The Santa Cruz 5010
Your crazy, fun-loving best friend
What is the Santa Cruz 5010?
The 5010 is one of Santa Cruz’s liveliest rides. It’s a diabolically fun mid-travel 27.5” trail bike that loves to tear through turns and get airborne at every opportunity. It’s snappy and quick, and punches well above its weight class when ridden on big terrain.
The 5010 is designed to give riders the capability and confidence to create new lines and nail them with ease. This bike wants to weave through trees, slash berms, pop off rocks and much much more. It’s probably the most fun you’ll ever have on a mountain bike, and believe it or not, Santa Cruz has made the 2021 lineup even more epic.
What’s new for the 5010?
Lower-link VPP Suspension
One of the most important changes to the 5010 design is also the easiest to spot. The VPP suspension has been changed from an upper-link to a lower-link system, which offers lots of great benefits and makes the 2021 model something to seriously drool over.
Just like Santa Cruz’s long-travel bikes, the lower-link VPP suspension helps the 5010 feel way more capable on big terrain than the specs would suggest. The leverage curve is straighter and more progressive than the previous generation and makes shock setup and tuning a whole lot easier.
It also allows riders to run any, and we mean any, rear shock size and type. You heard that right, the new 5010 lets you run any model of coil or air shock from any brand. Rowdy riders rejoice.
140mm Fork
The upgrades to the new 5010 are all about taking the fun up a notch.
For the 2021 model year, Santa Cruz has increased the front travel from 130mm to 140mm so riders can send it that much harder.
The R and S models receive a FOX 34 shock, and the XT and X01 models get the Rockshox Pike.
Two New Colors
Sure, color may not have a direct impact on performance, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
You know what they say: “When you look good, you play good.” And boy, do these new colors look good.
Raspberry Sorbet and Loosely Blue might be some of the best colors 2021 has to offer, and that definitely counts for something.
More Updates And Features
SRAM G2 / Shimano XT Brakes
Ultimate stopping power for riders who push the limits
Reserve 30 v2 Wheels
The best carbon wheels just got stronger thanks to a modified layup and profile
Maxxis 2.4 DHR2 Tires
MaxxGrip up front, MaxxTerra in back. Clearance for 2.6
SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger
Works with SRAM, Shimano, and all the rest. Rotates backwards in the event of a heavy strike
40mm Stems
Every size now gets the strength and stiffness benefits of a 40mm stem
C and CC Carbon
The highest quality carbon frames available
New 5010 Geometry
Components aren’t the only aspects of the 5010 that got tweaked for the new generation. Santa Cruz made several adjustments to the frame geometry in order to further cement the 5010 as the most fun and capable mid-travel trail bike around.
Slackened Head Angle
While the 5010 is built to be incredibly agile, Santa Cruz ever so gently slackened the head angle to add a little more stability and confidence so riders will feel like there’s nothing stopping them from letting loose.
Short, Proportional Rear
Another great feature of the 5010 frame design is the short rear end that helps the bike maintain its nimble characteristics. For the 2021 model, Santa Cruz uses different chainstay lengths for each size in order to give every rider the best balance and ride quality possible.
More Standover and Low Bottom Bracket
The bottom bracket, while still low and optimized for fun, is just a tad higher to compensate for more travel. The frame also has a lower standover height so you’re more inclined to send it big.
