test ride!! new mountain bike!

[vash]

my wife insisted i take my dream mountain bike for a ride.

i've pined away for a new bike for years..blows me away how expensive they are. (At least the one i want ).

my wife is finally warming to the idea. probably because i have dropped into a new weight class..i am now in my 180's..so she KNOWS i am serious about exercising, and i will ride this bike to the ground.

brand new BRONSON from Santa Cruz bikes. holy crap!! first thing i noticed was how friggen long the handle bars are. leverage for days!! felt weird, but i could get used to the feel. the front fork was raked out way more than my current Specialized. it felt so stable!! the 27.5" wheels were like tank treads..if this bike wasnt "not mine", i would have tried riding it up stairs. the granny gear is looooooowwwww. my current bike: i find it hard to turn around to check my blind spot. this one, the input from the front end..i can practically turn around in the seat. the thing i couldnt understand..i dont think it was my imagination that the bike is easier to pedal. i went up a gradual hill and didnt even feel it by the time i crested. NOT crazy about new bike colors!! way to flamboyant.

new bikes are sick. the disc brakes..powerful, but the feedback is not there.

i think (okay..praying!!!) she is getting me that bike for my birthday. i saw her talking to the shop owner, and she took a business card. i have 20-20 vision..haha.

[vash]

and the tires were tubeless, which i dont get.

this improves flat protection? what happens with a major flat? i have to put a tube in?

[nostatic]

It's funny, I still don't like disc brakes. V-brakes have plenty of power, are light, easy to adjust, easy to service. If you live in dry climates I don't see any advantage.

Tubeless should be less prone to goats heads and pinch flats. You do have to service them (add more goo every couple months). This is another place that I prefer the old tech as with a patch kit and a spare tube I never got stranded in the back country.

The 27.5" seems to be ideal. I really didn't like the 29" I had. I'm plenty tall for the geometry, but the rear end felt a bit soft and I didn't like the longer rear end. After almost a year of swimming I'm going to try and get back on my cross bike and see if my back can handle it. I'd really like to get back on the dirt (not on LA streets).

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I don't get the tubeless tires either. Evidently you can run lower pressures without the fear of pinch flats, but all my friends with tubeless spend hours trying to seal the beads with stans no flat and stuff. I'm 100 percent old school.
Good luck on your bike!

[wswartzwel]

Those are sweet bikes.. I have the Santa Cruz Carbon XC blur… Hope your birthday goes well for you.

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

I don't get the tubeless tires either. Evidently you can run lower pressures without the fear of pinch flats, but all my friends with tubeless spend hours trying to seal the beads with stans no flat and stuff. I'm 100 percent old school.
Good luck on your bike!

Additionally tubeless is the way to go for performance off-road. The fluid has some associated cost in weight but better vs. tube weight.

Other: Unsprung weight, rolling resistance, a tire sidewall suppleness is very apparent.

Is it worth the hassle to one? Some don't think its a hassle at all. Its like those who debate road clincher tire / tubes vs. tubulars.

[intakexhaust]

You should leave the PC screen set on a few sites with that bike. Let the Ms. vash get a glimpse of it. Have fun!

[911dean]

Good luck on your birthday!

This is the first time since the 80's that I don't have a mountain bike. 27.5's seem like a great compromise. I'd never go back to 26".

[billybek]

I was going to test ride a Bronson this spring but my connection at that shop quit and moved on.

Another Santa Cruz rider here and I have loved my Blurr LT for quite a number of years now and it still rides absolutely solid.

From what I have been told that the dimensions of the new bikes have changed dramatically. I wanted to ride to see how it was different and to beat the hell out of someone else's bike!

If my bike was stolen or beyond repair, I would definitely consider another VPP bike.

Hope you get the big birthday present you want, Vash.

[jorian]

Originally Posted by nostatic

It's funny, I still don't like disc brakes. V-brakes have plenty of power, are light, easy to adjust, easy to service. If you live in dry climates I don't see any advantage.

