The New Santa Cruz Stigmata is Here

California’s Santa Cruz Bicycles just launched a refreshed version of their drop-bar Stigmata, a model that has been resurrected a handful of times since it was first introduced. Most recently, it received a major update in 2019 with the release of the Sigmata CC in an eye-catching Banana Slug Yellow. Today’s release further increases its versatility and capability with the introduction of new geometry, room for bigger tires, new builds, and more. Read on for details.

As Santa Cruz positions it, “The Stigmata is our all-road, any road or surface, simply fast gravel bike for big races, big distances or big dumb ideas.” They say it’s designed to handle the full spectrum of gravel, which they define as everything from racing, to all-road, to bikepacking, to backcountry, to free-road—blurring the lines between fat-tire road bikes and curly-bar mountain bikes. To back up these lofty ambitions, they’ve lengthened the CC frame’s axle-to-crown to make it compatible with 40mm suspension forks; beefed up the tire clearance to 700 x 50mm (up from 45mm); and stretched out the geometry, lengthening the reach by 30mm per size and slackening the head tube by 2.5 degrees to 69.5°. It has a longer frame and a shorter stem, making for a more confident and responsive ride feel over chunky terrain.

Additional bikepacking-ready features include a “Glovebox” storage compartment built into the frame, an extra bottle mount on the underside of the downtube, low-profile fender mounts, a 68mm threaded bottom bracket, external cable routing, 27.2mm dropper compatibility, a Universal Derailleur Hanger, a standard IS tapered headset, and front derailleur compatibility. The frame and fork sport flat-mount brakes with 160mm rotors. See the full geometry chart below.

Available in a single Matte Brick Red color, the Santa Cruz Stigmata is offered in five sizes (S-XXL) and five complete build kits that range in price from $3,999 for SRAM Apex 1 up to $7,699 for FORCE AXS 1X RSV. It’s also available as a frameset with a carbon fork for $2,699. All frames and completes come back by Santa Cruz’s lifetime warranty.

Neil has been riding a new Stigmata around Colorado for the past couple of weeks for his upcoming review on our YouTube channel, and his initial impressions have been entirely positive. As someone who mostly rides mountain bikes, he said he’s been impressed by how it rides and the confidence it lends at high speeds and through corners. I was visiting him over the weekend and got to see the bike in person, and he mentioned that his first few rides have already opened up some new route ideas in his head. Stay tuned for his in-depth thoughts later this year!

Find complete details on the new Stigmata over at SantaCruzBicycles.com.

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