Santa Cruz 5010 Geometry Table
*note: table is in mm and has measurements for Hi and Lo Flip Chip settings
| Frame size | XS | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 400 / 397 | 425 / 422 | 450 / 447 | 475 / 472 | 500 / 497 |
| Stack | 572 / 574 | 590 / 593 | 604 / 606 | 618 / 620 | 631 / 634 |
| HT Angle | 65.7 / 65.4 | 65.7 / 65.4 | 65.7 / 65.4 | 65.7 / 65.4 | 65.7 / 65.4 |
| HT Length | 100 / 100 | 120 / 120 | 135 / 135 | 150 / 150 | 165 / 165 |
| ST Length | 370 / 370 | 380 / 380 | 405 / 405 | 430 / 430 | 460 / 460 |
| ST Angle | 77.9 / 77.5 | 77.6 / 77.2 | 77.4 / 77 | 77.2 / 76.8 | 77 / 76.6 |
| BB Height | 338 / 334 | 338 / 334 | 338 / 334 | 338 / 334 | 338 / 334 |
| BB Drop | 16 / 20 | 16 / 20 | 16 / 20 | 16 / 20 | 16 / 20 |
| Wheel Base | 1128 / 1123 | 1162 / 1156 | 1193 / 1191 | 1224 / 1225 | 1255 / 1259 |
| TT | 524 / 524 | 555 / 556 | 585 / 587 | 616 / 617 | 646 / 647 |
| Standover | 690 / 986 | 707 / 702 | 706 / 700 | 704 / 699 | 704 / 699 |
| RC/Chainstay | 423 / 424 | 423 / 424 | 426 / 427 | 429 / 430 | 432 / 433 |
Santa Cruz 5010 Lineup
Here’s the 2022 Santa Cruz 5010 lineup. If you’re not familiar with how Santa Cruz names its models, the ‘C’ stands for ‘C Carbon’ and ‘CC’ stands for their premium ‘CC Carbon’ frames.
In the same vein, ‘S’ models denote a higher quality spec list than the ‘R’ models. So while there are certain differences among them, they all have one thing in common: they absolutely rip.
5010 C R
The new 5010 lineup starts with the C R model. High performance FOX suspension and SRAM components make this bike anything but basic. If you’re looking to grab the incredible new 5010 at the best price point, this is it.
5010 C R Features
- Frame: Carbon C 27.5”
- Rear Shock: FOX Float Performance DPS
- Fork: FOX Rhythm 34, 140mm, 27.5”
- Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle, 12 spd
- Wheelset: SRAM MTH 716
$4,099
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5010 C S
Next up is the C S. Still the same C Carbon frame, but the fork, shock, and drivetrain have all gotten an upgrade.
5010 C S Features
- Frame: Carbon C 27.5”
- Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Fork: FOX 34 Float Performance, 140mm, 27.5”
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle, 12 spd
- Wheelset: DT 370
$4,999
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5010 C XT
Santa Cruz turns up the volume with the C XT model. Pairing the more affordable C Carbon with premium suspension and Shimano components makes this model a killer buy.
5010 C XT Features
- Frame: Carbon C 27.5”
- Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Fork: RockShox Pike Select+, 140mm, 27.5"
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8100, 12spd
- Wheelset: DT 350
$6,799.00
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5010 C XT RSV
The XT RSV brings the fun to another level by adding Santa Cruz’s legendary Reserve Carbon Wheels to the mix. Added together with RockShox Select+ suspension and an XT drivetrain and you’ve got yourself one hell of a play thing.
5010 C XT RSV Features
- Frame: Carbon C 27.5”
- Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Fork: RockShox Pike Select+, 140mm, 27.5"
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8100, 12spd
- Wheelset: Carbon Reserve 30 v2
$7,199
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5010 CC X01
Naturally, Santa Cruz hasn’t left X01 capability out in the cold. They just waited to pair it with their highest-end CC Carbon fiber frame. The best materials, the best travel, and the best drivetrain around.
5010 CC X01 Features
- Frame: Carbon CC 27.5”
- Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Fork: RockShox Pike Ultimate, 140mm, 27.5"
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
- Wheelset: DT 350
$7,799
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5010 CC X01 RSV
Finally, Santa Cruz caps off this incredible lineup with the CC X01 RSV. The specs speak for themselves. All the premium components and materials as the previous model, now with Reserve Carbon wheels. This. Bike. Is. Epic.
5010 CC X01 RSV Features
- Frame: Carbon CC 27.5”
- Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Fork: RockShox Pike Ultimate, 140mm, 27.5"
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
- Wheelset: Carbon Reserve 30 v2