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Santa Cruz Bicycles
5010 Carbon SPX AM Complete Mountain Bike

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The year of 27.5.

Carbon fiber has been a cycling industry buzzword for quite some time. This year, however, carbon has been living in the very large shadow of 27.5-inch wheels. And delivering truth to this is Santa Cruz's full embrace of this new standard. With trail bikes like the 125mm travel 5010 Carbon SPX AM Complete Mountain Bike, Santa Cruz is taking an aggressive stance on mountain biking's most aggressive platform.


The SPX AM build dresses Santa Cruz's carbon frame with Shimano XT components, DT Swiss/WTB wheels, and FOX suspension in order to keep the price reasonable without killing the 5010's all-mountain sense of purpose. One of the biggest contributors to this is the rolling stock. Sure, within the gravity/park sect, stiff, nimble, and strong 26in wheels will continue to shine. Likewise, though, when the trail favors high-speed, flowing singletrack the 29er rules supreme. But, any riding between those extremes will see the 27.5-inch 5010 Carbon's ability to dominate.


A quick look at the geometry makes this perfectly clear. The 5010's chainstay length is only a quarter-of-an-inch longer than the Blur TRc, yet it's three-quarters-of-an-inch shorter than the Tallboy LT. Another key number is its bottom bracket height — the 5010 is .04-inches higher than the TRc and a quarter-inch lower than the Tallboy LT. This means that aboard the 5010, you'll enjoy that 'seated within' felling of two-niners, while retaining the nimbleness that would otherwise be lost to long wheelbases, high-center of gravity, and flex'y wheels.


In fact, the 5010's wheelbase is a full-inch shorter than the Tallboy, and it has a trail-worthy 68 degree head tube angle. That's should be enough numbers to expose the playful, yet composed nature of the 5010. But, just as essential to that balance is Santa Cruz's carbon mastery. The 5010 Carbon uses a one-piece layup and curing process for the triangles, as opposed to assembling joints, which would require bonding, wrapping, or rivets. And, because this process allows continuous interlocking fibers to wrap between tubes, the resulting structure efficiently distributes loads and absorbs impact energy. All the while, this process eliminates any excess material. As you might imagine, each size's dedicated tooling makes this is a costly process. However, this allows Santa Cruz to control the outside shape, the inside shape, and to compact the fibers during the layup for the to each frame size.


From the Small to the X-large frame, structure is optimized for intended rider weight and forces. Additionally, placing material where it's needed most results in a strong and nimble chassis for the VPP suspension to work its magic. And speaking of the VPP suspension on the 5010, it's the second generation and features upper- and lower-links that flatten shock rate in order to provide active motion early in the axle path. This allows the rear wheel to easily move up and back as you ride over a bump. The link design also balances downward pedaling force with the pulling force of the chain. This effectively neutralizes them, while also preventing pedal-bob or squatting during acceleration. This keeps speed up, however, VPP also assists in keeping that speed in check. The VPP design also prevents brake-induced lock-out, effectively keeping the suspension supple over braking bumps.


And whether you're rolling over rock gardens, clawing up rooted and rocky climbs, or negotiating steep descents, VPP suspension remains active and responsive. Key to this are its linkages and hardware. A carbon fiber upper-link not only shaves weight, but it also enhances lateral stiffness. At the bottom end of things, an alloy lower-link features easily-serviceable grease ports that are positioned in order to avoid damage and to ensure a long bearing life.


The pivots are oversized, with 15mm locking axle-pins. Additionally, they run on intricately-sealed bearings with one-way purging seals that are intended to last the life of the frame. Even better, this design won't either creak or loosen. And for the people who want every lightweight feature addressed, Santa Cruz topped it off with anodized aluminum hardware where it's applicable. Managing the 5010's 125mm of travel is the lightweight and reliable FLOAT CTD with the smooth and durable Kashima coating.


The easy-to-adjust three position lever provides platform options to maximize efficiency while either climbing, traversing, or descending. At the front of the 5010, a 130mm travel FLOAT 32 Factory has CTD dampening, as well, to keep tuning intuitive. For drivetrain duty Shimano's venerable XT bits ensure fast shifts and reliability.


This kit includes a 3x10 layout with XT cranks, shifters, derailleurs, and cassette. It also includes XT brakes with an 180mm front and 160mm rear rotor that slow the WTB Frequency i23 rims that have been laced to DT Swiss 350 hubs. Casing the wheels are Maxxis High Roller 2 EXO Tubeless tires. This kit also includes a RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post with the actuation line hidden within the 5010's frame. On top of the post sits a WTB Volt Team saddle. And to complete the SPX AM build, Santa Cruz included a TruVativ AKA stem along with Easton Havoc handlebars.


The Santa Cruz 5010 Carbon SPX AM Complete Mountain Bike is available in four sizes from Small to X-large and in the colors Gloss Orange/white and Matte Black/green.


Frame Material
carbon fiber
Suspension
VPP
Rear Shock
FOX FLOAT CTD Adjust Kashima
Rear Travel
125 mm
Fork
FOX 32 FLOAT 27.5 FIT CTD Trail Adjust Kashima
Front Travel
130 mm
Headset
Cane Creek 40 Mixed Tapered
Shifters
Shimano XT M780
Front Derailleur
Shimano XT M781
Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT M786 Shadow+
ISCG Tabs
yes, ISCG 05
Crankset
24/32/42 t Shimano XT M780
Bottom Bracket
Shimano XT
Cassette
11-36 t Shimano XT M771 10-speed
Chain
Shimano HG75
Rotors
[front] 180 mm Shimano Ice Tech, [rear] 160 mm Shimano Ice Tech
Handlebar
Easton Havoc
Handlebar Width
711 mm
Grips
Lizard Skin Peaty lock on
Stem
Truvativ AKA
Saddle
WTB Volt Team
Seatpost
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Seat Collar
Santa Cruz QR
Hubs
DT Swiss 350
Tires
Maxxis High Roller 2 EXO Tubeless
Tire Size
27.5 x 2.3 in
Pedals
not included
Recommended Use
all mountain, trail
Manufacturer Warranty
5 years on frame

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