5010 V2

[beeb]

Gave the bike a wash before heading up to Falls Creek this coming weekend, and realised it was probably time for an updated spec-list.

The biggest update of the last couple of weeks is the lack of upgrades - Only added a waterbottle to store some tools & spares to help take a little weight out of the hydration pack.

Can't wait to ride Falls again!

Frame - 2018 Santa Cruz 5010 CC V2 XL ("Ink Blue")
Rear shock - 2019 Fox Float DPX2 (200x51mm, 130mm wheel travel)
Front shock/fork - 2019 For Factory 34 (37mm offset, 130mm travel)
Handlebars - Spank Spike Vibrocore (31.8mm, 50mm rise, cut to 770mm)
Stem - Thompson X4 40mm
Headset - Work Components -1.0 degree Angleset
Grips - ODI Elite Pro
Saddle - Ergon SME3
Seatpost - BikeYoke Revive 185mm
Front brake - Hope Tech 3/E4 203mm Rotor
Rear brake - Hope Tech 3/E4 183mm Rotor
Cranks - Shimano XT
Chainguide - N/A
Chain - Shimano HG-701
Pedals - Pedalling Innovations Catalyst
Rear derailleur - Shimano XT (GS / med-cage) with Wolftooth WolfCage
Rear shifter - Shimano XT
Cassette - Garbaruk 11-50t
Front hub - Project 321 Boost
Rear hub - Project 321 Boost (216POE, Quiet pawls)
Front rim - Nextie Premium Trail 40mm (36mm internal)
Rear rim - Nextie Premium Enduro 36mm (29mm internal)
Spokes - DT Swiss Comp
Tyres - Maxxis DHF 3C 2.6" (Front), Minion Aggressor 2.5" DD (Rear)
Tubes - Stans Tubeless
Total weight - T.B.A

(New pic with a new phone - as I just got a new phone after smashing my old one last weekend. The camera is a big upgrade from the previous, so I should finally be able to get some decent pics in near future)

 

[Mr Crudley]

Let us know when the 5010 is for sale, yeah?

Oi, get in line.

He must almost be sick of it by now. I hear they made a new model too, apparently....

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[beeb]

Oi, get in line.

He must almost be sick of it by now. I hear they made a new model too, apparently....

Well I am planning to build another bike next year, but not sure if I'll be able to convince myself to sell this one! May just be n+1!

 

[Ultra Lord]

n+1 is the way to go.

after the work you put into this bike, I wouldn't be swapping it out anytime soon. I've loved reading the evolution of this build.

 

[beeb]

n+1 is the way to go.

after the work you put into this bike, I wouldn't be swapping it out anytime soon. I've loved reading the evolution of this build.

That's pretty much what I'm hoping for, but it'll make the planned next build really slow... Still plenty of riding to be done before that anyway - The next frame I want isn't even available yet!

 

[Mr Crudley]

n+1 is the way to go.

after the work you put into this bike, I wouldn't be swapping it out anytime soon. I've loved reading the evolution of this build.

Hey, sssshhhhhh..... This is old now and remember new wheel and hub spacings are due almost every 18 months.
The cool kids go brand new............

We love it @beeb but, just looking out for you and all.

 

[beeb]

Hey, sssshhhhhh..... This is old now and remember new wheel and hub spacings are due almost every 18 months.
The cool kids go brand new............

We love it @beeb but, just looking out for you and all.

Haha, I don't mind a bit of stirring... In theory I should like the new one, but it just doesn't excite me for some reason. Wish mine had its seat angle though! It's the only thing left I can't change more to my tastes.

Oh, and when I get the new frame I'll be going back to 142X12 anyway! The only standard is ever changing "standards".

 

[Mr Crudley]

Oh, and when I get the new frame I'll be going back to 142X12 anyway! The only standard is ever changing "standards".

True, all for questionable gains if any at all.

'The good thing with standards is that there are so many to choose from'

 

[beeb]

I've had a chance to think about the bike post-ride at Falls Creek, and thought I'd post an update with some thoughts on the evolution of the bike.

Best upgrade overall has probably been the rear shock, it has massively changed the feel of the bike. The bike gains so much mid-stroke support and suspension responsiveness. It would be optimistic to refer to the suspension as "supple" with this bike - it's better described as "taut" and responsive, but now with the new shock it is much better controlled.

