The Very Latest Santa Cruz Bike Range

Many biking enthusiasts consider Santa Cruz bikes as their top pick for serious competition or adventuring. Many of these bikes are outfitted with high-grade aluminum material and other complex joints and components to ensure that every bike has its peak performance in certain tasks. Other bikes may not perform as well but are reasonably priced and perform better than other all-around bikes. If you have a much larger budget, you may want to check out some of the special models that use carbon wheel sets for performance improvements.

Hardtail Bikes

Hardtail Santa Cruz bikes are basically mountain bikes that do not have a rear suspension. This obviously puts these types of hardtail bikes on the downside compared to the all mountain bikes. But remember that you are dealing with Santa Cruz here and like other hardtail bikes, these Santa Cruz bikes are cheaper than the rest of Santa Cruz's offerings. Since they lack some of the complicated joint systems, these bikes are easier to ride and easier to maintain. Although avid bikers may find these types of bikes uncomfortable, the Jackal serves as a great entry-level dirt bike while the Chameleon is good for all-around usage. Both are priced at around $600.

Available Santa Cruz Bikes - Carbon Models

You can do a lot with a bicycle and you will understand just how many things you can do if you watch other people on TV or in your neighborhood do all sorts of things ranging from bike stunts to serious racing or even going trailing or cross county with the bike. The five general categories that you can pick from can help you perfectly match the bike to your needs. Cross Country, Trailbike, All Mountain, Downhill, and Hardtail are the available categories. Each category features 2 to 5 bikes but bikes in the same category may have different functions as well. For instance, go with the Bullit if you want an all mountain bike that you can also go downhill with. The Nomad is also in the same category as the Bullit but it is a mountain bike that is better for free riding.

Cross Country Bikes

The carbon fiber version of the Blur LT is slightly lighter than the Nomad and is optimized for trailing. Santa Cruz only laid out the durable framework which is already enough to zip through trails but it is also upgradeable so enthusiasts can add weight and extra penalties without any huge penalties in performance.

Some of the bikes on the websites displaying the Santa Cruz brand are labeled as "carbon" because of their wheel sets being made of carbon rather than steel. Carbon is a material that is much lighter than steel, which is why the overall weight is smaller when comparing identical models. Lighter weight means more speed making these bikes ideal for serious racing. At the same time, carbon bikes are more durable and last longer. While the prices of these bikes are much higher, these two properties make these Santa Cruz bikes worth considering.

Trail Santa Cruz bikes do not come cheap but the smaller wheels and lower frames will attract bikers that prefer balance over other things. They are also good for making small jumps over obstacles. The cheapest trail bike, which is the Nickel ($1,350), has a sophisticated suspension system. These bikes are a bit heavier than the cross-country bikes, which are why the Blur LT carbon version deserves a recommend as it weighs just 6 lbs.