Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz: From California to your trails

Whether it's bike park action with your buddies, a fast trail bike session, or fun loops with Santa Cruz e-bikes : Santa Cruz Bicycles has consistently revolutionized mountain biking. What once began as a small "garage project" on the grounds of a cannery is now synonymous with pure trail riding and simply awesome bikes. Santa Cruz's product range extends from sleek cyclocross bikes to World Cup-caliber downhill machines.

For demanding mountain bikers, Santa Cruz offers a wide selection and a variety of models in its extensive range, ensuring that every riding style and need is optimally covered.

Did you know? Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded in California in 1994.

The VPP legends for maximum trail fun

Trail surfing made in California: With Santa Cruz Bikes, you get legendary performance directly on your favorite trails – whether you're in the south, north, or anywhere in between.

An example of a particularly versatile and high-performance model is the Santa Cruz Hightower, which stands out for its adaptability and high performance on a wide variety of terrains – from alpine trails to bike parks.

The Bronson is more geared towards downhill riding and rough terrain, and offers more suspension travel than the Hightower.

The V10 is a pure downhill race bike, designed for maximum speed on extreme descents.

The cult brand from California stands for uncompromising mountain bikes, ingenious handling and pure riding fun – or simply for quality bicycles since 1994.

E-MTBs, enduro, trail bikes or downhill bikes

Marketing guys call it USP. We call it Santa Cruz style. Santa Cruz's innovative e-bike models impress with outstanding performance and state-of-the-art technology, offering the perfect e-bike for every riding style. Whether you race or simply seek bikes with history and pure mountain bike DNA, the distinctive VPP rear suspension makes Santa Cruz bikes a staple on enduro tracks, in bike parks, and on trails worldwide.

High performance? It starts with the manufacturing process.

Santa Cruz Bicycles doesn't offer tired updates or cosmetic changes just to sell you new bikes every year. Instead, the Californians focus on continuous improvements and well-thought-out components.

Riders worldwide swear by the patented VPP rear suspension. It delivers silky-smooth responsiveness without sacrificing efficiency. The quality? Durable, long-lasting, and top-notch. And thanks to a lifetime frame warranty for the original purchaser, your Santa Cruz bike is a true no-brainer – buy it once, ride it forever.

Driving fun from California with a worldwide fan base

In close proximity to RockShox, the colleagues from Santa Cruz Skateboarding, and several surfboard shapers, the foundation for today's Santa Cruz mountain bikes was laid in the early 1990s. Today, the brand enjoys a legendary reputation among bikers worldwide.

The revolutionary Santa Cruz VPP system explained simply

The VPP system allows you to achieve the perfect balance between rear suspension performance and pedaling efficiency in virtually any situation. Thanks to the two opposing levers, the VPP creates a so-called "virtual" pivot point.

The key feature is that there is no "rigid" center, but rather a rear triangle that moves throughout the entire suspension travel range and is therefore always optimally aligned.

Nice: This system has also been optimally transferred to the Santa Cruz e-mountain bikes. This means that all e-bikes ride just as naturally as "bio-bikes".

Especially on longer tours and steep climbs, you benefit from the electric assistance of the Santa Cruz e-mountain bikes, which gives you additional strength and endurance.

Did you know? The VPP models also feature two grease nipples for easy maintenance and long service life.

How does the VPP system drive?

The VPP rear suspension impresses with a fantastic balance of anti-squat, anti-rise, and effective rear suspension leverage. No wonder the Americans patented their system.

Theory is all well and good – but do you want to drive yourself?

Of course! You can reserve your personal Santa Cruz test bike today through our bike rental service.

Durable Carbon-C and Carbon-CC frames

Made to ride them hard! These bikes impress with their extreme durability and are designed for maximum longevity.

The highlight: As the first owner, you receive a lifetime warranty on the carbon frames from Santa Cruz. But that's not all – the frames offer many other exciting advantages.

Size-dependent geometry and frame stiffness

Santa Cruz individually adjusts the chainstay length, frame stiffness, and seat tube angle for each frame size. This ensures that every frame size offers the exact same riding experience. And the bikes utilize the suspension travel equally well.

Essential: Size-dependent seat angles and rear triangle length

Going the extra mile that many other manufacturers don't: Santa Cruz precisely adjusts both the chainstay length and the seat tube angle to each frame size. Regardless of your height, you always get the same balanced geometry.

Santa Cruz's geometries don't simply scale blindly proportionally. Instead, through a lot of work and thousands of test rides, the Americans have determined the ideal seat angle and chainstay length for each frame size.

Size-dependent frame stiffness

Larger riders put more strain on the frame. That's why the Californians adjust the stiffness accordingly for each frame size. These reinforcements ensure the same extremely high quality across the entire size range.

Santa Cruz C Carbon Frame & CC Carbon Frame

Damn fast works of art made of carbon fiber: Even after many years, the frames of these Californian bikes remain the benchmark for expertly crafted, high-performance frames . Extremely cleanly finished, striking the sweet spot between stiffness and weight, and packed with smart details, they are faithful companions on your rides for years to come.

CC Carbon frame

With the CC Carbon frame, the Americans combine exceptional stability with an even lighter frame weight. The CC Carbon frames are the absolute high-end models and are aimed at those who demand maximum stiffness with even less overall weight. A CC Carbon frame offers you the highest level of riding comfort you can get from Santa Cruz. In real-world terms, it would be like a supercar chassis.

