2026 Santacruz Bullit Owners - Setup - Tricks - Discussion

Hi guys. Just built up my bullit and am absolutely loving it. My float x2 is currently getting tuned for the bike so I’m rocking my dhx2. Still need to get it dialed in. Loving the podium. No issues thus far and I definitely think it’s the best feeling fork I’ve ridden. This is the 2nd bike I’ve had it on. Side note, has anyone else used chat gpt to dial in suspension? I tried it as a joke, and I’m actually kind of impressed with how good it actually worked!

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What was your prompt?
 
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Current setup I’ve landed on

XO RSV spec (large)
77kg (~81/82kg with kit)
I ride steep, rooty, rocky tech terrain. No bike park or flow trails to speak of.
Geo set to HI
18 psi front
24 psi rear

Fork
74psi
20% sag
1 token
HSR 4 (from closed)
LSR 5
HSC 11
LSC 10

X2 Shock
LO progression setting
~190 psi
32% sag
1 x 2cc token
HSR 5
LSR 8
HSC 6
LSC 9

would be keen to see other people with similar weight and riding style/terrain setups?
Thanks for sharing these. How did these settings compare to the Santa Cruz calculator? I ride in the PNW - steeps and this is my first SC. just curious if their recommendations are more towards the firmer racy or plusher side ?
 
Hi guys. Just built up my bullit and am absolutely loving it. My float x2 is currently getting tuned for the bike so I’m rocking my dhx2. Still need to get it dialed in. Loving the podium. No issues thus far and I definitely think it’s the best feeling fork I’ve ridden. This is the 2nd bike I’ve had it on. Side note, has anyone else used chat gpt to dial in suspension? I tried it as a joke, and I’m actually kind of impressed with how good it actually worked!

View attachment 167044 View attachment 167045
Dumb dumb Q but what size DHX2 are you running? Can’t seem to find the 205x65 anywhere…
 
Dumb dumb Q but what size DHX2 are you running? Can’t seem to find the 205x65 anywhere…
 
Anyone who's had the replacement motor bush kits, are there any particular things to follow for installation?

Lost my front bush on a ride a few weeks ago and finally got the warranty replacement parts over the weekend. Looks like they've sent bolts/bushes for both the front and rear motor mounts.
 
Hi everyone, has anyone tried replacing the 34 chainring with a 32? On my medium-sized frame, it looks like the space on the rear triangle doesn't allow it and that on the 10th sprocket the chain might touch the rear triangle, but I'd be tempted to try it anyway, thanks.
 
Hi everyone, has anyone tried replacing the 34 chainring with a 32? On my medium-sized frame, it looks like the space on the rear triangle doesn't allow it and that on the 10th sprocket the chain might touch the rear triangle, but I'd be tempted to try it anyway, thanks.
I personally I have not tried a smaller (32T) chainring, however Santa Cruz says the suspension works best with 34T.
 
IMG20251205165628.jpg


Had my first ride yesterday coming off the G4 Levo. I am very happy with the range on this bike which was quite a worry coming from the bigger battery bike.

Things changed over stock:
  • Fork
  • Rear Shock to coil
  • AXS 200mm dropper
  • GX AXS derailleur

some info: I weigh about 103kg kitted up, I did a 21km ride with 900m of elevation in 1:20hrs. I had 49% battery left, most of the ride was done in tour+ with the stock settings turned down a notch. There was quite a bit of EMTB and TURBO in the mix for the heavier climbs.

I had the V3 bullit so can compare. I decided to go up a size this time and am on a XL frame. I'm 6ft on the dot and prefer a bigger bike, although the XL doesn't feel too big. The older bullit felt a lot smaller than it should have so upsizing this time was a personal choice for what I currently am after. I would stick to normal reach numbers for your correct body formation.

Coil - imo this suspension setup loves a coil, I was fitted to a 550lbs spring which I feel is not the sweet spot, bike rode in the travel quite a bit and sag was around 33%. I'll be moving up to a 575lbs coil later this week. Rode like a magic carpet though so it's always the toss up. I'm getting old so sometimes it's nice to just float along :)

Bike is so planted and fast going straight through the rough stuff.. I did struggle a bit on the sharper turns going down but not enough to dislike the ride, I just need to get a bit stronger.

Overall I'm very happy with the bike. The mods are defos worth the money.
 
Just bought the CC model after selling all my other bikes. Any of you have enough time on the low and high settings to provide any feedback on which you prefer and why?
 
View attachment 172336

Had my first ride yesterday coming off the G4 Levo. I am very happy with the range on this bike which was quite a worry coming from the bigger battery bike.

Things changed over stock:
  • Fork
  • Rear Shock to coil
  • AXS 200mm dropper
  • GX AXS derailleur

some info: I weigh about 103kg kitted up, I did a 21km ride with 900m of elevation in 1:20hrs. I had 49% battery left, most of the ride was done in tour+ with the stock settings turned down a notch. There was quite a bit of EMTB and TURBO in the mix for the heavier climbs.

I had the V3 bullit so can compare. I decided to go up a size this time and am on a XL frame. I'm 6ft on the dot and prefer a bigger bike, although the XL doesn't feel too big. The older bullit felt a lot smaller than it should have so upsizing this time was a personal choice for what I currently am after. I would stick to normal reach numbers for your correct body formation.

Coil - imo this suspension setup loves a coil, I was fitted to a 550lbs spring which I feel is not the sweet spot, bike rode in the travel quite a bit and sag was around 33%. I'll be moving up to a 575lbs coil later this week. Rode like a magic carpet though so it's always the toss up. I'm getting old so sometimes it's nice to just float along :)

Bike is so planted and fast going straight through the rough stuff.. I did struggle a bit on the sharper turns going down but not enough to dislike the ride, I just need to get a bit stronger.

