Bike Setup: Fox Vanilla Rl/140mm Fox RP23, Thomson stem and post, CK Headset/and hubs on Stans arch, racing ralph tubless, XT groupo and Hayes HFX Carbon 9
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Submitted by
Mike G
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO USA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2010
Strengths: Smooth ride, vertually indistructable, and a billy goat of a climber
Weaknesses: None so far. The LT is slightly heavier then the XC (if your are worried about that sort of stuff).
Bottom Line:
Worth the investment. I have been most impressed with the PVP suspension and its efficiency in climbing both in the saddle and while standing.
Favorite Trail: 42 Traverse (New Zealand (North Island))
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$4000.00
Purchased At: Mike's Bikes (Salina
Similar Products Used: We got my wife an XC after the success I had with the LT and loved it
Bike Setup: Fox fork and Rock shock
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Submitted by
Digital
a Cross Country Rider
from Penticton
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2010
Strengths: Suspension
Weaknesses: Price
Bottom Line:
Ran a Blur for the past five years, this is a significant improvement over the 'classic' Blur from the first generation - the likes of what my butt has been on for quite a while.
Bike Setup: XT/SLX/RockShox Revelation/Kenda Nevegal
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Submitted by
drahman
a Weekend Warrior
from Greater Jakarta, Indonesia
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2010
Strengths: It uses less power to go biking with Santa Cruz Blur LT2 with total weight close to my old hardtail.
Weaknesses: Difficult to be founded
Bottom Line:
This my new bike definetely improve my biking performance with my current skill. It is very amazing for me, I can ride faster with confidence even it is being climb or descent the hill. Now my odometer shows total trip more than 1000 KM.
Similar Products Used: Generally I use my hardtail Giant XTC Team with Shimano Deore XT
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur LT2, Fork Talas 140 RLC 15QR,Shimano Deore XT Groupset & Wheelset, Tire Hutchinson Toro ALl Terrain, Bar ControlTech Scandium, Headset Chris King, Stem & Seatpost Thomson Elite, Sadle Fi'Zi:k, Grip ODI Ruffian
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Submitted by
Sandro Giorgi
a Weekend Warrior
from Quito Ecuador
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2010
Strengths: The frame is very strong, easy to maintein and very comfortable.con
Weaknesses: I changed the original tires for ones more aggressive.
Bottom Line:
The best all around bike out there. Climbs like a beast, and the decents are as smooth as railraod track. The VPP makes for mad efficency, and you can do just about anything on this bike. I'm a 220 lbs guy, and the Blur LT don't say anything.
Favorite Trail: Climb the Pichincha volcano and then downhill it
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$3880.00
Purchased At: www.bikelike.com.ec
Bike Setup: Fox Talas RLC, full XT, Fox RP23, anonized, large, dt swiss, Michellin (new)
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Submitted by
sneaux
a Cross Country Rider
from Ausitn, TX
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2010
Strengths: Fits like a glove, VPP climbs great, Mega plush suspension but not sloppy. Most importantly an incredibly comfortable cockpit and ride position.
Weaknesses: The Rider! Would be great if it were lighter but that's the suspension travel/cost trade off.
Bottom Line:
After 14 great years on my Trek Y-22 I finally felt the need to jump into the 21st century. Did my home work on the net and had some great test rides as mentioned above. This bike spoke to me immediately when I rode it, it feels better than bikes costing twice as much. After one year of ownership I gotta say I’m blown away. Everyone raves about the climbing abilities and it’s absolutely true, this bike eats incredibly steep hills! The rear suspension is able to follow the contour of the terrain to avoid spin-outs. I’d challenge any hardtail purist to a mega steep climb. Downhill is just as fun; lean back and let it rip. I have yet to use more than ¾ of the forks travel, same with the rear shock. The bike is so forgiving; if I pick the harder line the bike is able to handle things with no trouble. I even raced it in the Mellow Classic and had a blast! It feels much lighter than the claimed 29lbs. Thanks also goes to Mellow Johnny’s for an excellent set-up job, everything is dialed in perfectly!
