Santa Cruz Bicycles

Blur Carbon R Mountain Bike

If you're ready to take your cross-country endeavors more seriously, you need a quick and nimble bike to conquer tight switchbacks and punchy climbs, which is why you've got your eye on the Blur Carbon R. Its race-ready geometry brings razor-sharp handling to the trails, backed up by 100mm of VPP suspension travel to keep your wheels glued to the ground when the going gets rough. As Santa Cruz's lightest full-suspension bike, you'll be setting PR's on all your local loops without sacrificing the legendary toughness that makes Santa Cruz bikes so resilient and confidence-inspiring to ride.

We may have a tendency to hesitate when we hear the words "rugged" and "cross-country race rocket" used in the same sentence, but with a one-piece carbon VPP rear triangle we can't help but spot the similarities between the Blur and Santa Cruz's burly DH rigs. Its twin upright architecture gives cues to inspiration from the Nomad and V10, promising a ride that's uncompromising and stiff, but without the bulk to follow. Keeping a good thing going, Santa Cruz carefully constructs a one-piece carbon front triangle to pack in lateral stiffness that provides tracking confidence through blown out, washboard switchbacks and root-latticed climbs. The VPP suspension on Blur is an upgrade from the previous generation, with smoother ramping mid-stroke to prevent a bottomed out feel as you soak into the suspension, and with the smooth FOX Float Factory shock you'll find that the short 100-millimeters of travel feels so much deeper.

The Blur's geometry features true race-ready steep angles. Even steeper than the previous generation, the new Blur features a 69-degree headtube angle, and 74-degree seat tube, perching you on top and in control of your steed while you barrel through miles of singletrack. The wheelbase is stretched slightly, with some help from a slightly stretched chainstay—another unusual stray from trends. This longer wheelbase lends itself to confidence through rough terrain, enabling you to pick the gnarlier line, shaving seconds off of your time as you push towards the podium. The rear end is updated with Boost spacing, stretching things out and stiffening things up, and while we usually see this pairing with tucked-in wheels and extra-stubby chainstays, the chainstays on the Blur move out just under a quarter of an inch to 17-inches, so you can still comfortably get behind the saddle when you need to, without feeling like you're going to go over backwards.

This particular Blur is built using Santa Cruz's Carbon C construction, which provides all the benefits in lateral stiffness and unbelievable strength of its higher-end Carbon CC sibling, but with a slight weight penalty, as a Carbon C frame typically comes in about eight to nine ounces heavier than its Carbon CC counterparts. The upside to the Carbon C construction is you save a good chunk of cash, which is always nice when you're a self-sponsored racer that's footing the bills for your own builds and racing fees. However, the bike is still incredibly lightweight in the arena of 27 pounds for this particular Carbon S build, meaning it's no slouch when it comes time to don a race plate and toe the starting line.

*Due to unprecedented demand in the global supply chain and the bike industry over the last 18 months, material weight and exact components are subject to change. We are working diligently to keep tech specs updated, and any adjustments will be minor. If you have any questions, reach out to a Gearhead by chatting online or calling 1-888-276-7130.