I got a chance to test the 5010 in the Utah desert, where it took on extremely dry dirt, sharp rocks, twisty descents, and hard-hitting climbs—essentially the ideal terrain for a bike in this category.
• Wheel size: Mixed 25.7″ / 29″
• Travel: 130mm, 140mm fork
• C&CC carbon, aluminum
• 64.9º or 65.2º head angle
• 76.8º seat tube angle (size L, low)
• 437mm chainstays (size L, low)
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L (tested), XL, XXL
• Weight: TBD (size L, GX AXS construction)
• Price: 31.0 pounds / 14.1 kg
• santacruzbicycles.com
Alongside the Santa Cruz 5010, the women’s Juliana Furtado also launched today with almost all of the same details: the build kits are comparable, the main differences being that the Juliana Furtado comes in the ‘Matte Aquamarine’ colourway, comes It comes standard with 760mm instead of 800mm bars, and is available in sizes XS, S and M only. Like the rest of the Juliana lineup, it will also come with a punchy tune aimed at lighter riders, compared to its Santa Cruz counterpart. (The size is why I’m on a Santa Cruz instead of a Juliana, since I wear an L frame.)
Between the 5010 and the Furtado, there are three color combinations in total: matte nickel, bright red, and matte aquamarine.
frame details
The 5010 looks a lot like the previous edition, with the lower-link-driven VPP system that characterizes nearly the entire Santa Cruz lineup. We also see the same in-frame storage box that appeared this year so far on the new Megatower, Hightower, and Nomad models, and now made its way onto the 5010. There’s plenty of room for tools inside the generous storage compartment, and Santa Cruz Includes two padded sleeves, a tool pouch and a tube purse to keep the contents of the box quiet and secure. The box has a spring-loaded latch, which can be a bit fiddly to operate with gloves on, but it stays shut and has a water bottle holder on the lid.
The bike has the same internal cable routing, frame protection, and UDH compatibility as the last version, though it comes with Santa Cruz’s own version of the derailleur hanger. Chainstay length and seat tube angle vary across the size range, as does frame stiffness so the bike feels consistent across the range.
Boost spaced rear fits a maximum tire size of 27.5″ x 2.5″. The bike also fits 180mm post mount rotors and has ISCG-05 tabs for a chain guide.
New to this edition is a small cutout in the frame to view the shock tunnel and check for sag. On the previous version, the shock essentially disappears into a mysterious hole, and it’s hard to see the O-ring, so it’s a good thing Santa Cruz built a little more ease of use into the suspension setup this time.
There’s also an aluminum version of the incoming frame, though I haven’t seen it yet, so it’s unclear if it shares the same frame details as the carbon one.
The important details: clean routing and frame protection.
The glove box has been a nice addition to the Santa Cruz frames this year, and the shock tunnel cutout makes the suspension setup a little less mysterious. Also, there is a rotary chip, but it requires an Allen key and an appreciation for subtlety.
geometry
As mentioned above, the biggest change here is the move to a 29″ front wheel, I think a smart move on Santa Cruz’s part, based on mixed wheel sizes becoming the norm for many road bikes. game and off-road these days.
Like all bikes, this one has slacked off at the front and gained a few millimeters of reach. The wheelbase has also grown by about 15mm, of course along with the larger front wheel.
For those who appreciate minute adjustments, Santa Cruz incorporates a rotary chip that allows 3-4mm bottom bracket height adjustment (depending on size) and 0.3 degree head angle adjustment, although the high position it also has a marginally higher leverage ratio.
suspension design
In an effort to improve the bike’s feel at the top of its travel, Santa Cruz has reduced anti-squat by 16% at its peak, keeping it significantly lower than the previous version in the first 100mm travel.
Otherwise, the suspension platform remains the same as on the previous 5010, with a straight line to leverage ratio curve, meaning the bike will rise steadily as the suspension compresses.
The Juliana Furtado shares the same frame details, but is aimed at smaller, lighter riders.
Specification check
I don’t have prices for the models yet, so you’ll have to bear with me as I can’t comment with much certainty on the value of each parts spec. However, the bike I’m testing comes with a GX AXS drivetrain, RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ shock, RockShox Pike Select+ fork, and Santa Cruz Reserve 30 HD tires.
The build kit is solid for a mid-tier build, though it would be great to see top-tier suspension for what I expect this bike to cost. With that said, there is nothing wrong with this bike. The Maxxis DHR II Exo combo is a very reasonable rim spec for this bike, and the SRAM G2 brakes are totally sufficient for a bike in this category, though considering the downhill ability of the bike and that there is only a 40 gram difference between the G2s and Codes, it would be nice to see a spec with more powerful brakes.
travel impressions
Getting on the 5010, I was immediately struck by the energy you feel when pedaling. While the geometry feels perfect for a comfortable all-day adventure rig and capable descender, the bike feels efficient and snappy, making me want to pedal harder to go places, but it seems to balance out some of its quickness. with a very muffled feel.
When climbing, the 5010 has a bit more stability than some of its lightweight trail bike peers, with a slack head angle paired with a steep seat tube angle. The pedaling position is right over the bottom bracket, nice and sporty. On both technical and smooth climbs, the bike is easy to position exactly where it needs to be.
Once headed downhill, the 5010 likes to have fun. It’s much more agile than most downhill-priority bikes, but feels fairly stable at speed. The main tradeoff I noticed was that traction was a bit harder to come by going downhill than on bikes with more sensitivity, even with the anti-squat tweaks Santa Cruz made compared to the last version and the generally fairly damped feel. . of the suspension
Somehow the comfortable and aggressive geometry suggests that it would be easy to over-commit to the knot and go over the head of the bike. While I haven’t experienced that in terms of travel, yes, as mentioned above, I did feel overly compromised at times when it came to traction. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing; in fact, it’s great that a short-travel bike can make me comfortable enough to go sketchy. In short, it’s a short-travel bike with geometry that makes it a little bigger than the numbers suggest—another plus point for the more powerful brakes along with the knobby tires and the bike’s overall capability.
Considering we’re still talking about a 130mm bike, the 5010 feels great on gnar-lite, fun trails that aren’t too technical but require a bit of forgiveness, and the low center of gravity and short rear end make make it easy to tear around the corners. The handling is very, very easy, and overall the bike does a great job of smoothing out the rough stuff without sacrificing its lively, efficient personality.