Overall I'm very happy with the bike. The mods are defos worth the money.
If you also had the old Santa Cruz Bullit, can you say something about how the battery consumption compares? The battery size is almost the same for both. Is the Bosch system much more efficient?”
 
If you also had the old Santa Cruz Bullit, can you say something about how the battery consumption compares? The battery size is almost the same for both. Is the Bosch system much more efficient?”
definitely - after the shimano power update on the old bullit the battery consumption was not good. I find that the Bosch is A LOT more refined, especially if you tune the power modes to suit your particular riding for that day. The current Bosch is simply way more efficient than the shimano was/is. I think the battery tech in the shimano could have something to do with that.
 
So could you say that you get much more range with the 600 Wh Bosch battery than you did before with the 630 Wh Shimano?
 
Can anyone tell me what special tools I need to remove the stock crank arms on the Bullit 90 (e*13 alum cranks)?

I did some checking around but seemed confusing. I think I need a crank puller (CCP-44?) and some special Bosch tool (BDU-something?).

thanks.

20251213_220754_resized.jpg
 
Can anyone tell me what special tools I need to remove the stock crank arms on the Bullit 90 (e*13 alum cranks)?
If you only want to remove the crank arms you'll need no special tool at all. Your photo shows that the crank has a self extractor cap installed. You only need a 8mm hex key, turn it counter clockwise to loosen the nut, turn it further and it will pull the crank arm from the spindle.

In case you also want to remove the chainring you'll need a lockring tool specified for Bosch gen3/gen4/gen5 motors. Gen4 and gen5 use identical lockring nuts, so any tool specified for gen4 will do. See an example here: EBIKE24 Lockring Tool for Bosch Gen3/4/5, Yamaha PW-X, Brose
 
If you only want to remove the crank arms you'll need no special tool at all. Your photo shows that the crank has a self extractor cap installed. You only need a 8mm hex key, turn it counter clockwise to loosen the nut, turn it further and it will pull the crank arm from the spindle.

In case you also want to remove the chainring you'll need a lockring tool specified for Bosch gen3/gen4/gen5 motors. Gen4 and gen5 use identical lockring nuts, so any tool specified for gen4 will do. See an example here: EBIKE24 Lockring Tool for Bosch Gen3/4/5, Yamaha PW-X, Brose
Shark, thank you so very much, your English is great.
 
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This may be a daft question...but for those that are using the range extender, what did you do with the charging port cover...can it just be removed, if so how? Thanks!
 
Open the cover, turn it sideways about 90° and pull it out of the frame. It's attached to the lower end.
Thank you :)

I've not used a range extender before so this is all new ground. I must say the cover doesn't seem quite aligned with the rest of the bike, in terms of niceness...if you know what I mean!
 
the cover doesn't seem quite aligned with the rest of the bike, in terms of niceness...if you know what I mean!
I know what you mean, but from my experience I believe it's the best cover Bosch makes.
It doesn't break, holds tight when closed, is easy to open and simple to attach the charging plug. I have one like these for years now and it never let me down. Clearly function over form.
 
I know what you mean, but from my experience I believe it's the best cover Bosch makes.
It doesn't break, holds tight when closed, is easy to open and simple to attach the charging plug. I have one like these for years now and it never let me down. Clearly function over form.
Thanks for that, a bit of peace of mind is welcome as it looks so wafty...but as you say, seems fit for purpose :)
 
OK, got the cranks off, but the ring with the 4 holes backed out also. I see blue in the threads (threadlocker), so other than using a pick to rotate it back in, is there some tool to tighten it? (I would reapply the threadlocker)

Screenshot 2025-12-17 225344.png
 
Not explicitly related to the Bullit - but I keep seeing Tour + mentioned, I don't have this (using the latest Kiox 400). emtb+ is there, but not tour+ for some reason. Running the latest 17.0 software.
 
First ride on the new Bullit today. Now begins the fiddling with suspension settings. I’m fairly ignorant about what the hi/lo progression chip does. Does the low setting provide a plusher feel?
 
Does the low setting provide a plusher feel?
No. The high setting is plusher, the low setting provides higher responsiveness.

The SC website says:
"... Low progression provides a very consistent feel that prioritizes responsiveness. Hi progression sits in a bit more and prioritizes bump-eating forgiveness. ..."

Find all about the SC flip chips on this page (scroll down to four bar):
 
No. The high setting is plusher, the low setting provides higher responsiveness.

The SC website says:
"... Low progression provides a very consistent feel that prioritizes responsiveness. Hi progression sits in a bit more and prioritizes bump-eating forgiveness. ..."

Find all about the SC flip chips on this page (scroll down to four bar):
Thank you!
 
I have 2 little 3-4 mile rides on my Bullit CC to dial in the suspension. Yesterday on a little ledgy climb the engagement gears in the DT Swiss DEG 350 hub went south. I took the hub apart and the teeth are partially stripped so the hub won‘t stay engaged when you put the power to the cranks. I have been very happy with 350 hubs with the older star ratchet design. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the new hub design?
 
I have 2 little 3-4 mile rides on my Bullit CC to dial in the suspension. Yesterday on a little ledgy climb the engagement gears in the DT Swiss DEG 350 hub went south. I took the hub apart and the teeth are partially stripped so the hub won‘t stay engaged when you put the power to the cranks. I have been very happy with 350 hubs with the older star ratchet design. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the new hub design?
That’s a bummer.. My bike has been bullit proof I only have about 900 miles on it because i broke my leg end of sept
 
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