Test: With the Santa Cruz Stigmata we had a very special gravel bike to test in the last few weeks. Not only the extremely elegant design but also the high-quality frame paired with attractive equipment knows how to convince.
Santa Cruz Stigmata – The Framework
The heart of the Santa Cruz Stigmata is clearly the frame. With its high-quality workmanship and elegant design, the eye really gets something. Minor design elements show the attention to detail that went into the Santa Cruz Stigmata. But let's get away from the looks and towards the performance of the high-quality carbon frame. According to the manufacturer, this should weigh 1013 grams. In our opinion, a real declaration of war for a gravel racer. When shaping the frame, many curves are used and there are actually no corners or edges. Thanks to the slightly lowered rear end, bumps off-road should be better absorbed and the stiffness when accelerating should be improved.
The cable routing on the Stigmata is also elegantly solved and not only makes a tidy impression, but also ensures that the cables don't rattle unpleasantly or hit against the frame.
Santa Cruz Stigmata – The Equipment
The Santa Cruz Stigmata comes in three configurations: with SRAM Rival, SRAM Force or with Shimano Ultegra. We tested the so-called CX1 variant with SRAM Force and high-quality Easton attachments. With the Santa Cruz Stigmata, we only shift gears at the back. You have 42 teeth on the chainring at the front and a cassette with a gradation of 11-36 at the back, which should offer a good range of gears on both faster passages and crisp climbs.
One of the equipment highlights are clearly the noble Easton add-on parts, such as the crank, handlebar and seat post. Here, the matt black crank stands out and fits in well with the high-quality overall picture of the Santa Cruz Stigmata. The gravel racer sits on wheels from DT Swiss, which should ensure a more comfortable ride and better performance on long trips. 35mm wide cyclocross-like tires from WTB are mounted, which ensure good grip and a lot of fun on the gravel.
Santa Cruz Stigmata - Fine Gravel Fun
The first few meters of the Santa Cruz Stigmata make you realize that this is a different kind of gravel bike. Here you can feel the mountain bike background of the guys behind Santa Cruz, because the Stigmata rolls excellently on moderate terrain such as gravel and road, but shows its strengths especially on bad terrain. There is a lot of smooth running here and the frame proves to be extremely comfortable without losing liveliness and agility when accelerating.
On the one hand, this is due to the low total weight of less than 8 kilograms and, on the other hand, to the frame construction with a lowered rear triangle, which, in addition to crisp acceleration, is responsible for a significant increase in comfort. In addition, the frame is very balanced and offers good comfort in general with a decent rigidity. This is also favored by the high-quality Easton seat post, which does a good job on rough ground.
Thanks to the exclusive PHR nipple-spoke connection on the DT wheels, the loads are distributed over a large area on the rim surface, thus enabling a low wall thickness of the rim for the lowest possible rotational mass. When it comes to shifting, you can benefit from the usual good performance of the SRAM Force, which not only shifts cleanly but also crisply with a chain ring at the front.