Similar Products Used: Previous ride was a ’95 Trek Y-22. While shopping I test rode a Trek Fuel 9.9, Fuel EX 8.0, Gary Fisher HiFi 29 Pro.
Bike Setup: Complete Blur LT X9AM package: XL frame, Fox 36 float, Fox RP 23, Sram X9 rear, Deore XT front, LX cranks, Avid Juicy 7 brakes.
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Submitted by
Bentania
a Cross Country Rider
from Azeitao, Portugal
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2009
Strengths: Climbs like a maniac, descends like a tank!
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
These are my first impressions, with only 85 km of riding. What a climber!!! For an AM frame it climbs like an XC frame. The VPP is sweet at keeping the front wheel steady and the frame glued to the ground on steep climbs...
As for descents, rock gardens, roots, etc. it just flies over them with astonishing ease. Since this frame is big (size L, but very big compared to my previous Santa Cruz Superlight), the remotely operate Joplin Seatpost is very good at making it even simpler to approach those frightingly steep descents, since it helps to lower your center gravity to a confortable zone without stopping or even thinking too much about it.
Favorite Trail: Descida da Ermida, Serra Amarela, Gerês, Portugal
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$4000.00
Purchased At: Pernalonga, Aveiro,
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Superlight
Bike Setup: Fox Talas 150mm QR15mm 2010, Fox RP23 Boost Valve 2010, Full XT, Hope Mono Mini Brakes (163mm rear, 183mm front), Mavic Crossmax ST wheels, Crank Brothers Joplin R seatpost
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Submitted by
Jace Kuyper
a Racer
from Phoenix, Arizona USA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2009
Strengths: Light weight bike for the amount of travel. Climbs well for a full suspension bike. It takes a good amount of abuse. Descends like a champion. Best bike I have ever owned. 5 1/2 inches of travel lets you have fun exploring any trail, while the light weight lets you ride a longer day.
Bike Setup: Fox float RLC front and back. All XT. Brake shifters, The only way to go!
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Submitted by
Allan H
a Weekend Warrior
from York, England
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2009
Strengths: Really struggled to get this bike set up for the 1st few weeks but soon realised that a little plusher than normally expected worked for me. Also had the dreaded squeeking issue which drove me mad at first but I learnt how to service her up every 3-4 months, which takes about half an hour. All this rubbsih about replacing the bearings 3-4 times a year is not true - you need to shorten the axles by 2 mm and use plent of anti seize compound and that will keep her sweet(even through the 9 month long British winter). Its a truly awesome ride and I have at times considered changing her but for what? I use the bike for marathons, trailquest, trailcentres and moorland hacks - its just a blinding all round bike. Maybe when SC finally wake up and make a Blur 120mm travel I will change!!
Similar Products Used: Sc Heckler and Spesh Rockhopper
Bike Setup: 2009 Talas 140, rp23, full xtr, hope pro 3 with dt 4.2 rims with a nic on the front and ralph at the rear, juicy carbons, thompson, easton and sdg finish off. 28 pounds in all.
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Submitted by
cgerald1
a Cross Country Rider
from Amherst, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2009
Strengths: Light weight for full suspension, climbs great, goes down even better.
Weaknesses: Price (but I guess you get what you pay for). I also wish the build kit came with a shorter stem, the 110mm is just too long for me. I also bent the rear XT axle the first week I owned it. No clue how that happened.
Bottom Line:
Overall, this is a great bike. I thought it would ride similar to my Heckler but was I wrong. It actually feels very different. The Heckler felt very stable and things happened much slower on the Heckler. The LT is super quick. I may go to a shorter stem (i.e. to a 70 or maybe a 50). I hope this will make the bike feel a little more stable. I couldn't believe how light the LT felt compared to the Heckler. The LT is definitely a step up from the Heckler (both in performance and price). If you have the cash go with the LT but if your pinching pennies and want a bullet proof single pivot the Heckler is also a great ride.