Regarding all the front end tweaks - The bike handles like an absolute dream. Still can't get over how good the short offset fork is. Even with the ~66deg HA, the bike holds its line perfectly through choppy rock, and gains heaps of stability and line-tracking in the mid-high speed corners. Worth noting that the Fox 34 felt very much at its limits at Falls however, and I would've loved a Fox 36 (or similar) where I could've backed off the HSC a bit. Can't do a 36 in 130mm travel though, so sticking with the 34 on this bike and will put a set of 36's on the next.

So far so good with the Nextie rims too, given I plowed over a lot of rough terrain with some very low tyre pressures and heavily bottomed out tyres a few times and no damage/cracks thus far (aside from a few external scratches). Love the way the lighter wheels feel, spin up fast, don't feel any gyroscopic resistance on change of direction, etc... Surprised me how different they were tbh...

Realistically the only thing I'd want to change (but can't) on the bike is to steepen up the seat-tube angle to get the weight further forward for seated climbs and stop it wanting to wheelie on every little bump, but Santa Cruz addressed this on the V3 so sort of a moot point unless you happen to be buying a new-old-stock or used bike.

In essence the bike is a hoot to ride. It'll shake you pretty hard if you try and straight plow choppy sections/tracks (you've got to concede at times and take a little speed off before bigger chop if you still want to be able to feel your hands coming out), but it still goes where you point it and is still very capable given the 130mm travel and taut suspension tune. Where it excels is in flowy and undulating trails and it loves the rider getting forward and tipping the front end in and really committing to a corner. Anything resembling a 4x track is this bikes natural territory and it loves to turn rollers into doubles, get flicked through change of directions and generally just feel fun to ride - the faster you go, the more it comes alive. Glad I'm starting to be able to give it a least a half-decent rider, and after two days at Falls I feel a lot more familiar and capable on it. @Mr Crudley is going to have to wait at least a few months until I get the next bike...

 

[Mr Crudley]

@Mr Crudley is going to have to wait at least a few months until I get the next bike...

Ohhh, putting gold coins in the piggy bank and staking out the For Sale section as we speak

Glad you are having fun on the 5010.

 

[beeb]

Ohhh, putting gold coins in the piggy bank and staking out the For Sale section as we speak

Glad you are having fun on the 5010.

You've have to wait until March at a minimum. After that, well we'll just have to see...

 

[Ultra Lord]

You've have to wait until March at a minimum. After that, well we'll just have to see...

Y=N+1 my dude

I will be immeasurably dissapointed if you get rid of this.

 

[beeb]

Y=N+1 my dude

I will be immeasurably dissapointed if you get rid of this.

Haha, we'll see. It'll be N+1 at first, I'll see how much overlap there ends up being between bikes and how much I still use it once I get the next one. Hoping to keep it, but I won't just lock it up if it's not being used. May adapt it to something else (less "Trailduro") with a lighter/faster-rolling wheelset and tyre combo and keep it more for longer trail/XC/fitness rides. As it'd probably work really well for that and be a bit more fun to ride than the next bike if I'm just out for a ride by myself and don't want to hit the rough stuff solo.

 

[hifiandmtb]

Hey @beeb - you are not alone in declaring your steed your dream bike:

This is *his* own bike...

 

[beeb]

Hey @beeb - you are not alone in declaring your steed your dream bike:

This is *his* own bike...

Love the bike, nice spec but could definitely live witout the purple anno! Haha. Wrong shade compared to the frame, lol.

I have mixed feelings about my V2 5010. I love it for the knowledge and experience it has given me, and the rides I've had on it (and discovering it's bloody amazing how far you can push a 130/130mm travel bike) - but now my fitness and flexibility is starting to improve a decent amount I could live very happily aboard a V3 5010 XL with the longer reach (steeper seat tube would be a nice thing too). Some of that is me wanting (and waiting) to move up a genre of bike though, and away from the taut Trail bike and more toward a bike better suited to rougher, steeper trails. So this will still be the only ride for the next few months until the next (bigger) bike comes along. But the dilemma I'm now having is that I'm starting to feel like I'm outgrowing the 5010, so wonder what it's future with me will be. @Mr Crudley may be a happy man yet...

