No joke: Santa Cruz unveils new 650b bike, the Bronson

Santa Cruz has been teasing the mountain bike world pretty hard over the last several months after it bought prominent ad space in Dirt Rag with the tagline "And now for something completely different."

The speculation ran wild: A 6-inch travel 29er? A new variation on the VPP platform? A unicycle?

No, it seemed most of the world was holding its breath for what would likely be the first 650b platform from 104 Bronson St.

And here it is, aptly named after Santa Cruz’s longtime headquarters, the Bronson mates 150mm of VPP travel to a full carbon or aluminum construction. Though the family resemblance to its stablemates is clear, it is a clean-sheet design built specifically for the middle wheelsize. Look for it to hit the trails with speed under the Santa Cruz Syndicate team at Enduro World Series events.

All frames feature 67-degree head tube angles, 17.3-inch chainstays, new molded rubber swingarm and downtube protectors, two bottle cage mounts, 73mm threaded bottom bracket shells, 142 rear axle spacing, ISCG-OG mounts and internal dropper post routing. A Shimano direct mount rear derailleur hanger is also availabe.

More frame details:

Forged upper link.
Forged aluminum lower link with angled grease ports: offset for chainguide clearance.
Collet axle pivots: lock in place without pinch bolts.
Angular contact bearings: all pivots.

Like all Santa Cruz bikes, customers choose from a huge array of options and build kits on the Santa Cruz website. Price for an alloy frame and Fox Float CTD shock is $1,925 and complete bikes begin $3,399. The carbon version will set you back $2,699 for the frame and shock and complete bikes begin at $4,150. Build kits are based around Shimano SLX, XT, and XTR components and a SRAM XX1 option. If you really want to get wild (and have deep pockets) you can choose from an array of color-matched ENVE wheels, too.

Look for the new Bronson to be ready to ride in the next 4-6 weeks. We have one on its way so stay tuned to DirtRagMag.com for more as soon as it’s in our hands.

Bronson C

Bronson

SANTA CRUZ BRONSON from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.