Similar Products Used: SC Heckler, SC Chameleon, Kona Kuhanna Deluxe
Bike Setup: Rock shock dual air fork, Sram X7/X9 mix, XT hubs laced to mavic wheels, Fork RP3 Shock, Juicy 7 brakes with 185 front and 160 rear rotors
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Submitted by
taukappamu
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2009
Strengths: Very nice to climb on. Light-weighted for its class.
Weaknesses: None yet in this short duration.
Bottom Line:
This is a first impressions review. The good things mentioned in the previous reviews are true (I confirmed my temptation after reading the reviews). I love esp that it can climb so well with 140mm susp in front. I could actually sit much more upright climbing the same trails compared to my other bikes. The rear really just sticks to the trails while I climb. The downs are definitely more fun now as well. Now I do not have to pick lines too carefully. Going for the direct line is becoming a first choice. Of course the fork plays a part, but the overall combination is just great. Gives me more confidence overall. Now the limit is not the bike, but the guts & skills of the rider. It will most probably be true to be the one bike if you can only have one.
(Note: I do not do drops)
Similar Products Used: Commencal Meta 4, Salsa Caballero
Bike Setup: 2010 Fox Vanilla RLC 15QR, Hope Pro II hubs, Mavic 819 rims, 12.85 kg : RP23 with boostvalve, Thomson X4 50mm, XT cranks, dees & shifters, Hope Mono Mini brakes, Kenda Excavator 2.1
Strengths: Climbs extremely well, and holds traction over roots and rocs. Stiff rear end. Low centre of gravity. Perfect geometry for all mountain use.
Weaknesses: Low bottom bracket when lot's of rocks and roots. Decreasing SAG from both ends helps. Another thing: changes rear gear while climbing uphill, and rear suspension dives on roots or rocks. Haven't able to fix that.
Bottom Line:
After Giant VT, this is great bike. It climbs much better and also over roots and rocks. It uses all the travel from back, while does not bob at all. I don't normally use pro pedal at all. Rear end is very stiff and you really notice diference VS. flexy giant VT. It makes me think, should I have put 36 Float RC2 to front in 150mm mode, to get higher front end and bottom bracket, also would use closer to 140mm of travel!? Anyway that present fork works fine as well but with higher SAG does not use all travel. First I was thinking about tracer, but not anymore. This is very well built frame, which I believe takes 5 years without problems. And if you get bearing problems, there is ready made tool to open and change those. Good long term thinking when designing this product.
Weaknesses: Rear Derailer hanger breaks like glass ( better carry an extra)Never did receive the 'included' grease gun as promised. Can't fit a bottle in the 'opener'on the hanger either.
Bottom Line:
Around here If you see an impressive rider chances are he/she is on a Santa Cruz'something' Even though customer service/communication is not so hot this far from California. The blur LT 2009 for me is a light allmountain but a heavy X-country/racer ( I've still got my superlight too for racing)
Rockgardens & climbs are a breeze but when the suspension compresses you'll smash peddles (2nd set in 2 months). I'm on rear derailer hanger #3 too.It breaks before you feel a snag on the drive train. These seem like insignificant gripes but I shopped hard, did my 'due dillegence'& paid BIG BUCKS! & walked the bike out 3 times in 2 months - The devils in the details- Awesome do all design but let's hope Santa Cruz refines their components
This is an absolutely amazing bike, super fast, strong in all situations...the quintessential AM race bike. I have loved this bike from the beginning and it excels in all types of riding
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Prophet, Giant Reign, Trek Fuel
Bike Setup: Full XTR, FOX Float, Formula R1, WTB XC Team Kit, PO1NT 70mm Stem, Crank Brothers ACID Pedals, Full Ti Kit
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Submitted by
rideguy
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonds, WA
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2009
Strengths: Great Bike, does it all, climbs better than anything I've ridden and can take a medium hit to boot. Handles great. This bike makes me a better rider.
Weaknesses: A little suspension creaking but you know that going in when you buy one
Bottom Line:
Love this bike. Good solid value, I'm told that the new one's don't creak as much. I wish I had bought it sooner instead of balking at the price.
