Driver 8 FarewellDefining the character of a bike company isn't easy. There are engineers, assemblers, sales guys and marketing stooges, people who talk in numbers and people who speak of wheels in motion with the blazing eyes of zealots. In the case of Santa Cruz , there's a pretty broad clash of cultures and ideas and lifestyles that collide in the same space on a daily basis. And, for almost as long as this company has been in existence, every single one of those widely diverse people have stopped every day to scratch the offered belly of Driver 8.
Driver 8 - 130 pounds of fur-shedding, food stealing, dead thing rolling, fire engine howling Malamut/wolf - came into the Santa Cruz cannery as a rescue pup at the age of 8 months when his person, Willie K Bullion, was still working for Bontrager Cycles and SCB was just a one shed operation at the cannery entrance (Willie would like to point out that he got Driver 8 the day that Adri Van Der Poel won the World Cyclocross Championship - February 3rd, 1996). He (Driver 8, not Willie) became known as the Mascot of the then Bontrager race team, and fast developed a reputation for his ability to shed fur and vomit massive piles of dog food. But the girls all loved him...
He has been an icon of this neighborhood, and of this company, for eleven years. If you've ever shown up here, you've probably pet him. Or had him steal your lunch. If you've ever found some dog hair in your Santa Cruz soft goods, or stuck to your new frame, it came from Driver.Every single one of us lost a good friend when Driver 8 passed away two weeks ago. Dogspeed, Driver 8, may there be plentiful dead seals to roll in, and lots of red meat, wherever you are.
Interbike Wrap
While some fun was had at our expense for the SCB "un-booth" Inside
Interbike, we were going like gangbusters at the on-dirt demo. With 72 bikes on hand, as well as about 20 of us swapping out pedals and setting up suspension, it was two days of mayhem at the big yellow bus. In between shooting the breeze, pouring beer, grilling meat and watching movies, we somehow managed to also get around 1000 people out on test rides.For everyone who stopped by and said hi, thanks. Hope you had as much fun as we did. Here's to next year.New Bike Builder Pages!!!
Superlights and Stigmatas in Stock
tty healthy stock of our new Stigmata cyclocross frames in-house. Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, there isn't any real head-to-head competition to the Stigmata. It's made in the USA from Easton EA6X aluminum tubing, weighs a scant 1200 grams (for an anodized 54cm frame), and might be one of the most fun slices of razor sharp race machinery you'll ever sling a leg over.
We've also got Superlights with our unbelievably low priced D/XC kits, in stock as complete bikes, ready to ship. This is the least expensive way for many riders to get a taste of the Santa Cruz experience, and since the bikes come pre-built, they represent a quick and easy way to get out on the trai
Floating Brake Kit
They've been a long time coming, but we now have floating brake kits in stock for Bullits. Designed to increase rear brake performance and optimize long travel single pivot suspension behaviour when braking, our floating brake kit was designed without compromise. The chrome plated floating caliper mount stays attached to the frame when the wheel is removed, and spins on two monster sealed bearings. The teflon impregnated spherical bushings located in the ends of the carbon float rod are designed for many low maintenance miles. The floater kit can be mounted in multiple positions on the seattube, so that you can dial in the amount of squat that works for you. The kit includes a pair of 150 thru-axle dropouts, and is available, right about now, on our webstore or from your Santa Cruz dealer. They come partially assembled, making installation quick and easy with just a couple allen wrenches, and they'll work with ANY 150mm rear hub.
Joe's Corner
Joe Graney is our lead engineer.That's lead as in "you can lead a horse to water," not "the fart joke at dinner went over like a lead balloon."When he's not devising new ways of torturing brats, he thinks a lot about bikes. Joe's corner is his ongoing exploration into the physics of bike and suspension design.This month, Joe tackles instant center migration, and dabbles in cartography[ get your cartography here ]For previous installments of Joe's Corner, Click Here
The Ibis Tranny, is a hard-tail with a twist. With it's adjustable chain-stay length via the 'slot machine', this bike can be used as a single speed, geared bike (normal), maybe a 29er and can be dismantled for transportation. It also makes the perfect espresso (well that's what I asked for). Anyhow available in 2008, they are still working on colour options. It's light and looks great, 'put ya name down now, you crazy hard-tail riders.......it'll be the last hard-tail you'll need'! 
