Santa Cruz Bicycles

5010 Carbon CC X01 Complete Mountain Bike - 2016

There's been a lot of hype recently surrounding Santa Cruz's new, slacker 5010 2.0, but — with all the shine of the new model — it's easy to lose sight of all the glowing reviews, BOTY awards, and press generated by its predecessor, the 5010 Carbon CC X01 Complete Mountain Bike. With a geometry that blurs the line between trail and all-mountain, the simple lightness of SRAM's one-by economy racing kit, and a surprisingly hungry five-inches of Virtual Pivot Point suspension, the 5010 Carbon CC X01 is the fast-man's solution to the one-bike quiver dilemma.

The head angle sits at 68 degrees, which is one degree tighter than the Bronson. That's still slacker than most bikes in the five-inch range, so the extra degree doesn't significantly impair enduro-minded stability when compared to the Bronson, but it does make for more aggressive climbing and less wheel flop during low-speed maneuvers. The 5010's bottom bracket contributes to its aggressive demeanor, seating the bike nice and low so it's glued to the trail and helps guide you through technical or sweeping lines. The 17.1in chainstays are also just shorter than the Bronson's, making for more agility while carving turns, better climbing grip, and increased power transfer.

The 5010's Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension platform is largely responsible for its adaptability because of the two counter-rotating links that govern its travel. The upper link provides most of the rotation as the bike compresses into the sag point for a vertical wheel path that manifests as a firm platform for acceleration and eager small-bump compliance. As the bike compresses deeper, the lower link activates, moving the axle path rearward to lengthen the wheelbase and increase stability.

This model's Carbon CC frame construction is the same featured on the 2015's top model, which means that it remains Santa Cruz's best. For the CC build, the engineers use a higher modulus carbon than the Carbon C model, so less material is required to hit the same strength and stiffness numbers. Less material equates to less weight, and, well, you can see where we're going with this. Climbing and pure speed both benefit when there's less mass for your engine to propel.

The frame's two carbon triangles are built as whole pieces rather than glued together from disparate bits. This saves weight and increases structural integrity by allowing Santa Cruz to wrap carbon continuously through and around key junctures. This method reinforces the frame with less material while eliminating the artificial stress points that result from bonded construction methods. Finally, the carbon is also compacted from the inside and the outside for a more even finish that avoids any structural defects, excess material build-up, and resin pooling for — you guessed it — even more weight savings.

Though the frame itself is untouched outside of a new graphical treatment, the 5010 Carbon CC X01 build kit features a few tweaks. It's got new brakes — SRAM's new Guide RSC brakes —  which build on the positives of Avid's Elixirs without the finicky bleeding and air bubble issues. The DT Swiss hubs, SRAM X01, and Reverb Stealth dropper also look reassuringly familiar to last year's model.