Here it is: a great, off-the-shelf race bike that has been around the block and knows how to ride every condition. Tested, proven, improved, tested again, proven again. The Santa Cruz Blur XC is probably the model we're asked about most of all the mountain bikes we carry. The words "off the shelf" are rarely paired with "race bike" these days. It can be a deadly combination. Many companies mix their in-house brand components with high-zoot stuff, which doesn’t bring down the price but seems to reduce the overall quality of the complete bike. If you buy a bike and then swap out the bars, stem, seat post, saddle, and tires, the bike suddenly gets a lot more expensive. We're cognizant of this issue, and so is Santa Cruz -- they don’t cut corners by throwing their label on other components. They can't really. They're a small company and spend too much of their time riding and refining to make the necessary trips to Taiwan and China to find the right factories to add their label to otherwise anonymous componentry. They know what they do well, and they're sticking to it. You should take a good look at the four component builds Santa Cruz has specified for their Blur XC complete bike. They're all something we'd have no problem racing out of the box and come in at different price points. We venture to guess that at least one of them is how you might set a bike up yourself. The XTR XC is the top shelf package again available in anodized finishes: Black or Silver. We love Shimano XTR -- it represents the pinnacle of mountain bike performance, and this build features a full XTR drivetrain, shifting and braking. Easton Monkey Lite carbon bars and a Thomson Masterpiece post bring the weight down without sacrificing an ounce of toughness. At the wheels, the rims, spokes, and nipples remain unchanged from the SPX build, but the hubs get upgraded to the DT Swiss 240s, which offers a generous weight savings over the 340s while being its equal everywhere else. The sweet Fox Float RP23 continues here, but the fork gets upgraded to the recently redesigned Rock Shox SID Team 100, a pro racing fork with an incredible lineage. The X9 XC build is available only in anodized colors: Black or Silver. It has a smattering of SRAM X-9 components -- rear derailleur and trigger shifters. A Shimano XT front derailleur and an SLX crankset round out the drivetrain. Like the SPX build, you have the Avid Juicy 7 with 160mm rotors for stoppers. After that, the rest of the group is identical to the XTR XC build. The SPX XC build also limits the frame to anodized colors: Black or Silver. This features a full Shimano XT drivetrain and Avid Juicy 7 brakes with 160mm rotors. Here, the wheels get downgraded slightly from the two top of the line kits to DT Swiss XR 4.2d rims laced with alloy nipples and DT Swiss Competition 14/15 double-butted spokes to DT Swiss 340 hubs. Sealed, long-running, hassle-free, and great pawl engagement. The shock is the smooth-and-sweet Fox Float RP23 with ProPedal, and the fork is the Fox F100 RLC, which is not only a great fork, but easy to fine-tune. According to Santa Cruz, this build drops about a pound off the R XC. The R XC build is the "value" end of the lot. You get a high-performing bike and get away with the smallest cash outlay. We certainly remember this from our younger days. To keep prices down, you can only get it in powder-coated colors: Black, Lime, Liquid Blue, Red, White, or Yellow. You get a better rear derailleur than a front because the rear does more work. The other parts you want to be solid, but keep in mind that upgrading is always a possibility when you're a little more flush. True to form, the rear derailleur is the Shimano XT, with Shimano SLX in front, mated to SLX shifters and crank. The brakes are Avid Juicy 5 with 160mm rotors. The wheels are built by SC, mating Mavic XM 117 rims with DT 14g spokes and brass nipples, to Shimano XT hubs. If you were building wheels yourself and figuring out your budget, this set gives you a nice combo of light weight and durability. The shock is the lightweight and reliable Fox Float R that works transitions from rebound to compression well. Rounding it out is a lightweight, air sprung Fox 32 F100 R fork. If you'd prefer to customize your Blur XC, please click here. The Santa Cruz Blur XC Complete Bike uses a 30.9mm seat post and a 34.9 dual-pull front derailleur. The right dropout has a replaceable derailleur hanger. And, there are braze-ons for both a down tube water bottle cage and an under the down tube water bottle cage for your epic rides. The frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the bearings are guaranteed for life. Please note -- complete bike specifications are subject to change without notice. US Santa Cruz dealers are prohibited from shipping Santa Cruz bicycles outside of the United States.
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configure/buy Blur XC Complete Bike
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