 

[Ultra Lord]

Keep the 5010 you monster.

Buy a bromad (I’ll leave the details of which one up to you) as an accompaniment!

 

[Mr Crudley]

Love the bike, nice spec but could definitely live witout the purple anno! Haha. Wrong shade compared to the frame, lol.

I have mixed feelings about my V2 5010. I love it for the knowledge and experience it has given me, and the rides I've had on it (and discovering it's bloody amazing how far you can push a 130/130mm travel bike) - but now my fitness and flexibility is starting to improve a decent amount I could live very happily aboard a V3 5010 XL with the longer reach (steeper seat tube would be a nice thing too). Some of that is me wanting (and waiting) to move up a genre of bike though, and away from the taut Trail bike and more toward a bike better suited to rougher, steeper trails. So this will still be the only ride for the next few months until the next (bigger) bike comes along. But the dilemma I'm now having is that I'm starting to feel like I'm outgrowing the 5010, so wonder what it's future with me will be. @Mr Crudley may be a happy man yet...

But the dilemma I'm now having is that I'm starting to feel like I'm outgrowing the 5010, so wonder what it's future with me will be. @Mr Crudley may be a happy man yet...

You are clearly going too hard sir to outgrow the 5010 already.

Although I should have noted this earlier, I would be more in an L size than XL. I might have to get a bit of stretching in progress or get some platform high rise bike shoes. Working on it now

Can you borrow someone else's uber bike so you have a good idea of what you really need.

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[beeb]

Keep the 5010 you monster.

Buy a bromad (I’ll leave the details of which one up to you) as an accompaniment!

Haha, we'll see. I wouldn't have been able to ride it well at the time (dodgy back, limited flexibility), but the new 5010 v3 with more reach (easier to weight the front without getting too forward like I can if I'm not careful now...) and a steeper seat tube (easier climbing) would fit me a lot better as my riding progresses. But v3 Bronson would be a better bet again for the riding I'm doing now as I'm starting to need that little bit more travel.

The 5010 is a bike that loves to party, but it is possible to overwhelm the front in chatter or rocky sections. A stouter fork with a bit more travel than the 130mm Fox 34 on there currently - and something with a HSC adjuster - would take the bike to another level, but minimum travel on the next class up of forks is generally 140mm which would be great for the descents, but make climbing even worse (Ever since having the Ripmo and its ~76 degree seat angle, climbing on this with it's 73.8 degree seat angle and with the seat pushed as far forward as I can, it still feels like I'm sitting too far back).

Other than me being very tall and fractionally too large for this bike, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It is a SUPER fun bike to ride, and handles just so, so well - it literally just feels like it goes where you point it. I was messing about today at You Yangs (light granitic sand sprinkled over hardpack) throwing the front pretty abruptly to the point it'd start washing out and then just back off a touch to play with the limit of where the grip was. That's how much confidence I have in the front of this thing - that I can push it to the point I'm losing it and still know I can gather it up again, and getting forward on it makes it absoutely rip round corners. Stupidly fun and makes bermy tracks flowy party time. I love it for that.

But the next bike will be a Craftworks ENR. At this point I'm just waiting for the bigger sizing to come to fruition. Rode one breifly at Youies and about 30 seconds in the virtual high pivot/rearward axle path left me feeling like "Yep, that's what I always wanted my rear suspension to feel like but never has". It also has a really supportive pedalling and pumping platform that makes it feels like a short travel bike until you need it to open up. It will get a Fox 36 and probably a Push coil conversion. The aim is something that will absolutely monster rock gardens, chatter and brake bumps in berms, but still be able to be pumped along flow trails and have the efficient pedal platform and steep seat angle (and longer chainstays at sag height) to get me back to the top more easily than arm wrestling the 5010.

Again, nothing wrong with the 5010, except I am slightly too large for it and starting to ask a little too much of it. Whether it stays will depend on if it gets used after I get the Craftworks. I'm hoping it will be a good all-rounder for the riding I do, but it may end up being best kept for adventures up to the Vic high country where the speed really starts to open up and the more active suspension would be a blessing in the high speed chop.

