2010 Santa Cruz V-10 Review

Welcome to the first complete bike review for www.downhillnews.com. The bike we are testing is a 2010 Santa Cruz V10 size medium with a 2010 Boxxer WC on the front and a Vivid 5.1 on the back. The build kit we chose was the DH Team it is the less expensive of the two offered from Santa Cruz. Check out what the build kit looks like below.We will be adding images, and information over the next few weeks so check back to see what we think of Santa Cruz's premiere downhill machine the 2010 V-10.

• Rear Der. Shimano M810 GS Saint
• Shifters Shimano M810 RF Saint
• Crankset Truvativ Holzfeller 38 tooth
• BB Truvativ Howitzer Team
• Chainguide E13 SRS
• Cassette Shimano HG 8011-32
• Chain Shimano HG 73 XT
• Brakes Avid Elixir R 185mm, F 203mm
• Brake Levers Avid Elixer R
• Bars Easton Havoc Low 31.8
• Stem FSA Direct Mount
• Headset Cane Creek S3 1 1/8 Double XC Flush
• Seatpost Thomson Elite
• Saddle WTB Silverado Team
• Wheels DT FR600 rims laced to DT 340 rear hub and chub front hub with DT 14 guage spokes and brass nipples
• Tires Kenda Nevegal 2.5 wire bead and Kenda DH tubes

The 2010 Santa Cruz V-10 geometry.

Santa Cruz Syndicate riders walk you through setting up the Santa Cruz V-10

Below is Santa Cruz's description of the the bike along with a breakdown of the VPP suspension system that is used on it.

Overall World Cup champion. Overall World Cup team trophy. Junior World Cup overall. Junior World Champion. Silver medal, senior World Championship. 4th place, senior World Championship. A V-10 on every single World Cup podium. To say that the 2008 season was a good one for our flagship downhill bike is a bit of an understatement. Beneath the guiding hands of Santa Cruz Syndicate riders, the V-10 has become the definitive downhill weapon of this era. The VPP suspension has been refined to offer 254mm of seemingly bottomless travel while tracking with precision down the most demanding and technical courses that can be found anywhere in the world. Shock rates and ride characteristics have been honed to precision, creating the ultimate podium-seeking missile.

VPP Linkage:VPP suspension designs balance different forces toeliminate unwanted compression without limiting bump absorption.The downward force on your pedals pushes most full suspension bikes down, resulting in unwanted suspension compression. VPP bikes use a patented link configuration and axle path to apply some of the pulling force from thechain to counteract that motion caused by pedaling.Because the forces are balanced, VPP bikes remain able to absorb bumps when pedaling, unlike other designs that effectively lock out the rear suspension by applying too much chain pulling force. What you end up with is plushtravel with no pedal-induced compression or lockout and no need for manual lockouts or other compromises. VPP Sag and Active Suspension: VPP's balance of counteracting pedaling and bump forces is optimized at the recommended "sag" point. Sag is the amount the suspension compresses when the rider is in a neutral position. For example, when sitting on the bike at rest or riding on smooth terrain. This point is about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way into the suspension travel. VPP bikes are designed to be ridden with sufficient sag to provide truly active suspension, meaning the suspension compresses (positive travel) and extends (negative travel) with rises and dips in the trail. A VPP owner rides in a suspended "pocket" with ample positive and negative travel available to maintain traction and momentum in all trail conditions, even while pedaling. VPP Shock Rates: Shock rate plays a huge part in any suspension frame design. Shock rate refers to how much the shock compresses for a given amount of rear wheel travel. A "falling rate" design is harder to compress at the beginning of the travel than at the end of the travel. A "rising rate" design is the opposite, easier to compress at the beginning than at the end. By experimenting with hundreds of different pivot placements and linkage designs, our engineers tune the shock rates on VPP bikes to both rise and fall at different points throughout the suspension travel, tailoring the attitude of the bike for different conditions and uses and maximizing the benefits of the VPP linkage and axle path. It takes a long time but it shows in the performance of each bike. Frame Construction: A great suspension design by itself is not enough to make a great bike. To realize the potential of VPP technology, every frame is carefully engineered without compromise in materials or construction methods. We start with custom tubesets made from the strongest and lightest aluminum alloys available. Then we use a variety of advanced design and construction techniques, including custom part design, strategic gusseting, modified weld bead profile and shot-peening. Prototypes undergo rigorous laboratory and real-world testing. Each frame is analyzed for high-stress areas when pushed to the limit. Geometry is tested, tweaked, and tested again. Every part of every frame receives an obsessive amount of attention to minimize weight, maximize strength, durability, and serviceability. We've designed custom double-row angular-contact full-complement bearings that are lighter and stronger than anything else out there. The shocks that come on our frames are valved specifically for each model to make the ride quality that much better. We don't spend our time writing frivolous patents or coming up with silly acronyms for the innovations we employ. We'd rather go for a ride, wouldn't you?

