Just over a year ago Santa Cruz launched its all-new 140mm travel Blur LT, with reengineered VPP suspension and all the usual new-bike attributes - lighter, stiffer, stronger, easier to maintain and so on and so forth. About three months ago SC unveiled the 105mm travel Blur XC2, the company's first production foray into carbon fibre. And now it's taken the geometry and layout of the first, combined it with the construction techniques learned in the development of the second and unleashed the 2009 carbon fibre Blur LT (or LTc as the decals say).
According to Santa Cruz, the LTc frame is the stiffest and strongest it's ever built, regardless of application or material. Despite that, the frame with a RockShox Monarch shock weighs a claimed 2.54kg (5.6lb). To put that into perspective, it's a whole pound lighter than the aluminum LT frame and not far off the same weight as the old aluminium Blur XC frame.
As you'd expect, the new frame is heavily laden with features. The whole front triangle is laid up and cured all at once, including the tapered 1.125/1.5in head tube, shock mount, pivot points and so on. That means that Santa Cruz needs separate tooling and moulds for each of the four available sizes, which adds costs, but the upside is the ability to use continuous fibres around tube junctions for extra strength without having to add excessive quantities of material.
The back end has carbon disc brake mounts, a replaceable derailleur hanger, a rather funky moulded chainstay protector and sleek low-profile cable guides. Joining the two halves together are the twin short links of the VPP rear suspension, with the upper being moulded carbon fibre and the lower one being aluminium, complete with grease ports. Everything runs on angular contact bearings with extra seals, with the whole shebang held together with the same locking collett head hardware as the Blur XC2.
The Blur LTc will be available in June. In the US they'll be $2,399 for the frame - no word on UK pricing as yet, going on the relative US/UK prices of the Blur XC don't be surprised to see something in the region of £2,399...
