The New Santa Cruz Bronson Can Handle the Thrills of Trails and Bike Parks (2024)

Price: $2,000 (frame only, AL) to $9,900 (complete, carbon with XTR)
Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
The right bike for: Riders who want a bike for the trail and the bike park

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For riders who want to go all out on the trails and in the bike park, the Bronson can handle both. Its redesign for 2019 includes a 15mm increase in reach, a slacker head tube angle with geometry adjustment, and a steeper, shorter seat tube. The Bronson comes with 2.6-inch tires (but has clearance for 2.8 inches), has 150mm of travel in the rear and 160mm in the front, and keeps its patented VPP suspension platform. It comes with an internally routed dropper post, a bottle cage inside the front triangle, and guards for the shock and frame to keep the most vulnerable parts protected.

Bronson Family

The Bronson comes in nine complete material and component packages, including carbon (C), high-end carbon (CC), and aluminum (AL), as well as two frame-only options, for a total of 11 choices. The Bronson CC X01 Reserve (made from high-end carbon and spec’d with SRAM Eagle 12-speed and Santa Cruz’s high-end carbon wheels) is the third most expensive options. Above it, the CC XX1 Reserve costs $9,499 and the XTR Reserve costs $9,899. Aluminum models cost $3,499 and $4,199, carbon models range from $4,399 to $6,399, and the least expensive CC model is $6,999. There’s one aluminum frame-only option for $1,999 and one carbon frame for $3,299. All bikes come with your choice of 27.5 or 27.5+ tires, clearance for up to 2.8-inch tires, a Fox fork with 160mm of travel, VPP suspension, an internally routed dropper post, and 200mm front/180mm rear rotors. The Bronson is available in five sizes (XS to XL) and two colors (Industry Blue and Primer Grey), and all frames come with a lifetime warranty.

Along with the Bronson, Santa Cruz has also made updates to its women’s-specific Juliana brand. The every-occasion Furtado and enduro-style Roubion have been redesigned for 2019 as well.

Wheels and Tires

Santa Cruz offers 27.5 and 27.5+ build-kit options with 2.6-inch tires, but in keep with the wider-rubber trend, there’s room to run tires up to 2.8 inches wide. The company’s Reserve wheels are built in house and come with a lifetime guarantee. A Flip Chip on the shock link adjusts geometry so that, should you choose to run wider tires, you can optimize the ride by slackening the head-tube angle.

Updated Geometry

Reach increases by 15mm per size, while the head tube angle is steepened by one degree to 65.4 degrees. The head tube angle can be adjusted using the Flip Chip on the shock link. In the high setting, the angle is 65.4 degrees; in low, it slackens to 65.1 degrees (for when you’re riding with those wider tires). The seat tube angle is steepened to 75 degrees, and the seat tube is shortened by an inch. The standover height is reduced by 10mm overall, which reduces it to 721mm on a medium frame.

VPP Link

The VPP system is mounted on the lower link and has a linearly progressive leverage ratio. The short, counter-rotating links connect the front and rear triangles, keep it strong, and provide great bump absorption and a solid pedaling platform.

An All-Around Trail Tamer

For anyone who wants a trail bike that is capable of riding enduro, the Bronson should be a consideration. By adding the option of plus tires, it goes a little further by giving you extra traction over big rocks and the option of running a lower tire pressure. The Bronson has kept all the features that made the previous version so much fun and tweaked the geometry a little to make it easier for the rider to find a good descending position and to keep their body over the bottom bracket for efficient pedalling power.