Brand
Santa Cruz Bicycles
A Californian maker of full-suspension mountain bikes, founded in 1993. Known for its VPP linkage, carbon frames with a lifetime warranty and the V10 downhill bike.
Also known as: Santa Cruz, SCB
Key facts
- Country
- USA
- Founded
- 1993
- Headquarters
- Santa Cruz, California
- Founders
- Rob Roskopp, Rich Novak, Mike Marquez
- Known for
- VPP suspension, Nomad, Hightower, V10
- Website
- https://www.santacruzbicycles.com
History
Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded in 1993 by pro skateboarder Rob Roskopp, Rich Novak and suspension engineer Mike Marquez. Its first production bike, the Tazmon of 1994, was a full-suspension bike — and suspension has been the brand's focus ever since.
VPP
Most of its full-suspension bikes use VPP — Virtual Pivot Point — two short counter-rotating links that move the rear axle along a path meant to pedal firmly and absorb hits.
Well-known models
- Blur — cross-country.
- Hightower and Bronson — trail.
- Nomad and Megatower — enduro.
- V10 — downhill, raced to many World Cup wins.
- Heckler and Vala — electric.
Related articles
- Full-suspension bike — A mountain bike with suspension at both ends. The rear shock keeps the back wheel on the ground over roots and rocks, which means more grip, more control and less fatigue.
- Specialized — An American bike company from California, founded in 1974. Its Stumpjumper of 1981 was one of the first mountain bikes sold in large numbers.
- Trek — An American bike maker from Wisconsin, founded in 1976 in a barn in Waterloo. One of the largest bike brands in the world, with a full mountain range from hardtails to downhill.
- Downhill (DH) — Racing one steep, rough track from top to bottom, against the clock, on bikes with around 200 mm of travel. A World Cup run lasts three to four minutes and is decided by fractions of a second.