Few brands have captivated their audience like Santa Cruz Bicycles. Year after year, Santa Cruz tops polls as the most sought-after mountain bike brand in the industry. Why? The reason is simple: Santa Cruz aims to build the best bikes possible, so they can ride them. That's right, from painters to engineers to builders to the owner, they share a passion for the trail as fiery as yours or ours. At Santa Cruz, bikes are life -- not just a business, a career or a job.

Santa Cruz is a company run by riders that double as perfectionists. For example, when they re-invented the Blur LT, they announced it to the world with a press release titled "Messing with Success." After three years of riding it, they knew they could make it better, so they scrapped their best selling bike to date, and started from the ground up. They didn't just tinker, they re-thought every last detail -- the VPP link; the bearing system; the hardware; the standover clearance; even the derailleur hanger. And that's their approach to all of their models, including the new Nomad. If Santa Cruz can imagine a better way, they aren't afraid to start fresh.

Santa Cruz is stubborn about more than just their design work. They understand that blue sky thinking amounts to little if there isn't outstanding execution. In short, they deliver. They work closely with suppliers to ensure that every tube meets their specifications. They continually strive to improve quality control measures -- frames go through rigorous tolerance, alignment, critical dimension and weld checks throughout production, only to do it again before each process at their warehouse in Santa Cruz -- quality control, powdercoat, decal and assembly. You're not going to see a Santa Cruz frame that's 5mm out of alignment out of the box. It'd never make it out their door. Tolerances are kept so super tight, you're virtually guaranteed your bike will rail dirt.

What other company has the cojones to "mess with success"? Who would even recommend it? Owner Rob Roskopp (yep, that Roskopp) admits it's a somewhat selfish interest. He wants to ride the best bike. Period. And his employees want the same for themselves. In the end, we all benefit.