by Calgary Cycle

Back in May, Calgary Cycle was one of 5 Santa Cruz dealers in the world to receive the newly re-designed and fully re-dialed 2010 Santa Cruz Blur LT Carbon. This frame, Santa Cruz claims is the strongest frame they’ve ever built with the stiffest chassis they’ve ever built- bar none. The frame and shock come in weighing 1 pound lighter than the previous version (5.6 lbs. to be exact) and the Blur boasts 140mm of travel to boot along with VPP2 suspension. “This bike isn’t some long travel lightweight XC experiment. Think of the Blur LTc as a hairy chested all-mountain ass kicker. In a hockey mask. Holding a chainsaw.” Enough said.

Calgary Cycle was stoked to have one on the shelves… which didn’t last long!

Read on to find out about the lucky rider who laid eyes on it first and built up the ultimate mountain rippin’ machine.

For this installment of the C-Files here at Calgary Cycle we thought we’d build up a super rad, totally tricked out Blur LTc…

We sat scheming for a few days- picking and choosing the shiny new bits & pieces it would be dressed in. Fortunately one of our good customers Brad, managed to put his name on it before we had a chance to build it up. We were happy to see that Brad was equally as excited about building up this sweet frame as we were. The Blur LTc has several understated elements that can be easily overlooked by the average consumer but to the bike savvy like Brad, it is truly a masterpiece. Don’t be fooled by its clean lines and modest appearance- the new LTc combines a tapered headtube, molded chainstay protector, grease ports, chain slap protector, carbon fiber upper link, low profile cable stops, replaceable derailleur hanger and direct mount front derailleur to make it one of the lightest, stiffest, strongest, fastest and most responsive frames in its class. It is safe to say that regardless of how this bike was built up- it would kick some serious Canadian Rocky Mountain butt.

Brad combined old and new when it came to building up the frame. He had some trusted parts that he wanted to include even though he could have easily opted for newer, lighter & fancier bits. He chose to run his first generation Avid Juicy 7’s along with a set of Crankbros Candy pedals and the Iodine AM wheelset and we were happy to accommodate. When it came to shifters Brad selected none other than XTR for their renowned crisp and precise performance. And for his paws comfort he chose the timeless ODI Rogue lock on grips.

Continuing on with the Shimano drivetrain he selected XTR cranks, chain and rear derailleur. The shadow design paired with the carbon cage made the XTR rear derailleur an easy choice. And when it came to front derailleurs the choice was obviously limited due to the new direct mount standard that Santa Cruz was using. The XT front derailleur that he chose proved to be a great option and a nice finish to the drivetrain.

The Cane Creek ZS-3 tapered, semi integrated headset was paired with a Thompson X4 stem and Easton Monkeylite XC OS bar. Unfortunately, Brad did have to sit tight for a few weeks until we got our hands on the 2010 Fox 32 Float 140 RLC FIT tapered steer fork… (say that 3 times fast!). Santa Cruz was kind enough to send us one the first Fox forks that was outfitted with the nifty new tapered steertube. The 2010 Fox 32 is a refined version of the previous model complete with a fully sealed damper (FIT) cartridge. In addition, the fork offered the 15mm QR configuration which ads stiffness without adding the weight of a 20mm hub and axle.

Finally the rear of the bike was suspended by the one and only Fox RP23 rear shock. Tried, tested and true (just like the Chevy’s!) this shock sets the standard that all others aspire to one day be. The shock was fitted to the new LTc carbon link. This new link has “large diameter axles combined with angular contact bearings that bring chassis integrity and handling precision to a whole new level” states Santa Cruz.

Calgary Cycle’s own mechanic extraordinaire David assembled the new LTc with lots of tender love and care. He went over the bike meticulously and had it running like a dream for Brad.

Once the bike was completed our fit guy Stu took over and did the custom sizing and suspension set up. He got the fork and rear shock dialed to Brad’s weight and riding style and outfitted the LTc with the proper length stem and seatpost height.

Brad has had the chance to rip it up on his new bike all spring, summer & fall and he’s super stoked with his new ride. Needless to say he’s been too busy beating up the Blur LTC to give us a full update!

There you have it. Calgary Cycle does it again- in our own way. Maybe we’re not building full suspension unicycles or custom frames for guys that are 6’5″, but we’re doing what we can to build some of the radest, fastest and coolest bikes around.

Stay tuned for our next installment of the C-Files, where we will be custom building an Evil Revolt.

To read the first installment of the C-Files: Ibis Mojo SL, click here.