The 20mm pivot positioned at the heart of the Santa Cruz Bullit emphatically signals Santa Cruz's intentions with this frame -- it can take heaps of abuse. Lots of people like to think that the pivot bearings have to do mostly with the motion of the suspension. We see the big pivot and bearings as being better able to resist the torsional forces that can make bikes feel noodly and ultimately wreck frames. Santa Cruz has done riders right and has a lifetime guarantee on the pivot. 2008 marked the return of the Bullit, back from a hiatus. When it was first introduced, the bike seemed like a 'tweener, an oddity. It was stuck between riding categories. Our friends at Mountain Bike Action called it an "enigma." Today, there are many bikes fitting in this realm. It's a long-travel trail bike that works well into downhill territory. It's burly without being too heavy, the bike you can ride uphill to your favorite run, or ride all day on super-technical terrain. The thing everyone appreciates is how forgiving and stable these bikes are, making the pilot seem like an even better bike handler than he is, allowing that same pilot to push the envelope of speed and control. Beyond answering gravity's call with conviction, the Santa Cruz Bullit delivers an impressive value. It's able to do so because of the simplicity associated with its single-pivot design -- less parts, less pivots, less machining, etc. It all adds up to savings, but not just in your wallet. Less pivots also equates to less maintenance, which hopefully translates into more time in the saddle. But all this doesn't come at the cost of performance -- the Bullit is anchored by an 8.5" x 2.5" Fox DHX 3 Coil which yields 179mm of plush travel. It's a pretty impressive unit with bottom-out resistance, rebound adjustment, a coil spring preload, combined with compression and rebound circuits that can both have the sensitivity to smooth out the small stuff and enough spring to work on the big. Or for a $215 upcharge, you can upgrade to a Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 coil or a Fox DHX Air. The Bullit is overbuilt. The tubing is drawn from 6069 aluminum and shaped for stiffness. Take a good look at those head tube gussets. They join the top and down tubes to the oversized onepointfive head tube, which helps the frame withstand the twisting forces of even a 203mm fork. Next, eyeball that bottom bracket. It has ISCG-05 mounts for when you want to run a chainguide. Peer at the gap between the stays -- generous tire clearance, enough for 2.5" tires. On that left stay, notice the ISO brake mount -- designed to accept rotors up to 203mm. Look at the dropouts. The quick release dropouts can be retro-fitted with 12 x 150mm thru-axle dropouts, and a floating disc brake mount can also be installed. Done up this way, it's a freeriding bruiser. Even with this design, it can be built fairly light. Put a 160mm fork and cross-country parts and the Bullit can turn into a svelte 32lb trail bike that can scoot uphill and provide epic comfort. Because of this, the Bullit easily spans categories from all-mountain (if built light), to more of a downhill or freeride bike when built up with a more robust build and longer travel fork. While the frame was designed around the Rock Shox Totem 180mm travel fork, it will easily accept any 160 - 203mm fork. The Santa Cruz Bullit frame is available powder-coated in your choice of Black, Lime, Liquid Blue, Red, White, or Yellow. Or for a $150 upcharge, yours can be anodized in Black or Bronze. It has a 30.9 seat tube, and uses a 34.9mm dual-pull front derailleur. The bottom bracket shell is 73mm wide with ISCG-05 tabs for easy chainguide installation. The weight, with the DHX 3 Coil shock, according to Santa Cruz, is 9.4lbs (3.864kg). 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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configure/buy Bullit
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