Santa Cruz Bronson build.
Comments
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Well in my reality of being a student and working for minimal wage
I worked in a solicitors during my gap year for £4.93 an hour and that paid for my Mojo HD, and I still took £2k to uni with me. If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to afford it. You just got to be clever/careful with your money and you'll reap the rewards. Admittedly there are many things I don't have to pay for, mortgage and all that, but it buying a £4k bike on minimum wage shows what can be done. Every single penny I've spent on that bike I've earned, so why the hell not do it? 
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lawman wrote:I actually totted up a build on a Bronson as I'd build it, at the price anyone could get components for, Pike RCT3's, X01, Xtr brakes, Reverb, Easton Carbon bars and Stem and Stan's/Tune wheels and all that jazz and it came to £5500... which ain't bad really!
I'm mean you can get the pike for £630 on Bike discount.. I just wish they'd get some stock in!0 -
lawman wrote:If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to afford it.
That doesn't make the price of it any less ridiculous.0 -
It may not make it less ridiculous but if you can have it, why not? There's a lot of things in life you don't need that cost excessive amounts of money and you could get something to do exactly the same thing but for a lot less. I always think I worked for it, it's my main hobby and it's nice knowing it's yours and it's a flipping nice bit of kit to enjoy the trails on
Ridiculous? Possibly. Justifiable? Abso-frickin-lutely!
The high-end stuff has to happen for the tech to trickle down, it 10 years time you'll look at that bike and it'll cost you half as much, possibly even less to own a bike with the same level of performance0 -
Really? You live in an inflation free bubble then, lol?0
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Not really that's just how it is
a £500 bike today will probably ride better than a £2000 bike from 10 years ago. 0 -
And every model year manufacturers' spec levels decrease while prices increase...0
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But for a given price point, each year the products improve. You take a modern deore groupset and an old xtr group and the deore would be just as good, if not better. It might not say the same thing on it but on comparative performance they are very similar. Basically in 10 years time a bike costing a lot less will perform just as well as a Bronson or any other expensive does today.0
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Apologies to the OP for completely hijacking the thread btw!0
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If he wants to spend a lot of money on a bike there's nothing wrong with that
In the same way people spend thousands on golf clubs or buy an expensive car
If they enjoy it...0 -
ej2320 wrote:If he wants to spend a lot of money on a bike there's nothing wrong with that
Show me where anybody said that there was.0 -
They didn't, I was just saying0
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How are you getting on with the General Lee Rick? Keep looking at X01, but would prefer to stick with Shimano. Does it shift ok out on the trail?0
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lawman wrote:How are you getting on with the General Lee Rick?
It's great, but that 383ci V8 is a thirsty bitch...
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lawman wrote:How are you getting on with the General Lee Rick? Keep looking at X01, but would prefer to stick with Shimano. Does it shift ok out on the trail?
It's actually really good shifting wise, far better than I expected. On the stand it did hang up slightly when changing off the adapter and onto the cassette but on the bike it's been spot on. Not got a whole lot of miles in on it yet in bad weather but it seems to be holding up ok. I was slightly worried after reading the review in WMTB the other month but I think that comes more down to the fact it's not from one of the big two drivetrain companies and Leonardi Racing don't spend money on advertising with them!
My mate has just bought XO1 and another one has it on his bike and has a lot of miles on it. While I like the look of it I just cannot help but feel when Shimano release new XTR it will be better, so I will holdout for the minute. That and the fact all my bikes have Shimano on them as I like the way it feels/shifts and the durability.0 -
Off topic, but partly on point - I've had about 6 months experience with the General Lee on my wife's bike, who wanted a 1x setup to remove the front mech, but didn't quite have the legs for an 11-36 cassette, it was a cheaper alternative to XX1 at the time.
From the word go it's suffered from the issues that seem to plague the majority of users, in that it shifts 'ok' on the GL part of the cassette, and is either too slow to shift down the block onto the SRAM/Shimano cassette or too slow to shift up the other way. It hasn't got any better over time with use, and she has had to warranty 2 'top half' parts after snapping teeth off. It seems to shift better if you soft pedal changes.
It is no where near as smooth as an off the shelf setup from either of the big two. I'm a full on Shimano 10spd fanboy over SRAM, but my new bike came with X01, and it's been working very well. You cannot compare the GL adapters to it. They are a crude bodge by comparison, but that's reflected in the price, being a fraction of the cost.
With the bits available being a bit cheaper now, i'll put an 11spd system on my wife's bike too. Shimano's alternative is still a long way out, and won't have the range of the SRAM stuff anyway.
More on topic - nice bike though.0 -
Ahhh that's disappointing. Was hoping for more positive feedback, I did hear murmurings that they're making changes to the design, so hopefully they'll improve it. I did have a look into a few alternatives, not a great deal out there despite the fact it would take minimal changes to a normal 10spd cassette to get the same gear range.0
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Sounds like you had the SRAM version? I don't know if the Shimano is different but I have had no issues out raiding with the shift. Durability of the alloy cogs should be no worse than Sram XX through to XX1 as they also use a alloy 36 or 42 tooth cog. It's not ideal granted but then the general lee is disposable at £80ish where as at £225+ for a XO1 cassette will make your eyes water when the 42 tooth ring is ruined and you need to buy a whole new cassette as SRAM don't sell just that one ring.
