Vital Rides the All-New 2019 Santa Cruz Bronson and 5010 19

Picture this: you load up your riding gear, travel a few hours from home, and spend the next couple of days riding new trails with your buds. You ride harder and longer than normal, you drink a tad too much in the evenings, and despite being absolutely blown; you are somehow more energized than ever. This was our experience with Santa Cruz and the introduction to the next generation Bronson and 5010.

This may not be your typical First Ride. It isn’t slick, our shots were relegated to the garage and hiding behind trees, but unlike other First Looks, we spent a ton of time actually riding the bikes and gaining a feel for how the folks at Santa Cruz operate. We were the only media present which made us the unchallenged belle of the ball.

Seb Kemp, Santa Cruz Brand Manager, snagged us from the Salt Lake City airport in a clapped out rental van for our short trip up to Park City where we would spend the next couple of days doing what we mountain bikers tend to do: act like the inner children we are while playing on bicycles.

Our introduction to the bikes at hand consisted of walking into the living room and saying, “Oh, those are sweet looking.” Prior to throwing a leg over the bikes that would be ours to flog, there were no slideshows, marketing presentations, or much talk of numbers. In fact, not a single stat, measurement, or spec was given to us until the morning of our departure.

The Bronson is at the aggressive end of things, and to appreciate what this bike has to offer one needs to be willing to let it hang out a bit. 

Garen dropped us off close to the Wasatch Trail and was then off to return home. When someone in Park City uses the term “punchy,” they aren’t meaning the brief, five pedal stroke features that many are accustomed to. They’re referencing a mile plus long wall riddled with loose pebbles. It was here the Bronson showed us that it wasn’t just another bruiser in primer grey – this is a balanced rig. We would later learn that the seat angle was on par with the 5010 (and several other progressive brands). Reaching for the compression lever on the Super Deluxe locked things up almost too much. For the remainder of the ride, we just left it open to optimize traction.

Our savage climb lead us to the top of Empire, a somewhat neglected downhill track that bordered on straight up freeride. Super steep, crazy loose, and full of surprises; this is the sort of trail that not too long ago had us reaching for a downhill bike. The Bronson remained composed and gobbled up all in its path. The next 10-miles had us traversing the Mid Mountain trail, full of fun, natural features and awesome views; it’s the sort of endeavor that reminds us all why we get out and ride these bikes. During our traverse and (actual) punchy climbs, the Bronson’s pedigree shone through – this is a trail bike, moving easily even when gravity wasn’t our friend. Despite some clumsy maneuvers and off-timing, the Bronson was never hung up on square hits and was spritely when the front end needed to come up to clear ledges. We were grateful to have chosen the Bronson after several hours in the saddle, not for the descending prowess, but because we would not have given it a fair shake as an all around bike otherwise.

Part of our traverse had us riding through unrelenting shale and rock. The bumps and vibrations were taking their toll and the affair was growing rather fatiguing. Because this was a test and Seb was lugging along a shock pump, and because he didn’t like the chatter much either, we made some suspension adjustments. Yesterday we were riding full steam, full of fire and fury; today, well, less so. By this point we had already backed off the compression, so fork and rear shock pressures went down just a few pounds but not quite to full mattress mode. The ride from here was much less punishing. The Bronson further revealed the flexible characteristics that lay beneath the bulging muscular frame. The final off-road portion of our ride had us plummeting down the bike park at breakneck speeds. The slightly softer suspension gave way to the ground-sucking bloodhound characteristics of the Bronson. Though not a total party pooper, this guy just wanted to nuke. A spin on the bike path back to the condo saw us to about 25-miles on our day. It’s a good thing the two of us only packed one water bottle and a bar.

Following our all day adventure there was precious little time to snap some garage shots of the bikes and do the oh-so-coveted suspension compression videos before we had to run back out the door to get some action shots with Santa Cruz media man Austin Holt. Thank goodness we got our burritos to go!

What's The Bottom Line?

What was the takeaway? Well, first up would be that mountain bikes are radical and we should all try to make some time to spend a couple of days playing in the woods. With regard to these particular machines the answer is a bit more loaded. As riders, our choices for good bikes are almost innumerable. The latest trail rides from Santa Cruz were already on that list, but are now more better-er. Each bike is capable of all day adventures both up and down the mountains, the divide is really up to the rider and an honest reflection of how confident a bike handler they are.

The 5010 is an excellent example of the modern mountain bike. Riders can enter the local XC race and not feel silly about it. That same rider can hit the local park for an occasional lap as well as massive backcountry adventures. There isn’t much that this bike can’t tackle until things get pretty wild, at which point backing off the gas and making smart moves will suffice. There is a small tribe that will get the frame and make a nasty little slalom bike out of the 5010. All we can say to that is: long live slalom! 

The Bronson is at the aggressive end of things, and to appreciate what this bike has to offer one needs to be willing to let it hang out a bit. Inside drift lines, blind drops, brutal terrain; these are all areas of excellence for the Bronson should the rider be ready to go eyes up and all out. Heading out on an all day expedition is not outside of the Bronson’s abilities either, and riders certainly won’t kick themselves for doing so. Those living in rocky regions or who favor more natural trails for those big trips will find the Bronson an ideal ride. If charging hard isn’t in the cards there isn’t much sense in grabbing this bike, not when the 5010 will do so nicely.

Visit www.santacruzbicycles.com to check out all of the builds, and be sure to catch Ratboy's "trip" on the new Bronson.

About The Tester

Brad Howell - Age: 38 // Years Riding: 25 // Height: 5’9” (1.72m) // Weight: 160-pounds (72.5kg)

Brad started mountain biking when a 2.25-inch tire was "large," and despite having threads, bottom brackets sucked. Riding in the woods with friends eventually lead way to racing, trying to send it at the local gravel pits, and working in bike shops as a wrench to help fix those bikes. Fortunate enough to have dug at the past six Rampages and become friends with some of the sport’s biggest talents, Brad has a broad perspective of what bikes can do and what it means to be a good rider. The past few years Brad worked in the bike industry and got to see the man behind the curtain. These days, though, he likes just riding his bike in the woods with friends.

Photos by Austin Holt // Brad Howell // Santa Cruz