Tubeless should be less prone to goats heads and pinch flats. You do have to service them (add more goo every couple months). This is another place that I prefer the old tech as with a patch kit and a spare tube I never got stranded in the back country.

The 27.5" seems to be ideal. I really didn't like the 29" I had. I'm plenty tall for the geometry, but the rear end felt a bit soft and I didn't like the longer rear end. After almost a year of swimming I'm going to try and get back on my cross bike and see if my back can handle it. I'd really like to get back on the dirt (not on LA streets).

Agreed, Vbrakes are plenty powerful. However, disc brakes don't wear through rims. I replaced my rear rim once a year when I ran V brakes. Rotors last seemingly forever. If you're doing the steeps discs are the only way to roll. I love my SC Bullit.

[herr_oberst]

Disc brakes and rainy climates were made for each other....

As to the flamboyant color palette, doesn't the Bronson have a white/powder-blue color option? Maybe that's last years model..

[porsche4life]

You talking crap about my lime green metallic bike vash? I like the loud colors!

[tangerine911S]

I know relatively little about bikes but my best buddy is big into downhill and road biking. He has the Bronson and he loves it. I've ridden it on the street and was jumping curbs and stairs like it was nothing. Never ridden anything with suspension like that. He's warming his fiancé up to the next model up (forget the name). It's pink and green or something haha

[vash]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

You talking crap about my lime green metallic bike vash? I like the loud colors!

honestly, i'd ride this bike even if it was flesh colored.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by vash

honestly, i'd ride this bike even if it was flesh colored.

Would you carry a fleshlight?

[85eurocarrera]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Evidently you can run lower pressures without the fear of pinch flats, but all my friends with tubeless spend hours trying to seal the beads with stans no flat and stuff.

Weird. I find myself not needing to air up as often with tubeless. I'm 200 lbs and run 28F/30R on FS 29er.

Some guy tried explaining tubeless to me as comparing moccasins to tennis shoes. Like you can feel the trail better. After going tubeless, I have to agree. With the lower pressure and a nice set of tires, I can actually feel the difference without a tube.

I do carry a tube in my camelback. And I does suck if you have to use a tube with fresh stans in your wheel. But the pros far outweigh the cons.

[vash]

i'm in the GAME!!

new bike locked in my garage. i went with the Santa Cruz 5010...Carbon. i asked for an alum bike, but the guys there coaxed me into the carbon bike.

biggest WOW moments..the disc brakes. seriously..what was i waiting for? the power is great..you dont have to knuckle down hard for the big stops. it was strange smelling the break-period on a bike..just like a car. really cool.

the tubeless thing. loving it so far. i am running way less PSI and it is grippy..very grippy. i grimaced riding thru some sticker bushes..but no flats. win.

the new handlebars are so long. i used to ride in the back door of my garage. no more..the handle bars are too wide for my goofy narrow door. it was like a stooge moment the first try. hey MO! i hated them at first. but the length lets you have more leverage at the steering, so you can input less..and my wrist find it more natural and are not sore.

i am gonna ride everyday. i climbed a big hill with another Pelican guy yesterday. i dont know if it was the new bike smell or what..but the hills climbed easier. the "downs" were a hoot. we reached breakneck speeds at one point..had to ease back on the throttle..when i found myself drifting a tad.

this is gonna be a good fall season.

[vash]

Out with the old. Enter the new.




Sent via Jedi mind trick.

[aigel]

Sweet!

Let's go on a ride! Mount Diablo is between us and needs climbing!

G

[nostatic]

I've looked at the 5010 - never ridden one. To me it seems like the right combination for most riding. I never liked the feel of 29" wheels (admittedly a small sample pool, but consistent results). I think the 27.5 is a good compromise. Plus 100-120mm of travel is enough unless you're bombing and I'm too old for that. The other bikes that I like in that vein are the Giant Anthem 27.5, Pivot Mach 4 (they have a 27.5 version), and Rocky Mtn Thunderbolt. My back isn't quite rehabbed enough to get back to regular riding though...