27.5, All Mountain Trail, Bronson, Santa Cruz - September 12, 2015

First Look: 2016 Santa Cruz Bronson

Slacker head angle, longer top tube, shorter chainstays are some of the updates to this newest Bronson. All photos by Gary Perkin (click to enlarge).

The Santa Cruz Bronson took the world by storm when it was introduced a couple years ago. Here was a full carbon early adopter bike perched on the 27.5 wheel size. It was a 150mm travel bike that seemed outgunned by bigger bikes and out maneuvered by smaller travel bikes. But what the Bronson revealed was a massive sweet spot. It could do it all it seemed, from trail rides to all day adventures or Enduro World Series events.

The lower pivot has been above the bottom bracket to tidy up the underside of the bike significantly (click to enlarge).

So updating it so soon in its product cycle seemed like a risky proposition. At first glance it seemed like a just an eye-catching color treatment. But digging deeper, one realizes that they touched just about every part of this frame. Changes are subtle but sweeping at the same time. They made the bike more capable in all aspects of All Mountain aggressive riding. And they seemed to expand the already broad sweet spot of the bike.

What Changed?

The changes though subtle, are extensive. Travel has been been maintained at 150mm but the quality of travel has been changed quite a bit. Geometry, cosmetics, routing and other details were changed as well.

The upper link now hangs from the top tube instead of the seat tube. This allows the top tube to be lowered (click to enlarge).

Revised Suspension Tune

This bike has learned a lot from its big brother the 165mm travel Nomad. The travel has been improved to be more plush and more responsive. Just like the 5010 and the new Juliana bikes, the Bronson is more active and controlled at the limits