All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

What’s a solid point why someone would get a Santa Cruz over a Specialized?

 

Welcome. Welcome to the 5010 crew.

 

I hear you. Given the health insurance plan I had (and still have) it just made sense financially to have it. A crash at some point is fairly likely and it doesn't take much to rack up $4 or 7k in out of pocket expenses. At the time I got this plan I was out of work for an extended period and doing a lot of MTB road trips so this was small price to pay in case something happened.

Interestingly I had this same ACL surgery on the same knee when I lived in Canada. Longer wait time but similar quality of care and the total cost to me was $8 copay for percocet subscription and $25 for crutches. Not having to deal with insurance claims, billing errors and any paperwork at all really up there saved a ton of stress. I had few issues with the ACL surgery down here but still had to chase refunds from two providers who over billed me. Better healthcare is one of two things I move back to Canada for.

 

Suspension design is significantly different, so they will ride very differently. They can all be tuned to feel a certain way; such as pedal platform, progessivity, sensitivity, wheel travel and path, etc. But they will always feel different from one another. It comes down to preference.
Both have modern geometry and design. Both have some of the most sought after bikes in the world.
Aside from that, the SC bikes typically have a better build quality and fit and finish than the Spec. Think quality of material, welds (if applicable), design of features (frame protection, internal tubing design), tightness of tolerances, bearing quality and warranty, no proprietary hardware, and lastly the paint tends to hold up better on SC (though Spec have some subjectively badass colors). These are true most of the time, across comparable models.
SC is also a smaller company that gives a lot back to the sport locally, as well as the community. Spec is more of a global business, though they are certainly innovators and give back to the sport in the way.
Customer service is incomparable between the two. SC has your back, always. Spec, not so much.

I've owned a couple Specs, but never a SC. I've spent time on one, had friends on them, and have generally never heard a bad thing about them. Spec on the other hand, well, let's just way I haven't been on one for the last 5 years, and I was thiiiiisss close to getting the Megatower this year. Turns out the new Wreckoning caught my eye instead.

 

Alex (@honda50r ) and I had a conversation about this. He and I wondered what the hype around that trail system was really about. He went out there to give it a real and fair comparison to other trails and systems he's ridden. He's a legit good rider, and owns a MTB touring co. Good dude.
He was simply saying that in his opinion it wasn't as "amazeballs" as it was being portrayed. This is a great and honest voice to hear. I wouldn't want to drive all the way out there to find out it was good, just not great, when there are other great systems as options. Honesty is appreciated, and shouldn't be shamed just because it doesn't always line up with popular or personal opinion.

Now, get along you two!

 

Thank you very much. I love it

 

Yeah sorry man, This Pandemic F a lot of things up smh.

 

From a technical viewpoint there is nothing here I can disagree with. I don' t know enough to disagree!

As a shopper of both brands it is interesting. On one hand for an alloy.frame bike in the $2000 range the Specialized is a bargain. Santa Cruz seems expensive. But the carbon frames The Santa Cruz seems the bargain in the $5Kish range with Speialized equivalents going for $7-8K+.

Could be I am wrong as I am just website to website comparing. Not a nice spreadsheet comparison of features and price points.

 

Went on a quick ride out at Shell Ridge last night with my buddy's dad. Had an awesome time despite being out of shape, dark out, and bad air quality

 

Because it isn't a Specialized...

also, historically, Specialized has loved to use proprietary parts like the Brain, custom shock sizes which limited upgradability, etc. Some of that has been better as of late, but the damage to their rep has been done.

 

Where in Shell Ridge did you go? There's a couple hidden gems in there

Wanted to ride yesterday, looked outside, decided against it. Guess the same goes for today too

 

I hadn't been out there in a long time. Used to ride Lime Ridge back in the day. We started at the Marshall Dr. entrance and went up Briones to Mt. Diablo trail (not sure if that's the actual name).

 

Ah okay, that's right near me.
I usually head up Hanna Grove Trail and poke around over there - lot's of random shoot offs that are really fun, also lots that lead to nothing.
Twin Ponds area right in there is pretty fun too.
Hanna Grove area and Twin Ponds area are much more single-track-ey than Briones.

 

Good to know - will hit you up next time we go. We got out there pretty late so it got dark. I need to tune up my derailleur. Missing shifts on a few gears. These SRAM Eagles are so finicky.

 

Once quarantine started, I was exploring in there 3 days or so a week. Work till 4, don't worry about commuting, still 4 plus hours of light - got pretty familiar with that area haha
Just went to China Camp for the first time this weekend. Lots of fun stuff there too if you're ever in for some more exploring

 

I have heard mixed reviews about Bentonville. Its all about perspective. My brother (from Alabama) loved it because the town had a college town type atmosphere (cheap & friendly) with tons of uber manicured trails. My buddy from Colorado strongly disliked the area because of the lack of elevation and challenging trails. I had a similar experience with the bike park at Crested Butte (elevation bike park). I found it to be tiny and I had ridden all the trails before lunchtime. However, I went to Winterpark (trestle bike park) and was blown away by the amount of trails for all skill levels. Crested Butte is more of a single track, backcountry experience versus a bike park extravaganza.

Do you have the chaingap adjustment guide?

 

I don't, saw that mentioned when I was reading up yesterday. Good amount of people saying that is crucial for these. Seems like 8-9/12 gears are fine, but there are some lower and higher gears that aren't aligning right. Contemplated swapping it out, but haven't settled yet.

 

I would agree with the consensus that it is crucial for a garage mechanic like myself to have one. My bike shop guy can do it by eyesight because he's + or - ten pounds of my weight and he does adjustments all day long. I screwed with mine for about 36 hours and could never get it just perfect and as soon as i got one side of the cog right the other would start going off. The real mechanic fixed that in about 5 minutes, most of that time was spent putting the bike on the bike stand and looking for his tools.

Edit: I even thought my chain was just completely worn but it was just fine.

 

Fit and feel. Component spec etc

 

I am going to have a friend of a friend check it out tomorrow since he has everything. In other news..got my hitch rack! Older Thule T2, but in good shape with the locks and everything. Just need replacement tire straps.