Bikes that last a lifetime
First and foremost, they build bikes that last a lifetime. Every bike is design in their Santa Cruz, Calif. factory has a story to tell—one of being ridden hard, put away wet, but always coming back for more. It's not hyperbole—it's bombproof frame construction, a lower-link grease port, shuttle guards, and sealed bearings in all pivots, which we’ll replace for free if they wear out.
Mountain Bike Legend
Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded by skateboarding legend and MTB fanatic, Rob Roskopp. Rob was frustrated at what he regarded as “a bunch of suits” dictating what mountain biking was, so he rented a workshop the size of a one-car garage and forged his own path making his own bicycles. The first bike was the Tazmon—a dual-suspension bike that rattled established sensibilities in 1994.
Building Quality
Santa Cruz Bicycles creates category-leading downhill, cross country, and electric bikes, but the company is best known for models that combine the same pedal-ability and descending prowess of the OG Tazmon brought to the table. They design, research, engineer, manufacture, and assemble the very highest quality bikes. They are so simply advanced that they make bicycling even more enjoyable and are made to last many lifetimes of real-world abuse.
Built To Last
Bikes aren't throwaway items, but riders certainly throw them around. Santa Cruz bikes are made to last many lifetimes of abuse. Why scrap a frame when a simple bearing service can make one last a lifetime? That's our stance on sustainability at least, and it's why their carbon fiber doesn’t just mean lighter, it means tough as hell backed up by a lifetime warranty and crash replacement support.
No Proprietary Shocks
VPP™ doesn’t require novelty shocks and hardware that performs better as a marketing gimmick than it does out on the trail. VPP™ is designed to work with the best available technology from top-tier suspension manufacturers that will offer long-term product support. That means you won’t be struggling to find parts and people to fix these bits in years to come. It's another way we design our bikes to last a lifetime.
C Carbon for All
For our "C Carbon" frames we use the same proprietary processes of the highest spec frames in order to retain the same legendary strength and stiffness our CC frames are known for but there is a slight weight penalty. We achieved this by using a different grade of carbon material that results in a minimal weight gain.
Proportional Geo
Proportional Geometry is Santa Cruz's way of engineering frame sizes so that certain elements scale as size gets larger—so whatever your stature, there are no compromises with performance, efficiency, or fit. They have taken this concept to a new level with proportional rear-center, or chainstay length, and proportional seat tube angle that optimizes your pedaling position and suspension performance. The result? A bike that’s dialed at every size.
CC Level Radness
Working with Santa Cruz exclusive manufacturing partner they are able to make the highest grade of toughest, lightest, best handling carbon fiber frames (what we refer to as "CC Carbon"). But it’s also at the CC level that the wheels, drivetrains and suspension specced on these models are of the highest quality. The frame and components together create the highest performance complete package that delivers the best ride quality.