Santa Cruz Blur 4 CC 29 25 X0 AXS-Kit RSV

The Blur 4 is the previous generation of Santa Cruz's cross-country bike and it remains a genuinely fast, genuinely light 29er. The single-pivot flexstay layout, which Santa Cruz calls Superlight, keeps the frame simple and the weight down, and there is no flip chip because the whole design philosophy was to cut anything that added grams. A 67.1-degree head angle is steep by current standards and steeper than anything else in the Santa Cruz line, which makes it quick-steering and efficient on climbs where the newer, slacker bikes feel lazy.

Chainstays are among the shortest Santa Cruz builds, 431 to 438 mm depending on size, which is what gives the Blur its snap out of corners and under power. Bottom bracket height sits at 339 to 340 mm, low enough to feel planted despite the short travel. Santa Cruz offered the Blur 4 frame in two rear travel configurations, a shorter cross-country setup and a longer trail setup, both paired with a 120 mm fork. This is the CC carbon frame with SRAM X0 AXS wireless shifting and Reserve carbon wheels, and it carries a lifetime frame and bearing warranty.