Santa Cruz Bicycles

Bronson 2.1 Carbon S Limited Edition Mountain Bike

The 2nd generation Santa Cruz Bronson is a truly legendary all-mountain steed. From loamy coastal forests to rugged alpine singletrack, all-day epics to gnarly downhill runs, there's really nothing this bike can't handle in stride. And while the 3rd generation Bronson has been out for some time now with its lower-link VPP suspension and slacker geometry, a lot of riders really enjoy the playful handling and all-around versatility of the Bronson 2, which is why we've partnered with Santa Cruz to bring you this Bronson 2.1 Carbon S Limited Edition Complete Mountain Bike. The Fatigue Green paint job is an exclusive colorway only available through us, and it's built up with Santa Cruz's workhorse S-level build kit, giving you a rugged and reliable bike that's ready to tackle the trails season after season.

From its inception, the Bronson has been a bike that’s defied convention. And just like its predecessor, the v2 Bronson packs a wallop courtesy of its generous but measured suspension travel, as well as its nimble geometry and 27.5-inch wheels. Equally capable as an enduro racer or an extremely versatile trail bike, there’s very little that the Bronson doesn’t do exceptionally well.

A large part of the formula is, of course, the Bronson’s 6in of VPP suspension. As with all VPP bikes, the Bronson’s counter-rotating links are carefully arranged to resist activation by pedaling forces, all but eliminating unwanted bobbing under power. This version of VPP is tuned to provide more midstroke support than previous generations of the VPP platform, giving the rider a better feel for the terrain, and a livelier ride. It’s a balance that Santa Cruz has mastered, allowing for the requisite efficiency for all-day rides, while still taking advantage of sufficient travel to tackle the hardest trails you could possibly hope to find.

When comparing the Bronson’s geometry to those of some of its noteworthy competitors, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Bronson appears conservative on paper. As is the case with much of Santa Cruz’s lineup, the goal with the Bronson is excellence, not extremity. The 66-degree head angle provides the necessary stability for charging full-bore into enduro race stages, while remaining quick enough to change direction should you mistakenly find yourself on a poorly-chosen line. At 17 inches, the chainstays strike a nice balance between being short enough to turn quickly, and long enough to maintain weight on the front wheel, especially when hanging off the back in steep chutes. At 13.4 inches, its bottom bracket height is plenty low to remain planted in huge berms and off camber corners, but it’s just high enough to minimize the risk of pedal strikes. While there are other bikes that are longer, slacker, and lower, the Bronson is all about balance, a trait that it has by the truckload. And the upshot is that the Bronson delivers just about anywhere you take it.

The Bronson is built using Santa Cruz’s C carbon fiber construction. Although it's not quite as lightweight as Santa Cruz's premium CC carbon fiber construction, the C level carbon fiber frames offer exactly the same amount of strength and stiffness as their CC counterparts, at a weight penalty of roughly 240g. The upshot is that you get the legendary durability and ride quality of Santa Cruz carbon frames, at a much more palatable price.

The value-packed S build begins with a worthy suspension package from Fox: a 36 Performance fork and the FLOAT DPS Performance air shock. This setup offers a supple stroke, on-the-fly adjustments at the flip of a lever, and easy tuning for both suspension gurus and those less experienced. SRAM’s exceptional GX Eagle 12-speed groupset provides the enormous gear range required for grueling climbs, while the Guide R brakes provide modulation and control in the face of unpredictable terrain. The RockShox Reverb dropper post enables the necessary on-the-fly saddle height adjustment. The Bronson S rolls on a hand built wheelset comprised of tubeless-ready Race Face AR 27 rims laced to DT Swiss 370 hubs.