2016 Santa Cruz Bronson CC with Fox 36 and Fox Float X DPS Evol Shock

I had the pleasure of testing one of these newer Bronson's at the LBS today. Having owned a 2015 Trek Remedy 9.8 for comparison, I came away super impressed with the new Bronson specifically the 2016 Fox Float X DPS Evol rear shock. Do any forum members own the new Bronson? Care to share your experience? Yay or nay? Is it any better than the db inline or debonair? Cheers!

 

I am not familiar with the shock too much, i tend to stay with the monarch/vivid since in my eyes they work. That being said, fox seems to be stepping up their game lately, maybe from the last 2 years of market domination by rockshox?

I have talked to a few of my friends who work at the LBS and they think the new Bronson feels better than the nomad on the trail. They explained to me why. The Nomad was built and engineered to meet the needs of pro racers on the EWS Enduro circuit, this bike is meant to be low, slack, and all out fast! Some of the more playful geo found in the new bronson has been tweaked off the nomad. The bronson has a longer top tube, chain stays and 1 degree steeper head angle at 66 degrees. The Bronson was made to be playful, for any level rider that could go out and get the most out of the geo. Thats probably what you felt when you did your parking lot ride, and why a lot of the LBS folks are soo hyped on it. I was thinking about selling my 2015 Reign for one but my wife would probably kill me.

 

You only live once! Just do it the boss will never know! I tend to think that I have ridden enough bikes to know the differences in ride quality between mfgs. I demoed the 1st gen Bronson and wasn't all that impressed but the newer bronson really felt good it must have been the Fox Float DPS Evol even though it was on a lower specd model. The handlebar lockit controller is also really cool. I'm a defector when it comes to rockshox rear shocks I would rather run the ccdb air or a Fox Float than a Monarch. It must have been my once crappy experience with the monarch on my rental bike that did it for me. So many good choices these days. Yes Fox has stepped up their game but they have always been ahead of the game in many aspects. Fun fact is that Fox also a military unit devoted to our armed forces. Watch out for the new X3 with lockout coming out in the near future. It should be a Winner for the DH folks.

 

I went to a Santa Cruz demo day this weekend. I got to ride the new Bronson, 5010, and Nomad.

I was most impressed by the Bronson. The Pike on the Bronson felt better than the Fox 36 on the Nomad. And the new Float X Evol was so smooth. The Bronson just felt light, plush, and playful. Having demoed the old Bronson and not loving it, this new version was a big improvement.

 

The numbers on the new Bronson push it to the top of the "must demo" list. I recently did a two-day demo aboard a 2015 Intense Tracer 27.5c and I loved the bike:
http://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/tracer-275c-pro-review.3191/page-2#post-30057

The Bronson is about a half inch longer in the top tube (which I need), a little slacker (which I tend to like), has a threaded BB (almost a must have) and Boost rear (why not?).

But based on the traffic on this site, you are not likely to get a response to your question for about a year. Try this thread:

http://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/i-was-busy-today.3240/#post-30080

 

Mine ships on Monday! But I don't think I have the trail sensibility to say the fox is better than the completion. I will give a report though.

 

Sweet! Did you order one with a remote lockout switch?

 

The only thing holding me back from owning a Bronson is my Tracer and the non internal cable routing of the SC frames. Haha. Well I have an affinity for Intense ever since owning one. The Tracer is a well built machine. Boost is good and most noticeable around corners, drops and technical climbs. The rear feels wider and stiffer. I have a phobia with anything with the prefix i. Lol .

Thanks Herzalot!

 

I don't think so, I'll find out this week.