Who is Santa Cruz’s suspension test rider, Kiran MacKinnon and how does he do his job?

Kiran MacKinnon is a human dyno. When Santa Cruz Bicycles needs to test, experiment and validate suspension then Kiran is the one of the main people we call on to do that work. Not only is he an extremely talented bike rider and incredibly knowledgeable about suspension, but he can actually interpret and translate what he’s feeling in a way that he can communicate to the rest of the engineering team. This enables them to cross-reference the data they’ve collected with real life, on-trail experience to build better bikes and provide the right setup for our riders. We’re constantly refining our VPP™ suspension as well as the damping tunes shocks we spec on our bikes in order to make sure our bikes ride really, really good. This short film should give you some insight into the way we work and the people that do the work to make your rides better. • About Santa Cruz Bikes • Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded in 1993 in a space the size of a single car garage in the Seabright Cannery, in Santa Cruz California. Our first bike, the Tazmon, was a single pivot dual suspension bike that rattled established sensibilities and helped define our then ethos of “simply advanced.“ That bike was the cornerstone for a brand that was founded on the notion of doing things our own way in order to build the best. We have been rattling sensibilities ever since. Get the full story: