After two years of World Cup testing, Santa Cruz is announcing updated versions of the V10 in both wheel sizes. Santa Cruz also added a 29er carbon downhill wheel to its Reserve wheel lineup.
The new V10 has been under the Syndicate downhill team, which includes Loris Vergier, Luca Shaw, and Greg Minaar on the World Cup circuit. The racers reportedly discovered that 29-inch wheels aren’t a fix for all courses, so Santa Cruz decided to do two new frames, one for each wheel size.
Both frames’ suspension designs are optimized for the wheel size. Both feature adjustable chainstays which lengthen or shorten the wheelbase by 10mm, and both keep a lower rising leverage rate for optimal suspension performance, according to Santa Cruz.
The V10 29er is available in sizes M through XL, and has a 63.3-63.7-degree head tube angle and lengthy 445-455mm chainstays for high-speed stability. The XL frame chainstays are 5mm longer.
The 27.5-inch V10 is available in sizes S,M, and L. The chainstays start at a shorter 430/440mm and stretch by 5mm at each size up. The smaller-wheeled model has the same head tube angle as the 29er.
It appears that Santa Cruz optimized the two models of the V10 for either high speed race courses (the 29er) or more tight and technical courses when agility matters (the 27.5).
Pricing starts at $3,700 for a frame, $6,000 for the S build, and $8,200 for an X01 build that includes Fox Factory suspension, a SRAM X01 drivetrain, and Race Face ARC HD 30 wheels with DT Swiss hubs. The 29er V10 bikes will be available beginning in February 2019 while the 27.5 version will be available in April.
The Reserve 29 wheels will be available starting February 2019 as an aftermarket buy, built with Chris King hubs, and will carry the same lifetime warranty that other Reserve wheels have. Up until now, the Reserves have only been available in a 27.5-inch diameter. Price is TBA on the Reserve 29 DH wheels.
Visit the Santa Cruz website for more information.
