Last week, Santa Cruz officially launched the worst best kept secret in the industry – the all new carbon Stigmata cyclocross bike. Featuring a press fit bottom bracket, internal routing, and no suspension, the only thing recognizable about it as a Santa Cruz is the loud color scheme.
To learn a little bit more about the development of the frame, I walked the two blocks from my house to the factory showroom to chat with Geoff Casey. Known as the Design Manager around these parts, his responsibilities include distilling the fruity flavors of a tropical inspired mixed drink into new frame colorways, and an assortment of other graphical and design duties. He’s also an avid road and cyclocross racer, and was the co-product manager of the Stigmata project.
Head past the break for an in depth interview on the new bike…
Special thanks to Geoff for taking the time to walk us through the bike and North American Marketing Manager, Don Palermini, for arranging everything.
One of the unique features of the Stigmata is its square tubesets, which look awesome, but require a proprietary front derailleur mount – which is included with each frame.
For those of you interested in tire clearance, on the left is a Stigmata with stock 33mm tires, and on the right is Geoff’s personal bike with 41mm monsters.
And it just wouldn’t be BikeRumor if we didn’t put a bike on a scale. For your viewing pleasure, here’s the top of the line Stiggy (SRAM Red, Enve Wheels, 160mm rotors, the works), which retails for $8,599. Claimed weight on the website is 16.35 lbs or 7.42 kg , but this 52 came in a touch lighter.
If you’re interested in taking one of these bikes for a rip and you’re local to the facotry, the bikes are now available through the Santa Cruz Factory Demo Program.
