O.K so your working your butt off and saving every penny to buy your dream ride.. Unlike all the others out there we don't do a bike test then follow it up with a request for advertising.. Would that mean we'd have to write a good review. I guess so..?? Here at Descent-World you know if we give you duff info you'll end up seeing us at the next race and verbaling us! Therefore we can't afford to blag you.. Just remember if it's showcased here then that’s the recommendation in itself and this report on the Santa Cruz V10 is no exception..

Before we get started, if you want to know anything about the main man behind Santa Cruz then checkout Skateboard legend Rob Roskopp’s interview that we recently published on Descent-World.

Lets begin kids…

Firstly lets thank Dickon @ Jungle for the kind loan of the bike.. It's nice to see someone put their money where there mouth is in this game.. Can I also tell you that soon I’ll have my paws on a VP Free (not VP3 as I called it) to show you mongrels what the little brother of the V10 rides and races like. With only 8.5" of travel, what do they mean only? That could be the best all round DH bike there is out there for sure..

What you need to know about today is the single most important aspect of the V10 design, were talking VPP - "Virtual Pivot Point"..

VPP Linkage Explained: VPP suspension gets rid of unwanted compression without compromising shock absorption. Every downward stroke on your pedals forces most bikes down, giving you unwanted suspension compression. The VPP link configuration and axle path now apply a proportion of the pulling force from the chain to counteract that motion caused by pedalling. As the forces are balanced, VPP bikes can now absorb bumps whilst hammering the pedals, unlike other bikes where that down stroke may lock out the rear suspension..

VPP - "Virtual Pivot Point"

VPP Active and Sag Suspension Explained: Sag is the term for when you sit your fat arse on your bitch.. Fully kited up your slag should compress anywhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of the way through your travel. (More than this and you need a heavier spring of go on a diet you fat b4st4rd). VPP bikes give you active suspension that works as they are set up for the rider to ride in the "Suspension Window". This is the bit in the middle of the travel ranges, Negative travel (fully extended) and Positive travel (compressed). I hope you lot are paying attention, there will be questions later!!

CarbonFender, Beefy Linkage and you've been tango'd

In summary you get a faster riding bike with plush travel, as you have no pedal-induced compression or lockout. So you know about the VPP links, what about the bearings, all of them?

Check this official bit out..

Custom double-row angular-contact full-complement bearings that are lighter and stronger than anything else out there. What I do know is after a weekend racing at Fort Bill that was quickly followed by a weekend at the Midlands Radnor Race they held firm, never came loose and worked a treat. The only physical fault that became apparent was the shock bushes that were looser than a tarts knickers. Further investigation (asking other V10 riders at the races) found that mine was the only one, an exception? Even Longden who'd been hammering his bike at World Cups all year was still on the 1st set. Perhaps mine were a dodgy batch? I guess so. Now that’s all the tech stuff out the way, here’s the easy stuff to understand.

Ergonomics?

On the back of any car rack this looks the bomb.. as does any bike with a monocoque front end. At first I never liked the kink in the top tube, it looked like some French blokes nose, that said I soon grew to love her like my own.. The welding is the dogs and the colour finish was fabulous in that spanking orange!

One small issue which happens on all my bikes where my trailing left foot rubs against the left rear chain stay (opposite the chain). Constantly rubbing against the frame the paintwork began to wear away. This would be easily resolved with the strategic placement of a SPY or Maxxis Sticker I’m sure! Now look at the floating black link that’s attached between the seat post and the rear triangle. On the Intense it angles forward and not backwards, a lot thought that looked better? Would Santa Cruz change that? We'll see.

The customised rear carbon fender protects the shock and looks mega trick, keep it on in all conditions for the ladies! The rear end looks so sweet and stiff, it is after all one solid piece and flex free, SOLID. Here’s a little test for you, stand at the back of your bike and wiggle the seat whilst clamping the rear wheel between your knees and feet. Any movement? Not here on this V10 kids. Replaceable rear dropouts were solid, definitely your rear derailleur snapping here 1st before anything else which is a good thing isn't it?

If you race you'll understand the importance of F1 tyre changes, the V10 was one of the slickest, simplest and strongest set-ups I’ve ever seen. One pinch bolt followed by the BIG Allen and unwind that axle out.. SIMPLE and QUICK. No washers or spacers flying off, we were on it faster than a chicken in a Cambodian Camp, Ferrari style.

Fort William May 2005

Strathrye June 2005

So how did she race?

Hand on heart after my 1st run down at Fort Bill I couldn't believe it, the course felt flat and the usual fear of descending such a track soon gave way to excitement and big smiles.. Only one slight problem was the crazy duck that was following me down the track! Unfortunately with the short powerful legs that I have, the seat post was pretty low. On the big drops and jumps I got tyre "BUZZ" on the seat, come Sunday
night it looked like the Pit-Bull had been chewing and hanging on the back of it.. Easily resolved with longer legs or putting my seat post up, angling the seat forward etc..

