I bought a Santa Cruz Blur last year about this time. I didn’t particularly want to, I really wanted a Specialized Epic 8. I want that downtube storage!!! I don’t care it adds weight, it’s so useful it’s shocking it’s not on all bikes. Of any kind.
My only complete bike I’ve bought in 35 years is my 2016 Trek Top Fuel 9.8. That was the first. I had only ridden TWO custom steel hardtails all 25 years previous. I hate change, what can I say. And since I live in the upper midwest, only 2 hours from Trek headquarters, I was ready to buy a new Trek. But my only two choices were the Supercailber, with 80mm travel, and the Top Fuel, with way more travel and weight than I want. I need lockouts. The Top Fuel didn’t come with them. What I wanted, was a Trek 120mm XC race bike. Not an 80mm, that’s 20mm less than my 10 year old bike. And the Epic 8 Expert, the one that had the best mix of components in my opinion, was over $7000 with tax locally. That’s with aluminum bars no less.
So what did I do? I bought the closest thing I could find, that still had a good reputation, and was proven as a true XC bike. I bought the Santa Cruz Blur XC with 110mm up front and 107mm in back. Lockouts. Decent spec, mechanical GX stuff. All good. I saved $3000. And, it gave me a chance to ride a new bike with fully modern goodies such as 2.4 tires, 29mm width rims, TWO bottle cages, the other thing I had to have, and it looked great too. Although I wasn’t crazy about the bright red graphics on the matte silver frame.
Why am I boring you with all this? Because what I really wanted was a Trek Top Fuel XC race bike with 2 bottles at the least. They didn’t sell those. And I just didn’t want the Supercaliber. Trek just did not, and still does not make the bike I’d actually buy.
But there is a spy photo of a new Trek that’s been redacted. Through my photoshop skills, I was able to see more of what’s behind the redaction. And to me, it’s just the Top Fuel XC version that Trek Factory Racing rode all last year. Still 1 bottle. Not interested…I was hoping they’d follow the leaders and do the top tube shock mount. They made the exact bike a decade ago or more, right before the Top Fuel in 2016. But unless my eyes deceive me, that looks not to be the case.
Oh well. I can always hope Santa Cruz updates the Blur and adds at least the downtube storage. I’d buy that frameset at full retail. I guess we’ll see for sure in May when the World Cup races start.
My only complete bike I’ve bought in 35 years is my 2016 Trek Top Fuel 9.8. That was the first. I had only ridden TWO custom steel hardtails all 25 years previous. I hate change, what can I say. And since I live in the upper midwest, only 2 hours from Trek headquarters, I was ready to buy a new Trek. But my only two choices were the Supercailber, with 80mm travel, and the Top Fuel, with way more travel and weight than I want. I need lockouts. The Top Fuel didn’t come with them. What I wanted, was a Trek 120mm XC race bike. Not an 80mm, that’s 20mm less than my 10 year old bike. And the Epic 8 Expert, the one that had the best mix of components in my opinion, was over $7000 with tax locally. That’s with aluminum bars no less.
So what did I do? I bought the closest thing I could find, that still had a good reputation, and was proven as a true XC bike. I bought the Santa Cruz Blur XC with 110mm up front and 107mm in back. Lockouts. Decent spec, mechanical GX stuff. All good. I saved $3000. And, it gave me a chance to ride a new bike with fully modern goodies such as 2.4 tires, 29mm width rims, TWO bottle cages, the other thing I had to have, and it looked great too. Although I wasn’t crazy about the bright red graphics on the matte silver frame.
Why am I boring you with all this? Because what I really wanted was a Trek Top Fuel XC race bike with 2 bottles at the least. They didn’t sell those. And I just didn’t want the Supercaliber. Trek just did not, and still does not make the bike I’d actually buy.
But there is a spy photo of a new Trek that’s been redacted. Through my photoshop skills, I was able to see more of what’s behind the redaction. And to me, it’s just the Top Fuel XC version that Trek Factory Racing rode all last year. Still 1 bottle. Not interested…I was hoping they’d follow the leaders and do the top tube shock mount. They made the exact bike a decade ago or more, right before the Top Fuel in 2016. But unless my eyes deceive me, that looks not to be the case.
Oh well. I can always hope Santa Cruz updates the Blur and adds at least the downtube storage. I’d buy that frameset at full retail. I guess we’ll see for sure in May when the World Cup races start.
