VP Free
Mountain Biking UK
January 2004
Perfect for UK downhilling
The Santa Cruz V10 was our favourite downhill bike of 03, and its shorter travel cousin, the new VP Free, is a strong contender for best freeride rig in 04.
The VP Free sits just above the Bullit all-rounder in the Santa Cruz range, although freeriders spending a little extra cash would be crazy not to go for the VP Free every time.
The frame
The VP Free’s frame is an immaculately-finished chassis that’s custom drawn from 6069 alloy tubing and features monocoque areas on the swingarm and main frame. These sections really stiffen up the frame and are lighter than similarly-shaped machined parts.
Neatly-machined swing linkages hold the front and rear triangle together, and extra bracing behind the seat tube eliminates rear triangle flex. The back of the bike includes a large replaceable right-hand dropout.
The frame is fitted with a Progressive 5th Element shock; our test rig had a titanium spring which, at £200 extra, is roughly a third lighter than a steel spring. The Ti spring is also more reliable in extreme conditions as it doesn’t become coil bound (when the coils bottom out on each other) as easily as its steel counterpart, and spring rate deterioration is minimal. The shock, which works best with 3in of sag, gives 8.5in of travel at the rear wheel, making it perfect for Brit freeriding.
The estimated frame weight for production models of the VP Free is 9lb, so you can build up a sub 40lb rig without skimping to save weight.
The Detail
Our test rig was built up with a selection of top-notch, freeride-worthy parts. Up front was a Marzocchi Bomber 888 fork. The VP Free is the only bike we’ve tried so far that really complements the astounding performance of the 888.
The drivetrain was a faultless Shimano XT set-up, combined with Truvativ Holzfeller cranks and an impressive DRS chain guide from e.thirteen. This allows you to run two chainrings and comes with a bashguard made from Makralon, a high-impact plastic that can take all the abuse you can throw at it.
The wheels were built using Mavic EX729 rims (D321 units with a new name), the brakes were reliable models from Hayes and the tyres were Intense 909 treads that provided fantastic grip on loose terrain.
The ride
The huge amount of sag at the back of the VP Free means that the bike tracks dips and undulations superbly. Add Marzocchi’s superb Bomber 888 fork to the mix and you’ve got one of the best freeride packages around. Of course, a bike weighing in the region of 38lb isn’t gonna climb like an XC whippet, but it’s far easier to haul skyward than a big bike should be.
The long top tube allows for a super short stem and slightly tail-heavy weight distribution. Such a ride position, in combination with a laid-back Thompson seatpost, turned our test bike into an immensely chuckable rig. We normally ride medium-sized bikes, but thanks to the VP’s long top tube our small-sized test machine didn’t feel too short.
The VP Free is one of those rare bikes that you can jump on and throw down the kind of terrain that’d make you think twice on your regular ride. It’s also the perfect DH/freeride rig for the UK (a V10 has too much travel), and all-day riders will be able to spec the frame with more lightweight parts and still tear up the trails.
MBUK Verdict
A wonderful bike, especially for British downhill / freeriding