Santa Cruz Bicycles

Bronson Carbon 27.5 S Reserve Mountain Bike

The Bronson is one of the first bikes we think about when we envision the perfect all-mountain machine, seeing it's equally as happy exploring smooth, flowy trails as it is tackling a steep and rocky enduro stage. The first generation captured the hearts of riders back in 2013 right as enduro was gaining some real traction. Now in its third generation, the Bronson is more capable than ever thanks to 6-inches of VPP travel and totally refined geometry. That being said, it's still a bike that's happy to sweat out the climbs for hours at a time when you've really gotta earn your turns to get to the fun part. And that's what makes this bike so great—these traits combined with the responsiveness and playfulness of the 27.5in wheels make for a solid helping of pure fun. Plus, this model comes equipped with Santa Cruz's Reserve Carbon wheels that ride well, can take a beating, and come with a lifetime warranty to back em' up.

The third-generation Bronson is longer and slacker than the previous generation for added stability on steep, fast trails. That being said, this redesign doesn't significantly alter its all-around versatility, meaning it's still great for the rider that desires the monster truck plushness of a slack, long-travel rig while having fun on trail systems with big climbs and high-speed descents. To be specific, Santa Cruz lengthened the reach by approximately 15 millimeters per size for a more confident, comfortable feel at higher speeds, plus a centimeter lower standover height for a better fit with shorter riders. The head tube angle drops from the previous generation's already slack 66 degrees to an even slacker 65.4 degrees in its highest setting, complete with a flip-chip that slackens it out even further to a bike park-friendly 65.1 degrees. These were numbers that you'd only see on a freeride or mini-DH bike just a few years ago, meaning you'll have tons of confidence bombing those technical descents littered with steep drop-offs and nasty rock sections.

Another significant change to the latest Bronson lies in a reconfigured VPP suspension platform. Instead of relying on upper-link driven design, the third generation Bronson enjoys the increased bump compliance and glued-to-the-trail traction you'll experience with a VPP suspension driven by a lower-link mounted shock that's inspired by the latest Nomad. This lower-link driven VPP suspension platform is something that's reserved exclusively for the Bronson, Nomad, and V10, seeing the need for increased bump compliance, better support, and higher levels of traction for all-mountain, freeride, and downhill disciplines. To best match the increased performance capabilities of this lower-link driven VPP, Santa Cruz spec'd a Super Deluxe shock for a suppler feel that tracks to the ground noticeably better and resists heating up on those scintillating descents over thousands of vertical feet.

The last major change implemented on the third-gen Bronson is the ability to clear tires up to a whopping 2.8in wide, thanks to increased space in the rear triangle for the needs of modern wide trail tires. Santa Cruz shows more restraint on the spec, though, with a 2.5in Minion DHF up front and 2.4in Minion DHR II on the rear, which blends plenty of traction and rollover ability without sacrificing too much in terms of rolling speed. Additionally, it's less vague and bouncy than standard 2.8in plus tires. If you do feel the need to run traditional plus-sized tires and their 2.8in treads with even more traction and cush, the frames flip-chip is happy to accommodate.

Lucky for all of us, one thing that hasn't changed is Santa Cruz's carbon frames, which is a good thing if you're after the legendary strength and unwavering stiffness of their renowned carbon layups. This particular Bronson benefits from the Carbon C layup, which makes for a resoundingly stiff frame for swift acceleration and unflappable poise while pummeling across rough terrain. It's backed by Santa Cruz's excellent lifetime warranty, so you'll have extra peace of mind while riding particularly fast on your favorite stretch of trail and shuttling downhill laps on the mountain pass.