The Santa Cruz Bronson has been dominating trails and enduro podiums the world over since its relatively recent debut just last season. The alloy version rocks, but the carbon version is not only light enough to soar, it's tough, stiff, and responsive enough to be a truly all-mountain performer. Problem is, going carbon usually means going expensive. At the heart of the Bronson is a highly refined VPP suspension platform that's been optimized for its 27. 5-inch wheels. It's a suspension platform that's widely beloved among riders for its blend of pedaling efficiency and trail-erasing smoothness. VPP employs two aluminum counter-rotating links to achieve this balance. The upper link provides most of the rotation as the bike compresses into the sag point -- or about 15-20% of the way into the travel. This yields a vertical wheel path, which you'll notice in the form of a firm feel during acceleration and small-bump compliance. As the bike compresses deeper into the suspension, the lower-link activates, moving the axle path rearward. The rearward axle path enables the rear wheel to travel out of the way of impacts, also lengthening the wheelbase and increasing stability. Holding it all together is the same collet-style pivot hardware that's become standard for Santa Cruz's suspension bikes. This means that your pivots stay tight and are easily serviceable at home if ever necessary. Santa Cruz's industry-leading carbon fiber construction is on display here, as well. For 2015, almost all of Santa Cruz's carbon frames are available in a more economical version that uses a lower grade of carbon, requiring more of it and thus making for a slightly heavier frame than the high-end "C" frame. Both offer tremendous capability, but the C frame that the X