 |
 |
 |
SANTA CRUZ (www.santacruzbicycles.com)
In 1993, three guys started Santa Cruz Bicycles with an aim to stay in their coastal home of Santa Cruz, California, keep riding all the time, and build the best full suspension bikes possible. Santa Cruz bikes rapidly gained a reputation for being nimble, lightweight and durable, and the original design was so effective and popular that many other manufacturers began to offer bikes designed along very similar lines.
Suspension performance has always carried an aspect of compromise with it. Trying to isolate the rider from having a detrimental effect on the performance of a given suspension can be a challenge indeed. After a rigorous two year technology initiative, aimed at bringing full suspension bike performance to a new level, they have unveiled Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) bikes. The VPP bikes utilize a pair of linkages to isolateand support the rear triangle. This creates a floating pivot point suspension that exhibits close to zero pedal-induced feedback. Throughout the effective pedaling range, chain-induced forces are opposed by the VPP linkage. The end result is a system that is both active and neutral, whether under full power or braking.
While the focus of Santa Cruz Bicycles has been defining and refining suspension bikes, they have also developed the Chameleon, a do-it-all hardtail, equally at home as a one speed race bike or a backwoods dirt jumper.