Check out what Santa Cruz says HERE

Santa Cruz bikes started their foray into the downhill market with the 1998 Super 8. This was a basic single pivot design created out of round tubes and was TIG welded using 6061 T6 aluminum. They offered it in three sizes and it boasted 7.5” of rear wheel travel.

The 2000 model year saw a dramatic change in the Super 8. Gone was the round-tubed frame and in its place was a massive configuration of double-butted 7005 series aluminum. These frames also increased their rear travel up to 8.5”. These frames where substantially heavier. Yet proved to be much more durable than the previous designs.

In 2002 Santa Cruz ventured away from their more traditional single pivot design and adopted a new to them design they purchased and refined from Outland. The suspension system would come to be known as, "VPP" or Virtual Pivot Point.

The VPP linkage was attached to a still beefy frame when they released their new downhill bike called the V-10. It was TIG welded from custom butted 6066 aluminum. Out on the trails the bikes road great but where somewhat heavy. They also had a floating rear brake at this point. Eventually Santa Cruz would dial in the linkages and eliminate the need for any floating brake adapters on their premiere downhill bike. Having 10" of rear wheel travel allowed the bikes to easily cover rough ground at very high rates of speed.

Overall the reviews for the new suspension system were very positive. Bikemagic was one of the first media outlets to test an early model prototype of the 2002 V-10 and this is what they concluded.

“Ridiculously succulent travel and traction that refused to even get slightly unsettled when we were riding it as hard as we could, coupled with instant drive and pick up wherever you are in the stroke. We don't generally ride rigs this big purely because the invincible long travel amusement wears off very quickly on slopes of less than 1 in 2 but the V10 was an absolute blast even on flat and barely downhill sections. We simply haven't ridden anything near as sharp with this much travel, and the V10 genuinely has power responses that would shame many XC bikes.”

http://www.bikemagic.com/bike-reviews/uk-exclusive---we-ride-the-santa-cruz-v10/2367.html

So the new suspension did seem to allow more wheel travel without hindering pedaling performance. In fact just about all that rode the VPP bikes claimed they had some of the best pedaling characteristics of any bike they had ridden short of a hardtail XC racer as the quote above from Bikemagic implies.

There have been a total of three versions of the Santa Cruz V-10 since the initial 2002 model was released. The 2002-2004 version consisted of tubed construction. Then in the middle of 2004 they switched to a monocoque style frame. Weight began to become a big concern and Santa Cruz altered the V-10 over the years to shed excess pounds. The 2007 version received a carbon upper link, new dropouts, and completely revised frame tubing. The only parts it shares with the earlier 2005 version are the seat and chainstay yokes. The newer frames post 2007 shed just over a pound from earlier models and also received revised linkage rates and the bike now sits higher with less sag to give it a more lively feel.

Over the eight years that the Santa Cruz V-10 has been in production it has undergone a dramatic transformation. It has become more refined over time by loosing weight, getting better leverage ratios and getting its geometry tweaked. Some of the sports biggest names have helped to transform the 2010 Santa Cruz V-10 into the bike it is today. Riders such as Marla Steb, John Waddell, Nathan Rennie, Steve peat, Greg Minnar and Josh Bryceland have all had input into the bikes design over the years. These are all world-class athletes competing at the top level. Something that feels good to them may not translate very well into the everyday riding of the average downhiller. That’s what we at Downhillnews are here to determine. How does the 2010 Santa Cruz V-10 feel in the hands of the average rider on downhill trails that range from smooth and fast to steep, rocky and technical?

The first trail that we took the Santa Cruz V-10 on was located just in town. This trail is a short one that is filled with rocks ranging from golf ball on up to basketball sized “boulders”. The trail is not particularly difficult unless you are carrying speed the whole way through it. Typically people will encounter flats, bent rims, rebound adjustment problems and the occasional dismount while riding this trail.

Three totals riders went along on the first outing. This included Leland O, Ian F and myself Ian W the cameraman and resident slowpoke. We made good time up the hill and Leland was the first to go. Leland rides very hard and fast he is definitely not super smooth. He did three runs and made slight rebound adjustments as he rode. He thought the bike felt very nimble, light, and ate up anything in its way.

Ian F went next and he spent the most time on the bike. He tends to be a little more smooth with a long background in BMX and ended up doing about five total runs. Going a little further up the hill opens up the trail to a high-speed section so we headed there first. He also comment on the bikes maneuverability and mentioned how quickly he felt comfortable on it.

I went last and set the camera up for Ian to nab some shots. Weighing in at about 210 pounds fully kitted I am on the larger side. My concerns with most bikes, and fork setups are the overall stiffness of the package. At this point both the frame and fork felt very stiff with little to no flex. The VPP suspension did its job by gobbling up anything I managed to run over. The suspension was very good at keeping the rear wheel on the ground as I managed to drag the rear brake over large rocks. Hopping the bike over and onto obstacles was a snap.

