2007 // One Of A Kind Modernized DH Santa Cruz VP-Free

Hey PB, happy New Years!

Unfortunately it's time for my baby to go due to me moving to a new location. It's an amazing Large' Santa Cruz '06-'07, featured on 'Bike of The Day', renowned bike that keeps up very well to modern DH down down to Mini-DH riding. Not your typical modern DH race rig, the VP-Free instead is more of an everyday dependable/reliable plush yet tanky bike that can take on any kind of terrain with peace of mind. The VP-Free is a super super solid frame that is known for being versatile, decent frame weight, and a great VPP1 suspension design that will take any form of punishment due to its great design, material usage, and Santa Cruz's quality design philosophy. This bike has been extremely babied and while being ridden fairly consistently but it's never been stupidly abused. I religiously up-keep my bikes, cleaning, greasing, after every ride and never have pushed the bike stupidly as in hucking down 50' drops to flat then crashing into a tree. It's had only minor wear and tear, so overall the condition of the bike, structurally and aesthetically is great, 9/10 condition-wise. It has honestly been overly babied and given absolutely love. The bike has been modernized to mirror as closely a modern DH rig except for a few small geo differences (mainly BB height). This bike is made as a tank but has lots of agility, poppy, as well and carries speed maybe too well haha.

The bike was originally purchased from another owner, built up, ridden for on/off for two years, then kept in a storage container for years until I picked it up few years ago. So actually riding time on the frame is supremely low. For the most part, while frame was in my possession, it wasn't being ridden much until build was deemed satisfactory. The current build rides in between a hefty DH and Mini-Dh style of riding. Not more can be said for this bike, it's a very strong frame that has many many years of use ahead of it. Everything on this bike has been dialed in including short shock, so no need to waste time on fix the small nuisances/formatting that otherwise a stock VP-Free bike would have to go through. This bike is unique in that while it looks heavy, it can actually be built up to be very light. With a full top CF build, weight can reach down to 33-34 Lbs for a hefty DH Frame. Atm the Frame weighs right under 37lbs w/o Tubeless and Heavy tires. Could easily reach 36lbs with a solid everyday DH setup.

Specs:
- Large VP-Free, Late 06-07 rollout. Propack Bearings Installed.
- Black ANO Frame.
- 1-1/8" Well-reinforced HT.
VPP 1 Gen Suspension that favors more of a DH orientated plus style of riding.
Strong + Smart Gusset Designs. Very Thick welds and tube-butting construction.
- 6069 Alloy Frame, much stronger and durable that has all beneficial aspects of 6061 + 7k Series Alloy.
- Standard Threaded BB 73mm -> Converted to 83mm BB.
- Heavily reinforced Headtube 1-1/8"
- Overall Well-Designed Frame that still maintains a lightweight Frame (10lbs Flat w. Coil)
- 66 Stock HA, Sits at Slightly Under 64.5HA ATM, measured with Angle Finder. CAN be dropped down to 64 HA easily.
- BB Heights is at 14.5" (Needs Double Check), Can Be Lowered.
- Extremely Overprotected, Mastic Tape, Heli-Tape in all Critical Areas, CF wrap on Chainstays, Custom rear Fender, and Custom BB guard.

Components:
Custom M810 4x Piston Calipers w/ new Ergo Xtr M988 Trail Levers (Pentosin Hydralic Fluid), Amazing Combo.
raceface Uncut 0.5" 785mm Handlebars, Stealth Black.
ODI Troy Lee Grips w/ red rings.
Elite Thomson 50mm Stem w/ red Faceplate.
Chris King Headset.
New-Gen 180mm Totem, Solo Air w/ DH Damper (Painted Black). Was rebuilt recently.
Tuned Vivid Air 8.5x2.5, Short Stocked, Gen 1. (L/M)
Selle Italia 135g Carbon Fiber, Ti rails, Saddle, Very Durable w/ decent Flex.
Thomson Seatpost, Cut by a 2", Still Almost Full Length.
BB: Correctly Spaced raceface DH BB, Perfect Chainline.
Saint M815-I Cranks, Protected Faces with Mastic Tape/Helitape.
320g Pedals with New Long Pins.
Mrp G2 Chainguide w/ Taco, Perfectly Spaced.
2x 203 MM Ashima Airotors Gen-2 rotors. (They are strong, believe me).
KMC X2 Chain
11-34 Sram Cassette.
Saint M820 Derailleur w/ Sram x9 9 SPD Trigger Mod (It's been tuned to work perfectly).
WTB DH rims + Dual-Duty Hubs w/ New Bearings. (These Hubs are extremely light comparable to Hope Evo's II)
Minion DHF Front Tire + Kenda Nevagal rear Tire.


Notes:
Frame has a 1 small scrape near seatpost Mast. Doesn't intrude on a single welds and I personally wouldn't have picked it up in the first place if I believe it would affect the bike. I'm very picky at end of the day. Has been absolutely covered with Heli and Mastic tape to prevent any further scraping, peace of mind not having to worry about any minor damages.
Internals have been checked, no corrosion or cracks.
Very Minor Ano wear in some spots.
Derailleur Arm was bust on a rock recently. ATM, it was JB Welded w/ a small alloy strip, hasn't had any issues since. But can be easily replaced.
rear wheel's rim needs to be replaced. I would recommend keeping Hubs though as they are very stong and light hubs that can competitively keep up with weight.

Overall, the bike is a solid DH/Mini-DH bike with a bit of versatility if need be. Picks-up speed faster than one might realize. I love the bike and has been my project with amazing results that went beyond my expectations. We look at these VP-Free's as older bikes, but SC made these bikes extremely well and still, they are used by many for a legitimate reason. BB height is the only concern imo but can be lowered if need be, other wise the HA w/ 1x Offset Bushing and a 1.0 Degree Angleset from Works Component can make this bike a very durable bike that can take on anything. These bikes last forever as it's seen in PB that people still sell these bikes.


I love this bike as my project, but it's time for it too go. It was enough of a tank and yet fairly nimble and the VPP1 is well known as being a DH/Plush system rather than focus on solely on pedaling efficiency. It's a classic bike that many have loved and this specific bike has gotten a great update with good-tier components, mostly Saint, Thomson, and raceface.

This post will be update more thoroughly as I'm in a rush right now, but pictures should give a good indication on the bike. I believe this bike is great for beginners to higher intermediate riders who favor a very strong frame that will last a lifetime under heavy riding with a decent modernized geo. I say compare the Geo of the VP-Free to the current standings and some patterns do emerge which is pretty interesting.

Please Msg me through PB if you have any questions. I'm not too crazy about the price as this is more of a time-sensitive situation. I work on my bikes with care and always will try to accommodate offers via Paypal. Thanks for reading, happy new year! Cheers! I ship the bike very meticulous and carefully and will always be happy to give over the phone support after the fact. Hit me up! We can always work something out. This bike is perfect for parts or for the rider looking for a solid dependable strong bike!