Santa Cruz Bronson Review

Photo: Santa Cruz Bicycles

Overview:

The Bronson is Santa Cruz’s do it all 27.5 bike. It’s got 150mm travel in the rear and 160mm in the front. Prices range from $3,499 for an aluminum build all the way up to $7,099 for the premium X01 build. One thing that surprised me about the spec of this bike was that most of the builds had a Fox 36 fork up front combined with a RockShox Super Deluxe shock in the rear which is a very unique combination. The lower end builds have a RockShox Yari Rc fork which compared to the Lyrik seen on bikes of the same price is lower quality. However, a benefit of buying a bike from Santa Cruz is you can spec the bike with their sweet carbon reserve wheels.

Climbing:

I rode this bike in Sedona which has tons of brutal climbs which left me gasping for air. Luckily the VPP suspension design proved to be a very firm pedaling platform that was also surprisingly supportive when I was out of the saddle and blasting up steep hills. However, compared to the previous Bronson models it requires a bit more effort to get to the top and is a bit of a slower climber.

Descending:

This is what this bike was really made for! When riding downhill on this bike I always felt the need to get airborne at every possible opportunity since this bike is crazy playful. It’s also a very fun bike once you get it up to speed which I noticed while pumping down rock slabs. Compared to many other long travel bikes I’ve ridden, the Bronson always felt alert and was ready for anything you had to through at it, in fact it felt like the bike was almost excited to bomb some rocks or hit a jump. The one drawback to this bike is something I’ve noticed on almost every Santa Cruz I’ve ridden: the VPP linkage. While VPP does prove to be very firm up hills, it remains pretty firm on the descents making some rock gardens seem almost unmanageable. I’ve heard a great way to get around this is running a coil shock but I have yet to try it out. As for whether or not this makes a good park bike, I would say if you spend more than half you’re time riding downhill, then go for the Nomad or V10, because this bike is more of an all-rounder that still can handle the bike park from time to time.

Verdict:

I think the Bronson is a great bike for anyone who prefers plenty of variety in their rides. With its small wheels I’m not sure I’d call it a race bike. But if you’re not competitive, just want to have fun, and are a little bit biased towards the descents, and like all the other aspects of mountain biking—the Bronson is for you. However I think if you’re on more of a limited budget you can probably get more bang for your buck with a YT Jefsy or Canyon Spectral.