My previous mountain bike (MTB) was a Stumpjumper Comp 2009 which was also the MTB I was riding when assaulted in Sarratt. I’ve now switched over to a custom build of a Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon. I pretty much went for the gloss-red frame and XTR M980 (10 speed), but there have been a few tweaks from the standard options that Santa Cruz offer.
Sweet!
You may have noticed a cable going up the seat-post…yup, that’s a droppable post, a RockShox Reverb. The full specs are listed below.
Note that the tyres shown are the Continental “Rubber Queen” 2.2 UST (with the useful Black Chili compound). I’ve ridden the non-UST folding version of this tyre but made tubeless using Stan’s Notubes conversion kit on my Stumpjumper’s DTSwiss X420SL rims. Great for winter riding and burly conditions these Rubber Queens, but with winter now receding I think I’ll be switching over to the Continental “X-King” 2.2 Race Sport (RS) tubeless-ready tyres (also with Black Chili). I’ve not ridden any X-Kings yet but these 2.2 RS models have a claimed weight of 460 g so I’m really looking forward to taking-off like a rocket when paired to the Blur XC Carbon. I hope my legs do them justice.
The bike, as spec’ed, weighs 25.3 pounds (11.48 kg); with the X-Kings the weight should drop to 23.8 pounds (10.8 kg). Don’t forget that the 1.5 pounds of reduction, although small, will be in the rotational areas so should make a huge difference to the responsiveness of the bike.
| Frame: | Blur XC Carbon (2011), medium size, gloss red |
| Shock: | Fox Float RP23 Boost Valve: Velocity Tune: L Boost Valve Tune: 225 Rebound Tune: M |
| Fork: | Fox 32 F120 FIT RLC 120mm Black (15mm Through Axle) |
| Shifters: | Shimano M980 (XTR) |
| Front Derailleur: | Shimano M981-D (XTR) |
| Rear Derailleur: | Shimano M980 SGS (XTR) |
| Chainset: | Shimano M980 24/32/42 (XTR) 10spd |
| Bottom Bracket: | Included with crankset |
| Chain: | HG-X(XTR M980) |
| Cassette: | Shimano M980, 11-34 (XTR) |
| Brakes: | Formula R1 with 160mm rotors |
| Bars: | Syncros FL carbon 31.8mm |
| Stem: | Easton EA 90 31.8mm |
| Grips: | ODI Ruffian Lock-On (130mm) |
| Headsets: | Chris King 1″ 1/8 |
| Seatpost: | RockShox Reverb 380mm (30.9mm dia) |
| Saddle: | WTB Silverado SLT |
| Wheels: | ZTR Crest rims laced to Hope Pro 2 hubs |
| Tyres: | Rubber Queen 2.2 UST folding |
| Tubes: | tubeless; Stan’s Tire Sealant |
| Pedals: | Point One Podium |
| Gear cables: | Gore Ride-On sealed low friction |
| Scratch shield: | SportsCover Bikeshield (fullpack) |
UPDATE: Note 1 – I swapped-out the Rubber Queens to the X-King 2.2 Race Sport (RS) for summer riding and they’ve held up well.
Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011