V10
Mountain Bike Action
October 2002
Ten-Inch travel Virtual Pivot Point
Who needs a bicycle with ten inches of rear suspension travel, and where is the downhill racer who is strong enough to pedal it?
On paper, the Santa Cruz V-10 seems way over the top. Behind the mammoth tubes of the Santa Cruz's front section, its triangulated swingarm rocks on a pair of linkage arms.
The floating rear disc-brake mount swivels around the axle on ball bearings while its compression shaft transfers torque to the upper suspension arm. Beneath its titanium coil spring lies the revolutionary air-activated Fifth Element damper.
Visually, there is a lot of technology going on inside the V-10's chassis, but in reality Santa Cruz's flagship frame is a set-and-forget gravity racer that can handle a wide variety of course conditions without the need for intensive knob twisting.
Long-Travel VPP
VPP, or Virtual Pivot Point, is a patented system of links that causes the V-10 swingarm to travel upwards and to the rear of the bike. The patented part happens in the first third of the swingarm travel where the swingarm momentarily causes the rear axle to curve towards the bottom bracket. When pressure is applied to the pedals, chain tension pulls the swingarm into the middle of the curve. This action prevents the rear suspension from bobbing with each push on the pedals.
Santa Cruz spent a lot of time testing linkage configurations for the V-10 in order to integrate the anti-bob feature without introducing negative traits into the suspension. The main reason for the bike's whopping ten inches of rear wheel travel has a lot to do with the VPP function.
The ride height must be set precisely so that the rear suspension will sag into the sweet spot, which is near the center of the curved portion of the axle path. The proper spring preload causes the V-10's rear suspension to sag 30 percent into its travel.
The idea is, with three out of ten inches devoted to negative travel, the V-10 will corner like a conventional pro-level descender but with twice the ability to keep the rear tire glued to the ground and soften huge landings.
V-10 Highlights
Santa Cruz publishes the V-10's retail price as a few dollars short of $5000 with the floating rear brake option. Our medium-sized test bike used an '02 RockShox Boxxer, resplendent with titanium nitride-coated stanchions, while rear suspension duties were handled by a Fifth Element damper. The Wheels were Mavic D-321 rims, spinning on Santa Cruz-label through-axle hubs and mounted to Intense 909 Sticky Rubber tires. Brakes were Hayes hydraulics with eight-inch rotors on both ends, and its drivetrain used a Race Face North Shore crankset, an MRP chain guide, and a Shimano XTR changer. The Santa Cruz's lack of flashy componentry, its subtle graphics and Trans Gold paint gave the V-10 the aura of a modern guided weapon.
Setting Up The V-10
Santa Cruz includes a rear-suspension guide with the V-10 to provide default settings for the Fifth Element damper and its spring preload. We began with the default settings for a 160-pound rider, but found the rear suspension was too harsh in the compression to balance the action of the RockShox fork. To prevent the fork from remaining overactive, we had to back off the air pressure/compression adjustment from 180 psi to 140 psi and the ending-stroke compression clicker from 1.5 turns out to two complete turns out. To get the spring preload perfect, we needed to roll a couple of trial descents. The Fifth Element shock's pneumatic compression valve dictates the ride height as much as the spring setting, so both must be for to insure that the V-10 rides in the VPP sweet spot.
Shuttling The Santa Cruz
Pedaling off the top of a downhill run on an unfamiliar rig always creates a keen sense of apprehension.
The V-10 rides than its tall profile would have you believe. Given the fact that the V-10 used short, 165mm crank arms, test riders were surprised when we occasionally clipped rocks with the pedals on MBA's boulder strewn test track.
Short cranks usually cause poor acceleration because they reduce leverage, but the V-10's anti-bob linkage more than made up for any deficiencies caused by its diminutive crankset. Compared to most pro-caliber gravity designs, the 46.5-pound monster nearly jumped out of the corners, and could easily be powered up short risers.
The effectiveness of the Santa Cruz under power helped erase two potentially negative performance traits: it's hefty weight, and the fact that the V-10 will bog down if not ridden aggressively.
Its weight is excusable. Only a sponsored can afford to ride a lightweight chassis, because he can have a frame replaced before it breaks. Serious competitors who pay their own way around the circuit will appreciate that Santa Cruz put extra aluminum into the V-10 to insure that it will last at least a couple seasons.
When you descend on the V-10, you must learn to trust its suspension and stability and let the bike run. It will hold a line without a wiggle from the front wheel. It will erase all but the largest (and we mean BIG) impacts. To take advantage of this attribute, you must keep your momentum up, even through slow, twisty sections. If you drop below a certain speed and smack a big bump, the supple suspension will consume your forward motion with one hydraulic breath. At this point however, the Santa Cruz's VPP feature comes to the rescue and helps you quickly accelerate back into the game.
Cornering the V-10 makes you aware of the frames slack head angle. It measures 65 degrees when the rear suspension is extended, but properly sagged with the rider aboard the head angle is actually more like 63.5 degrees. Because of this, the Santa Cruz is mistake proof when you are rolling long steep drops. You ride the V-10 from the middle of the chassis in almost every situation. This gives you the impression that you can simply drive the bike down the course like a car.
The downside is that is steers slowly at low speed. If your home track is rife with switchback corners and pick-your-way-through rock gardens, this is not the best chassis for you. The V-10 carves high-speed corners well - especially with its Intense Sticky Rubber tires - and it is equally at home bouncing between walls or busting berms. The key to piloting the V-10 through tight spots is to always choose the straightest line. The most direct route always proved faster, even if it led us over a boulder or wheelie drop.
A &usd;400 Floating Rear Brake?
That's correct. Santa Cruz sells the floating rear brake and hub option for a cool 400 bucks.
(*SCB Note - The $400 floating brake kit includes the floating brake mount, custom Hadley/Santa Cruz 15mm through axle Hub, through axle dropouts, and 15mm aluminum through axle)
The caliper arm and torque link run on sealed ball bearings and accepts 8-inch rotors. If you are serious about your craft, the upgrade is a must. The V-10 VPP linkage causes the brake to pack up under braking. The remote torque arm of the Santa Cruz floating brake keeps the rear end moving freely even as you lock up the rear tire. With the option the V-10's tail will happily follow the front wheel. Without it the rear wheel will bounce around. The scarier the terrain, the more pronounced the difference. Is there really a choice?
What The V-10 Lacks
If you are a slice-and-dice downhill technician who skies your bike on every lip of the race coarse, you will hate the Santa Cruz V-10. The '10 levels all but the largest ramps without lifting a tire off the dirt. If you are searching for a big-hit, drop-in bike for freeriding, one that will double as a downhill racer, search elsewhere. The V-10 pedals well, but it is not nimble enough to pass for a North-Shore trail bike - it would only qualify as a freeriding machine for the sickest of the breed.
What The V-10 Does Best
If your job is to get to the bottom of a steep, technical race course in the least amount of time, the Santa Cruz is a good choice. Riders who pick the most direct route from corner to corner will find happiness with the V-10. This is a chassis that descends through scary sections without fanfare - and with a level of security that must be experienced to be understood.
By applying the VPP patent to a long-stroke downhill chassis, Santa Cruz used complicated technology to uncomplicated the lives of aspiring downhillers. There are no multi-position suspension adjustments on the V-10 chassis because there is no need. The versatile 5th Element shock can be tuned to suit any race course, and the Santa Cruz version of the VPP suspension design insures will develop a head of steam down the pedaling sections. Once you find your correct setup, the V-10 allows you to forget the suspension and go to work.