The
Santa Cruz carbon V10 has managed to get a lot of people very excited, and for good reason, it is one of the lightest and most advanced downhill frames available. We talked to one of the main men behind the development of the new super bike to get the lowdown on the how the new carbon frame came to be, and all of the other changes that have been made.
Inside you'll find photos of both the bike and a frame that has been sawed in two to reveal it's secrets, as well as some great audio explaining each photo.Read on...I had a long day of work before the time came to make my way over to the Santa Cruz booth to see my intended prey, the new carbon V10. If you think that she looks good in the photo, you should really give it a proper look in person - simply stunning. Right away the bike gives the impression that there is nothing extra, just the material needed to make it one of the fastest bikes on the hill. It is both lighter and more adjustable than the aluminum version that it replaces. That's right, no more aluminum V10 for next season, but don't panic too much, frame price will be similar to what the alloy model was offered at and will also include the Cane Creek AngleSet headset that it will ship with from Santa Cruz. Expect the shipping date to be around the coming December, just in time for Christmas. Have you been naughty or nice? Press play and let Santa Cruz's Josh Kissner tell you the details.
Want to look fast? Santa Cruz will be offering a very limited run of Syndicate team replica bikes that closely resemble the bike ridden by Peat and Greg Minnaar. While the are sure to be pricey, the team-only Edge carbon rims have been left off the build list in the name of keeping the price somewhat reasonable. There will only be 100 made and I'm sure they will go quickly. Listen to the audio to hear the details!
This carbon link was a hint of what was coming down the road. This was first used on the last generation aluminum frame and it is carried over to the new carbon model as well. Take note of the factory fitted shock mud guard, a nice touch that I wish more companies would use.
The new carbon V10 will ship with Cane Creek's AngleSet headset that allows you to fine tune the bike's handling to the terrain or riding preferences. Depending on your rear wheel travel setting, you'll be able to pick a head angle between 63 and 66 degrees. The great thing about the AngleSet headset is that it lets you adjust the head angle independently of other values. This is truly one of the best products of the year. Hear more information by listening to the audio.
The big news may be the new carbon frame, but there are more changes to talk about as well, one of the biggest being the ability to adjust the bike's travel. Up until now the V10 had a full 10 inches of travel, something that a lot of riders loved, but some wanted the option to have less depending on the course. The new model is adjustable from 10" down to 8.5". By setting the V10 into it's shorter travel position you'll also end up with a slacker and lower bike. Combine the travel adjust with the Cane Creek AngleSet headset and you have one very adaptable bike. Bring on the steeps and gnar, but she'll be ready for anything else as well. Push play to hear about it.
Just imagine having to cut one of these beauties in half... It nearly brings a tear to my eye. The carbon frame was in development long before you or I heard about it, and Santa Cruz used their Syndicate race team to help in the process. The carbon mold that is used to make the frame is incredibly expensive so it was very important that the geometry be 100% dialed before it was cast in stone. Listen to the audio to hear about the development process.
Santa Cruz knows that the some riders are still wary of carbon frames, no matter how strong they prove to be in testing. To that end they offer both a stand up warranty and an impressive crash replacement policy. The carbon frame has proved to be as strong as the aluminum model in every regard, and even more robust in some of the tests. The warranty and crash replacement program are great, but the fact that the aluminum frame has been discontinued is what shows Santa Cruz's confidence in what they have been able to achieve.
The new carbon V10's seatmast looks very different from it's aluminum brother. Take note of the visually different types of carbon used in different areas of the frame and then push the play button to hear Josh explain it.
Listen to audio to hear Santa Cruz's Josh Kissner explain the different layups and varying wall thickness's that you see in this photo. Check out how thick the carbon is just aft of the headtube! There is a reason that carbon is used on everything from F1 cars to the space shuttle, you can put material exactly where it needs to be and keep it thin and light in areas that don't require it, resulting in both an incredibly light and strong final product.
Massive amounts of carbon material have been used to build the ISCG-05 chain guide tabs and you no longer have to worry about voiding your frame's warranty when mounting taco-type protection.
The guys at Santa Cruz felt that their current Driver 8 aluminum rear end could actually be made lighter than a carbon version, so that's what they did. They didn't simply want to use carbon for the swingwarm just because the front triangle uses it, but only if there was going to be an advantage, which there wasn't. Makes sense to me.
