The Santa Cruz 5010 Just Keeps Getting Better (2024)

Price: $6,800
Weight: 28.5 lb (L)
Style: Trail
Fork: 130mm Fox 34 Performance Elite
Shock: 130mm Fox DPX2 Float Performance Elite
Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle
Wheel size: 27.5
Tire clearance: Up to 2.8 in
Material: Carbon
The right bike for: riders who want a playful ride with the option to add wider tires for more technical trails

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The new Santa Cruz 5010 is a lot like the older version, but more fun and more capable. It is longer, slacker, and more adjustable but retains the nimble, playful character that made it so enjoyable to ride. The 130mm trail bike has 27.5-inch wheels and excels at whipping around corners, jumping over obstacles or off of small jumps, and with the right set up, bombing down techy lines. Like most Santa Cruz models, it has an efficient pedaling platform that keeps pedal bob to a minimum when climbing. The extra length in front and more relaxed head angle make it feel stable when descending but it’s still maneuverable on tight trails and at slower speeds.

This new version of the 5010 that can accommodate up to 2.8-inch tires. Santa Cruz sells two versions of the bike. The standard one comes with 2.3-inch tires and the plus-size version (called WT, for wide tires) comes with 2.6-inch tires. Both versions will accommodate up to 2.8-inch rubber, though. A small mount on the upper link allows you to change the head angle and bottom bracket height so you can fine tune the ride for the terrain.

The 5010 has always been one of the better and more capable trail bikes and these latest changes make it even more versatile—and enjoyable to ride. Slacken the geometry and add wider tires for more traction and speed on rough terrain or stay in the steeper setting with narrower tires and swerve over or around everything you come across.

What’s New for 2019

To keep up with rider preferences (and the competition) Santa Cruz gave this 5010 a longer reach, slacker head tube, and steeper seat angle. The new version has a reach that is 15mm longer, headtube angle that drops from 67 to 66.5 degrees and a seat angle that goes from 73.8 degrees to 75.2 degrees. That’s comparing the old version to the new one in high position. But the 2019 model also allows you to spin the flip chip in the mount to go even lower and slacker. In that position, the 5010 bottom bracket drops 4mm, the head angle falls to 66.2 degrees, and the seat tube shifts to 74.9 degrees.

That chip is a new addition to this bike and a key to making it work with wider tires. Santa Cruz sells each model of the 5010 as a standard version or a WT setup. The standard bikes come with 2.3-inch tires and the WTs come with 2.6s. The only differences between the versions are the tires and rims. This XO1 model we tested has a Maxxis Minion DHF in front and a Minion DHR in rear. The X01+ comes with a wider Maxxis DHF upfront and Maxxis Rekon in the back.

VPP Suspension Is Still Really Good

Santa Cruz has used the VPP suspension platform since 2001. There are now two styles—one has an upper-link mounted shock and the other has a lower-link mounted shock. Longer travel bikes like the Bronson use the lower-link mount style because it’s more progressive with better protection against bottoming out. The upper-link mount style provides a better pedaling platform for the livelier feel, which is why Santa Cruz uses it on shorter-travel models like the 5010. By connecting the rear triangle to the main frame via two short links that rotate in opposite directions, the design limits pedal bob while keeping the suspension active under pedaling for good traction. It’s not the plushest design, but it keeps getting better and offers plenty of cush to get you through gnarly terrain.

The 5010 Family

The 5010 comes in one aluminum and two carbon frame options. The three aluminum builds start at $2,700 with SRAM NX (no Eagle) and a RockShox Recon fork and go up the the $4,100 S, which comes with SRAM GX Eagle and a Fox 34 Float Performance fork. The $4,000 5010 R is the least-expensive carbon option. It comes with SRAM NX Eagle components with a Fox 34 Rhythm fork and Float Performance DPS shock.

The entire range uses SRAM drivetrains on all but the most expensive builds and Fox suspension. The top-level SRAM build (XX1 Reserve, $9,200) has an XX1 group and a Fox 34 Float Factory with Fox DPX2 Float Factory Kashima. The $9,500 XTR Reserve trades SRAM components for an XTR group. Both of these top-end builds come with the Santa Cruz All Reserve carbon wheels. Santa Cruz makes those wheels and also a piggy back shock available as on options on every model, however.

Ride Impressions

The new 5010 is the most fun I’ve had riding a bike—and that’s coming from someone who spent a lot of time on Yeti’s SB5 and the new Specialized Stumpjumper. Those are both excellent bikes and beat the 5010 in some areas, but neither gave me the same joy I got riding this one. It combines a playful, fun-loving attitude on flowy trials and jump lines with enough stability, traction, and steady handling to hammer over and through technical sections.

With narrower tires in the high geo setting, the 5010 feels lively, especially on flowy trails with tight berms and jumps. I felt in complete control, whether I was whipping it around corners, hopping over obstacles, or pedaling over them. The handling was balanced and the suspension offered the right amount of support and bump absorption.

Climbing back up to the top, the VPP suspension felt super efficient, so I could pour more energy into the pedals to go faster, or conserve it to sneak it a few extra laps. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of those flow trails around our offices in PA. When I took the bike, in that setting, on the rockier trails, it felt less pleasing—the tires slipped more on the rocks, I wanted a softer suspension tune to absorb all those small bumps, and the relatively low bottom bracket created a lot of pedal strikes.

That’s where I appreciated this bike’s ability to run wider tires. I kept the 5010 in its higher geo getting and swapped my 2.3s for 2.6-inch wide tires (keeping the same rims). That changed everything on our slower-speed, steeper, more technical trails. The wider tires increased my traction and ability to roll over more of the technical sections, reduced the amount of pedal strikes to almost zero, and running lower air pressures added some suppleness to the suspension.

In this setup, the bike feels like it has the stability of a 29er but with the maneuverability that comes with smaller wheels. It felt planted while descending quickly through rock gardens and when I did have to climb, it retained the nimble handling so I could push around switchbacks and pick my way around obstacles.

Santa Cruz already had a winner with the 5010, and these changes make it even better. The geometry tweaks make it feel more capable on high-speed trails and rougher descents, while the clearance for plus tires adds a new dimension—wide rubber isn’t for everyone but it does have appealing advantages in some terrain. But no matter how you choose to ride it, the 5010 offers one of the best rides of any trail bike we’ve tried.