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2012 Santa Cruz Blur - Ride and Review Results 1 to 17 of 17 Thread: 2012 Santa Cruz Blur - Ride and Review #1 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: 2012 Santa Cruz Blur - Ride and Review I've owned my new Blur for about 3 weeks now and ridden on a variety of different trails. I figured it's time to start my build, ride, and review thread for anyone who cares (or is really bored). Hopefully I can share some information that's useful for potential buyers.



First up I'll give a run-down of the bike setup, cost, and some pics. Then I'll post my impressions of the bike thus far; likes, dislikes, etc. And after that, who the hell knows...this will probably just turn into my personal dumping ground for various ride pics, component changes, and other BLT related stuffs. On to the good part!





Bike package selection and ordering:

I chose to buy the 2012 SC Blur LT in aluminum rather than carbon mostly because of a limited budget. I selected the R AM kit, but as you'll see below I've swapped over some parts from my old bike (Cannondale Rize 140). I upgraded the shifters to XT, and the rear shock to a RP23 w/ Kashima coat. At $3,100 it seems like a pretty solid deal and sits right in between the solid "entry level" full suspension trail bikes and the higher end "dream bikes".



I chose to order the bike locally through North Rim Adventure Sports in Chico. They were great throughout the whole process of dealing with delays from Santa Cruz, and swapping over parts from my old bike (basically built up two bikes). The guys in the shop are tried and true riders and know exactly the kind of extreme punishment is dealt out by the rough terrain of Upper Bidwell Park. It's great peace of mind to have my sweet new ride put together by people that get it, and are out there in the park several times a week. Santa Cruz put together the order in about 2 weeks, which is a bit longer than their normal 3-5 business days. The rep said it was due to a huge increase in activity, probably typical stuff for prime bike riding season. "Got everything you need?" #2 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: My Santa Cruz Blur LT R AM Build:



Here it is, at the shop, minus the XT pedals:





And out on the South Rim:





Specs:

Fork: Rockshox Revelation RL Dual Air Tapered 15mm TA

Rear Shock: Fox Float RP23 k+

Crankset: Shimano Deore 24/34/42 10spd

Bottom Bracket: Shimano Hollowtech

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT 780 Shadow

Front Derailleur: Shimano XT

Shifters: Shimano XT

Cassette/Freewheel: Shimano HG 81, 11-36 (SLX) 10spd

Chain: Shimano HG 74 10spd

Wheelset: Mavic CrossTrail UST

Tires: Specialized Purgatory 2.4/2.2

Brakes: 2012 Shimano XT

Headset: Cane Creek 10 Tapered Inset

Handlebar: Easton Haven 711mm

Stem: Truvativ AKA

Grips: Lizard Skin Charger

Saddle: WTB Volt Race

Seat Post: Easton EA30

Seat Post Clamp: SantaCruz QR





The bike ran great in this setup, but I just couldn't make the Revelation work in my local trail conditions. Running Auburn was great, where the trails were more smooth and buffed. But here in Chico I was either bottoming out the fork while running it plush enough for normal riding, or it was harsh when aired up enough to avoid bottoming out. I opted to swap in my trusty RS Sektor Coil 150mm, and this made the bike just come alive on the really rough stuff.



Here's the bike after the fork swap, up in Downieville on Third Divide:





Last edited by TwoHeadsBrewing; 07-16-2012 at 12:07 PM . "Got everything you need?" #3 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: First Ride Review:



The stock 2013 Revelation Solo Air was a perfect fork for Auburn and other predominantly smooth trails. It even performed well through rough sections like Culvert and Confluence in rock gardens, but only at high speed. At lower speed it was harsh, very little small bump compliance and sensitivity. On the trails around Bidwell Park it was just a handful aired up to proper pressure based on 25% sag. Holding onto the bars on long fast rough descents felt more like I was riding a 100mm travel bike. And when I aired it up for 30% sag it would bottom out regularly on the steep sections and threaten to toss me OTB. I'm not sure if this is just a break in issue or what, but I threw in the towel and went with my old Sektor Coil 150mm.



