Santa Cruz Bicycles

5010 2.1 Carbon CC XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike - 2018

A sharp, agile whip that loves nothing more than to pop and play all over the trail, the Santa Cruz 5010 2.1 Carbon CC XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike emphasizes tight handling over the brute force of a long-travel enduro rig. The 5010's nimble leanings originally took design cues from the slalom-inspired Blur, making it inherently more playful than anything in Santa Cruz's line. This particular version has the Carbon CC frame, which drops the frame's weight by approximately 280 grams from the cheaper Carbon C frame. Santa Cruz achieves this by using a lighter, stronger, and more expensive carbon fiber for weight savings without sacrificing structural integrity or stiffness.

Bikes have grown slacker, longer, and lower, so it only makes sense the 5010 has adapted to reflect changes in modern trail geometry. This 5010 has a longer reach and wheelbase in conjunction with a slacker head tube angle of 67-degrees, as well as slammed chainstays of 16.7 inches. By making the front end longer, you'll find the 5010 is roomier in the cockpit, without forcing you to run a longer stem if you're on the upper end of the sizing chart. These changes in geometry retain the original bike's spirited agility on the trail, yet they instill a bit more confidence for dissecting steep descents and rallying over rock gardens and gnarled sections of roots. By slamming the chainstays to sub 17-inch status, you'll find the 5010 is highly adept at cleaning tight switchbacks and roosting around berms with flickable precision, hinting to its roots as a slalom-inspired trail whip.

Looking to the 5010's VPP suspension, you'll be pleased to note it carries improved suspension performance, increased durability, and better stand-over clearance. The lower linkage is neatly tucked above the bottom bracket, which protects it from damaging rock strikes and flinging debris kicked up when you're rallying over loose chunder. The upper linkage is now attached to the top tube for increased stiffness, as well as better stand-over clearance for shorter riders. The 130 millimeters of travel along with improved suspension performance, which provides better sensitivity and traction over small bumps, such as tiny rocks and momentum-robbing roots, helps turn trails into pump tracks.

The mid-stroke provides greater support, being more linear for a more consistent feel without the tendency to settle in the middle of its travel like previous generations of VPP. However, you'll find it still ramps up dramatically at the end stroke to prevent you from harshly bottoming out on bigger hits. It's running SRAM's crisp-shifting XX1 drivetrain with a massive 10 to 50-tooth cassette giving you the largest range of usable gears from a 1x configuration. It's hooked up with the Fox 34 Float fork with a stiff 34-millimeter chassis paired with 130 millimeters of smooth, supportive travel.