C Carbon frame

The Santa Cruz C Carbon frames are produced to the same ultra-strict standards, but feature slightly different carbon fibers and layers. They offer the same durability and robustness as the CC Carbon models, albeit with a slightly higher overall weight. The advantage for you: they're more affordable.

Whether you choose the CC carbon frame or the C carbon frame, you'll be impressed by the absolutely high-quality craftsmanship. And the timeless look of the frames is the icing on the cake. The design is wonderfully clean and minimalist, instantly recognizable as a Santa Cruz frame, even from a distance. Furthermore, the bearings used in all frames are of very high quality.

Santa Cruz FlipChip: Small lever, big impact

Slacker or steeper head angle? The FlipChip on the frame lets you choose between the "LO" and "HI" positions. The FlipChip not only affects the suspension characteristics of your Santa Cruz bike, but also adjusts the geometry. The FlipChip is easily adjusted on your LowerLink using a 6mm Allen key.

The FlipChip “Lo” position

In the "LO" position, the suspension becomes more progressive. You get noticeably more traction when climbing. Responsiveness is also improved. At the same time, bottom-outs are less likely to occur. The "LO" position also results in a slacker head angle, a slightly shorter reach, and a lower bottom bracket. The stack (distance from the bottom bracket to the top tube) increases slightly.

Advantages of the FlipChip “LO” position

• Improved driving stability at high speeds
• Improved traction when climbing
• Even more safety in steep terrain

The FlipChip “HI” position

In this setting, your Santa Cruz mountain bike will have a slightly steeper head angle. This results in a slightly higher bottom bracket and a longer reach. At the same time, the stack is reduced somewhat. The overall riding characteristics become faster, more direct, and more dynamic.

Advantages of the FlipChip “HI” position

• Fewer pedal strikes on technical terrain
• Ideal for slower, technical terrain and technical descents
• More active position while climbing

Reserve wheels: Lightweight, ultra-precise and super strong!

A recommendation you'll love: The Santa Cruz Reserve carbon wheels will boost your pedaling efficiency several levels. Their fantastic stiffness-to-weight ratio ensures super-direct responsiveness and maximum durability.

"With the Reserve carbon wheels, the Americans prove their absolute carbon expertise."
(Noah Grossmann - Managing Director 2-Cycle)

But it wasn't just the beautifully defined ride and responsiveness of the Reserve carbon rims that impressed us: their elegant look also deserves mention. The high-quality finish makes the Santa Cruz Reserve wheels absolute eye-catchers.

Want to learn more about the advantages of Reverse Carbon wheels?

Santa Cruz Mountain Bikes: All Models at a Glance

Highly sought after, popular, and incredibly fast: Santa Cruz mountain bikes stand for pure, unadulterated mountain biking. The excellent carbon frames, remarkably high quality, and the successes of the Santa Cruz Syndicate team make the brand one of the most successful mountain bike manufacturers worldwide.

As one of the leading Santa Cruz dealers in Germany, we've loved and ridden these bikes ourselves for many years. Their performance, lifetime frame warranty, and ongoing innovations have won us over. With us, you have the opportunity to choose from the many Santa Cruz bikes that perfectly suit your needs – whether you feel at home in the mountains or the bike park.

So if you're looking to buy a new Santa Cruz, then 2-Cycle is the right place for you! As an established Santa Cruz dealer in Germany, we offer top-notch advice, upgrades, and expert service, either on-site at our bike shop in Freiburg or anytime online in our shop.

We offer special e-bike models from Santa Cruz that combine the familiar riding feel and handling with motor assistance.

The Santa Cruz bike models: All-rounders and specialists

From hardtails to full-suspension bikes, Santa Cruz boasts a remarkably versatile lineup . Best of all, each bike has its own unique strengths and talents, regardless of whether it features mechanical or AXS RSV drivetrains.

The best part: The parts and components will never limit you. Even the base models are ready to shred the trails!

Say hello to smart ideas and leading performance

Smart features like the SAG indicator and the practical glovebox integrated into the frame make your life as a biker easier. And the well-designed Twin-Link rear suspension system ensures superior performance and the signature Santa Cruz look.

All models presented in detail

To help you keep track of the entire model range, we've listed all the bikes for you. For more detailed information about each model, including its strengths and characteristics , click the button next to the bike.

Santa Cruz MTB: Mountain biker's dream

Your new permanent resident in your home, basement, or garage: With a Santa Cruz mountain bike, you always have a piece of the California MTB lifestyle with you. The high-quality frames, the fantastic VPP rear suspension system, and the great versatility of the models will make any biker's heart beat faster.

Whether enduro, downhill or lightning-fast trail machine – Santa Cruz bikes embody the perfect spirit of mountain biking.

The Bullitt is an e-enduro bike with 170 mm of travel and is designed for steep downhill sections.

Conclusion on Santa Cruz mountain bikes

It works! From the geometry and rear suspension to the workmanship: Santa Cruz has done its homework. The hype is justified. And yes, Santa Cruz models are damn good! Or as we say: Quality bicycles since 1994. Furthermore, Santa Cruz also incorporates special support mechanisms into their designs to ensure a better riding experience.

Our opinion: Santa Cruz's VPP suspension concept is among the best the market has to offer.