The second trail that we brought the 2010 Santa Cruz V-10 out onto was of the much more technical variety. This trail is very steep, rocky, with loose dirt and has many off camber corners out of drops that are blind. It definitely has a high fear factor surrounding it and is the perfect trail to test a full-blown World Cup downhill race bike on. If a bike does well here and provides confidence to riders there is probably not a racecourse in the world that it could not do the same on.

Nate L was the tester for the day. His current bike is a 2008 Santa Cruz V-10 with a Fox 40 on the front and a RC4 on the rear. So the transition for him was almost seamless. I began walking down the trail and set up lights at the very first section. Each feature along the trail we stopped and sessioned until we made our way down the whole trail. Over the course of the day he pushed up each feature numerous times.

Suspension is an area that Nate has now got dialed in very well on his personal bike. He decided for the first run to just leave it as it was from our previous test session. Instantly he noticed that the rear Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 had a much lower spring rate than is recommended by Fox. Also of note was the stiffness that the 2010 Boxxer WC seemed to offer. The front and rear of the bike followed the terrain very well and ate up the small stuff very well.

The biggest difference he noticed between his 2008 and the 2010 was the overall stiffness of the frame. There was no lateral play in the rear end and it tracked remarkably well. He felt the bike handled the trail very well and was in its element while being pushed to the edge down steep, rocky, shoot filled trails.

RIDER SUMMARY

Leland O

I was able to borrow the V10 from Ian for a week, which allowed for some killer trail riding. I was able to ride three trails during this time, which gave me an overall feel for the bike. I rode Madonna Mountain’s Rock Garden trail, a connector trail from Madonna Mountain towards Irish Hills, and a trail located on the West Cuesta Ridge. These trails are all located in San Luis Obispo, CA.

First of all, I want to say that the bike was small for me. I am 6’-2” and the medium sized frame felt too small. However, the bike still rode extremely well, especially through loose, rocky terrain. My favorite part about the bike was that the rear end always stuck to the ground, no matter what the terrain. The rear end travel worked extremely efficient through rocks and ruts. The bike was also quick to change direction or be lifted off the ground when I needed an instant response.

The main aspect of the bike I didn’t like was the choice of tires for the build package. The bike came with Kenda tires, which hindered the bike in the loose and rocky terrain, found in San Luis Obispo. This was the only complaint; otherwise the build consisted of Avid and Saint components, which worked very well.

Ian F

Well, I came off one of the most hyped up DH rigs in recent history, the Iron Horse Sunday, made famous by Mr. Sam Hill and on to the current world champion’s race rig the Santa Cruz V10. Anything less than amazing would have been a complete disappointment. I have ridden quite a few different bikes in the day from Intense, Yeti, Commencal, Tomac, Kona, Giant, Orange, a few Santa Cruz’s among others. My last experience on a V10 wasn’t the best either; it was an early model with a head angle like a chopper motorcycle and super soft spring set up that creaked more than a bed in a cheap motel. The last new bike I had given a try was one of the new Trek Session 88s and I was fairly impressed with the overall feel of that bike to the point that I was ready to put down the money to get one for myself and replace the rusty, but trusty Sunday.

The V10 felt natural right off of the bat. The medium size of this bike was a true medium and not a warmed over small or large. The top tube felt on the long side and fit perfectly for me at 5’8”. Coming off of a Sunday with a notoriously low center of gravity (an advantage in cornering) I was interested to see how the turn in and “pop” out of the corners would be on a bike with a higher bottom bracket and WAY more travel. The V10 had great turn in and felt quite lively for a full on DH bike in the corners making the narrow, tight twisty corners a blast to rip through along with the long berms and wide open flat corners of a typical DH track. The more I rode it the more this versatile feeling seemed to follow through to every aspect of the bike.

The suspension was very plush, but not over the top like some DH bikes from back in the day (i.e. Karpiel Armageddon). The VPP design also made pedaling sections fairly easy and painless, not quite as good of a pedaling bike as the Sunday, but right up there with the best. The rear end was very predictable and the head angle made everything from the steepest gnarliest sections to the mundane completely ride-able and enjoyable. Even in the air, the V10 never felt over the top with travel, although you had to work to get it off the ground, I never felt I was near the suspensions limits even while hitting some fairly large drops with minimal transition. The V10 really felt like a bike you could take out on a normal trail ride in the morning and be blasting down world cup tracks in the afternoon at full race pace.

