Santa Cruz Bicycles

Santa Cruz Bicycles, LLC
Company typeDivision
Founded1984 (1984)
Founders
HeadquartersSanta Cruz, California,
US
Key people
Folkert Lamsvelt (CEO)[1]
ProductsBicycles
ParentPon Holdings
Websitesantacruzbicycles.com

Santa Cruz Bicycles, LLC is an American division of Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings that manufactures mountain bikes in Santa Cruz, California.[2] They sponsor the Santa Cruz Syndicate, a downhill racing team. The company moved premises from 104 Bronson Street to 2841 Mission Street in 2013.[3] Formerly owned by NHS, Inc. On July 3, 2015, Santa Cruz Bicycles was sold to Pon Holdings, a family-owned Dutch conglomerate with a bicycle division including brands such as Cervélo, Focus and Royal Dutch Gazelle.[4]

History

Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded by Rob Roskopp, Mike Marquez and Rich Novak in 1993.[5] Roskopp had spent many years as a professional skateboarder, and Novak's Santa Cruz Skateboards company had put out a special "Roskopp" model before the two met. Roskopp and Novak went into partnership with bike engineer Mike Marquez, who had particular experience in bicycle suspension, and Tom Morris, a designer, to build some prototypes.[6]

Their first bike, in 1994, was a full suspension bike called the Tazmon. It had an 80-millimetre (3.1 in) travel single-pivot design,[7] the first on the market.[2][5] It was followed a year later by the 100-millimetre (3.9 in) travel Heckler, a model that was discontinued for the 2016 model year and relaunched in 2020 as an e-bike.

The company acquired the patents for their Virtual Pivot Point (aka "VPP") from Outland Bikes around 1999.[5]

Models

The company manufactures around a dozen models of mountain bikes made of carbon fiber and aluminum, ranging from $1,500 to over $10,000 retail. Their bikes are suited to a wide range of mountain biking disciplines.[2] Frame fabrication occurs in China and Taiwan, but all bicycles are assembled in Santa Cruz, built to customer specifications just before being shipped out.

In 2013, a single model, the "Juliana" was spun off as a stand-alone brand and range of mountain bikes for women, designed by and named for Juli Furtado.[8]

In 2017, Santa Cruz announced the addition of carbon fiber wheels[9] to their product lineup.

Current Santa Cruz/Juliana production models[10][11]

  • 5010/Furtado – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), 130-millimetre (5.1 in) VPP Travel
  • Blur/Wilder – 29" wheels, 2 options for suspension travel: XC (Blur only) and TR (Blur and Wilder). TR has 115-millimetre (4.5 in) Superlight Travel. XC has 107-millimetre (4.2 in) Superlight Travel (re-introduced in 2018) [12]
  • Tallboy/Joplin – 29" wheels, 120-millimetre (4.7 in) VPP Travel
  • Bronson/Roubion – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), 150-millimetre (5.9 in) VPP Travel
  • Hightower – 29" wheels, 150-millimetre (5.9 in) VPP Travel
  • Megatower – 29" wheels, 165-millimetre (6.5 in) VPP Travel
  • Nomad – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), 170-millimetre (6.7 in) VPP Travel
  • V10 – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel) or 29" wheels, 208-millimetre (8.2 in) VPP Travel
  • Chameleon – 29" wheels (MX compatible), hardtail trail bike, 130-millimetre (5.1 in) fork travel
  • Highball – 29" wheels, hardtail XC bike, 100-millimetre (3.9 in) fork travel
  • Stigmata – 700c wheels, cyclocross/gravel bike
  • Heckler SL – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), SL mountain e-bike, 150-millimetre (5.9 in) VPP Travel
  • Vala – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), full-power mountain e-bike, 150-millimetre (5.9 in)
  • Bullit – MX (29" front wheel, 27.5" rear wheel), full-power mountain e-bike, 170-millimetre (6.7 in) (re-introduced as an e-bike in 2021)[13]
  • Skitch – 700c wheels, gravel/city e-bike

Current Santa Cruz production wheel models

  • Reserve Carbon Wheels – 27.5 or 29" – 25, 27, 30, 37mm[14]
  • Reserve Aluminum Wheels – 27.5 or 29"[15]

Discontinued models[16]

  • Bantam
  • Blur LT
  • Blur 4X
  • Bullit (excluding relaunched e-bike)
  • Butcher
  • Driver 8
  • Heckler (including relaunched e-bike)
  • Hightower LT
  • Jackal
  • Juliana Cushtail
  • Juliana Maverick
  • Juliana Quincy
  • Nickel
  • Roadster
  • Super 8
  • Superlight
  • Tallboy LT
  • Tazmon
  • VP Free

Santa Cruz Syndicate

Main article: Santa Cruz Syndicate

Santa Cruz Syndicate is a sponsored downhill team affiliated with the company. Current roster is Laurie Greenland, Jackson Goldstone, and Nina Hoffmann.[17]

References

  1. ^ Pasko, Jessica M. (2024-01-31). "This week in Santa Cruz County business: Santa Cruz County Bank marks two decades, new funding rounds for local tech & new CEO for Santa Cruz Bicycles". Lookout Santa Cruz.
  2. ^ a b c Santa Cruz Bicycles COMPANY
  3. ^ Video: A visit to the Santa Cruz Bikes factory - BikeRadar Magazines Archived 2013-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Santa Cruz Bicycles sold to Pon Holdings, the owner of Cervélo and Focus
  5. ^ a b c Interview: Rob Roskopp, Owner Of Santa Cruz Bicycles - BikeRadar
  6. ^ History Of Santa Cruz Bicycles | LIVESTRONG.COM
  7. ^ Santa Cruz Bicycles - Tazmon 1
  8. ^ Introducing Juliana Bicycles
  9. ^ "Santa Cruz Reserve Wheels First Look - Bike Mag".
  10. ^ Santa Cruz Bicycles Model Range
  11. ^ Juliana Bicycles Model Range
  12. ^ "Blur - Cross Country Bike | Santa Cruz Bicycles | Buy Online Pick Up In Store". santacruzbicycles.com. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  13. ^ "New Santa Cruz Bullit CC X01 Reserve 2021 in review – The clue's in the name!". E-Mountain Bike Magazine.
  14. ^ "Santa Cruz Launches New Nomad, New Wheels, and a Julian Enduro Bike".
  15. ^ "Reserve's New Aluminum Wheels Come With a Lifetime Warranty". Pinkbike. 15 February 2023.
  16. ^ Santa Cruz Bicycles Model Archive
  17. ^ Santa Cruz Syndicate
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