I tried one and it just felt like all the other small wheeled VPP bikes i’ve owned. 😐
Nothing magical or trail enlivening about it.

dirtyrider – Member

just get a tallboyC LTC and stop **** about

http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/bronson-carbon#builder
11-12 will be hard to get kit that works for AM/Enduro for that weight. Seems to build 13.5kg at base and down to 12.5kg
5010 starts at 12.9 and drops to 12 with X01

yeah but the zestys got narrow bars and inferior, flexier fox forks etc etc

the bronsons more of a gnarpoonists weapon! well i imagine it is, never ridden one!

Im sure I could build my process up to a lighter weight but Id be compromising what its good for (dont get me wrong as it wears out i plan to upgrade the deore/budget sram bits and save some weight)

But now Ive got the bike I think the longer reach and shorter chainstays compared to the bronson are what makes it great, not a kg or 2!

I tried one, and didn’t like it.

Typical SC, short TT, not slack enough & BB needed to be lower. Also as others have said, felt like it had less travel than it did.

I could ride it quite quickly, just like my old Nomad, but I didn’t ever enjoy it. Hard work to ride as fast as other better bikes.

Seems like the CCDB Air CS makes it a better ride. Not sure how I feel about a £2800+ (when specced with a CTD) frame needing a £500 shock on top to make it work properly?

Me personally, there are better bike out there. 26″, 27.5″ & 29″.

if it makes a difference to people SC still spec threaded BB shells 🙂

Anyone compared one to an Ibis Mojo HDR? I have once and love it, I didnt get to demo it ir the SC and sometimes wonder what the Bronson would be like in comparison?

had an LTc and it was a hugely underwhelming bike, with the bronson being nothing more than a blur with more tyre clearance i cant see it being much different.
Santa cruz are the yank Orange, adequate bikes but massively overpriced and over rated.

had an LTc and it was a hugely underwhelming bike,

I’d have to go with the complete opposite, my LTc is one of the best (if not the best) bikes i have ridden and the list of ones I have ridden is as long as my arm.

The ground tracking is incredible, the weight for the build is superb, the stiffness is great and despite the compression damping failing on the shock it still climbs very well (it took a few weeks to notice)

…and neither does the Bronson!

The kinematics don’t support that.

I’m In the 650 All mountain market at the min. The pivot mach 6 is on my list but I am loving this at the moment, not out till March and only in Ali.

http://knollybikes.com/bikes/warden

The kinematics don’t support that.

Please come up with something to back that up. ❓
I can’t be sure that you’re wrong but the riding certainly doesn’t back that up, so it would be good if you can.

I’d have to go with the complete opposite, my LTc is one of the best (if not the best) bikes i have ridden and the list of ones I have ridden is as long as my arm.

Yep. Smashes anything DW or Horst I’ve ever ridden, and I’ve ridden and owned a few…..

neallyman – Member
The kinematics don’t support that.
Please come up with something to back that up.

It’s all about bikes on paper these days….

Only had mine for a couple of weeks so still in the honeymoon period. Very happy with it so far though, I’m sure some won’t like the way it rides but different strokes for different folks.

Only had my Bronson for a short period so can’t comment fully on it’s abilities however first impressions are pretty favourable. Love the VPP platform, and coming from my LTc I find my large Bronson to be longer in the TT even with a 50mm stem, although it does not feel as ‘plush’ straight from the box. I have read mixed reviews about the Fox CTD shock so am contemplating borrowing a Monarch to see if I notice a difference. I am still playing with the fork & shock pressures though.
Not sure about the brake-jack comments above as this is one thing the VPP bikes do not suffer from. Same with the weight as I have this one at 26.3lbs with sensible tyres, Reverb, lots of sealant, MuckyNutz & pedals.

It does feel more stable in the corners than my 26″ LTc did and this was one of the things that I immediately liked about 27.5 when I tried it out.

It is a thing of beauty.

One of the points of the VPP system is they don’t suffer stiffening of the rear suspension under braking.

I do think though, and noticed with my old NomadC that on faster sections, particulary rooted & rutted stuff (constant repeated hits) it rode like crap, the suspension stiffened up and skipped about. It felt like brake jack, without the braking.

Maybe it’s something to do with the tune of the shock, or the Fox shock just doesn’t work great with this frame.

reading previous comments feels like a lot of people have views without any actual saddle time. i’ve had 1 on loan for 2months & done multiple 5hr rides. its certainly not heavy, 27lbs with dropper post & 2.3tyres.
I really like the way it rides, ploughing thru rough & loose rock sections is amazing. not sure what other bikes people are riding but the b.bracket certainly feels low enough & cornering is precise & fast. as with seemingly all santa cruz you need to upsize. I normally ride a medium, but a medium bronson would be comedy short for me, so this loaner is a large.

theres a couple of issues that no1 else has mentioned, so I will. firstly it feels well made & well finished. bearings are well sealed.
5year frame warranty & lifetime bearing warranty. after owning a sb66 that ate bearings…

I’ve got a couple of negatives, the chainstay tyre clearance is fairly tight, 2.35 hans dampf is the biggest you want in there, or even smaller if you ride in thick mud (they could have made more width tyre clearance as there masses of chainring clearance) the VPP link behind the bottom bracket needs some sort of protector to protect it from rock impacts.

as ever I’d recommend demo test ride for yourself & make up your own mind 🙂

It’s always really difficult to judge FS bike designs when shock/tune/pressures all make so much of a difference. I find that even 5psi of tyre pressure can make a huge difference to how rear suspension feels.
It’s a shame that Fox seemingly messed up with the CTD shocks – there must be a lot of people out there riding under-performing bikes.

