Help me choose my next bike: bronson 2 vs 5010 2.0

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Help me choose my next bike: bronson 2 vs 5010 2.0
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flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 14, 2016 at 8:28 Quote
My riding situation has recently changed and I'd like to change my bike up to suit it.

Here's my riding style.
[YT=youtube.com/watch?v=efi50qdhing]

I'm not a world class rider, I don't race anymore, and I enjoy the downs more than the ups. I'm an average rider with bmx background and I love to pump and pop off every trail feature I can find, but I also love technical, gnarly descents. I don't go over 30 mph most of the time. My goal this year us to be able to manual 100 feet.

Last year my wife and I sold our house, bought an Airstream, and now we travel the US full time, working online, riding different trails every few days. It's pretty amazing. However, she is my new riding partner. My regular buddies can't come along on every trail, so I don't have many people to ride with that really like to push me and ride aggressively. My wife is an intermediate rider, who is improving with every ride, but I'm definitely holding back when I ride with her, as I don't want to ditch her and leave her in the dust.

I currently ride a 2015 nomad c with some fantasric parts. This bike has completely changed my riding style and abilities. I used to race bmx as a teen and I used to love smooth, flows single-track through the trees. I still love pumping every feature and popping off every root, but the nomad has ruined me. The nomad has enabled me to ride things I never thought possible. Rock gardens the site of basketballs? No problem. Own I e joy the chunky, technical stuff even more than flows singletrack.

The ONLY downside for the nomad for me is that it wanta to eat up every trail feature rather than let me pop off it and catch a little air. I know, 1st wold problems.

I can only have one bike (no room for 2 bikes with this lifestyle). I'm torn between a new bronson and a 5010. I still ride gnarly rocky trails occasionally (Moab, ahab, whole enchilada, etc) but I favor playfulness over the ability to smash through rock gardens at Mach 1.

It all comes down to either buying a 5010 and having it be perfect for 90% of my riding and being too little bike for 10%, or buying a nomad that's overkill 80% of the time and perfect for 20%. But it's that 20% I live for...

My head tells me the 5010 makes more sense since I'll be holding back till my wife gets better, but my heart wants the nomad.

I've ridden both in a parking lot, and the bronson felt a lot more like my nomad than the 5010 (in a good way).

If I went with a 5010, I'd upgrade to a pike, and then I'd be tempted to run 140mm at the expense of slacking out the seat tube angle.

Since we will be traveling the US riding all sorts of trails, I wonder which to get. I love ratboy's video on the bronson, that's the riding style I like. Would a 5010 have been outgunned on that trail at those speeds?

Sorry for the long post, I really appreciate everyone's advice.


Decisions... decisions...
flag cmcrawfo
Posted: Aug 14, 2016 at 10:07 Quote
Santa Cruz has a lot more overlap in their bikes than other companies ... that really makes selecting the "right" bike from them a challenge.

While i haven't ridden these bikes, I ride with ppl who do... and I have stared/drooled over the Santa Cruz lineup attempting to figure out what bike would be best for me ....

I think the 5010 would be just fine, and you (most ppl) would have a hard time 'outriding' the bike. But, in the same breath, I think you would also enjoy the bronson and i doubt it would hold you back or impede you in anyway on more mellow rides... not super helpful, more empathetic.



Personally, I would look for the best deal. What would cost me less in the end (sale price + upgrades)... If the cost was the same, then I would pick the one that looks the nicest.... crazy right?... good luck. Wink
flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 14, 2016 at 11:02 Quote
I think you're spot on. And I do love that pink frame of the bronson...

I'm going to ride a 5010 this week to see if I can "outride" it.

I guess it's a win-win. No matter which bike I get, I'll have lots of fun, just like I do on my nomad right now.
flag yoltwice
Posted: Aug 15, 2016 at 7:26 Quote
All those first world problems. Nice. Get the Bronson.
flag hodgynd
Posted: Aug 15, 2016 at 11:17 Quote
Having had a 5010c for a whole week while my own Nomad was being repaired ..I didn't want to give it back ..
Not tried a Bronson ..but the 5010 is such a fun bike ...
flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 15, 2016 at 12:01 Quote
hodgynd wrote:
Having had a 5010c for a whole week while my own Nomad was being repaired ..I didn't want to give it back ..
Not tried a Bronson ..but the 5010 is such a fun bike ...

