Competitive Cyclist

SANTA CRUZ V10

The Syndicate. Have two words ever aroused as much fear, or as much intrigue on the World Cup downhill circuit? This powerhouse team, led by Greg Minaar, Steve Peat, and Nathan Rennie, abuses the Santa Cruz V-10 in competitions regularly, and consults with Santa Cruz to make one of the best downhill bikes even better. In 2008, the bike, piloted by the team, has had a spot on every World Cup podium, sometimes taking two of the three places.

The V-10 is that good. We recognize the riders have much to do with the results, but the V-10 frame deserves major kudos as well. It boasts a whopping 254mm of plush VPP travel. It not only soaks up the bumps in a league all its own, but actually works to improve the ability of the wheels to grip the trail by driving the wheel into the ground.

The collaboration between Santa Cruz and their team has yielded some substantial improvements to a bike that was already a World Cup contender. For one, the bike got noticeably lighter with the 2008 design -- like two pounds lighter. We know light isn't everything, especially if light means the bike rides like a noodle or is so delicate that one crash will wreck it.

The V-10 is neither of those things. The front end is essentially three 6066 aluminum tubes. First, there's the externally-butted 1-1/8" head tube. Welded to that is a massive, hydroformed top tube, and an oversized down tube. The top tube started life as two flat sheets of aluminum. Each is then formed as mirror images and welded together. Both the top and down tubes are welded to each other as well as the head tube to strengthen the junction and ensure top-notch front-end tracking. Just to be safe, Santa Cruz welded gussets atop the top tube and beneath the down tube. The rear triangle is a complicated mix of welding and machining that ensures precise tolerances are kept. A massive piece of billet aluminum is machined to join the seat and chain stays. Notice the step-down machine work to reduce weight and enhance the I-beam like rigidity. The seat stay yoke and chain stay ends are extruded and machined. The seat and chain stays are drawn, butted tubes. And, the 150mm dropouts are forged (and replaceable). The result is one of the finest World Cup-caliber downhill frames. And one at a competitive price.

With all the pieces created, they are then welded together with nothing left to chance. You can see the meaty welds from far away. The frame pivots are massive, 15mm in diameter, and run on sealed bearings, which both ensures smooth up and down action, but also keeps the frame laterally stiff. The upper link has been fabricated out of carbon fiber. It's so much lighter they weren't afraid to fabricate a carbon fiber mini-fender that sits atop the seat stay yoke to keep the mud away from the coil shock and the back of your legs.

All the weight savings in the world is worthless if the light, strong frame doesn't ride well. Ride quality is really where the rubber hits the trail. Not surprisingly the ride is even better than the old V-10. When you swing a leg over the bike, you notice that the frame is much lower. This is a result of both the lower stand over height and a lower bottom bracket. You might want to stick to shorter crank lengths (165 or 170), but they'll help to create quick accelerations. The suspension sits higher for a feel that seems more responsive to both big hits and small, and feels fast yet incredibly stable with a 200mm travel fork. In fact, the faster you go, the more agile and maneuverable the bike gets. It is, after all, built for speed.

The Santa Cruz V-10 has options. While it comes stock with a Fox DHX 5 Coil, a shock designed for the World Cup downhill circuit, a $95 upcharge nets a Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 Coil, the shock of The Syndicate. It has 2.7" tire clearance and accepts rotors up to 203mm, so the world is your oyster. It has an 83mm bottom bracket shell to create an optimal chain line for the 12 x 150 rear wheel.

The Santa Cruz V-10 frame is powder coated in your choice of Black, Lime, Liquid Blue, Red, White, or Yellow. Or for an additional $300, you can have the frame anodized in Grinch Green or Black. It requires a 30.9 seat post. It has ISCG-05 tabs to make mounting a chainguide a snap. It accepts a maximum of a 38t chaining. The frame weight, with DHX 5.0 coil shock, is, according to Santa Cruz, 10.25lbs (4.863kg). The frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the bearings are guaranteed for life.

US Santa Cruz dealers are prohibited from shipping Santa Cruz bicycles outside of the United States.

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2009 Santa Cruz V10 Pricing