The aluminum V10, in all it's different stages of development, was proved to be not only one of the most successful race bikes ever built, but also a reliable favorite of the average shredder. There isn't really any doubt in my mind that this new carbon version will find the same acclaim, but that's just my opinion. Lets hear yours below!Visit the
Santa Cruz website to see their entire range.
Stay tuned for more Eurobike coverage!
But I don't get why there is so much commotion about the carbon v10 and not about the gt fury carbon?
Also to charlies comment about it snapping it probably wont and if it does i'm sure Santa Cruz will definitely supply you with a brand new one and probably extra parts to keep you as a happy customer.
hate to say it but that is not the reason carbon is used in f1 cars. In fact... it's not even remotely close. Carbon fiber is used in f1 to reduce impact to the driver in a crash. Carbon disperses impact really really well. That is the only reason carbon fiber is used instead of lighter more efficient carbon composites. (Think it was discovery or history channel that had the show on carbon).
Carbon fiber is what makes up a carbon composite... The fiber is either a continuous, long, or chopped, and is infused with a polymer of some type, usually an epoxy.
I know they do make layups for certain applications that are designed to dissipate energy as it fails, or even specifying the failure location so that it isn't catastrophic. Is that what you meant?
Light-weighting from CFRP comes from two things though. carbon and epoxy are both significantly lighter than Al or Steel. 2- if your part doesn't need to be strong in a certain location or direction, you can use the material more efficiently. I'm fairly certain this practice is applied to F1. They throw composites everywhere else in the automotive industry to reduce part weight and to reduce part count by combining parts. If you can do the same thing in F1, why wouldn't you?
I think you mis understood me about the f1 comment. All I said was that it is NOT used for strength... it is used specifically for impact absorbsion.
I don't quite understand how your comment has anything to do with what I said. I didn't put down carbon, nor did I say carbon fiber was not a carbon composite. I said... different carbon composites outside of carbon fiber. (Remember again, carbon makes up the majority of the matter in the world, just like plasma makes up the majority of space).
Bikes would not use carbon for the same reason f1 cars would so I don't quite get where your going with that. Bike companies aren't using carbon for safety/impact resistence, they are using it for sheer strength and weight savings.
Like mentioned... if you have any questions feel free to research it or watch the carbon themed show on history or discovery channel.
btw Idk why your arguing/debating either when my comment was specifically made NOT to be debatable. It was a sheer comment.
I agree, engineers probably aren't designing bikes to protect the rider in the event of a crash. Designers turn to carbon composites because you make a part of equivalent stiffness and/or equivalent strength at less than half the weight. Impact resistance can also be considered, but if that was your only goal, there are certainly cheaper avenues to explore.
I think I was just annoyed by the comment is all. Don't get me wrong, if I replied to every comment that annoyed me, well I wouldn't have time to ride. I just felt I could contribute as I do know a little about the topic.
Language can be improved as well: "I believe that Specialized's arduous attempts to lower the standover in their recent bicycle line appear to me as nothing more than a tasteless nonsense!" "Me and my dear friend Montgomery ambled to this fine location in the woods of southern New Hampshire finding our selves in marvelous singletrack, a day I shall never forget indeed!"
Its pretty obvious that SC did alot of testing, they have the best riders in the world riding their bikes, harder than anyone here can. They can clearly take the abbuse they were designed for. Just because your more comfortable with the old, doesnt mean that the new is not better. That is how technology goes, and has gone for centuries. Humans are just hesitant to change. I would easily put my faith in the bike to hold up. Its like others have said, carbon fiber is used in the automotive industry, our bikes dont go 200 km/h, cars do well over that. If its strong enough for them, then its more then strong enough for us. Look at rally cars if you really need convincing.
Anyways this has been a long enough rant, it just seems that anything new in the bike industry is met with the same cynicism on this site no matter what, and its getting old. Embrace the new and exciting changes, they are what has been progressing our sport, and will continue to do so.
Lovin the santa cruz v10 carb tho
Does anyone know the weight of steves bike?????
Is this not testemony enough to the strength and durability of the frame?
@mongoose "Carbon Boxxers"? You must really like getting your face planted in the ground!