First Look: Santa Cruz 5010 and Tallboy 2
FIRST LOOK:
Santa Cruz 5010 and Tallboy 2
BY: Mike Kazimer
Santa Cruz 5010
| Santa Cruz 5010 Details • 125mm travel • 27.5" wheels • Colors: carbon - gloss orange, matte carbon; aluminum - gloss orange or gloss white • Frame weights (claimed): Carbon: 5.06 lbs w/rear shock, aluminum: 6.74lbs • Price: $2699 carbon frame w/rear shock, $1950 aluminum frame w/rear shock | • ISCG-05 tabs • 142x12mm thru-axle • Two water bottle cage mounts • Molded chainstay protector • Stealth dropper post cable routing • 73mm threaded bottom bracket |
Frame Design
Santa Cruz's initial entry into the world of 27.5” wheels was the Bronson, a 150mm trail-smashing bruiser of a bike. Taking what they learned during the development of that bike, Santa Cruz created the 5010, which is designed to take the best features of the Bronson and put them into a shorter travel, lighter package. When compared to the Bronson, the 5010 has a shorter chainstay length, a lower bottom bracket height, and a steeper head angle. On paper, this should make for a quicker handling, more playful bike than its longer travel brother. The 5010 is available in either a carbon fiber or an aluminum version with a wide variety of build kit options.
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 The 5010 has a very clean looking frame design, with small details like the attachment of the derailleur hanger via a large external bolt adding to this aesthetic. A tapered headtube and stealth routing for a dropper post, along with the ISCG 05 tabs make for a well-equipped frame. We were also glad to see a threaded bottom bracket on both the 5010 and the Tallboy 2, as press-fit bottom brackets seem to have a tendency to need more maintenance than we'd like to prevent them from creaking. |
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| Santa Cruz has gone to great lengths to make sure the 5010's carbon fiber frame meets their exacting standards. The front portion of the shock mount is constructed completely of carbon fiber that is integrated into the top tube during the initial layup rather than adding it on later, a step that creates additional strength and less chance of misalignment. The rear seat stays have indentations to create room for wider tires, even in muddy conditions, and a molded chainstay protector has been added on to keep chainslap noise to a minimum as well as protecting the carbon fiber. There is also a small protective plate further up on the stay to prevent any potential damage from a dropped chain. The stiffness of the 5010 is due in part to the thickness of the upright, the portion on the non-drive side of the bike between the seat stay and the chain stay. Stiffening this portion up allows for better pedaling performance, minimizing flex even when standing up and torquing hard on the pedals. |
Ride Impressions:
 | The trails we rode on the 5010 were a mix of fast, twisting singletrack and steeper, fall line trails, exactly what a trail bike with 125mm of travel should be able to handle. Climbing was handled with aplomb, no doubt aided by the light frame and carbon ENVE rims attached to it. The VPP suspension design provides a firm platform for pedalling with minimal pedal bob, even with the CTD shock set fully open. On the descents, the 5010 projects an aura of stability, and felt surefooted even in the unfamiliar terrain we rode it through. Quick direction changes were intuitive, and the 5010's handling felt very natural without any surprises. There were no issues hopping over trail obstacles, and getting the front wheel up took only a slight rearward weight shift. The takeaway? The 5010 seems like a jack-of-all trades, a bike that can handle a little bit of everything without sacrificing much in any department. Of course, our ride time was relatively brief, nowhere long enough to comment on the durability of the components, but our first impression is a positive one. |
First Look: Santa Cruz Tallboy 2
| Santa Cruz Tallboy 2 Details • 100mm travel • 29" wheels • Colors: carbon - matte carbon/white, gloss white/black; aluminum - gloss green/black, gloss grey/orange • Frame weight with shock (claimed) = carbon: 4.9 lbs, size large • Price (frame only) - carbon $2699 USD, aluminum $1950 USD | • Stealth cable routing • 142x12mm thru-axle • Two water bottle cage mounts • Molded chainstay protector • 73mm threaded bottom bracket • Sized: S, M, L, XL, XXL (aluminum only) |
The Tallboy was introduced into the Santa Cruz lineup in 2009 as a 29” wheeled trail bike with 100mm of travel. The basics remain the same, but the Tallboy 2 has seen a number of refinements to improve what was already Santa Cruz's top selling bike. One change that will be especially appealing to shorter statured riders is that the Tallboy 2 is available in a size small. The addition of this size was made possible by the lower shock line position that occurred when Santa Cruz reworked the suspension to improve the bike's pedaling characteristics and tweak the suspension's ramp up. The geometry remains the same, but this suspension reconfigurations allowed for the reduction of the rear shock's end of stroke ramp up, giving the rear suspension a more linear feel. The Tallboy 2's front derailleur positioning has been improved as well, with the addition of a direct mount front derailleur option.
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| The quest for a stiffer and lighter frame is a common goal amongst bike companies, a goal the Tallboy 2 achieves - the carbon frame's stiffness has been increased, and it weighs in .2 pounds lighter that the previous version. The aluminum frame weighs 1/3 pound less than before, even with larger diameter chainstays. The Tallboy 2 has a 12x142 rear thru-axle, and a revised shock position that makes it possible to offer a size small frame. In the past, Santa Cruz had made rocker links from carbon fiber (the black link at the rear of the shock in the photo), but they realized that aluminum links could be made even lighter than carbon fiber, and took less labor to produce. |
Santa Cruz's Carbon Construction Process
When constructing their carbon frames Santa Cruz uses a process that compacts the layers of carbon fiber on a mandrel before the frame is put into the final mold. This helps prevent any of the layers from slipping or becoming misaligned, which is what can happen if an un-compacted frame is forced into a mold. Carbon frame construction is a laborious process (which is part of the reason carbon frames cost much more than aluminum); the front triangle alone takes two people three hours to lay up.
