Blur XC
Singletrack World Review
By Chipps
http://www.singletrackworld.com
Test Duration: Six Weeks
The Santa Cruz Blur must be coming up for its fifth birthday around now and it's been joined by two mutated siblings; the Blur XC and the Blur LT.
XC is self-explanatory, the LT stands for Long Travel, but it was the XC that we were interested in. It's been a while since we tested an unabashed cross country racer-boy (or racer-girl) machine.
The Blur XC uses the same Virtual Pivot Point full suspension design as the (Singletrack-) award winning 'Classic' Blur and has the same 4.5in rear travel. In order to make it more race-worthy, it's undergone a big diet, thanks to lighter tubes, titanium linkage plates, a shorter headtube and it's now down around 5.2lb for frame and shock. Our complete 'dream spec' bike here weighs a fine 26lb.
In order to keep the racers even happier, the chainstays have been shortened a little and the top tube has been lengthened (to 23in on our Medium frame). Of extreme interest to shorter riders is that the frame sizing only goes up to Large, but goes down to Extra Small with a tiny 26.6in standover height a mere 14in taller than the BB height.
Talking about the BB height, on the Medium and Large frames, it's 12.8in and you'd better get used to smacking your cranks if you ride on technical, rocky or off-camber trails. Saying that, though, there aren't many XC race courses with much of that on it and we shouldn't lose sight of the Blur XC being an XC race bike they have plenty of bigger bikes if you want to jump off stuff.
I tested the Blur, both around Calderdale, at the Dyfi Enduro and on my 7Stanes epic.
I loved it. Not all the time. To be honest, there were times when I was trying to ride across severe off-camber slate trails in Machynlleth and wincing at the sound of XTR crankarms and 959 pedals bouncing off the rocks. On terrain more in keeping with cross country race courses, though, this puppy just flew. The Intense System 1 and 2 tyres helped keep things fast, and the lowish BB height, and long (it must have been 1995 at least since a 23in top tube was in vogue) top tube made it hard not to adopt a racing stance. Tyre clearance is a claimed 'up to 2.5in' too not on this prototype, but we've seen later ones where it looks perfectly feasible. You'll be running 1.8in semi slicks anyway, won't you?
Santa Cruz has brought the racing full suspension frame home to the serious cross country rider and racer and without making everything out of carbon fibre or drilling holes in everything the Minute forks are a decent, sturdy 5in pair of forks, the spec is mighty fine without being too 'German' light and it's still 26lb - only a pound heavier than Tomac's World Championship winning Raleigh Ti and carbon hardtail machine from the early '90s yet you've got 4.5in of rear travel that you can still win a sprint on.
Don't buy the Blur XC if you want to go jumping, don't buy one if you want to do big all-day epics in the Lakes get a Blur 'Classic' or a Heckler if you want a Santa Cruz for that. Do buy the Blur XC if you want a comfortable, fast, race bike. Do buy one if you don't race but still go for a evening rides with your mates and don't get back until everyone's dribbling with fatigue, 30 miles later..
Saying that, though, the XC is the first true race bike that hasn't felt like an 'office' like it's only been built for pain. This bike's been built for beating people and still having enough energy and fun left over to cross it up on the jump before the finish line.