Ooooo - Got a new bike!

[scruffylooking]

Santa Cruz Blur 4X
Built for trail use - no plans on racing it. I considered and researched for a while and felt that the 4X would make a great trail ride. I've got one ride so far and it was pretty rad.

The Build
FRAME Medium Ano Slate Blur 4X
FORK 07 Fox 32 TALAS RLC
SHOCK 07 Fox RP23
REAR DER SRAM X9 medium cage
FRONT DER Shimano M760 (XT)
SHIFTERS 07 SRAM X9 triggers
CRANKSET TruVativ Stylo Team w/ Giga X Drive 22/32/44
CASSETTE SRAM PG 980, 11-34
CHAIN SRAM PC 971
BRAKES Hayes Mag XC
BRAKE LEVERS Hayes Mag XC
BARS Race Face Deus low riser
STEM Thomson Elite X4
GRIPS Lizard Skin lock on
HEADSET Cane Creek S3
SEAT POST Thompson Elite
SADDLE WTB Pure V Stealth
WHEELS WTB Laser Lite XC
TIRES WTB Weirwolf 2.55LT FR

Thought I'd share. \\/

Anyone need a TALAS 36 RC2?

 

[Neccros]

*DROOL* Hey ride by my office!!!

 

[scruffylooking]

Haha. Sure, I'll email you when I get off of work.

 

[Neccros]

I leave at 4:45pm... oh can I steal that fork???

 

[Von-Diggity]

Looks nice, how much does it weigh? Love the ano slate. My nomad is the same color.

 

[scruffylooking]

Not sure yet. Need to get it weighed at a shop. I'll post back when I know. Hopefully tomorrow?

Ano Slate is purdy!

 

[Neccros]

If you have a digital scale, weigh you by yourself then you and the bike.... subtract the difference!!!

 

[LBmtb]

Nice looking bike. Where did you ride it? Any more details on how it rode -- what you liked and didn't like?

 

[Von-Skipp]

nice bike scruff. whats the 4X mean?

 

[Pain Freak]

Gawd, I love Santa Cruz bikes. Nice build. Did you buy it built or did you spec it out?


Is anybody using Shimano any longer on their builds?

 

[Neccros]

The frames designed with 4 cross racing in mind.... Slacker head angle, not as much suspension in the rear.... and a shorter top tube...

Saw it in person at work, NICE bike there Scruffy!!

 

[scruffylooking]

Day 1...

Von-Skippy - Yup, like Neccros said. Four across racing, single elimination, winners advance. Courses are downhill, smooth, with berms, jumps, and gates. Like slalom but with company. Company that hopes you'll fall.

LBmtb - Rode Aliso Woods. I work super close to the park so I sneak in rides when I can. Don't have a lot of impressions on the first day. But here's what I have so far:

• Felt comfortable on the bike from the get go.
• Climbs better than I thought it would.
• Turns great (from low bb height).
• Pedal strikes are more common (from low bb height).
• Slack head angle makes rough stuff pretty easy.
• No water bottle mounts - boo.

More to come as I log some more rides.

Pain Freak - I got the AM X9 kit from SCB. And then swapped out some parts that didn't jive with BikeSkill's partners. DT340/317 wheels and Avid 7s gone. In with WTB Laser Lites and Hayes Mags. Oh, swapped the RF stem for a Thomson, too. And yes, people use Shimano parts still... so far they've got the only good front der's! 8)

Actually, I'd love to sport the XT crankset and friends of mine love the XT and Saint discs. Shifting, however, is SRAM all the way. All thumbs is the only way to go (But Shimano's catching up in 07).

 

[Pain Freak]

I've been using the Sram front der and it's working flawlessly now for the last 4 months.

 

[PHAT TIRE]

Yo Scruffy...nice Blur! Maybe we can have a Blur festival like the Turner boyz!

 

[dstepper]

Keep dreaming Santa Cruz boys, you got a long ways to go to catch up with us "Homers".

 

[scruffylooking]

That's a rad Jen Green (?) Homer head badge. One of my favorites.

 

[dstepper]

No that is Dean's Homer headbadge that Jen made me.

 

[Franky]

Hey Scruff, why did you go with a 4X over a LT if you have no plans to race it?

 

[scruffylooking]

4X over LT

Hey Scruff, why did you go with a 4X over a LT if you have no plans to race it?

There was something about the 4X formula that intrigued me. I kept thinking it'd make a great trail bike. The combination of a slack ht angle and ninja flickability sounded really desireable. My 6Pack was slack but a slow turning floppy bike. I missed the snappy handling of a more trail oriented bike. Yet, I wanted to keep the slack head angle for technical descents.

So Ninja turning with strong dh skills at only .05lbs more than a BLT? Sounds like the perfect mix to me. Of course, the compromise with the 4X is the low bb and pedal strikes but I think I can deal.

But really, it's because I've already owned an LT and the Nomad is too similar to the Pack. I wanted to try something different.

 

[scruffylooking]

Rolling along...