What is the Santa Cruz Bronson?
The Bronson is Santa Cruz's core trail bike. Capable, but playful, the Bronson is one of their most versatile mountain bikes. It was originally Santa Cruz's first 27.5" wheeled bike back when it was introduced in 2013. Today, the Bronson is a mixed wheel 29/27.5" trail bike with 160/150mm of front and rear travel. This makes it the perfect do-it-all trail bike for everything from blown out bike park laps to your local janky trail system or even backcountry weekend trips.
Who is the Bronson for?
The Santa Cruz Bronson is for the rider who wants a premium, carbon trail bike with Santa Cruz's famous VPP suspension layout. Their Virtual Pivot Point design gives the bike a plush feel with tons of traction and minimal pedal kickback on square-edge bumps. VPP is a well-sorted design that's been Santa Cruz's signature in mountain bikes for years now.
Bronson Geometry and Sizing
The geometry of the Bronson is capable and snappy handling. Slack head angles, 160/150mm travel and mixed wheels put it squarely in the middle of Santa Cruz's trail bike range. This is the one for everything.
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (Hi/Lo) | 435/432 | 460/457 | 480/478 | 500/498 | 525/523 |
| Stack (Hi/Lo) | 623/625 | 632/634 | 641/643 | 659/661 | 668/670 |
| Head Tube Angle (Hi/Lo) | 64.2°/63.9° | 64.2°/63.9° | 64.2°/63.9° | 64.2°/63.9° | 64.2°/63.9° |
| Head Tube Length (Hi/Lo) | 110 | 120 | 130 | 150 | 160 |
| Rear Center (Hi/Lo) | 437 | 439 | 442 | 445 | 448 |
| Front Center (Hi/Lo) | 771 | 800 | 825 | 853 | 883 |
| BB Height (Hi/Lo) | 344/341 | 344/341 | 344/341 | 344/341 | 344/341 |
| BB Drop Front (Hi/Lo) | 29/32 | 29/32 | 29/32 | 29/32 | 29/32 |
| BB Drop Rear (Hi/Lo) | 10/13 | 10/13 | 10/13 | 10/13 | 10/13 |
| Wheelbase (Hi/Lo) | 1208 | 1240 | 1267 | 1299 | 1331 |
| Top Tube Length (Hi/Lo) | 572 | 595 | 614 | 636 | 662 |
| Seat Tube Length (Hi/Lo) | 380 | 405 | 430 | 460 | 500 |
| Seat Tube Angle (Hi/Lo) | 77.6°/77.3° | 77.9°/77.6° | 78.2°/77.9° | 78.3°/78° | 78.4°/78.1° |
| Standover Height (Hi/Lo) | 721 | 723 | 725 | 727 | 731 |
Sizing
Here's a general size guide. Note that personal preferences and individual body proportions can push you into the smaller or bigger end of a size. Feel free to contact us for any specific questions on size!
Small: Reach 435mm for 154-165cm tall
Medium: Reach 460mm for 165-175cm tall
Large: Reach 480mm for 175-185cm tall
XL: Reach 500mm for 185-193cm tall
How does Bronson compare to Nomad and Hightower?
| Nomad 7 | Hightower | Bronson | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel Size | 29/27.5" | 29" | 29/27.5" |
| Travel Front/Rear | 170/170mm | 160/150mm | 160/150mm |
| Weight (X0 AXS Build) | 15.34kg | 14.65kg | 14.7kg |
| Intented Use | Enduro - Steep, fast, chunky terrain. The Nomad is very downhill focused. | Trail - Big days on variable terrain. The Hightower is stable, fast-rolling and efficient all-rounder trail bike. | Trail - Fun and playful on variable terrain. The Bronson is a more agile, playful trail bike with MX wheels. |
What specs and colours are available in the Bronson?
The Bronson has two frame options, Carbon C and Carbon CC. They're the same when it comes to strength and stiffness, but the CC is Santa Cruz's best carbon layup that's lighter than C. There are four colours available, with the C frame coming in two colours and the CC coming in two other colours.
The Bronson is available in 5 complete bike options and a frame only option. Here's a summary of each spec.
- Bronson C Deore - Carbon C Frame, RockShox Lyrik, RockShox Deluxe Select+, Shimano Deore Drivetrain
- Bronson C 90Â - Carbon C Frame, Fox 36 Performance, Float X Performance, SRAM 90 drivetrain, Mavens
-
Bronson C GX AXS - Carbon C Frame, Fox 36 Performance Elite, Float X Performance Elite, SRAM GX AXS drivetrain
- Bronson CC X0 AXS - Carbon CC, Fox 36 Factory, Float X Factory, SRAM X0Â AXS, Maven Silver
- Bronson CC X0 AXS Reserve - Carbon CC, Fox 36 Factory, Float X Factory, SRAM X0 AXS, Reserve 30/HD Carbon Wheel
What is the warranty on a Santa Cruz Nomad?
Santa Cruz frames come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner. They also offer free replacement pivot bearings to the original owner for as long as they own the bike. Their Reserve Carbon wheels have a lifetime warranty on the rim for damage done while riding.
Visit the shop in Christchurch or order your Bronson online. We ship NZ-wide!
Built Right. All bikes are first properly built by us and test ridden at our Christchurch shop before being carefully re-boxed to ship to you. We can have the wheels setup tubeless and suspension setup, so you're all ready to go out of the box.
We can ship across NZ. We can't ship bikes to RD addresses, but we can often ship to the the nearest depot. Contact us if you're address is RD and we'll figure it out.
