Bike Comparison: Santa Cruz Bronson and Juliana Rubion

Bike Comparison: Santa Cruz Bronson and Juliana Rubion

The latest bikes from sibling companies Juliana and Santa Cruz are the redesigned Santa Cruz Bronson and Juliana Rubion. These enduro-focused sleds with 150mm of travel in the back and 160mm upfront will make quick work of almost any descent that you throw them down, and their 2.6″ tire clearance allows for plenty of rubber in the dirt.

Let's dive into some of these bikes' additional features.

Mixed-Wheel Setup

The Bronson and Rubion have 29er's up front and 27.5 in back (XS sizes run 27.5 in both the front and the back). Why run this “mullet” setup? Simple: a 29″ wheel and tire provide more traction to the front of the bike where it’s most needed, while the 27.5″ wheel and tire deliver quicker response to rear-wheel inputs. A smaller rear wheel also allows for the ability to tune the chainstay lengths for optimal handling characteristics.

Perfectly Dialed Handling

Speaking of optimal handling characteristics, the Rubion and Bronson have been given size-specific geometries for perfectly dialed handling at each size. As bikes get bigger, the rear center grows along with the front center. This results in an almost perfectly balanced ride. Overall, expect a 15mm longer reach and a .9° slacker headtube angle over previous versions.

There’s even a flip-chip on the shock mount that lets you adjust the bottom bracket height by 3mm, which in turn adjusts the head angle by .2°.

Like most other Juliana and Santa Cruz trail bikes, Rubion and Bronson feature the low shock placement and VPP linkage that we have come to love. By keeping the shock low in the frame, you lower the center of gravity for more predictable handling. The VPP linkage has been further dialed for this generation to use a longer stroke shock for lower overall leverage but still offers a progressive, linear rate. This results in a lower instant center and anti-squat for less chain influence on the suspension and less pedal feedback as you move through the travel.

Customize Your Ride

Bronson and Rubion use a standard 230×60 shock so riders can choose any air or coil shock they choose if they want to customize their ride. There’s plenty of space in the frame for coil shocks, and the kinematics of the VPP linkage have been engineered to use either style of shock.

Speaking of any style, there’s a lot of customization possible with the new Rubion and Bronson. A threaded bottom bracket makes maintenance easy, ISCG05 mounts let you mount a chain guide if you want, an IS headset keeps finding headset bearings easy, and the SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) allows you to easily source a replacement hanger, should you need it.

The Juliana Rubion is available in sizes XS, small, and medium, while the Santa Cruz Bronson is available in sizes XS, small, medium, large, and XL. Both bikes are available in the Carbon C and the light yet super-strong Carbon CC frames, in builds featuring almost all levels of mechanical and electronic shifting parts.

Lifetime Warranty? Oh Yeah!

Don't forget about the amazing Santa Cruz and Juliana lifetime warranties on frames, pivot bearings, and reserve carbon fiber rims! The folks at Juliana and Santa Cruz are riders first. They're dedicated to doing what it takes to keep riders in the dirt and their bikes out of the shop. Pair that with the super compatible and easy parts listed above and the fact that they make great bikes from the get-go, and you know that you’re in for years of ripping on a Juliana or Santa Cruz mountain bike!

Santa Cruz Bronson and Juliana Rubion: Coming Soon

Check out the redesigned Juliana Rubion and Santa Cruz Bronson at your local ERIK’S location or at shopERIKS.com!

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