Competitive Cyclist

SANTA CRUZ BLUR LT

The core value of Santa Cruz is a simple one: "Build the best bike we can, so we have a great bike to ride." Selfish? Perhaps. But we all win in the end. It's a pretty admirable way to run a bike company if you ask us. The Santa Cruz Blur LT, introduced in 2005, was a frame that got heaps of praise everywhere it went: Positive reviews, happy customers, great buzz. But it wasn’t enough. Santa Cruz imagined a world where there was an even better Blur LT out there. So Santa Cruz went back to the drawing board and put together a wish list. A better bike had to be possible. After two years of brainstorming, building, testing, revising, returning to the drawing board and repeating the process, they have come up with -- amazingly -- a better Blur LT. It’s a true 140mm-travel trail bike.

With the new Blur LT, Santa Cruz has blurred the lines between cross-country and all mountain. Obviously, the LT stands for long travel. 140mm controlled by a Virtual Pivot Point Design (VPP) that is completely different than the prior iterations. 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. 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? You'll have a hard time wiping the permasmile from your face.

The Blur LT comes stock with a 8.5" x 2.5" RockShox 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.

The Blur LT2 is crafted from a custom-butted 6069 aluminum tubeset that is both light and durable. It's been further tricked out with generous head tube gussets that allow the tubing diameter to stay thin while keeping things strong. The design of the top tube creates a much lower stand over height -- two inches lower -- than the previous generations of the Blur LT, improving your ability to maneuver the bike in rough terrain. The rear swingarm is light but plenty stiff, and the tubes are shaped for generous tire clearance (2.35"), which means less mud build-up. And, given its all-mountain intent, there's room for a 185mm rotor to maximize stopping power. Best of all, though, there’s an integrated bottle opener designed into the replaceable derailleur hanger for your favorite post-ride recovery drink.

The Santa Cruz Blur LT 2 frame is available in Black, Lime, Liquid Blue, Red, White, or Yellow powder coats. And for a limited time, Santa Cruz is offering the Blur LT anodized in Black or Skidmark at no extra charge over powder coat. It has a 1-1/8" head tube, and uses a 30.9 seat post. It requires a 34.9mm dual-pull front derailleur. The bottom bracket shell is 73mm wide. The max rotor size is 185mm. The weight, with Float RP23 shock, is, according to Santa Cruz, 6.35lbs (2.886kg). 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 LT Pricing