Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson 2.0 Carbon CC XT ENVE Complete Mountain Bike 2017

After the frame, the most important element of a bike's build kit is the wheelset. Period. And no wheelset punctuates that point more effectively than the ENVE M60 Forty hoops on Santa Cruz Bicycles' Bronson 2. 0 Carbon CC XT ENVE Complete Mountain Bike. The rest of the kit's not too shabby, either, with Shimano's updated XT M8000 drivetrain enjoying a great deal of trickledown from the line topping XTR label. Build kit aside, though, we stand by the assertion that a bike's most important element is the frame, and Santa Cruz's Bronson 2. 0 Carbon CC has a host of benefits recommending it as the king of Mt. Enduro. In 2016, the frame's geometry was hit with the update hammer just as hard as Shimano hit XT, and the 2017 model returns with those changes intact. The 2. 0's most impressive alteration to the old Bronson's all mountain geometry is the head tube, which slacks out by an extra tick on the protractor to drop from 67 to 66 degrees. This change is complemented with a corresponding increase in top tube length, a lower bottom bracket, and a raised lower link a combination that allows for short stemmed, strike free, point and click confidence while traversing lines and dropping steps that would cause even the previous Bronson to hesitate. It also effectively erases root lattices and moderate rock gutters, letting you mash across terrain that trail, XC, and even other all mountain bikes have to pick through with delicate care. Conversely, the Bronson 2. 0's seat tube gets steeper by almost a full degree in order to better position the engine read: your hips up over the Race Face cranks. The revised geometry keeps you on top of the pedal stroke, and relocated links allow for a shorter chainstay, which makes for more power transferring efficiency. The back end is further stiffened with the new 12 x 148mm axle standard, ensuring that the extra watts produced by the improved pedaling position and shorter chainstays aren't lost to wheel flex. Despite its slacker...