You are clearly going too hard sir to outgrow the 5010 already.

Although I should have noted this earlier, I would be more in an L size than XL. I might have to get a bit of stretching in progress or get some platform high rise bike shoes. Working on it now

Haha, all good mate. Though as per above shpiel, if rising semi-aggressively (which it loves) or very aggressively (which it's still very tolerant of), I would say it sizes somewhere around a L or a small XL by today's trends . My two riding buddies are both on Mediums, and they don't find it huge. Too big for them, yes. But only just. But at the end of the day - I have zero expectation vested on you or anyone here buying it and don't expect anyone to feel obligated to. Buy what works for you at the end of the day! But if you're ever in Melbourne and want to take it for a spin even just for a comparison, let me know.

 

[Mr Crudley]

It would be pretty hard to resist and would do more than I would need. I would be the weak link Sizing is important though if you really want to feel at home.

I would look good on one of those too.

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[beeb]

Sizing is important though if you really want to feel at home.

(You're a bloody soothsayer @Mr Crudley...)

This update's a bit all over the joint - so bear with me!

Backtracking a bit, I took the new Banshee Spitfire build for a ride Easter Friday up at Mount Macedon. For those that haven't been it's very raw, narrow hand cut trails that can be pretty loose and chattery and are often very, very steep. Although the coiled Spitfire should've been an obvious match, I just didn't feel comfortable on it the whole time. Didn't worry too much about it, just put it down to the trails having been pretty corrugated and my shoulder still not being back to full strength after snapping my collarbone a while back (and also trying to adjust to new, very powerful brakes in the Cura 4's).

Anyway, jumping forward again to the present - I realised yesterday I had enough spares to build my 5010 up to a complete bike to sell. Got to it, and had it all back together this morning. Took it for a quick ride around the yard to check everything functioned and thought "Bugger selling this!". Took all of about 2 corners to realise I f**ked up with the Banshee and it's too small for me. I promptly swapped all the goodies from my Spitfire over to this (sans the DHX2 which is the right size eye to eye, but would cause lower link to contact the frame at full travel). Front end on this feels so much better just from having a bit more room from the longer reach and slightly slacker HA, and it just felt super planted. It was also pretty obvious that the shorter chainstays make it super playful and easy to lift the front and flick the bike around.

I know this thing isn't going to climb near as well as the Spitfire, but those short loops around the yard showed me why I fell in love with this thing in the first place, and gave me a reality-check about selling it.

Jumping the timeline again - I also rode my hardtail a week or so back- which I loved at the time, but my back ached for the whole week afterwards so it'll be retired from active duty and go back on the trainer. Since then I've started planning to run two dual-susp bikes - one for milder trails that would otherwise be hardtail territory (if my back wasn't so stuffed), and building a "big bike" for the steep and hairy places like Macedon or Bright.

The upshot of all that was - I just accidentally (re-)found my trail bike!

Got to admit I'm torn what to do with the Spitfire now. I like the rear susp (It's an incredibly efficient climber which would be handy for the winch-and-plummet riding I had planned it for, and far more confidence inspiring over jumps than the 5010), but the sizing's way off for me. I f**ked up there, saw 5mm more reach on the geo chart, and though "Sweet!, I only want a touch more than the 5010". Didn't factor in the lower stack and muchos spacers to get the bars where I wanted them bringing in the reach so much - it actually ended up about 10mm shorter in reach than the 5010, and the 5010 already feels a bit small in the steep and rough bits (but a good size for general trail riding). Got to admit to entertaining thoughts of a custom front triangle for the Spitty, and making it my "big" bike. But we'll see if that pans out in reality...

Given I built the 5010 twice today, I didn't get a chance to actually go for a proper ride, but will take it for a blast next weekend and will to have another crack at getting the shock dialled in. There is the option to get the stroke reduced on the DHX2 and dropping it in, but need to re-familiarise myself first.

PS: To any other 5010 owners, you can swap rear brakes on these bikes without having to disconnect hoses if you drop the shock out of the upper link, and take the upper pivot bolts from the upper link out of the frame and swing the rear triangle forwards with the wheel out. A couple of minutes taking out three bolts means not having to bleed brakes which is always a plus in my mind!