Santa Cruz Bronson C S Am Pike (2017)

The Santa Cruz Bronson. Its reputation precedes it, and for good reason. When it was first released in 2013 it left all other bike brands scrabbling in the dust. It was one of the first trail bikes on the market designed specifically for 650b wheels, and it took the enduro world by storm. This new updated version has some rather excellent tweaks based on Santa Cruz rider feedback over the last couple of years.

The more noticeable upgrade is the totally reworked VPP® link arrangement. It has been redesigned to make it more impact resistant with cleaner lines and even better lateral stiffness. At the same time Santa Cruz have managed to provide better small bump sensitivity and a more progressive mid-stroke.

Other significant updates were to the bike’s geometry. While the original Santa Cruz Bronson was an exceptionally capable enduro and trail centre bike, the updates have honed it even closer to perfection. The seat tube angle has been steepened to provide better uphill performance, allowing the rider to be in the most efficient pedalling position for crushing those steep uphill technical sections of trail. A one degree slacker head angle, hits the magic number of 66 degrees for downhill performance. Coupled with a slightly longer top tube and shorter chainstays, and this bike is a weapon on the descents.

Carbon fibre comes in many different grades. As with most things, the price compared to quality does not go up linearly but exponentially. By using a slightly lower grade of carbon which Santa Cruz has dubbed their C-Level carbon, they have managed to significantly drop the price of their carbon frame, with no loss in stiffness, durability or strength and only a small weight gain of 280 grams compared to the top end CC carbon. This puts performance within reach of more riders than ever before, lifting the race pace of World Cup athletes and privateers alike.