Santa Cruz Vp-Free - First Ride

It has been about one and a half years since Santa Cruz resurrected the VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) technology with the introduction of the XC specific Blur. Shortly after, the V10 downhill specific VPP bike was added to the Santa Cruz lineup and both pushed Santa Cruz to newer heights.
The long awaited Virtual Pivot Point freeride bike is finally here:
The Santa Cruz VP-Free

Ever since seeing the VP-Free bike for the first time at Whistler this summer, I?ve been extremely anxious to try this new beauty from Santa Cruz. Currently riding a V10 for a full season, I?ve come to love the VPP rear suspension technology! The V10 handles like a charm and eats everything in it?s path, but with over 4? of sag, it gives it somewhat of a dead feel. What I mean by that is that its suspension works soo great that you almost don?t get the feel of the trail, making ?pumping? and ?feathering? over obstacles difficult. Heck, the rear wheel rarely leaves the ground!! But all those things doesn?t take away the outstanding performance of the Santa Cruz V10, which is my mind is one of the best DH bikes out there.


Today I got to rip some nice trails at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City during the Interbike on dirt demo. I had to wait in line 3 times before I was able to get my hands on a med frame. The Santa Cruz booth was swamped with eager riders wanting to ride their extremely popular bikes! First thing I noticed when I sat on the bike, was the long top tube. The top tube length on the medium VP-Free was longer than my medium V10. Also the head angle was a little steeper, which worried me at first, since this is one of the things I didn?t like on my 2002 Turner DHR last year. Just like every other bike in their VPP line, the VP-Free was equipped with a Progressive 5th Element. To complement the rear travel, the bike I tried had a Marzocchi Super-T.

Radek (on a Kona), Ben (on a Banshee) and me on the VP-Free headed up the mountain for a run. Oh, I also forgot to mention that this year they had shuttles (courtesy of Thule) hauling riders up the hill, how cool is that? Instead of riding the assigned DH trail, we decided to venture on the other side of the hill where the terrain is more demanding and very steep, which worried me at first, since the head angle on the VP-Free felt steeper. But to my surprise, the bike handled the rocky steeps like a charm!! Another nice thing about the VP-Free is the shorter wheelbase that was apparent as soon at I railed my first corner (can?t give you the exact number since Santa Cruz didn?t have them on hand at the demo). Overall the bike felt great. It was stable at high speed and handled great over the rough Bootleg Canyon rocks. It was so much fun to pump the terrain and jump every little boulder on the trail, which ?I think? is because it has much less sag than the V10. The VP-Free has all the great suspension qualities as it?s big brother the V10, yet in my humble opinion, is much more fun to ride. I only got to do one run, but oh was it ever good!! If it wasn?t for all the other nice bikes available to be ridden, and many riders waiting in line to have a taste of this new master piece, I would have rode the VP-Free all day
Final words?I simply loved this bike! Granted it was only for a short 20 min ride, it gave me goose bumps on many occasions! Hell, just writting about it is giving me the shivers ;o)


While Luc was waiting around for his smaller ride, a clean XL VP-Free was just waiting for the taking. Scott and the boys preloaded the springs, threw on some pedals, and sent me on my way. Sure I though about waiting for the other guys to get their bikes and ride together like a happy family, but na..I grabbed the first available shuttle and was instantly at the top of the DH course.

Now I know what I would have liked to have seen for some time now. Detailed photos of the suspension of the VP-Free. So while the others picked their steeds, and shuttled up, I took the following images. Yes, it's just that pretty.




It was my first time up on the DH course and somehow we selected one of the easiest single track DH runs...it was not as technical as I would have wanted, but I did get a chance to open the bike up on a few section. My quiver at home contains a V10 and a Bullit, so riding this rig, gives me a first hand comparison. Pedaling up on the single track showed off the bikes ability to stick to the ground and transfer your power directly to the rear tire. I'd take this bike on a climb over the Bullit any day, and this is amazing considering that the Bullit is currently my XC / Freeride bike. Opening it up on a few sections, the suspension did it's job on the stutter bumps, fast rough sections, and small hits, but the V10 still takes the spotlight there. Agility, responsiveness, hops, is something that was missing in the V10 and the VP_Free delivers like we all were hoping. Finally, a VPP you can pedal to the top of your descent, and giver' hell on the way down, while not taking away from the fun of working the trail and catching air whenever you feel like.

Only one ride so far but I sure hope they manufacture mine before Luc's.

For more information, order, release details contact.
Santa Cruz
104 Bronson Street, #22
Santa Cruz, California 95062
U.S.A.
Tel: 831.459.7560
Fax: 831.459.7561