This year has been a good year for new bikes, with the new 5010 being the fifth bike that Santa Cruz have revised and re-launched this year. Not content to let an older model sit untouched when they've learnt so much from recent bikes, it makes more sense to roll out those changes and bring every bike up to spec so that every one of them rides as well as they can. Some of those changes include in-frame storage, size specific geometry and some suspension tweaks, making this current batch of bikes the best Santa Cruz have ever made. So let's get into it and see what makes the new 5010 special.
What's new?
Well, the short answer is a lot of the same things we've already seen this year, because they've been working. The big news is that the 5010, similarly to the Nomad, is now rocking a mixed-wheel setup. This means that there will be no dedicated 27.5" bikes in the Santa Cruz lineup, but fear not 27.5 fans - the 5010 still retains that playful nature that you all love thanks to the rear 27.5" wheel with 130mm travel. The 29" wheel up front with a 140mm fork serves to give the bike a little more purpose as an all-around trail bike, keeping it stable at speed and eating bumps for fun.
Following the changes we've seen on other recent bikes including the Nomad 6 and Hightower 3, the new 5010 has some cool new features including maybe most notably Glovebox - Santa Cruz's internal frame storage system. This gives room for a tube, some tools for emergencies and includes a Tube Purse and Tool Wallet to keep things neat and tidy. Other sweet features include the shock window to see sag more easily and tube in tube routing in the rear triangle.
Size-Specific
Keeping the 5010 current, we're seeing a bunch of size-specific changes in-line with Santa Cruz's other recent releases. These changes mean that the bikes should give the same riding experience no matter the rider size. Starting with the geometry, the 5010 carries across the size-specific chainstays from the old model to keep the fore-aft balance of the bike equal across the size range, as well as a size-specific seat tube angle to keep the cockpit equally spaced also.
Also on the size-specific front, the 5010 feature's Santa Cruz's new size specific stiffness. Meaning the actual carbon layup in the frame is tailored to each size to give either a stiffer or more compliant ride quality depending on frame size, so each bike should feel roughly the same for any given rider size - from small to XXL.
Geometry
The Geometry on the new 5010 hasn't changed radically, however it's different enough that combined with the mixed wheel setup that the bike rides significantly different from the old bike. Dropping the head angle by 0.6º to 64.9 in the low position and increasing the reach and chainstay lengths by up to 10mm across the range, the new 5010 should be a lot more stable and handle high speed trails better than the old bike. Staying the same is that low BB height for speedy cornering, and despite the longer chainstays the smaller rear wheel aids with the nimble handling.
Suspension
Using the same lower-link driven VPP suspension platform as the old bike serving up 130mm rear wheel travel, Santa Cruz are sticking with what they know works, delivering great pedalling characteristics with great sensitivity and progression. Santa Cruz have however tweaked the suspension kinematics slightly to provide a better ride quality. Starting with anti-squat, the new 5010 has significantly less, particularly at the beginning of the stroke. What this means is better traction on the climbs when you're in the sag zone, wasting less energy spinning out and putting more useful power down. An added bonus is that this also reduces the effects of pedal kick-back further into the travel.
Further suspension refinements include a slightly more progressive leverage curve, meaning the support ramps up the deeper the bike gets into its travel. A welcome change to a bike like this, it means for a shorter travel bike the rider can really push the limits of its capability without hitting a brick wall at the end of the travel with a harsh bottom out event.
Old News
The 5010 has some carry-over features that might be old news, but there's a good reason for that. Why change what works? Things like an old faithful threaded BB, a Sram Universal Derailleur Hanger, boost rear end, integrated headset and a 31.6mm seat tube diameter. The upper and lower link use big chunky bearings with a lifetime warranty, meaning painless bearing services, and the frame has Santa Cruz's infamous lifetime warranty. What more could you want?
