SARAH’S SANTA CRUZ BLUR XC C S £5,599
Long descents and water bars challenge the Blur in the Highlands
Standing around chatting bikes with a friend, he asked me: “So, you like this bike then? Anything bad about it?” I stared down at the Blur and drew a blank. It’s true that the RockShox SID Select+ fork can feel noodly at times and out of its depth on fast, rough ground, but that’s something I’ve got used to and is the sacrifice you make for its light weight.
With wintery conditions setting in, I’ve been trying out different tyres, looking for a bit more grip, albeit at the cost of some rolling speed. The original Maxxis Aspens the Blur came with barely look a day old, so I’ve stashed them away for summer. As the Maxxis Ardents I fitted are now quite worn, I’ve replaced them with some Vittoria Barzo XC Trails. At just 745g each, these are lighter than the Ardents. After adding a pair of Vittoria’s 50g Air-Liner Light inserts (see Tested, p59), I’m still quids-in for weight, with the bonus of feeling less anxious about punctures.
Putting this new combination to the test, a group of us headed up to the Highlands for a long-weekend van trip. We