The Sektor, although 3/4# heavier than the Revelation is so butter smooth it amazes me each time I ride it. Paired with the kashima RP23 in the rear it just floats and pops over everything with little or no complaining. Small bumps disappear, big bumps are handled gracefully, and jumps end with a nice controlled cloud-like landing. I'm still impressed that the Blur with just 140mm of rear wheel travel seem so deep.





Climbing:

I think the one thing that describes the BLT is: STIFF. This is definitely the stiffest bike I've ever owned, and it helps immensely with climbing, but also lends such snappy and precise control on the downhill. I weigh about 180# with camelbak and gear, and detect no flex or wag at all in the BB or rear swingarm. The ProPedal is not necessary due to the nature of pedaling a VPP bike, but when you flick it on it's like transforming the bike into a hardtail. Lock out the fork and it makes long fire road climbs much easier to tackle. Actually, the first time I rode the bike in Auburn I bested my time on the Clementine climb by 2 minutes. Standing and mashing with the fork locked out was incredibly efficient for power transfer.



On the rougher climbs I prefer to leave the ProPedal off, in order to keep that rear suspension active and tracking over bumps rather than boosting me up in the air. I found the VPP in this situation to be a little less responsive than my Rize with it's standard 4-bar pivot design, but still adequate and overall more efficient. The tradeoff with the 4-bar link is that it stiffens while descending under braking, which I did not really take seriously until I rode the BLT. Which brings me to...



Descending:

I'm very impressed with how this bike descends. A person I ride with frequently commented after the first ride and he just said, "That bike just fits you. You're faster than ever for sure.". And true to that statement I have to say that this bike is bouncy, playful, yet stiff and plush at the same time. I think the biggest factor in becoming faster on the downhills is the ability to keep the rear wheel on the ground while braking into corners over rough terrain. This was instantly apparent on the first few corners on the Connector trail in Auburn. There are a lot of brake bumps and occasional rocks thrown into some high speed descending sections, and the Blur just soaked these up even while I was on the brakes. The net result of this was that I was able to hold my line better through the corner, and as a result of that control I was able to maintain higher speeds to the exit. Instead of skipping across the brake bumps, the bike was staying in contact with the ground, a very cool feeling.



Coming down the Culvert trail in Auburn, if you've ever been there, you know it's always a blast. Smooth bermed corners, multiple jump options from hoppers to big table tops, and all of it at warp speed. And just for good measure, a few rock gardens thrown in there to keep you on your toes. I was tentative with hitting some of the larger jumps, but was pleasantly surprised with the Blur as it seemed to just soak up the landings with little effort. I'm used to setting my Rize down gently and using my legs to keep it from coming down hard, but the Blur felt like I was landing on a cloud. I realized I could take these jumps faster and preload the suspension to get a lot more air and still be in control upon landing.



It's pretty amazing really what the VPP suspension provides just in terms of downhill riding, regardless of climbing. At the same time that it feels bottomless on the hard landings, it also feels playful and responsive on the small jumps and whoops. The stiffness of the frame makes it a ton of fun to pop off of just about anything you can find on the trail. Very accurate handling, smooth on the small bumps, and handles the big jumps with ease. What more can you ask for?





Up next...Downieville Downhill performance! Last edited by TwoHeadsBrewing; 07-16-2012 at 02:13 PM . "Got everything you need?" #4 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: Riding at Downieville:



Riding at Downieville is a unique experience and tour of trails that vary widely in terms of terrain. From super fast descents on Third Divide to the chopped up jumbles of the "baby heads" section towards Pauley Creek, it puts a lot of different demands on a bike and it's suspension. I'm happy to report that the Blur handled them all very well, and with ease.



