I'm changing my career, gonna be a Dentist

rangersac

rangersac

Medically diagnosed OMS
Kinda feel it's mandatory when riding a Santa Cruz, but to be fair this is poor man's dentist bike at best. I genuinely wasn't in the market for a new steed, but let's be honest all of us here on the 'Burn can't resist a bargain when one pops up and I've always wanted a Santa Cruz in the quiver, thus the story begins...

My current stable is a festival of @beeb's greatest hits, with Black Betty and a Waltly Ti number on the shelf. That covers pretty much all trail bases given I am fat and getting old, but I did miss all round the climbing and general trail riding ability of my old Intense Primer. The Carbonda is a ripper when going down, but the linear suspension curve means it's a bit of a dead climber as it requires a lockout, and as much fun as the Waltly is, it's a stiff ride so a long rocky session does leave me feeling pretty beaten up. So I was vaguely on the lookout for a shorter travel dually.

Lo and behold one of my mates who I hadn't caught up with for a year or so got in touch about wanting help to sell his 2017 Santa Cruz 5010, because he'd had no joy on Arsebook and Scumtree locally. Totally original spec with pretty minimal riding as he'd had a couple of big offs on it and had given it up for motor biking instead so it had sat in the shed for a few years gathering dust. Righto says I, what will you take from an interested party? $1500 is the answer so it was a pretty easy decision. A little bit of switcheroo with some of my favourite parts, some stealth black stickers on the fork as the original yellow numbers had faded and looked shit and now she's ready for action tonight. Might chuck on some wider tyres at some point and a larger front rotor but that should be it.

Frame - Santa Cruz 5010 AL XL
Rear shock - Fox Float Perfomance
Front shock/fork - Fox 34 Elite Performance 130mm
Handlebars - Pivot Carbon 760mm
Stem - Pivot
Headset - Cane Creek 40
Grips - Santa Cruz
Saddle - Fabric Scoop
Seatpost - Race Face Turbine 175mm on Yep remote
Front brake - XTR Lever on SLX two pot caliper, Avid Centreline rotor
Rear brake - XTR Lever on SLX two pot caliper, Avid Centreline rotor
Cranks - XTR
Chain - XT
Pedals - XT clipless
Rear derailleur - XTR
Rear shifter - XTR 11 Speed
Cassette - SRAM GX 10-42
Front hub - Novatec D541
Rear hub - Novatec D542
Front rim - Race Face ARC 24
Rear rim - Race Face ARC 24
Spokes - DT Swiss Champion
Tyres - Maxxis DHF/ Aggressor 2.3
Total weight - Dunno but feels light, guessing around 12.5-13kg

Santa Cruz 1.jpg


Santa Cruz 2.jpg
 
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Ackland said:
Wow still using ayups
Click to expand...
Scarily I bought my first set of Ay-ups in 2007 and they just won't die! I generally use them as a backup though, as I have a similarly vintage set of Nitelights that are my main trail blazers. I do wish Ay-up would upgrade their optics, as I still reckon their helmet setup is the best combination of light weight and low profile mount for a stand alone system.
 
Fun bike. They're so well built too, should be a keeper.
 
Took it for a good hit out down the trails used on the Tas Gravity Enduro series in Hobart on Tuesday night. Man I'd forgotten how the old VPP setup climbs like a goat, it's just so efficient. Heading down it's also loads of fun being poppy and playful. There are definitely limits that can be found on the really steep and chunky stuff but for general trail riding it puts a smile on the dial. Some 2.4 rubber is definitely on the cards though for a bit of extra traction.
 
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