Blur4X for XC

Yep I used mine for XC/trail duties. I'd recommend a travel adjust fork as the front definitely wanders about on climbs at 140mm. Going up the fire road was ok but anything else and it'd wheelie up most of the way (might not be a bad thing if you like that!).

There's a decent amount of pedal feedback in granny but not so much with a 32T middle ring. It doesn't affect the ride too much - just a little annoying.

Overall it was a really fun bike to thrash around and the weight was competitive too - just don't expect it to be a whippet bike on the climbs.

with a 70mm stem it works OK. Not an XC bike, but certainly pedals uphill better than most 6-7" "trail bikes" that I've tried.

-r

Send Banshee Rider a pm. I remember he rocked one of those for a while as an XC rig.

I ride mine for XC all the time. I have a travel adjust Pike fork that works great. I slam it down to 90mm for the climb and then back up to 140mm for the ride down. One of my favorite bikes for sure.

I just put together a 4x a few weeks ago, only have one ride on it so far, but here's what I can tell you:

My previous bike was a Heckler w/Pike/DHX-5, weighed ~ 33lbs. The 4x w/Float RP3, built up with the same parts and some slightly lighter wheels came in at just over 30lbs.

The first ride was decidedly "xc" on classic mid-state PA rocky trails. Compared to the Heckler, it was enough slacker that I ran the fork at 125-130mm instead of 140mm. Loved the handling that way. On more DH oriented trails I assume I'd open it up to 140mm.

No more pedal strikes than on my Heckler.

Felt lots snappier than my Heckler.

Felt less plush than my Heckler.

Never used the granny. Never needed it.

Turns out the frame (bought used) had some issues with the linkage (bent link, pivot axle and shock eyelet) so I only have the one ride on it so far. But, I already know I like it better for xc than my Heckler.

(sorry for all the Heckler talk, that's my point of reference)

J said:

I ride mine for XC all the time. I have a travel adjust Pike fork that works great. I slam it down to 90mm for the climb and then back up to 140mm for the ride down. One of my favorite bikes for sure.

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What he said. I am 6'1" and ride the large with a 60mm stem. My build weighs a hefty 34 pounds but I don't mind rocking the up hills on it. I use a 34t single ring up front and 11-34 cassette. Plenty enough gearing for me.

The world famous and always drunk buffalo mike had one, it was a bear on climbs. He sold it and got a giant reign which climbs much better.

boogenman said:

it was a bear on climbs. He sold it and got a giant reign which climbs much better.

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That's a pretty accurate description. The geometry is only "relatively normal" if used with a 100/120mm fork. The head angle is really slack with a 140mm fork, and unless your exceptionally fit and can always keep the bike moving fast, it will actually work against you everywhere except descents. I've seen the same happen with traditional xc riders who were fit, but didn't know how to handle the geometry to its potential. I'd look at a more contemporary 5" trail bike. They ride swell for a large consumer base. If extensively miles on a normal bike yield a desire for super slack angles on your xc bike, then you'll have a better idea what you're looking for when that time comes. For now, I'd look at the Giant Trance X with a 140mm fork, or a Giant Reign stock. They have better price points anyway.

My Blur 4x is hands down the best bike I have ever owned. I will never sell it, and cherish it.

In fact, its getting painted and redone for this year. Adding a Talas fork, because its a bitch climbing it witha 140mm fork. Otherwise, it rocks.

A friend of mine had a blur 4x set up for racing 4x, but still said it was a really fun trailbike. He now rides his Commencal meta 4x for trail riding, which has similar geo. The Specialized SX (not trail) has very similar geometry in it's steeper/ higher bb setting. That's been my trailbike for the last 2 years, and I even raced the Winterpark hillclimb on it last year (with 50mm stem). Once you get used to climbing with it (and I use the U turn adjustment on my Pike air a lot), it's fine. And it descends like no other bike with 4.2" of rear wheel travel.

dropmachine.com said:

My Blur 4x is hands down the best bike I have ever owned. I will never sell it, and cherish it.

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Me too! I bought it from a friend who got it from another friend. Both friends regret ever having sold it and both bought a Nomad to replace it

Also, with all this positive blur talk there are a few relatively small 'issues' you should be aware of.

-The rearward shock eyelet/pivot has a stock pivot axle that breaks. I broke four in about two years but note Santa Cruz has never charged me a dime to replace them. However, two of these pivot axle failures were faulted to an upgraded two piece ti link. The 4X model of the Blur comes with a one piece aluminum link. There is also an "upgraded" two piece titanium link you can buy. I cracked my one piece aluminum link (after 4 years of the frame's existence) and got the ti link. This led me to break said pivot axle more frequently. Santa Cruz told me this was due to the increase flex from the two piece link (compared to the one piece al link). They were apologetic and sent me a new Aluminum one piece link, new upgraded heavy duty steel pivot axel, a regular lighter stock pivot axel, and a new bearing kit for the entire frame (even after I said my bearings were practically new). Santa Cruz is a great company to deal with and now I feel my Blur is very reliable. I now run the stock Aluminum link and the steel pivot axle.