On The Trail
I managed to get a quick ride on the 5010 before writing this post and while it wasn't enough to form any solid opinions, it certainly gave me a feel for the bike. Swinging a leg over the bike during Crankworx this August in Whistler, I was tasked with following Seb and Garen from Santa Cruz both riding coil Nomads, and it's fair to say they're both pretty handy on a bicycle. A fair task then on any bike, let alone a shorter travel pocket knife like the 5010.
On the way up the 5010 was hardly a slouch. With a firmer feeling back end than the Hightower it wasted little energy in pedalling and felt snappy and responsive with all of Santa Cruz's legendary VPP efficiency on FSR and singletrack alike. In all honesty I was needing any edge I could get in the fitness department that day so was pretty happy to be pedalling a lighter, shorter travel bike up the hill. In undulating trails the 5010 really shone, without feeling a need to reach for a climb switch it was a blast to rail the short downhills followed by punchy climbs.
Once the trails really pointed down I had the real challenge of keeping up, and the 5010 delivered. With the big front wheel and longer slacker geometry, the 5010 does a great job of pretending to be a bigger bike than it is giving confidence to push on but with all the easy handling of a lightweight bike with a small back wheel. I found it really easy to get airborne, almost with a preference for being in the air rather than on the ground. Keeping pace with the bigger bikes wasn't too much of a problem until the trail got a bit more choppy where the 140/130mm trail bike started to hand up a little, which was to be expected, but the 5010 felt comfortable and not at all nervous, even in some silly steep sections of trail.
Easy to ride and fun to push past its limits, the 5010 makes a great trail bike for those wanting a little less travel and preferring a smaller rear wheel for a lighter, more nimble ride. Shouting and whooping my way down the trail, fun is the first word that comes to mind after riding the 5010.
Who Is the 5010 For?
Santa Cruz's lineup is getting more and more refined all the time, and while the bikes all follow a very similar aesthetic they are all slightly different, admittedly with a bit of overlap between them. First it's worth considering wheel size - do you want a mixed wheel setup or a full 29er? If mixed is the answer, then you're looking at the 5010, the Bronson and the Nomad. The 5010 comes in at the shorter end of the spectrum, and is aimed at those wanting a fun, playful trail ride. Rather than being a purebred race machine or a burly descender, it sits somewhere in the middle as a playful trail bike with an edge on the climb and an emphasis on fun and all-day rides rather than rock-gobbling descending prowess.
Those looking for a bigger mixed wheel bike with a little more descending capability should look at the Bronson, or the Hightower for a full 29er. Those looking for something a little more XC-focussed should look at the Tallboy with its full 29er wheels and 120mm travel.
BUILD AND SPEC
Currently the 5010 5 is available with C and CC carbon frame options in frame sizes XS through XXL and two colours - Matte Grey and Gloss Red. With four build kits with carbon wheel options for the two highest.
Starting with the R build kit every bike comes with the new Rockshox Pike and a 12sp Sram Eagle drivetrain. In this spec the bike comes with the Pike base, a Fox Float DPS Performance shock, an NX Eagle drivetrain and Race Face Arc rims on Sram MTH hubs. Moving up the the S-build you get a Pike Select+ with the new charger 3 damper, a Super Deluxe Select+ shock, a GX Eagle drivetrain and a hub upgrade to DT Swiss 370. The GX AXS spec comes with the same fork and shock but Sram's wireless GX Transmission groupset, with an option to upgrade to carbon Reserve 30 HD wheels.
Moving up to Santa Cruz's lighter CC frame we have the X0 build spec, on this build suspension is taken care of with a Pike and Super Deluxe Ultimate. Drivetrain is Sram's X0 AXS Transmission group, and it runs the Race Face rims on Industry Nine 1/1 hubs, again with the option to upgrade to Reserve carbon wheels.
Of course Juliana Bicycles also offers the Furtado with the same frame and spec options but with a slightly different shock tune and touch points in Matte Aquamarine from size XS to M.
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