VPP Suspension Technology
Both the Tallboy 2 and the 5010 rely on VPP suspension, a dual short link suspension design that relies on two counter-rotating links to provide a firm pedalling platform with a supple midstroke, and a slight ramp up at the end of the travel. It's a combination of a falling and rising rate suspension design, where the positioning of the two links allows for Santa Cruz to tune a bike's instant center, also known as the virtual pivot point (VPP). This point is what the rear axle is rotating around during its travel. Proper suspension set up is a bit more crucial with this design compared to a single pivot, so it's important to take the time to dial in the correct suspension settings before heading off to the trails. The lower link, the one exposed to the most possible contaminants, has two grease ports (a small grease gun is included with the bike) that can be used to push the old bearing grease out and new bearing grease in. This helps prevent the rust and corrosion that riding in wet, muddy conditions can cause.
VPP Suspension Technology
Both the Tallboy 2 and the 5010 rely on VPP suspension, a dual short link suspension design that relies on two counter-rotating links to provide a firm pedalling platform with a supple midstroke, and a slight ramp up at the end of the travel. It's a combination of a falling and rising rate suspension design, where the positioning of the two links allows for Santa Cruz to tune a bike's instant center, also known as the virtual pivot point (VPP). This point is what the rear axle is rotating around during its travel. Proper suspension set up is a bit more crucial with this design compared to a single pivot, so it's important to take the time to dial in the correct suspension settings before heading off to the trails. The lower link, the one exposed to the most possible contaminants, has two grease ports (a small grease gun is included with the bike) that can be used to push the old bearing grease out and new bearing grease in. This helps prevent the rust and corrosion that riding in wet, muddy conditions can cause.
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| There were no problems getting the Tallboy 2 off the ground, and it easily took on Scotland's rock strewn landscape. (Photo: Gary Perkin) |
Ride Impressions:
| The geometry of 29ers has greatly improved since the big wheels started gaining popularity, and the Tallboy 2 is a prime example of what well-thought out geometry numbers can do. Quick and playful, the Tallboy is like an eager puppy, straining to leap ahead and see what's around the next corner. Even when diving blindly into steep, rock filled trails, trails where we would usually want a bike with more travel and meatier tires, the Tallboy didn't flinch, rolling down the steeps and powering through corners without backing down. The overall light weight certainly played a roll in this nimble feeling, but the geometry deserves credit as well, creating a quick and lively bike, one that encouraged us to get airborne whenever we could, doubling up little grassy knolls and popping over the rock water bars that punctuate the trails around Ballater. Although riding uphill is certainly not as fun as going down, no matter the bike, the Tallboy makes ascending as tolerable as possible, with the puppy-like tenacity emerging on the uphills as well, making quick work of the climbs we tackled with it. The Tallboy 2 would make an excellent long-range weapon, a bike that could be deployed to happily devour mile after mile of singletrack anywhere in the world. - Mike Kazimer |
www.santacruzbicycles.com
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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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Huge thumbs up!
50 bikes? I'm several digits more bikes worth of riding and ownership past you. I've owned and ridden bikes from more than fifty BRANDS. I've owned several SC's also and I know how well they don't actually hold up, and especially don't hold up any real resale value more importantly. But sure...negative prop me children...its what you live for...and gives your life its sole meaning, direction and purpose. Oh woe is me for having a life outside this site.
Who cares what my profile says my age is, I don't bother putting my exact date of birth into these sites' forms. I'm 39 if you must know, and have been a professional mechanic since I was 24, yes. And been riding MTB since 18, yes. Started racing BMX at age 6, was a sponsored/travelling freestyler at age 13. I know my stuff.
I'm pretty sure there's a "diminishing return" on experience of owning/riding much more than 50 bikes. So you've owned 75. Or 100. Really don't think that means much after a point.
Not my fault if your SC's didn't hold up. Love to know why you think SC's don't hold value. There simply are no facts to back that up. They resell on here and Ebay for as high/higher percent of retail as anything else.
On a lighter note, no BB30; thanks, SC! If I could afford a second XC bike, a Solo would definitely be in the mix.
That Solo... very nice.
Interesting swingarms. I'm not saying they look bad, just interesting. In fact they add to the coolness of these frames.
That will have to wait though. Im just waiting for my new Jackal frame to be delivered which will have to do me for now.
Is that a train at 3.53?
MTBR 650b forum has lots of TRc's...
NOT TRUE - it's manufactured in china, where the wages are about 40 cents an hour. the costs of making a carbon frame are on par or cheaper than alloy frames. the setup costs of creating the molds is a little more expensive, but we're going to see a day (soon) where carbon bikes are on par or cheaper than alloy. in fact, if you produce enough frames, your cost per unit continually decreases.
anyway, you're going to pay import duty for both Carbon and Aluminum, so there should be no difference there.
"There were no problems getting the Tallboy 2 off the ground, and it easily took on Scotland's rock strewn landscape."
Apparently, it "took it on" by riding around all the rocks, off the path. Increasing erosion. Uncool.
Of course, the trail Peaty is riding (one of my local trails - lucky me :-) ) is built on rock rather than (ironically enough) peat, so erosion is pretty much zero.
Just my 2p