V10
Mountain Biking UK
The Santa Cruz V10 is the most anticipated downhill bike ever. Using the much-hyped Virtual Pivot Point and incorporating another sought-after component, the Progressiverear shock, the Fifth Element really is DH biking's star of the moment...
Founded by renowned skateboarder, Rob Roskopp, santa Cruz is well know in the world of extreme sports. Rob used to be a pro skater but also had a love of bikes, so after making the Santa Cruz brand huge with skateboards, he decided to venture into MTBs. The range started with the Tazmon, and the Chameleon. Heckler, Bullit and Super 8 all followed. More recently, Santa Cruz has been focusing on the Julian women's frame, and the amazing VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) bikes, the Blur and the V10. Firstly, with it's complex looking rear end and expensive styling, the V10 looks amazing. It's available in many paint finishes - for an extra £65 you can get the translucent red finish seen here, which really is the icing on the cake. As everyone knows, red's fastest...
On paper, the V10 is the most advanced suspension bike ever, yet in practice, it follows a simple principle of moving the rear wheel in an S-bend shape. The two rockers connecting the front and rear of the bike give the back end a floating action. The awesome Fifth Element shock is then used in conjunction with the revolutionary rear end to provide an unparalleled level of suspension tuning.
The bike is set up with 4" of sag, and this sits the rear axle closest to the frame in its S-bend motion. This means that when pedalling, chain tension holds the rear end in its start position, and it won't budge unless activated by a bump force. Because of the sheer effectiveness of the rear end, you can set up the bike with more sag than usual; this would transform most other downhill bikes into mushy sofas, but the V10 sticks to the ground like a turd on a carpet. The set-up gives 4" of negative travel, and 6" of positive travel.
Out on the trail, The V10 is stunning. You can pedal it like a hardtail, but abuse it like a downhill bike - it's like nothing else out there. The travel feels quite odd compared to other downhill bikes, almost over-damped and inactive. But you get used to it! You don't feel the suspension working until you look down to see the shock working big time. If you ride the same section of trail on a different bike you soon realise how much rougher the ride feels compared to that of the Santa Cruz.
The V10 is at its best when being ridden on the edge. It's a thoroughbred race bike, and this was reflected in the set-up of our test bike. It had no-nonsense componentry and no expense was spared. For £4146 you can get a V10 smothered with Xtr and fitted with a Ti-Nitride coated Rockshox Boxxer, Hadley hubs, Hop discs and a gorgeous translucent red finish, just like this...
MBUK Verdict
Santa Cruz has developed a bike that not only sucks up the bumps like they're not even there, but also emits an efficient forward propulsion like no other sus bike.
The Santa Cruz V10 is, quite simply, a genuine superbike, and is probably the most sought after downhill frame currently available.