Santa Cruz's Bronson Is Updated and Back on Top
When Santa Cruz first launched the Bronson in 2013, the bike was an immediate hit. As one of the first carbon full-suspension trail bikes with 27.5-inch wheels, it garnered plenty of buzz. It was so good that it even won one of our coveted Editor’s Choice awards. But few categories have seen such explosive growth and advancement, so over the past few years, the bike that once stood out of the crowd started to feel dated. Its geometry felt cramped in the cockpit and steep in the front end compared to others; the suspension action lacked small-bump performance, yet still wallowed a bit in the middle of its 150mm wheel travel. These issues left many riders wanting more.
After reading Taylor Rojek’s preview of the Juliana Roubion, one of thebest mountain bikes of 2015, the Bronson moved to the top of my list of bikes to ride at Interbike’s Outdoor Demo in Boulder City, Nevada. That’s because the Bronson and Roubion share the exact same frame.
I rode for an hour and a half over terrain including a little bit of everything the Nevada desert has to offer, and can say that the redesigned Bronson is a vastly improved bike and—once again—a lust-worthy ride. Its new geometry is really noticeable, with way more weight bias on the rear wheel. This is due to the combination of shorter 432mm-long chainstays, a 20 to 25mm-longer top tube, and a one degree-slacker head tube angle (now 66 degrees). The new stance naturally makes steep roll-ins easier, but it also makes diving hard into corners more natural-feeling. It really likes to aggressively lean into the turn and rocket out, driving hard off the rear tire. You’d think that this new stance might climb poorly, but Santa Cruz steepened the seat angle to 74 degrees; that not only put me in a more powerful climbing position on the steeps, but it also effectively put more weight over the front end while seated.
As good as the geometry is, the updates to the rear suspension are just as impressive. A combination of reworked VPP linkage layout and a new Fox Float X shock with EVOL air can makes for a suspension that’s initially supple, supportive through the middle, with a nice ramp at the end. Gone is that small hack feedback and mid-stroke wallow. Pedaling performance is slightly improved, too, with a bit more reactivity while pedaling that helps the tire find traction. And as before, there’s no need to flip the shock’s lever to make it pedal well—the Bronson has a lot of built-in antisquat for great pedaling with the shock in its wide-open mode.
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Other updates include a shorter seat tube, thanks to an upper link mount located under the top tube. The shorter seat tube allows riders to use longer-travel dropper posts and reduces standover height. Its lower linkage is tucked in behind the bottom bracket, helping to reduce its vulnerability and shorten the chain stays. Plus, it just looks cleaner. Another update is the addition of a wider Boost-width rear hub. This not only moves the chainring out 3mm, allowing Santa Cruz to tuck the rear wheel in and shorten the stays, but it offers wider flange width for improved spoke triangulation and a stronger, stiffer rear wheel.
Santa Cruz has the new Bronson in stock now, with complete builds ranging in price from $3,599 to 8,699.
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