It has been a mighty busy year here at Santa Cruz - seems like we have been going flat out since the launch of the Nomad carbon and the APP twins, Butcher and Nickel, back in the spring.
And now here we are, ramping up for Interbike and running hard into the 2011 model year. So let's get caught up on some of the things going on at this end of the wire:
World Cup, World Champs. So Close, But Yet So Far…
The UCI Downhill World Cup was fought out over the course of six races this year, and ended up being possibly the most closely contested season ever. Going into the final round in Windham, New York, Syndicate rider Greg Minnaar trailed Gee Atherton by a slim seven points. Whoever finished in first between the two, regardless of how they did overall on the day, would win the series. Holding nothing back, they came in 1st and 2nd, with .37 of a second between them. Unfortunately for us, Gee was on the top side of that .37. Regardless, it was a nail biter of a season, and we can't help but applaud the tenacity and spirit of both Greg and Gee.
A week after the end of the World Cup, things shifted to Mont Saint Anne, Quebec, for the World Championships. The course was long and hard, and well suited to power riders like Greg Minnaar and Steve Peat, so our hopes were high. Dusty early conditions turned a whole lot wetter when the end of Hurricane Earl made landfall. High hopes got a bit damp, and Minnaar ended up 3rd on the day, with Peaty 7th.
Peaty and Minnaar, as well as team-mate Josh Bryceland, gave the prototype carbon fiber V10 a mighty successful debut season. The bike was seen on every podium of the World Cup, the World Championship podium, and it also picked up the British Downhill Championship along the way. We'll take results like that.
V10, Prototype No Mo'!
After starting the season as vaporware, the new V10 is almost ready for public consumption. We're finishing up some final color and graphics details as we head into interbike, but the bike is for real, and for sale. As with the rest of our bikes, the V10 will be available as a frame only deal (including a RockShox Vivid R2C shock and Cane Creek Angleset headset, for a US MSRP of $2999) that can be built with a choice of forks, shocks and kits. It will also be offered in a swank, very limited, Syndicate Replica package (simular to this).
he Syndicate Replica will only be available in one color, and sold only as a complete bike. It is exactly the same as the bikes the Syndicate were racing on this year, with the exception of the wheels. Since the Edge wheels the Syndicate were racing on are still in development and not available yet to the public, we are offering the bike with DT wheels. There will only be 100 of these bikes made, and they will sell for $7799 US MSRP.
Bright Shiny Colors!
Back in the real world, we overhauled the graphics on the Blur XC and the Blur LTc. Each model is now available in three colors. The Blur XC now comes in either matte carbon/silver...
A bright glossy red:
Or a matte carbon/blue
The LTc is now rolling matte carbon/silver finish.
Glossy white
And a lovely glossy green.
With both the XC and the LTc, the matte carbon/silver option is the way to go if anyone comes into the shop requesting a "murdered out whip."
Not to be out-purtied by the new carbon paintjobs, our aluminium powdercoated bikes get a couple new choices as well as an entirely new finish process. They are now available in the following colors - white, black, red, green, seabright blue, chocolate, and on some models, bare. Bare is straight aluminium with a clear coat over top of it. All of these powdercoat colors are now being finished with clear coat laid on top of the decals. This makes the colors brighter, more glossy, and adds a layer of protection to the overall finish, ensuring your bike will remain looking sharp a lot longer. Check all the finishes out on our freshly updated Bike Builder.
www.santacruzbicycles.com
