We've long been fans of the Santa Cruz Bronson as it always felt like the right amount of bike for a mix of challenging terrain and flowy singletrack. It's more enjoyable to pedal than it's big brother the Nomad, but handles steep descents with better composure than the shorter travel 5010--truly hitting that sweet spot in all-mountain versatility. When we got word of a complete redesign, we were a bit apprehensive at first thinking it might take away from the bike's amazing versatility. But after spending some time on the bike, the third-generation Bronson already has us and critics giving Santa Cruz a nod of approval for revisions that ultimately make it a better bike than ever before, with absolutely nothing being lost to the previous model. Plus, this Bronson Carbon CC 27. 5+ XTR Reserve Complete Mountain Bike comes with Shimano's highly-anticipated 12-speed XTR group, as well as Santa Cruz's Reserve 37 carbon wheels that are guaranteed for life--providing an unbeatable setup to rip the trails season after season. The most noticeable change to the latest Bronson is the reconfigured VPP suspension platform. Instead of relying on upper-link driven design, the third generation Bronson enjoys the increased bump compliance and glued-to-the-trail traction you'll experience with a VPP suspension driven by a lower-link mounted shock, a design that's inspired by the latest Nomad. This lower-link driven VPP suspension platform is something that's reserved exclusively for the Bronson, Nomad, and V10, seeing the need for increased bump compliance, better support, and higher levels of traction for all-mountain, freeride, and downhill disciplines. To best match the increased performance capabilities of this lower-link driven VPP, Santa Cruz spec'd a Super Deluxe shock for a more supple feel that tracks to the ground noticeably better and resists heating up on those scintillating descents over thousands of vertical feet. Another big change is the move to longer, slacker geo...