That's some good feedback! Which version nomad and which version 5010? How did the 5010 compare to the nomad? Would you rather have the nomad or 5010 for your only bike?
flag hodgynd
Posted: Aug 16, 2016 at 4:37 Quote
This is where my feedback may fall down a little ..my Nomad is a first generation Alu version ..so not the lightest of bikes ..but as you alluded to in an earlier thread ..almost indestructible and ploughs through anything ..but trying to get the bike off the ground ...Naaah .
I've recently bought a 2017 Whyte T130 RS ..which has the same geometry as a 5010 ( not sure if these are available in the U.S?) ..although it's Alu ...not carbon ...but very comparable to the 5010 in terms of how it rides ( and 1k cheaper)
Even with shorter travel I don't feel let down and it's so much quicker than the Nomad ..
It's made me wonder what took me so long to change ..
Maybe not as helpful as you first thought ..but 5010 all day if it were me ...
Great lifestyle by the way ...very envious !
flag seanondemand
Posted: Aug 16, 2016 at 7:21 Quote
I've ridden both, and own the 5010 v2. Do you like the feeling of a really active, nimble bike? Go 5010. Are you more a point-and-roll rider who wants a fair amount of travel just in case? Go Bronson.
flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 16, 2016 at 10:24 Quote
I appreciate all the input and feedback. I went for a fantastic ride on my nomad last night. Man, Santa Cruz designed an amazing bike with the nomad v3. The entire ride I imagined I was on a 5010 and wondered to myself if I'd be able to charge as hard on a 130mm bike and over and over the voice in my head said no. I think a 5010 would have been overwhelmed where i was riding.

I just placed my order for a new bronson today. Super excited. Fingers crossed my nomad sells soon.

As an interesting note, the 2017 bronsons get a monarch plus rear shock, and sram eagle 1x12. Not worth waiting for the new ones in my opinion, and i hate the colors anyway.
flag Bloggingfit
Posted: Aug 17, 2016 at 1:19 Quote
High Tower would have been worth a consideration, especially from from a Nomad. It will eat up trail all,st as well but be far more efficient than a Bronson for the trails you will be riding.
flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 17, 2016 at 22:58 Quote
Bloggingfit wrote:
High Tower would have been worth a consideration, especially from from a Nomad. It will eat up trail all,st as well but be far more efficient than a Bronson for the trails you will be riding.

I've ridden a Hightower. Cool bike, but I'm short at 5'6", and I've yet to find a 29er or plus bike that feels the way i like. The Hightower is close, but still too big on the wheels for me.
flag timic101
Posted: Aug 18, 2016 at 4:54 Quote
I'm going through the same debate myself. I'm 38 and used to ride extensively 10 years ago (pre kids). I used to have a bullet, heckler, and a vp free throughout the years. Kids came and the bikes collected dust so I sold them. Now my son is 9 and I want to get back into it with him. i absolutley fell in love with the look of he red 5010. Talked it over with local bike shop and he's suggesting Bronson. He said both bikes are awesome, but the 5010 is definitely more XC oriented. I'm planning to order my Bronson this week and am psyched! What color combo did you go with?
flag hardtailparty
Posted: Aug 18, 2016 at 7:54 Quote
timic101 wrote:
What color combo did you go with?

I went with last year's pink one, i LOVE bright colors.

I would disagree about the 5010 being an XC bike though. Ratboy has been seen practicing his DH laps on that bike If you're staying on the ground, or keeping it below 20 mph (most likely with a 9 year-old), the 5010 will probably be the better bike.

That being said, if you want a bronson, go for it! My wife, my riding partner, is getting a 5010, since she doesn't jump. I'll be tempted to "borrow" her 5010 from time to time. A short chainstay, 67* head angle and a long reach does not make an XC bike, but it sure does make for a fun ride at lower speeds!
flag sdken
Posted: Aug 27, 2016 at 9:09 Quote
You can push the 5010v2 a lot further than most can think. I've tested the the 5010v2 in whistler and that thing rips up AND down. If I was in your shoes, I'd get a 5010v2 for sure. Throw a fox 36 fork along with x2 shock with climbswitch in the rear and you're golden. I'd be sad if I own a bike that can't reach its full potential 80% of the time!
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