Santa Cruz Stigmata - now with "Gravel Plus" content

[R3awak3n]

Forget the green, the yellow is where its at.

So many great new options right now and much cheaper than OPEN. I love my open though, one or my favorite bikes I have ever owned but if it was today i probably would go for something cheaper since its available.

This santa cruz looks awesome.

[Jaybee]

The drop chainstay was pretty revolutionary for this category. OPEN gets the credit for that, right?

Very into this bike (in both colors!) but there are a lot of competitors in the carbon, clearance for 2.1, drop bar category now. Not sure if I would do this or a Hakka MX or the Norco for the price.

[Aldus]

One of these + 2 sets of wheels (road and cx/gravel) would basically do everything I want before I'd reach for the MTB.

Might have to give them a close look this fall.

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

The drop chainstay was pretty revolutionary for this category. OPEN gets the credit for that, right?

Clever.
Yes and no. The dropped chainstay has been around, but Vroomen and company popularized it as a solutions for gravel bikes.

https://www.bikehugger.com/posts/mar...ped-chainstay/

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Very into this bike (in both colors!) but there are a lot of competitors in the carbon, clearance for 2.1, drop bar category now. Not sure if I would do this or a Hakka MX or the Norco for the price.

Gosh, that's a tough one.
A vote in favor of Santa Cruz is that SC bikes ride super nice...snappy, light and remarkably/surprisingly comfortable. Also, they a super well made and durable. Nice to see that SC has joined the gravel party. I did shed a tiny tear for the former Stiggy CX concept.
A vote in favor of the Hakka MX is that it has a legit rear fender-bridge-mount (not a clip on bridge) and the Enve G Series fork that clears 2.25"

[Jaybee]

I know the Stiggy would be a great ride and last forever and their warranty is unbeatable - my MTB is Hightower, and I've got an older alloy Highball stashed at my parents. Nothing buy good things to say about Santa Cruz.

Of course, that list misses the beast I really want: Rodeo Labs TrailDonkey 3.0.

Not to thread jack too much, but if you haven't seen Switchup Donkey on the Instagrams, it's worth a look.

Also, thanks for that bikehugger link on the history of dropped chainstays. That Viking is wild!

[scoobydrew]

That yellow is hot.

Pretty strong contender against the Hakka MX. I like the added 3rd bottle mount and the revamped geometry.

Wish this came out a few months sooner before I got a new bike.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by sparky33

Gosh, that's a tough one.
A vote in favor of Santa Cruz is that SC bikes ride super nice...snappy, light and remarkably/surprisingly comfortable. Also, they a super well made and durable. Nice to see that SC has joined the gravel party. I did shed a tiny tear for the former Stiggy CX concept.
A vote in favor of the Hakka MX is that it has a legit rear fender-bridge-mount (not a clip on bridge) and the Enve G Series fork that clears 2.25"

When comparing my old 2017 Stigmata with a first-gen Open UP I felt the Stig was more comfy but slower handling from side to side. Don't know whether it was an effect of the fit not quite being dialed in (the previous gen Stig had a very steep seat tube angle) or a characteristic of the frame itself. Used exact same two sets of wheels on both.

That being said even though the frame weights were almost identical the Stig always felt more robust. Don't know whether this was due to bias from reading a few horror stories about the subpar carbon work on a few Open frames.

From the CT article it seems like the frameset gained some extra capability and a threaded BB for a few hundred grams of frame weight. 52cm size with ETAP Force AXS, 650B wheels/tires and Alu cockpit came in at 8.32kg. Could easily drop over kilo when kitted with carbon cockpit and road wheels.
https://cyclingtips.com/2019/05/2020...-tech-details/

That being said, the women's version is where it's at. Looks like an NAHBS show bike; JUST LOOK AT IT!

[PaMtbRider]

I really like these bikes. A friend has a Stigmata and it is a typical quality Santa Cruz. The Juliana really looks good. I don't need 2.0 tires on a gravel bike though. It's nice that it has that much clearance, but if I need that much tire I'm just going to ride a hardtail mtb.

Did the Hakka Mx ever get their brakes figured out? They were running a combination of flat mount and post mount calipers.

[scoobydrew]

Originally Posted by PaMtbRider

Did the Hakka Mx ever get their brakes figured out? They were running a combination of flat mount and post mount calipers.

The latest ones are shipping out with flat mount front and rear.

[adub]

They got the tire clearance right, but what about a 3rd water bottle mount and top tube bento mounts? Ibis and Santa Cruz seemed to have missed this.

[sparky33]

Agreed. Win for Juliana on the finish.
Also, that front fork looks cavernous relative to that 27.5x2.0. I wonder if you could fit a 2.25 on the fork, similar to the Enve G-Series clearance. Stated capacity of 2.1 might only be referring to the rear limit.

Originally Posted by yinzerniner

That being said, the women's version is where it's at. Looks like an NAHBS show bike; JUST LOOK AT IT!

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by sparky33

Also, that front fork looks cavernous relative to that 27.5x2.0. I wonder if you could fit a 2.25 on the fork, similar to the Enve G-Series clearance. Stated capacity of 2.1 might only be referring to the rear limit.

I take that back... these shots show how close a 2.0 is and the author goes on to say 2.1s are definitely the max.

[Sjambok]

As an Open UP owner I’m seriously considering one of these framesets for the fender mounts. It’s my biggest complaint about the UP. Since I’m in the PNW a good fender setup is key. All the strap on fenders I’ve tried leave a lot to be desired. I haven’t tried the SKS speedrockers though.

[alessandro]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

Forget the green, the yellow is where its at.

So many great new options right now and much cheaper than OPEN. I love my open though, one or my favorite bikes I have ever owned but if it was today i probably would go for something cheaper since its available.

This santa cruz looks awesome.

Originally Posted by Sjambok

As an Open UP owner I’m seriously considering one of these framesets for the fender mounts. It’s my biggest complaint about the UP. Since I’m in the PNW a good fender setup is key. All the strap on fenders I’ve tried leave a lot to be desired. I haven’t tried the SKS speedrockers though.

I'm in the market for a gravel bike. I've been looking at bikes and frames (and screwing myself into the ceiling over 1x/2x chainrings, post vs. flat mount, 700c/650b, carbon vs. metal, BB standards...) for weeks now. Got most of those things sorted out, and decided to stop worrying. The only problem is WHICH BIKE?

I really want an OPEN U.P., but I haven't made a decision yet. A custom frame is a beyond budget. Ibis Hakka MX, Kona Libre, and Stigmata all look interesting. I'm traveling to France and Italy this summer, and will be renting an OPEN for the week, so at least I'll get to test one. But go ahead, tell me now: Why shouldn't I buy one?