The Stigmata is a cyclocross bike deserving of the Santa Cruz name.
They do things a bit backwards at Santa Cruz. While most companies first introduced carbon fibre on their road bikes, they made mountain bikes from it to prove its strength and versatility as a material. Then they made a downhill bike. And now they’ve made a carbon Stigmata—a 'cross, gravel, just go ride bike.
They developed the new Stigmata simply because they missed the old Stigmata! They felt there was a lot they could do with carbon that they were unable to do with the original aluminum model. At the same time, hydraulic disc brakes for road bikes were becoming a reality, meaning that they wouldn’t have to put up with ancient braking technology to get their drop bar on. The new Stigmata is versatile. It’ll fit 41mm-wide tires with room for mud, but handles nicely with skinny road tires for base miles. It’s also home to the first PressFit 30 bottom bracket. They didn’t make this decision lightly, but not only is PF30 capable of accommodating all road bike cranks, it allowed them to make the bike lighter while maintaining the strength and durability you expect from Santa Cruz.
By using a slightly-less-expensive carbon fiber, they were able to put performance within reach of more riders than ever before, lifting the race pace of World Cup athletes and privateers alike. The stiffness, durability, and strength are identical between the two materials, but the C-level carbon weighs in at about 280 grams more than the top-end, CC carbon.
