Staff Bike Long Term Review: Matthews Blur CC
A well known fixture of the Tweed Valley, Matthew has been part of the riding scene and bike shops since the early days. A lifelong rider, he’s been on and owned just about every kind of bike there is, having taken up cycling the minute he was old enough to ride a bike. Racing Downhill as a youth before branching out into Road racing, Cyclocross and XC, and even taking part in 24 hour races (with a Strathpuffer podium along the way) he has an enormous breadth of experience on two wheels. Combine that with over two decades working in bike shops and his knowledge of bikes and equipment is as good as you will find anywhere.
These days, his riding life is quite varied, with him owning a Santa Cruz Stigmata for drop bar duties and a Hightower for enduro riding, but it’s this bike, his Santa Cruz Blur TR CC that currently sees by far the most riding.
For those not familiar with the Blur, it’s Santa Cruz’s fastest full suspension bike, built to take on everything from high standard XC racing and Marathon competitions to bikepacking and general singletrack riding. They offer it in two versions, a no compromise XC race spec at 100mm travel, or the TR bike that Matthew owns, which sees a bump up to a 120mm fork and 115mm rear travel using a longer stroke shock, creating a super fast but surprisingly comfortable and capable all rounder.
Unlike most of their suspension bikes, the Blur doesn’t use the well known VPP linkage but instead a linkage actuated single pivot in order to keep the frame weight as low as possible. With the main pivot carefully placed to keep the bike's suspension active under pedalling effort it’s a tenacious climber and sporting a set of angles which have more in common with a trail bike than the XC bikes of old, it also has much more descending capability than you might imagine. That versatility is hammered home by our team (there are quite a few Blurs among our staff and team racers) with the bikes being used everywhere from competition racing to long missions on the drove roads of south Scotland, the trails of the Golfie and descents of Highland Munros.
Matthew riding his Blur at the Glentress 7's
Matthew's Blur
The Blur is a crazily versatile bike, how do you mostly ride yours, does it see a bit of everything?
I mainly use it on my days off to get out for long XC rides, I much prefer doing a bigger loop rather than staying in one area lapping trails. Before this bike, I was riding my Santa Cruz Stigmata a lot and the more I rode it, the more I was finding new areas to explore. I started pushing into more technical trails on the Stigmata but quickly ran out of confidence and comfort with it being a rigid bike, and limited for grip by the gravel tires.
I still wanted to be able to take on the long off road and mixed surface rides on the Blur, so my biggest worry about it initially was that it would feel heavier and slower on the climbs compared to the gravel bike. I was quickly reassured as on the first climb I rode on the Blur I was over 30 seconds quicker than the Stigmata, which was a surprise!
How does it compare to other bikes you've owned?
I’ve owned several older XC bikes over the years and one thing that is very apparent is how good these new "downcountry" bikes have now become. It is better in every way. The bigger volume tires and wider rims on a modern bike give you way more grip compared to older XC bikes and with modern brakes, geometry and suspension they really are capable of riding anything you can point them down. It’s amazing how good a 120mm fork is now. Look at what a modern XC World Cup race looks like, some sections would be equally at home at an Enduro race.
You’d think that extra capability would come with a noticeable weight penalty, but it’s still a really light bike (the frameset is only 1.86kg including the shock). I was worried that the TR version of the Blur would feel a little heavier to ride than the XC spec but it really isn't the case, I’ve ridden both and the TR feels just as fast on the ups but having the stiffer fork and 120mm makes the bike a lot more confidence inspiring going down.
The other huge advantage of the Santa Cruz is the free lifetime bearings. A lot of riders that ride all year will switch to a hard tail for winter miles and they don't want to put any wear on bearings, no need to worry here as Santa Cruz covers the Blur with its lifetime warranty. Bearing life has been good too, which just comes down to the high quality frame doing the work instead of the bearings.
Do you know what it weighs or worry about weight when picking parts?
I haven't been focused on weight saving in my build, but starting with a very light frame helps. Overall I’ve just built it with the parts I want to ride and let the weight be what it is. Right now it’s 12.5kg as pictured here, which is pretty good for an XL setup with parts that will last and a bigger fork.
Any Spec highlights that stand out?
The Reserve XC 28 wheels are brilliant. Old XC wheels could either be light or stiff but these manage to be both at once. They’re also incredibly tough for a 1500g wheelset, they’ve done a full year now with no attention needed at all. They’d be a great upgrade to any lighter XC or short travel bike that doesn't already have them.
The Maxxis tires are fantastic too. I didn’t expect much from the Rekon Races the bike comes with as they don’t look grippy at all but they ride surprisingly well on trail and roll super fast. I’ve just put a Forecaster on for the winter, and while it doesn’t have quite the same speed, the grip in soft conditions is on another level again.
What are some of your own spec choices? Are there any bits on the bike you are especially liking?
The bike started life as a stock CC XO AXS build and is still fairly close to that. The main additions are a Vittoria XC Airliner in the rear tire for a little more support and protection for descending rocky trails on the lighter tires and I am running Ergon GA3 grips which have been amazing for some extra support and comfort on long rides. I’m on Crank Bros Candy pedals, the extra float and mud clearing suits me well.
I’m also running a SRAM XX crank and power meter for training rides. I really like to try and train to a set programme and the power meter is by far the best way to measure and record efforts on a bike. There's a Wahoo Roam on there too to keep a track of distances and height. Oh, and I’ve trimmed the bars down to 740mm.
Good to see some spares strapped on there too - you’re not that guy borrowing from everyone else when you have a problem…
I always carry a OneUp EDC Tool, plugs and Pump, which covers most mechanicals and puncture problems. The 7mesh Northwoods Jacket is a brilliant bit of kit for keeping warm if the weather changes or there is an unexpected stop and my Wahoo Roam is there to keep track of distance and height. I’ve also added a Mudhugger just to keep the eyes and glasses clean. That whole setup stays the same pretty much all year round, Scotland's summer can be quite like winter at times!
Full Bike Spec
Frame: Santa Cruz Blur TR, 115mm travel, Size XL, Fox Float DPS Factory shock 190mm x 45mm. 168 PSI, Rebound (from closed) - 7 Clicks
Fork: Fox 34 Factory Step Cast 120mm. 70 PSI, Rebound (from closed) - 8 clicks, Compression (from closed) - 14
Wheelset: Reserve XC 28 Carbon rims on i9 1/1 Hubs
Brakes: SRAM Level TLM
Rotors: SRAM Centerline 2-Piece 180mm
Derailleur: SRAM XO AXS
Shifter: SRAM AXS Pod
Cassette: SRAM X0 Eagle T-Type, 10-52t
Chain: SRAM XO Eagle
Chainset: SRAM XX with Quarg Power Meter 170mm
Stem: SRAM Atmos 60mm
Bar: Santa Cruz XC Carbon (cut to 740mm)
Tires: Maxxis Rekon Race front and rear. 2.4 3C Exo Maxxspeed. 18 psi Front, 19psi Rear. Winter setup switches in a Forekaster 2.4 Exo Maxxterra for muddy rides.
Grips: Ergon GA3
Dropper: Fox Transfer SL 150mm
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Extras aboard for the ride: Wahoo GPS, One Up Components Pump and EDC tool, 7mesh Northwoods.
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