-Another point of interest is bearing life. I'd recommend replacing the bearings about once a year, depending on how often you ride it. Note that even after a month of new bearings the bike will creak when you pedal. It won't develop pivot play but the linkage will creak. I'm used to it and don't mind it at all, it's really not that loud.

-After a year if you replace bearings and still have play in the lower link you probably need a new lower link. The sides of it wear out after several years but a cheap new lower link from Santa Cruz's website fixes this very easily.

As much as all of the above sounds like a hassle my 3 years on the Blur 4x have been awesome. The thing rides downhill awesome and still climbs like a champ. I also take it dirtjumping and race 4X and Slalom on it. It is the ultimate do everything bike.

Blur4X for XC?

Blur4X for everything!

I'm not sure what role the weather plays in So Cal, but there were a half dozen Blur 4X's floating around my hometown that didn't make any noise. Despite out wet and muddy conditions in New England, tearing the frame down initially and coating everything with anti-sieze assembly compound would keep frames quiet for the season. I'm not sure if the dirt or heat changes things out west, but it always solved problems on our end.

The bearings once a season is pretty accurate though. But you forgot to mention new shock reducers at the linkage end every 1-2 months That was by far the biggest thing I noticed with all VPP bikes when I worked at a dealer.

The Ti links were never a good idea for anyone over 160lbs, or anyone who rode aggressively. The solid aluminum link was far superior.

I have a 2007 Giant Reign and love it! Rode the 4X before and I was less than impressed with how sluggish it felt on everything but going downhill.

If you are shopping around see if you can find a reign, it climbs really well and is a blast for DH too. I actually used mine once for a day of lift access DH and it was great! Only complaint I had was a flexy fork and the stem was a bnit long for DH, two things that could be fixed really quick. 20mm fork and a shorter stem.

I have a Blur 4x that I use as my everything except DH bike and absolutely love it. Been riding it for about a year now in SoCal and haven't had any issues with it. Like others have said it isn't the best climber out there(especially techy climbing because of the low bottom backet) but it is still soild in that department and relatively light. I don't mind giving up some climbing ability as long as I have a bike the rips coming down and the 4x definitely does that.

Banshee Rider said:

The bearings once a season is pretty accurate though. But you forgot to mention new shock reducers at the linkage end every 1-2 months That was by far the biggest thing I noticed with all VPP bikes when I worked at a dealer.

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Yeah, this is true. I normally run mine a little longer than 2 months but they do wear out quick!

I've been running a blur 4x for a trail bike now for 3 years. Hands down the best trailbike for someone who likes to rail singletrack and rip downhills on trail rides. I even raced mine in XC races last year. Got my build down to 27 lbs with a revelation (w/maxle light) up front that is set to around 130mm and set-up really stiff. I have no problems with climbing or any granny gear feedback like some other posters. I usually only keep bikes for a season, but I'll probably never sell this bike. My only complaint is that at 6'1 I have to jack the seatpost up to it's max and it's still not really enough for a good leg extension. Just such a fun bike to ride though, corners like a rabbit in a meth lab.

I love my Blur 4x for trailriding, but it depends on my goal for the ride. If I'm gonna clip in and battle with super fit XC buddies for 3 hours, then it's obviously not the bike I grab out of the garage. But if I'm gonna razz around for a couple hours, and I'm looking to rail some corners and have a good time, then it's my first pick! It all depends on your riding style...
In reference to a few posts up, I also have a Reign, and it's a great bike. It's much plusher than the 4x, but the angles just aren't quite right in my opinion. The steep headangle and higher BB just don't instill as much confidence as the excellent suspension would allow. I'm going to short-shock it to see if I can improve it's capabilities. In the mean time, the Blur 4x is my favorite bike to trailride. I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.

Chaingangster said:

In reference to a few posts up, I also have a Reign, and it's a great bike. It's much plusher than the 4x, but the angles just aren't quite right in my opinion. The steep headangle and higher BB just don't instill as much confidence as the excellent suspension would allow. I'm going to short-shock it to see if I can improve it's capabilities. In the mean time, the Blur 4x is my favorite bike to trailride. I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.

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A 7.5 i2i shock on your Reign will line the angles up with your 4X almost exactly. I ran this set up for half a season last year when I switched from my 4X. There didn't seem to be any ill-affects on the suspension by doing this, but it felt significantly less "deep." It still retained the other positive qualities of the Maestro design though. You're pretty spot on though, the Reign really calls for a 150mm fork to feel right, and the Trance X calls for a 130-140mm fork. Giant has a weird problem with spec'ing their bikes with too short of a fork, and too many headset spacers. Even AC runs his Anthem X with a 20mm taller fork than spec'd.