2011 Santa Cruz STIGMATA CX

Darren Greentree's mud encrusted Santa Cruz bikes Stigmata Cyclo Cross.

Santa Cruz say "The Stigmata is our made in the USA, Easton EA6X tubed, 1300gram, razor sharp homage to that sickness. Light as a feather, tough as nails, perfect....”

No longer in production Santa Cruz dropped the Stigmata from their line-up continuing to concentrate on their MTB range. Hand made in California using Easton EA6X aluminium alloy tubing, cantilever V brakes - AVID Shorty Ultimate Cyclo Cross - lightweight and powerful, Ritchey Carbon - one piece monocoque forks, Ultegra Groupset from Excel Sports, wheels - Mavic axiom, Ritchey WCS bar / stem and Locust CX Tires 700 x 35. Frame weighing in at 1.5 kg, with responsive steering - the Stigmata is made to thrill in gnarly dusty - muddy conditions. The emergence of Cyclo-cross in Australia is yet to gain any clout in the mainstream, yet many like Darren are swapping their mountain bikes for these racing mud machines. Cyclo Cross races are now being run in Australia, with the steady conversion of dyed-in-the-wool MTB riders crossing over to Cyclo Cross bikes, plus the boom in cycle sport in this country, it won't be long before Cyclo Cross is de rigeur if you want to be seen on two wheels.

Darren says "The Stigmata is racy and nice to ride." He's planning on adding in a second set of wheels, Zipp 303 Cyclo Cross Carbon Clinchers, giving options for Road or CX Tires, adding more versatility. Best of all on his local Sunday ride, Darren and his mates have one rule on their ride, one pub stop and a two beer limit - then get home and stay upright. A little sedate compared to the BMX riders I rode with a couple of weeks back, by the time I'd left them at about three on a Sunday - they'd laid waste to many Coopers "tallies" and were still going strong.

All Santa Cruz Stigmata bike pictures by Robert Cobcroft

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