The 5010 is not just "the little bike" of our range. It makes even the most mundane trails feel like they're loaded with features to hop, skip and jump over. It's like having super-skills at your fingertips. The 5010 has always been more capable than many expected but with the traction-gaining 29-inch wheel up front and even more refined suspension the 5010 gives you a deft touch on the trails.

Mixed Wheels

The mixed wheel configuration of a 29-inch wheel up front provides traction and stability, while the 27.5" rear wheel allows for quick back wheel steering and lifting.

Glovebox

Place your ride essentials securely beneath a new high-quality latch and panel in the 5010's downtube. The Glovebox comes with a fitted Tool Wallet and Tube Purse, tailored for the frame to keep your tools close to hand.

Full carbon CC frame

CC frames use the very best materials and production processes available. We tailor stiffness for every size to make sure everyone gets the same ride quality. Bigger riders means greater stresses on larger frames, but that's remedied with our size-specific frame stiffness tunes.

Sag window

A window allows easier suspension sag and setup. The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm, and rubberized DT protectors to shrug off strikes.

Made to last many lifetimes

The legendary Santa Cruz fit, finish and quality construction put this into a league of its own. The frame, bearings and optional Reserve wheels come with a lifetime warranty and any service is easy to do with our Rider Support pledge.

VPP™

VPP™ suspension can be optimized to strike the right balance between pedaling efficiency and all-out bump chomping prowess. That means wherever you see "VPP™" you know it's tuned to perform exactly how it should for the purpose it's designed for.

130mm VPP™ travel

Some call it short travel, others call it all the travel you'll need. This much travel isn't going to help shrug off the biggest, fastest rock gardens like a V10 downhill race bike, but it's going to feel like you've got a V10 under the hood of your motor when it comes to freeway freestyling miles.

Traction and big hits

For 5010, we wanted to find the balance of support and grip to maximize the bike’s descending and big-hitting capability. We started with a significantly less anti-squat (than previous generation 5010) to provide sensitive, ground-tracking qualities and reduced pedal kick.

Support and playfulness

We gave the 5010 a very straight, highly progressive leverage curve to give the rider plenty of predictable support, bottom-out resistance, and playful response. This means the travel is accessible and higher impacts aren’t as jarring as you’d expect from a short-travel bike.

Geometry

All units are in millimeters or degrees.

Frame Sizing

If you're on the cusp between the recommended height range of two sizes, the absolute best thing is to try to ride them both. At a minimum, check the stack/reach measurements on your current bike and compare it to the new model you are looking at to get an idea of a fit you are already comfortable with. If riding the bike is not an option, consider the following.

The 5010 is available in sizes extra small - extra extra large (XS-XXL).

A larger size frame will be more stable, and will give you more room to move without upsetting the weight-balance of the bike. The larger size will put the front wheel further in front of you, which gives the feeling of security and conversely, it will require more significant body movements when you WANT to shift the weight-bias of the bike. Think hard about your riding style and how active/intuitive you want it to be vs stable and speedy. You'll need to work a bit harder to muscle the larger bike around.

Not all bodies at a given height are the same. If you have longer legs and a shorter torso than the average person your height, that may push you towards the smaller of the recommended sizes. If you're all torso and arms, most likely you'll want to size up.

5010 Frame Specifications