Long Travel in a Blur

WHAT: Santa cruz blur lt WHERE: www.santacruzbicycles.com HOW MUCH: $3,628 (as tested)

BITS & PIECES: Suspension: Fox Float RLC fork, Fox Float RP3 AVA shock ///Drivetrain: Shimano XT ///Brakes: Shimano XT ///Weight: 28 pounds ///Contact: santacruzbicycles.com

As all respectable chick flicks demonstrate, a true soul mate calmly guides you through tricky situations, away from trouble or embarrassment. And if those cookie-cutter movie scripts are right, Santa Cruz’s Blur Long Travel (BLT) may just be my new life partner.

I didn’t expect that. Too often, 5 inches of travel equals mediocrity—a bike sluggish on climbs and timid on rocky descents. Commitment to one of these basic in-between machines usually means a life lusting after the sleek-and-svelte XC speedsters or the rough-and-tumble freeride tomboys. Not the case with the BLT. Its confidence-instilling 5.3 inches of rear-wheel travel, pleasant-pedaling virtual pivot suspension, surprisingly agile geometry and 28-pound weight made it the ideal companion for epic, all-day excursions on rugged terrain.

To make sure the BLT could withstand larger hits, Santa Cruz’s used custom-butted 6069 aluminum tubes and gave it more tire clearance that its shorter-travel sibling. To sweeten the deal, our BLT was fitted with a Fox RP3 AVA rear shock littered with options. An easy-to-flip lever switches compression damping through three settings—from wide-open bump absorption to heavily damped pedaling efficiency—and the Air Volume Adjustable fine-tunes the shock’s spring rate. Fox’s top notch Float RLC fork is also loaded with external options, including a handy lockout.

The combination of adjustable shocks and the efficient virtual-pivot design made the bike feel at home on any terrain, up or down. In fact, only during major, out-of-the saddle efforts did it feel sluggish. By contrast, with the shock set in its wide-open position, the BLT plowed through the ugliest terrain with ease.

On big square-edged hits, however, the BLT ramped-up quickly and lacked the bottomless travel of some suspension bikes. Increasing the volume on the RP3 helped, but it was clear that the BLT is no big-hit bike. The fast-handling geometry reinforced that fact.

The 43.7-inch wheelbase and 69.5-degree head angle provided razor-sharp, exciting behavior on tight singletrack, but made the bike a bit twitchy when charging through the rough in the big ring. Anyone with a cross-country background would appreciate these characteristics, but for the new generation of dirt-jumping, cliff-hucking riders, they could be a turn off.

So, if you’re looking for a companion for those epic rides that include two-hour climbs, technical descents, tight switchbacks and 4-foot drops, give the BLT a chance. It is more than just another leggy, attractive bike; it may be the machine that shows you a lifetime of happiness and excitement.