Juliana

Furtado 2.0 Carbon CC X01 Complete Mountain Bike - 2016

The Juliana Furtado has built a reputation as the gold standard of trail bikes, setting the curve for trail-ripping fun. For 2016, Juliana takes a leap of faith with the launch of a drastically revised Furtado geometry, promising an even better ride than its predecessor. The Furtado 2.0 Carbon CC X01 Complete Mountain Bike begins with that heavily revised frame — lower, longer, slacker, yet with a more aggressive pedaling platform and nimbler back end — and pairs it with a Fox Float Factory rear shock, a RockShox Pike fork, a dose of SRAM X01 componentry, and SRAM's new Guide RSC hydraulic disc brakes to create a race-ready whip ready to shred some serious trail.

The key geometry changes accounting for the transition to the 2.0 designation lie in the head and seat tubes. They're slacker and steeper, respectively, with the head tube losing a whole degree, from 68 to 67, bringing it in line with the previous Bronson model. As you can imagine, the change is noticeable when the tires hit dirt, completely blowing up our own expectations for how much crunch a "trail" bike is equipped to handle.

The steepened seat tube is equally impressive, though in a different way. The forward-oriented position of the saddle makes for better leverage on the pedals while grinding out climbs or burning diesel on long stretches of fast singletrack. The Furtado 2.0 also has a longer reach, lower bottom bracket, 5mm more travel, increased dropper range, stubbier chainstays, and a wider rear axle. That pile of alterations means that it pedals harder, takes bigger bites out of terrain, and provides a wider dropper range for aggressively tackling double-digit grades on either side of zero.

The Virtual Pivot Point 3 (VPP3) suspension also got hit by the redesign hammer. The most immediately obvious change is the extra 5mm of travel, but the tuning has also been revised. Where the old suspension curve described a deep "U," VPP3's curve resembles a flattened check mark, with less dramatic ramping on either end of the travel arc.

The results are that, during the initial stroke, VPP3 boasts increased small bump compliance to keep the tires glued to the trail for more traction across lumpy trails and root lattices. It also maintains its predecessor's firm feel during accelerations while jockeying for position in a mass start or clearing a shelf at the crux of a climb. When paired with FOX's Evol air can, the ramp-up arc doesn't dramatically alter as the shock compresses, so the pedaling platform stays consistent across travel with less wallowing, bob, and bottom-outs — even while the axle's path turns rearward as travel increases to absorb big hits.

Despite these changes, Santa Cruz opts for the same top-end Carbon CC construction method and materials featured throughout its 2015 line. Beginning with superior materials allows the engineers to use less carbon in order to hit stiffness targets while claiming weight savings that hover just under the 300g mark. Both triangles are constructed as whole, monocoque pieces, which also contributes to keeping weight low because the carbon can be wrapped through junctures and around joints. This eliminates the artificial weak points of bonded frames and actually requires less material in the process. While it's being cured, the frame is compacted from inside and out, a final step that virtually eliminates any excess material and resin pooling, resulting in more structural integrity and, of course, additional weight savings.