Then as the day and weekend went on the course got rougher and rougher, braking bumps and ruts got deeper and riders were going down like skittles.. Each run at
Fort Bill usually requires the standard check over whilst waiting back in the queue for the chairlift. If your lucky spokes are only loose, not missing, shock pivots are falling out, pinch punctures (plural), fillings falling outta your gob etc... The V10 surprised me, a new bike always comes loose! Not this bad boy, I had 2 days riding that were 100% spanner free for me meaning more time on track to practise the lines and kill myself.

I know what your thinking.. My smooth style and skill.. i'd put it more down to the bike, 1/3 of the way down Fort Bill your no longer the pilot, you’re a passenger holding on for your life. Hitting everything you didn't want to and riding lines you never knew existed let alone practised. This beast chewed up the big rocks at the start and loved the straight flat out speed and bumps of the top straights. Gliding over the rocks smoother than a magic carpet with that rear tyre sticking to the ground like sh1t on a blanket.

Superb cornering techniques we granted with all things mechanical floating close to the BB meant a lower centre of gravity, knees closer to the ground thus enabling you to rail it in and rally it out under extreme breaking and acceleration powers.

In the air she felt so stable and nimble over the Tissot jump before launching the berm jump and then the triple step down.. "BUZZ" went the tyre/seat again. Your never going to win a bunny hop competition on this rig though for the big jumps you can smoke them as she flicks and whips out at ease and under control.

After two days riding at Fort Bill I thought the V10 was the one to have. The ideal bike for big courses, it liked going fast, hitting big rocks and jumps and staying in one piece maintenance free. But, but and there’s always a but. I don't live at Fort Bill, I’m lucky to go there twice a year and ride the most demanding course on the WC circuit. Realistically I race the Midlands, Dragons and NPS's.

How would this bike handle on a slow, tight and technical course, in the mud? SDA Strathyre, the muddiest course in the UK? The things and drives I do for you! A bright and hot sunny day, I venture up the track with dry tyres on and guess what, everyone's on mud’s! 3rd corner and all becomes apparent as I go down hard.. Mud, this track has never, ever been dry.

Never before in 8 years of riding DH have I ever ridden a more technical course. Ruts, roots, ruts, roots, roots, roots, ruts, roots the whole way down. An average speed of no more than 10mph I guess, we all believed a hard tail could be the winner here in the mud that was often ankle deep.

Riding a 44lbs rig in these tight, twisty, technical and slow conditions I was reserved to say the least at the start line. Staying on the whole way down was a miracle come my 1st race run. The bike slipped and skidded the whole way down with that back wheel sucking to the floor for maximum grip.

What soon became apparent was to hold on, sit and lean back and let the bike ride, RELAX. There's no point going around roots here, everywhere roots. Just go straight as you can, stay off the brakes and PEDAL as speed is always your friend in the mud.

This is where the V10 excelled allowing you to forget about where the bike was going and what it was going to hit. Just look up and forward, never down, now concentrate on what’s coming up and follow the line you choose, flow with the hillside, don't fight it! Fifth place against some seasoned local Scottish riders, who says Birmingham ain't where it's at?

Colours Available, note if you go to their website you can play around with the interactive system and mix framesets with forks along with back-end colours with different front ends.. My personal favourite was the Fox 40 Forks up front, powder coated orange middle with a grey back end, sweet..www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/picker/index.html

V10 M Orange / DHX 5.0 rear shock / DH kit / Boxxer World Cups £3.999

Lets wrap this up.

This is a World Class race bike that will handle any course. The concept of the VPP suspension is to use frame linkage tension to reduce unwanted suspension movement. The result is a good-pedalling bike with supple travel upon impact. The frames lighter than the old V10 by far as is the back end some fair bit stiffer. If you like the looks and you should, then dig deep into that bank account. Guaranteed you'll go faster and enjoy every ride down that hill that much more!

Cost on the bike as ridden
V10 M Orange / DHX 5.0 rear shock / DH kit / Boxxer World Cups £3.999

Powder coated Frame only (with 5th Element) - £2,099
Anodised Frame only (with 5th Element) - £2,299
(DHX 5.0 upgrade + £40 / Swinger 6 Way upgrade + £15)

Many thanks for the very kind loan of this bike goes to Dickon. After a SantaCruz? You should be, contact:

Dickon Hepworth
Jungle Products Ltd
dickon@santacruzbikes.co.uk
01423 780 088

www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/frames/v10/index.html
www.santacruzbicycles.com

If your in the business and you want your bike reviewed here then drop me a line. Remember we won't test a bike in a day and give it back, oh no! Our readers want to see and know that bikes been raced, how quick and easy was it to take the wheels off and to change tyres, how did the bushes wear, was there any play in the back end after a while etc.. This can't be validated in hours, were talking a good few
weeks. If your bikes good enough then drop me a line and make sure there's no SPD pedals attached, small to medium as well!. Click on the forum under Bish Bosh and let us know what you think of the new V10..

Stay Unclipped.

Superfly..

Superfly@Descent-World.co.uk