I don't think XTR will be that far off at all, maybe 4-6 months and who knows exactly what they have up there sleeve? Me and you will be the last ones to find out. They will produce what the market wants IMHO.0 -
I would expect the GL to wear a lot sooner than the sram due to only the 42 being alloy, id expect the smalled GL cog to wear a lot faster due to torq going though that ring and a lot less teeth for the chain to spread the load over
and with the x01 being avaible in the uk for 215 atm its only about 50 quid more than a GL and a XT cassette.
ive known you nearly about 10 years rick and I actuall LOL at you saying a cassette at 200 quid once a year is going to make your eyes water. 0 -
Rick Draper wrote:Sounds like you had the SRAM version? I don't know if the Shimano is different but I have had no issues out raiding with the shift. Durability of the alloy cogs should be no worse than Sram XX through to XX1 as they also use a alloy 36 or 42 tooth cog. It's not ideal granted but then the general lee is disposable at £80ish where as at £225+ for a XO1 cassette will make your eyes water when the 42 tooth ring is ruined and you need to buy a whole new cassette as SRAM don't sell just that one ring.
I don't think XTR will be that far off at all, maybe 4-6 months and who knows exactly what they have up there sleeve? Me and you will be the last ones to find out. They will produce what the market wants IMHO.
Tried both, as I had a spare XT cassette kicking around, so when we warranties it for the second time, we put the Shimano compliant one on. I've read that the shifting can be vastly improved if you take a dremmel to the teeth to mimick the tooth profile of a proper cassette, but it seems like an awful lot of effort.
The SRAM system is designed more so that you keep an eye on chain & front ring wear and change them more regularly, as it saves the life of the cassette. That said, I did nearly 4000km in all weather on an XX cassette before I changed bikes, just made sure I had 2 chains I rotated every month. There are people who have got double the distance out of an XX1 cassette and they are still shifting well, with no slippage.
The price for the cassette isn't cheap, I'll agree, but if you want the top end stuff, it doesn't come cheap. Compared to the price of your bike, £225 on a cassette is p*ssing in the wind 0 -
I know the minute I buy XX1 then Shimano will release New XTR and the XX1 will be sold LOL.0
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I look at this thread almost every day. What a beautiful bike - same goes with your road bikes!
Road - Dolan Preffisio
MTB - On-One Inbred
I have no idea what's going on here.0 -
declan1 wrote:I look at this thread almost every day. What a beautiful bike - same goes with your road bikes!
Thanks :oops:
Maiden voyage on the new wheels today and for the Hans Dampfs as well.
Been honest dropping that much cash on a pair of wheels I am not going to say they are shit and they should impress me.
Did I notice a difference? Yes I noticed the weight difference from the Hope Flow EX's and they did feel stiffer.
Would they be top of my list if I had £XXXX to spend? Nope a Bronson would be. The frame and suspension are just so impressive.
Since my last ride I removed the (stock fitted) 0.60" volume spacer in the rear shock and fitted a 0.40" one and added slightly more air. I am now seeing almost full travel on the shock and its not bottoming out. Before I was probably 7mm or so off full travel when set at 25% sag.0 -
I'd have probably gone the other way on the shock setup! Imo you should only use full travel in case of proper emergencies, I think I've only ever fully bottomed out my RP23 a few times, and never on 32's. The brief ride I had on a Bronson wasn't really enough to get a proper idea, but will be having a demo bike over a weekend in the new year, give it a proper thrashing and see what's what. The car park test was incredibly favourable though, I want one 0
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lawman wrote:I'd have probably gone the other way on the shock setup! Imo you should only use full travel in case of proper emergencies, I think I've only ever fully bottomed out my RP23 a few times, and never on 32's. The brief ride I had on a Bronson wasn't really enough to get a proper idea, but will be having a demo bike over a weekend in the new year, give it a proper thrashing and see what's what. The car park test was incredibly favourable though, I want one
I think for the style of riding I am doing the shock now feels quite a lot better. The ramp up towards the end of the travel with the 0.60" spacer was slightly harsher, its now very nice and only ramps up right towards the end.
I have to say the 2014 34's feel very nice but I would like a good ride on a Pike to compare. I might get a go on my mates 650 Orange 5 Pro thats got a Monarch and Pikes to see how they feel. I don't think its going to be any better though but it would be nice to try them.
It is a great frame Santa Cruz have come up with, everything just feels so right about it.0 -
I think I'd definitely be sticking pikes if I were to build one. They're near as makes no difference £300 cheaper, 100g lighter and have a proper LSC adjustment and adjustable progression with the bottomless tokens. As big a fan of Fox as I am, that kinda difference over the 34 is too much to ignore.
Plus a Pike would mean £300 to spend elsewhere, which for me would be a big deal! 0 -
Nearly £400 cheaper on Bike Discount!0
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Love the blue graphics on the new wheels.0
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lawman wrote:I think I'd definitely be sticking pikes if I were to build one. They're near as makes no difference £300 cheaper, 100g lighter and have a proper LSC adjustment and adjustable progression with the bottomless tokens. As big a fan of Fox as I am, that kinda difference over the 34 is too much to ignore.
Plus a Pike would mean £300 to spend elsewhere, which for me would be a big deal!
The Pike is roughly £520 here
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... ;orderby=2
Dunno when they'll get their stock in0 -
XX1 is on
Sadly off to work tomorrow so not going to get to ride it for a little bit. I am looking forward to trying it out, it works well on the quick ride I had on it. If only the SRAM shifter did not feel so cheap.0
