buy parts because they are actually going to make a difference to ride characteristics you can feel….people who buy for the name are to be looked down upon like the nouveau riche tasteless scum they probably are. People will expect you to ride like Steve Peat if they see you rocking ENVE’s….do you want to have to live up to that image?

£9000? Wow. Why?

Most i’ve spent on a bike was £800.

I aspire to be nouveau riche. 😀
I don’t have enough money or class (!) for that particular tag. I’m rough as assholes, me.

Squaddies hey! Nothing wrong with being rough!

Nouveau riche have no class though. Class is not something you can just buy 😛 You can be working class and have some class/taste.

I thought it was an April Fools when the story came out.

Is it possible to be in class deficit?
Before you answer, think of the sweariest person you know. I’m swearier. Once accidentally forgot myself and dropped the c bomb in front of the MIL…..

only problem with owning that bike is you would have to be a good rider too because having a bike that good and just being average wouldnt work ! people would laugh at you on your club rides 🙂

Average looks, nasty orange bits on it, daft sized wheels, dinky top tube and silly price

I’m out….

Before you answer, think of the sweariest person you know. I’m swearier. Once accidentally forgot myself and dropped the c bomb in front of the MIL…..

I think class forgives swearing at MIL’s. We all know how testing they can be.

I would still climb a hill at the same speed on it….slowly! WAAAAAY too much £££ i’ll stick with the enduro

bars look a bit narrow

& how many bottle cages?

£9k?…. in the world of road bikes, you are just about getting going… lol

price up a baum correto with campag super record eps, lightweight ventoux wheels, and suitably pimp cockpit components and then see how expensive a pushbike can be!

I think it looks shit

the frame alone is £2600 rrp

So are there really £6400 worth of parts on the full build?

Would it be cheaper to buy frame and build yourself?

If I was going to spunk £9,000 on something that looks fugly, garish, and straight out of the ’80s, I’d get a Pontiac Trans Am. 😆

price up a baum correto with campag super record eps, lightweight ventoux wheels, and suitably pimp cockpit components and then see how expensive a pushbike can be!

But it wouldn’t be UCI legal, oh the hilarity.

That’s the problem though, there are plenty of roadies willing to splurge insane money on Italian roadbikes and they are coming over to MTB like a plague of diseased bubonic rats.

Our sport should implement some minimum weights like roadcycling for downhill and XC bikes as well as regulations governing certain standards such as 20mm or 15mm axles, headtubes etc to try to keep the sport from developing spiralling costs – through changing standards that make **** all difference everywhere other year.

135mm, 142mm, 150mm rear hubs, QR, 10mm bolt throughs, 12mm bolt throughs, 1 1/8th straight, 1 1/2 straight, 1 1/2 tapered, 1 1/4 tapered, 650b, 35mm bars (which are too stiff)….it’s all getting a bit silly

That’s the problem though, there are plenty of roadies willing to splurge insane money on Italian roadbikes and they are coming over to MTB like a plague of diseased bubonic rats.

really?

there are lots of people other than roadies that want to get dirty that will splurge that much

the £8k full Enve, XX1 build is **** all to some people,

don’t hate them

the full £8k is A LOT to some people, yet they still buy

don’t hate them