Competitive Cyclist

SANTA CRUZ BLUR XC CARBON

When the Blur XC was originally introduced, it set the XC world on its ear. At a time when XC racing was done almost exclusively on hardtails -- as if a race wasn't a sufferfest in and of itself -- it provided plush travel in a lightweight, sturdy package. Now, Santa Cruz' first foray into carbon bikes isn't just pretty or light, it's as strong as hell. Like no fine print strong as hell. It takes cross country race bikes to the next level -- creating one of their strongest frames to date, and knocking one full pound from its aluminum predecessor.

The Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon is the hallmark of a new era for Santa Cruz as a company, and the direction of cross country mountain biking. When it came to the redesign, their goals were simple: it has to be light; it has to pedal flawlessly; it has to be stiff; and it's gotta be strong. Santa Cruz recognizes that the cleanest line isn't always the fastest, and the 105mm of travel of the Blur XC Carbon forgives when you've gotta go fast.

At 4.3 pounds, it sure qualifies for light in our book. But let's talk about its handling for a moment. Delving into carbon for the first time, Santa Cruz admittedly was nervous -- they didn't want some flimsy piece-of-you-know-what emblazoned with their logo everywhere. So they doubled their critical test targets. They made frames and they broke frames. They tried different modulus carbons. They did it again and again until they nailed it. The result is an über-stiff carbon chassis, paired with the new generation of VPP. It's the same Virtual Pivot Point Design (VPP) that graced the recent redesigns of the Blur LT and Nomad -- completely different than the prior iteration. The totally redesigned upper and lower links flatten out the shock rate and provide a more active feel to the early end of the axle path. It allows the rear wheel to move up and back as you ride over a bump. It balances the downward force of your pedaling with the pulling force of the chain through its link configuration and axle path. The resulting movement makes it even easier to roll over a bump, or through a dip.

The VPP design also prevents pedal-induced compression and lock-out, and the suspension doesn’t change whether or not you’re in the saddle. Whether it is rolling through rock gardens, climbing water bars, descending stairs, or riding on lumpy fire roads, the suspension is active and responsive, even driving the rear wheel into the ground when pedaling furiously, enhancing the bike's traction and climbing characteristics.

They added a carbon fiber upper link to both shave weight and enhance lateral stiffness. Easily-serviceable grease ports were added to the aluminum alloy lower link (grease gun and grease included). The pivots now have beefy 15mm locking axle-pins. They run on intricately-sealed bearings with one-way purging seals that should last the life of the frame, and don't creak or loosen. For the people who want every lightweight feature addressed, Santa Cruz topped it off with titanium bolts in all the places that made good sense. What does this all mean? Practice your victory salute.

The Blur XC Carbon comes stock with a 6.5" x 1.5" Rock Shox Monarch 3.3, a lightweight, reliable shock that is easy to adjust and doesn't have too many confusing fine-tuning options. The Floodgate control provides a "near" lockout option to maximize efficiency during extended out-of-the-saddle climbing. Or for an additional $93, you can opt for a Fox Float RP23.

With the growing marathon market in mind, the frame is designed to work with forks with up to 120mm of travel. The rear triangle is designed to accept tires up to 2.35" in diameter. Owing to the cross-country design, the frame has ISO brake mounts that can take up to 185mm rotors. On the front end, the cross-country influence extends to a head tube designed to accept 1-1/8" headsets.

The Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon is available in Carbon/Silver or Carbon/Orange. It requires a 30.9 seatpost and a 34.9mm traditional top pull front derailleur. The right dropout has a replaceable derailleur hanger. There are braze-ons for both a down tube water bottle cage and an under the down tube water bottle cage. The frame weight, with a Monarch 3.3 shock, is, according to Santa Cruz, 4.3lbs (1.952kg), a full pound lighter than its aluminum predecessor. We weighed a large at just 4.49 lbs (2.039kg)! The frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the bearings are guaranteed for life.

US Santa Cruz dealers are prohibited from shipping Santa Cruz bicycles outside of the United States.

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2010 Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon Pricing