With the Sektor Coil up front it just soaks up the bumps, small and big alike, and created a super smooth ride. Smooth within reason I should say, since there are sections of Butcher Ranch specifically that wouldn't really be smooth on anything less than a 8" travel bike. But considering I'm riding a 28# trail bike the Blur responded well to the different terrain. Just like in Auburn, on the smooth bermed corners, nicely transitioned jumps, and buffed singletrack it tracks like an arrow and sticks like velcro to the trail. On the chopped up, blown out sections of Butcher Ranch and Pauley Creek it bounced around a bit, but I always felt in control. The ease at which you can pop this bike off of any lip or rock makes it that much easier to ride on those rough trails, since you can simply skip entire sections of chunk. The bike tracked very well through the rough sections, even when I was doing my best to ruin a perfectly good line. As long as I stayed loose and balanced on the bike and let the suspension do it's job, the bike stayed underneath me and took care of business.



The same description of those rough sections of the D'ville Downhill can be said for the trails in Upper Bidwell Park. On Guardian Trail specifically, it starts out fairly smooth with some 1-2ft poppers, but then gets progressively technical and rough. And finally by the end of the ride you're literally riding on mostly lava cap, loose river rock, and precious little actual dirt trail. It's 20-30 minutes of rock technical awesomeness that as local riders like to say, "eats up bike parts". It's a trail where you wish you had at least three different bikes: a long travel downhiller, a light XC hardtail, and a SS rigid. Rocky and technical, steep and technical, jumps, high speed bone jarring descents, roller coaster dips and swoops...that trail has it all and puts hardware(and riders) to the test. And as they say about the Blur LT, it's a do-it-all bike...and it certainly does. "Got everything you need?" #5 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: Complaints and Gripes:



At this point I've only ridden the bike a dozen times and about 200 miles. Bigger complaints might surface as time and my abusive riding style takes it's toll on the bike. Honestly, I expect there to be issues. I'm hopeful that these are minor and don't involve injury, which I'm more than capable of inflicting on myself without the help of a failed weld or cracked frame. And from what I've seen the Blur frame is stout and if anything, overbuilt. But so far, here's what I've uncovered as weaknesses either of the bike itself, or the hardware bolted to the frame.



#1 - Revelation Solo Air:

Awesome on smooth and buffed trails. I was not able to get it dialed in properly to be both plush AND resist bottoming out on the steeps/drops. It may just need further break in, but I've had other forks that are ready from day one, such as the Sektor Coil that was the replacement. And maybe it's a lemon, who knows. It's kind of a disappointment, but not the fault of Santa Cruz but rather RockShox. To be fair it probably works great for most riders out there who don't frequently ride chunk-tacular trails.



#2 - Chain drops and chain slap:

Before installing a Bionicon C.Guide chain guide I dropped the chain on almost every ride. This may have been due to not enough links taken out or some other factor, but that's not where most of my criticism lies. Bikes drop chains sometimes, that's just a fact, sometimes even WITH a chain guide. However, the thing that pissed me off on the trail was that the space between ISCG tabs and the frame is the perfect width to wedge in a 10 speed chain. Yeah...it gets seriously wedged in there and is a PITA to pull out, plus is scratches up the frame. After putting on the C.Guide, this has only happened once, even through 3 downhill runs at Downieville. But seriously SC, you should either make that space larger or smaller between the tabs and frame. Another rider with my group has a new Tallboy C and encountered the exact same thing.



^^^ Actually, a mistake there. I was looking at that area tonight and the tight spacing is between the ISCG tabs and the small chainring. I suppose this could be solved via a small spacer on the crank spindle. Last edited by TwoHeadsBrewing; 07-16-2012 at 09:20 PM . "Got everything you need?" #6 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Jul 2012 Posts 4 Reputation: I like the thread so far, being that I live in Chico myself and am looking into purchasing a 2013 Blur in the very near future myself. Did you already have the Crosstrails or where they new for the bike. Like the info so far. #7 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: Thanks! The Crosstrails were from my previous bike. "Got everything you need?" #8 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Apr 2009 Posts 298 Reputation: can you post a more detailed pic of Bionicon chainguide installed on LT2, please? I'm considering it instead of Blackspire Stinger I have right now... #9 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Sep 2005 Posts 808 Reputation: Put one on my BLT2







But in my second ride it rain a lot and in the next ride it just rip the off the plastic mount, but I think it was from the mud and the chain that haven't any lube from the rain, because in the first ride the guide were great and no problems with the chain and shifting, so silent in the boulders.