Interesting reading these comments, but I know I’d have to ride one myself for a few rides before coming to any conclusion.

Just had a quick play on a custom builder for the Bronson C (UByk) and they reckon you can get it down to 25.5 lbs (I think less due to the way the calculator works but hey) with pedals, a reverb, carbon rims and hans dampfs. That’s pretty svelte for a 150mm AM bike say I…

…It will cost a good chunk north of £8k though

I have demoed (an alu, for a quick 30 min blast) one and tbh I was more impressed by the solo, (It has still made the shortlist of ‘What Will Tom’s Next Bike Be?’ mind). Not because I didnt like/get on with it, just that the Solo performed better on that day/those trails (Stainburn). More dicking about research required methinks.

Just to throw my 2 cents in:
Totally can recommend a Zesty. I had a ’09 model but I suspect that new ones have the same character but improved in some ways (especially 27,5″, screw through axles, 150mm). Really love the suspension action and I guess this is what they call lively and poppy. Like a flying carpet 🙂 Relative long chainstay gives a very stable ride at high speeds but you do notice it in thight switchbacks. It is also a very light bike so I did a quite a lot of XC riding on it, no problems. Mates want to borrow it all the time for 24 hr races.
Other recommendation: Enduro carbon 26″. I have an alu comp ’12. It’s a more capable descender than the Zesty. Suspension feels very planted and also turns better with short chainstays and low bb. Surprisingly it has a very pedal friendly platform with propedal on (better than the Zesty). Also good on climbs, front feels planted. I do notice the weight difference tho so no XC on this bad boy. I guess the carbon version could be some folks ideal bike for everything from trail riding to light DH. (at least for those who prefer this kind of planted feel)

I would definietly consider these two in this category.

Funny really; JCL seems to suggest ‘hard’ feeling suspension is a negative and yet is the exact reason I went for it.

My local riding in the Peaks has the odd tough rocky section but there are miles inbetween these sections of mild off road and road. I like the fact that it feels like it has less travel than it has, in that it pedals very well. Then when you need it the suspension opens up to absorb the big hits.

Having said that I factored in a shock replacement when deciding upon the frame. I think it is shocking (forgive the pun) that SC can sell a £2.5K frame with such a poor shock then charge £220 to upgrade it to a fairly average shock. I bought a Vivid Air after the first ride for £315.

The TT of current SC are longer than previous models; factor in the odd sizing. If you need a large then you will be XL and medium a large; then they are very similar to most modern frames; certainly on my XL a 40/50mm stem is spot on with 785mm bars.

Tyre clearance is ok rather than good; I found the tyre height a problem with a 2.4 Trail King (Rubber Queen) and changed it for a 2.2 which fits fine.

As for weight, it weighs 30lb. For me this seems pretty light every other trail/AM bike I have had has been well into the 30s. Anything much lighter for me and my bikes don’t tend to work or last well.

Having ridden 29ers for the last few years and consider myself a convert (and fairly early adopter of big wheels) I have so far been impressed with 650b. Each wheel size has it’s pros and cons; whether 650b is the best of both worlds or merely mediocre I guess will come down to personal preference. In my opinion grip is similar and acceleration better than 29er. The roll seemed good but it is a little early to say as I haven’t ridden any challenging trails.

In summary – I haven’t had it long but so far I am happy with it, the frame is very stiff the angles are perfect and the BB height spot on (compared with a Mach 6 it is a fair chunk lower). The stock shock is rubbish.

Just to up date and thank everyone for their opinions I took the plunge and bought a SC Bronson C. First ride Afan yesterday and I’m convinced I made the right choice. Brilliant bike. Weight 26.65 lbs inc pedals Pikes, XT brakes Maxxis HR., 1 x 11.

I rode the tallboy ltc and bronson c back to back today on a demo. Had a couple of hours on each. The main thing I noticed was the stiffness compared to my al enduro. The bronson was not right for me but in the right hands no doubt a great bike. The lt on the other hand I thought was brilliant and I am considering parting with the cash for it.

The best way to find the right bike IMHO. I took a demo SC bike for a weekend. Carbon bikes feel very different to Alu.

Sprocker assume you were on the same demo as me, hope you enjoyed the beast. After riding the solo today I am going for the ltc

Here’s my new one, rode it at bike park Wales on Monday and I must say its awesome! I’ve added spacers to the front forks and I’m thinking about a CCDB air CS but overall it’s an epic bike. Mines an XL and I’m running the easton 50mm stem and it’s perfect for me, obviously everyone is different but for me I couldn’t be happier.

Lucas that was me, got a bit carried away on the beast which led to over the bronson s bars. I thought the ltc was wicked and think I am going to go for one to.

Stif are doing a demo day at stainburn on the 13th if folks are interested in trying some Santa cruz’s out.

Warning though, I did one last year, my wallet is significantly lighter….