[munkyboy]

is the blur past it?

4'' of travel at the front and 4.5'' at the back doesnt amount to much now that 5'' is standard on a trail bike nowadays. i ask because i'm considering buying a blur and i'm becoming tempted to buy a 5spot or maybe a moment(although there seems to be a level of anti-ellswortia round my way) is 5'' with platform shock really a substitute for a plush 4'' blur. and dont ask what riding i do as it is this side of freeride (2footish drops dont do any harm to a blur do they?)

answers please to keep me in the way of SC

 

[DMFT]

I *think* you'll see sometime in the future that a 5" inch fork will be Ok w/the SCB boys....

They continue to Improve & refine the bike still. An RP3 shock from Fox *should* start to show up anytime, Tire Clearance (YES, I SAID CLEARANCE) has been greatly improved, NO V-brake bosses (Finally) and Larger Vertical strut support for the swingarm will hopefully reduce DU Bushing wear and *some* peoples issues with the odd bearing here & there.......

The Blur eats reasonable drops up to btw, rider skill and drop conditions have a lot to do with it to though. Any bike subjected to repeated flat OR cased landings will eventually have problems IMO........

Hope I've helped out a bit.

 

[Wasatch Walt]

purpose

is the blur past it?

4'' of travel at the front and 4.5'' at the back doesnt amount to much now that 5'' is standard on a trail bike nowadays. i ask because i'm considering buying a blur and i'm becoming tempted to buy a 5spot or maybe a moment(although there seems to be a level of anti-ellswortia round my way) is 5'' with platform shock really a substitute for a plush 4'' blur. and dont ask what riding i do as it is this side of freeride (2footish drops dont do any harm to a blur do they?)

answers please to keep me in the way of SC

but the "purpose" of the Blur is XC racing, and light fast efficient riding ... it's a great climber, (actually fantastic to me), it is plush for all day riding, it is a competent descender, but it is not a free ride bike

it has TONS of suspension for it's purpose .. if you are going to do drops 2 footish and more .. I think you should get a bike that is more for that purpose .. it sounds like you are more of a "freerider" than a strictly cross country rider ...

unless you are really light, I don't think you should be doing drops on a Blur, I may be wrong, but I don't think it is built for dropping .... the frame is ~ 6# ... and that is a sturdy XC bike, not a drop bike ... a drop bike would have about a 7# frame and up, right?

 

[DMFT]

Yes & No Walt. You do make good points....

I think maybe you should wait for the new 5 - 6 inch VPP bike that's in the works Munkyboy.

 

[Blue Shorts]

but the "purpose" of the Blur is XC racing, and light fast efficient riding ... it's a great climber, (actually fantastic to me), it is plush for all day riding, it is a competent descender, but it is not a free ride bike

it has TONS of suspension for it's purpose .. if you are going to do drops 2 footish and more .. I think you should get a bike that is more for that purpose .. it sounds like you are more of a "freerider" than a strictly cross country rider ...

unless you are really light, I don't think you should be doing drops on a Blur, I may be wrong, but I don't think it is built for dropping .... the frame is ~ 6# ... and that is a sturdy XC bike, not a drop bike ... a drop bike would have about a 7# frame and up, right?

It'll be interesting to see what Santa Cruz does. What I don't understand is the apparently naive view that some bike manufacturers have on bikes and riding conditions.

It really doesn't matter if they call the Blur a XC bike. People basically ride a bike where they want. A bike with more travel will be used more agressively than one with shorter travel. Most of the Blur riders that I know use it very aggressively. I know that Santa Cruz tried to limit the aggressiveness by limiting the bike to a 4" fork, but half the guys I know on Blurs are using 5" forks.

SO now maybe SC will beef up the frame and allow a 5" fork. Otherwise, they'll be seeing a rash of failures...imo.

 

[DMFT]

I don't know about that one Blue shorts - On the failiure thing that is........

Your other points about the Blur being ridden agressivly are spot on.

