This has been a big year for Santa Cruz Bicycles, and it’s not over yet. The company has overhauled most of its line, introducing the Bronson, redesigning the Heckler, updating the Tallboy and debuting the Solo, not to mention creating the women’s specific Juliana line.
The latest edition to the Santa Cruz family is the Bantam, an aluminum single-pivot trail bike that shares the same suspension travel and geometry as the Solo but in a more affordable package. A frame with a Fox CTD Evolution shock retails for US$1,299, with complete bikes starting at US$2,599 (UK pricing and availability is to be announced).
Click through the image gallery, right, for more details.
A single-pivot Solo
Just as the Heckler was redesigned around 650b (27.5in) wheels with geometry that mimics the Bronson, the Bantam shares the same geometry as the Solo in a simpler, budget friendly package.
The Bantam is available in gloss green or satin black
The Bantam has 125mm of rear wheel travel via a single-pivot rear suspension. The frame is designed around a 130mm suspension fork. While the Solo is available in carbon or aluminum, the Bantam is an aluminum-only model.
Claimed weight for a medium Bantam frame with shock is 6.87lb (3.12kg). For reference, that’s just 59g heavier than an alloy Solo and 1.8lb (821g) heavier than a carbon model.
The single-pivot Bantam shares the same low and slack geometry as the VPP-equipped Solo
The Bantam gets the usual assortment of modern frame features, including a tapered head tube, ISCG-05 chainguide mounts, a 142x12 thru-axle rear end, routing for a dropper seatpost and – like all Santa Cruz bikes – a 73mm threaded bottom bracket shell.
Other features include water bottle bosses on the top and underside of the down tube and angular contact bearings secured with a collet axle for the one and only pivot.
The Bantam comes in two color schemes and two build kits. It is available now. For more information visit www.santacruzbicycles.com.