My only complaint about the bike was that I think the head tube should be a 1 ½ instead of 1 1/8. I feel like that should be a no brainer on a bike that sees as much abuse as a DH race rig. However, that being said the 2010 Santa Cruz V10 was a great bike to ride and race. It felt at home in any situation and was a fantastic ride for anyone looking at world cup domination or just a bike that can take anything you would want to throw at it…

Ian W

My last downhill bike was a2003 Intense M1. I have owned a long list of bikes starting with a 2000 Orange Patriot LT, 2001 Kona Stab Primo, 2001 Specialized Team DH, 2002 Karpiel Disco Volante, 2002 Turner DHR, 2003 Intense M1 2005 Intense M3, and a 2006 Iron Horse Sunday. The Turner out of that group was for sure the stand out. It had been about one and a half years since I had been on a downhill bike and being able to throw my leg over a 2010 Santa Cruz V-10 had the heart rate going.

My first ride on the bike brought me down a very familiar local trail. It is not very steep but littered with rocks ranging in sized from golf balls to basketballs. They are the round variety of rocks that can get slippery when moisture is on the ground. I instantly felt comfortable on the bike it went where I aimed it and the first few runs I managed to run it over all the stuff people normally try and avoid. The bike was light it weighed 39 pounds with pedals so getting the front end up and over obstacles is a breeze. The next trail I went on is high speed and filled with loose rock.

Fast riders on downhill oriented bikes can easily break 30 mph going down this trail. The trail is corner filled and has ample rocks on it to keep riders worried about pinch flats. The bike started gathering speed and just wanted to keep gaining. I used the brakes to rein it in to a more comfortable rate of speed. The bike simply liked to go fast.

Being able to hop over things while going down the trail is vital when trying to avoid flats and dented rims. The V-10 had no problem hopping over large rocks and water bars. This bike is pretty easy to get off the ground. That was one concern I had with it before we starting riding it. Exactly how maneuverable is this ten-inch travel downhill bike going to be?

Well it turned out to be very lively. It was very easy to hop, change direction and move the bike around while in the air. The lively feel of the bike was a relief and proved that a good design such as Santa Cruz’s VPP can be altered slightly every year to produce an end result that is finely tuned and truly refined. After the fast rocky top section the trails turns into tight singletrack that is littered with both rocks and corners. Cornering is my weak point so when a bike feels comfortable under me while going through a turn I know it is doing something right. The bike twisted its way down the trail devouring whatever it ran over and railing the turns even with me as the rider.

Nate L

The major impression I got from the first ride was how responsive the bike felt, and I think this is a huge deal considering how much sag the bike is set up to have. Being able to sit so far into your travel lets the bike do the work in keeping your wheels glued to the ground and V10's have always been good because of how much traction and control this gives them.

A major draw back in riding so low in your travel is you feel the trail less; the bike dampens all the impacts between the rider and the contours of the trail. In past generations of the V10, this has given the bike a mushy feel when pumping a turn or catching backside through a transition. Between Santa Cruz's first generation and this one, and the valving of the Rock Shox Vivid shock the mushy feel is gone! When you press the rear end into a transition, you feel the bike accelerate and now the front end comes up with a subtle motion rather then an exaggerated heave.

The bike feels much more agile and if I didn't know better I never would have guessed that it had 10 inches of travel sagged at 30%. Long story short it feels like your getting the best of both worlds, you get a nimble, agile feel and a ton of traction and control from all of that negative travel.

CONCLUSION

Overall the Santa Cruz V-10 rated very high among the testers. The build quality of the bike was excellent which makes assembly easy and gives the owner a sense of pride in their new bike. There has been some debate on various forums over the last few years about where the V-10 is being made these days and to those that are wondering it is still made in the USA.

All testers agreed that this bike was very maneuverable and responded instantly to rider inputs. Having the ability to change lines, and hop over obstacles when necessary is a blessing. The V-10 allows smooth riders to finesse their way down the trail with smooth lines and avoiding all obstacles on the way down. At the same time the suspension system and copious amounts of rear wheel travel allow plow riders to hammer their way down the trail.

Santa Cruz has been refining their VPP design since 2002 and it truly shows on their newest bike. It is now a slim, agile, functional WC downhill race bike. The VPP’s of the past seemed glued to the ground with little ability to get them off unless launching a large jump. That is no longer the case with Santa Cruz’s new variation. The suspension is very effective at gobbling up anything we ran over with it. There was no noticeable feedback in the pedals and the bike could be pedaled through large rocks fields. The suspension does what it should by allowing the rider to worry about what line to choose or the corner up ahead. All the testers loved the way the suspension handled the varying terrain that was thrown at it.

This is a bike that has undergone slight alterations over the past nine years to become what it is today. Santa Cruz takes a different approach to their bikes than most other companies. There is no huge marketing team claiming they have the latest and greatest suspension system out. They started off with a good design and slowly transformed it. It is highly refined from the original version and we would have no problem recommending it to a friend.