SCB over the years has been very cautious about their product.
1st Superlight was limited to 180#'s, then 200, then 220 and now I don't think they per-say have a weight limit and it's up to dealer discretion. And that's part of a good LBS's customer service to put that particular person on the right bike for the owners riding style, whether it's a Santa Cruz or something else. Just my opinion.

 

[bdog]

5

is the blur past it?

4'' of travel at the front and 4.5'' at the back doesnt amount to much now that 5'' is standard on a trail bike nowadays. i ask because i'm considering buying a blur and i'm becoming tempted to buy a 5spot or maybe a moment(although there seems to be a level of anti-ellswortia round my way) is 5'' with platform shock really a substitute for a plush 4'' blur. and dont ask what riding i do as it is this side of freeride (2footish drops dont do any harm to a blur do they?)

answers please to keep me in the way of SC

sounds like the 5 spot may actually be the bike for you......probably a little more sturdy than the blur and has five plush inches of travel with the romic. if you like vpp there is also the intense 5.5

the blur is light and good for climbing, but i think the 5 spot pedals better uphill over technical sections. overall the blur is good and should be fine, but i am biased because i own the spot.....also don't forget about the heckler which is 5 and 5 and makes a great, very durable trail bike.......good luck choosing, there are worse things to do!

 

[OLAK]

I rode my friends blur with a 5" fork and it steers like a piece of crap compared to my 4". There is no way that I would suggest anyone put a 5" on a Blur. If you have to ask, get a Heckler.

 

[CraigH]

If you want a 5" VPP bike right now, you should be looking at the Intense 5.5 EVP.

 

[CraigH]

...and Larger Vertical strut support for the swingarm will hopefully reduce DU Bushing wear and *some* peoples issues with the odd bearing here & there.......

Do you know if the new strut will fit the older frames? (By older I mean early 04.)

 

[DMFT]

The New & Improved swingarm *should fit* older frames.

I'm gonna get myself motivated to put a monster tire on the back of one of the new bikes and get some pic's for you guy's. Be patient, I'm sooooooper busy, prof. & personally.......

 

[Blue Shorts]

I don't know about that one Blue shorts - On the failiure thing that is........

Your other points about the Blur being ridden agressivly are spot on.

SCB over the years has been very cautious about their product.
1st Superlight was limited to 180#'s, then 200, then 220 and now I don't think they per-say have a weight limit and it's up to dealer discretion. And that's part of a good LBS's customer service to put that particular person on the right bike for the owners riding style, whether it's a Santa Cruz or something else. Just my opinion.

My take on the rash of failures is based on the fact that Santa Cruz does not allow a 5" fork but may riders are using them. If there aren't a rash of failures from using 5" forks, then SC is doing themselves a big dis-service, and missing out on some sales, by not allowing 5" forks.

I spoke with someone at Santa Cruz and he told me that the weight limit on the Blur was about 240#.. I think that Blur sales will increase once Santa Cruz allows a 5" fork.

 

[CraigH]

I'll email Scott @ SC and ask him about the new strut will fit the older frames.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

Yes, the blur is past it....

as a trail bike. As a XC bike the Blur is OK, but I chose the Intense 5.5 based on the fact that I don't race and do lots of long enduro rides on rough trails, that and the 5.5 rides way better than the blur, I think the Intense VPP design is a bit more subtile so it works without all the negative traits of the Blur VPP. I did not like the Blur I test rode too much.

I love my 5.5, I loved the Turner 5-spot (with romic coil or swinger 4-way), I liked the Switchblade (with Talas front and back). But in the end I like to pedal out of the saddle often, so the 5.5 won and Intense got my $$$.

You can't really go wrong with any of these bikes. When I ride with friends on 5-spots and other nice bikes, I don't get bike envy, and they dont get it over my bike either, we are all happy (except for folks I know on Ellsworths, they are always waiting on warranty parts rather than riding).

Ride all the bikes you are interested in before buying one and choose on riding impression, it is the only way to get peice of mind after your purchase. If you don't ride them all before you buy one, whenever you see one on the trail, you will be wondering how it rides and if you made the right choice, if you ride them all before you buy you will know why you bought what you did.

Good luck! Thats my $0.02.