Vital Test Bike Preview: 2013 Santa Cruz Blur TRc 8

Every mountain biker knows the feeling you get when you receive a new frame or bike—less know the feeling of putting that new frame together. If you've built a new bike, you know that there is a soft, peaceful side. A side that cuts out the adrenaline, the excitement of that first corner you plan to annihilate, and that first trail you dream of ripping that leaves you grinning from ear to ear… A romance if you will.

This feeling can often latch on while building a new frame into a bike. It can often be traced back to the sentimental thoughts that flood in while pulling the old trusty apart, setting the mood for the ritual about to take place as the freshy prepares to take the honors at the altar. It's a ritual that will always feel so good, regardless of how many times it has been performed.

Never have I experienced these feelings with a carbon weapon, and so, this romantic ritual paves the way, upping the ante for all the rest—until the next. Despite the inevitability of some day being outdone, this ceremony of sorts is more than worth sharing.

This is the early stage of a forming bond between tester (AJ Barlas) and the 2013 Santa Cruz Blur TRc… the build. Will it blossom into all that is dreamed of? Time can only tell and you will have to stick around to find out… soon enough.