Like the Epic, the brand-new, full-carbon Blur XC is scary light—one tester pulled it right off the ground while navigating a short, punchy climb. And while its rear shock doesn't boast the same techy approach the Epic's does, the Blur flat-out rips on fast singletrack. Credit Santa Cruz's proven Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) rear suspension design, which, when paired with the RockShox Monarch 3.3 shock, pretty much eliminates pedal bounce. “I was using all 3.5 inches of travel, but I never felt the back end bob,” said one tester. With all that carbon fiber and a full Shimano XTR build, it's clearly not intended to excel on the big-hit technical terrain. But for pure XC racing, it's, well, a blur. 22.5 lbs, large;