Now I put it another plastic mount and one more chain link. #10 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Apr 2009 Posts 298 Reputation: Thanks for the pic. From what I see, it doesn't really increase tension on chain, it's more like just preventing it from dancing around on rough stuff... kinda like that, i'm probably gonna try some ghetto bionicon-like device first #11 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2011 Posts 242 Reputation: Curious if a 2x10 setup would be less likely to drop a chain.



My 2012 Blur LT2 in XL is the RAM kit (still have the SLX shifters). I changed out the chainrings only (kept the Deore M552 crankarms) to a 24/36/bash setup from RaceFace Turbine series.



Here in the Wasatch or down in Moab or St George, even on lift served days up at Deer Valley, I think I can count on 1 hand the number of times the chain has dropped in the near year I've had it. #12 Big Gulps, Alright!

Reputation: Join Date May 2007 Posts 3,223 Reputation: Mind if I ask what you weigh and what shock pressure you're running? Axle Standards Explained



Founder at Founder at North Atlantic Dirt , riding & writing about trails in the northeast. #13 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Apr 2009 Posts 274 Reputation: I've enjoyed the write up. Thanks for sharing. I was surprised to read that you were bottoming out the front shock. I'm probably about the same weight with gear and have never bottomed out. But perhaps the trails I ride are not as "chunk-tacular" as yours.



I'm digging that color. Am I all zipped up?



Escaping the Dreary Confines #14 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Sep 2005 Posts 808 Reputation: I never had problems with dropping chains, it was more from slapping on chainstain and in the rough stuff when it need to pedals normally the chain is never in the correct gear. It increase tension on chain like a Stinger or something like that, it depends in what cog it is. #15 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: Originally Posted by fleetwood Originally Posted by I've enjoyed the write up. Thanks for sharing. I was surprised to read that you were bottoming out the front shock. I'm probably about the same weight with gear and have never bottomed out. But perhaps the trails I ride are not as "chunk-tacular" as yours.



I'm digging that color.



But just as an update, I took apart the fork last night and found there was NO fluid in either of the lower legs. It only calls for 5-8cc in each, but there should still have been something. The fork seals and sponge rings below them were also nearly dry, which may have had something to do with it. I changed out all the fluid and am going to mount it back on the bike for another test ride before I totally give up on the Revelation. "Got everything you need?" #16 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Aug 2009 Posts 2,949 Reputation: Originally Posted by Berkley Originally Posted by Mind if I ask what you weigh and what shock pressure you're running?



Here's what I've tested out thus far:

Firm Setting:

Trail Type: Smooth buffed singletrack with jumps (Auburn, CA)

Fork: 105psi

Shock: 170psi

Ride Result: Perfect settings for climbing and descending on everything except for the rough rock gardens. Very firm, perfect for jumping and easy to pop off of any little bump. Never bottomed out even when overshooting a couple landings.



Plush Setting:

Trail Type: Rocky lava cap/hardpan, loose over hard, technical (Chico, CA)

Fork: 95psi

Shock: 150psi

Ride Result: A little squishy for hard climbs on smooth surfaces, but does really well for climbing on rough surfaces with the ProPedal on. Descending is fairly smooth with full travel front and rear. 90psi in the fork resulted in bottoming out several times, so upped it to 95psi. Still harsh fork behavior at 90psi, and even more so at 95. "Got everything you need?" #17 mtbr member

Reputation: Join Date Apr 2009 Posts 255 Reputation: I had constantly problems with BLT2 and dropping chains and Bionicon V2 solved problem well. No any sound or friction, no change in derailleur function with 3 x 9, just works well. Recommended. Members who have read this thread: 1 gstahl Posting Permissions You may not post new threads

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