New 2010 Santa Cruz bikes at Euro bike (in French)

Santa Cruz, California

There are probably hundreds of good reasons to maintain some degree of secrecy during the development of a bike. In the past, we’ve always cleaved pretty tight to the “keep it secret until fully baked” line, and have had mixed degrees of success with that approach. The problem is, that when you develop your own prototypes in-house, and ride test the things right out your door, and have to ride through urban neighborhoods to hit well known trails where people recognize you from the barbecue last weekend while undertaking said testing, well, it is not that easy to keep secrets.

Especially since mountain bikers are generally over-curious to the point of obsessive about new pieces of geekware, and tend as a group to be toting technology in the forms of cell phone cams and/or mini video recorders. Which they then go straight home and upload onto mtbr.com. Ahhh, technology.

Anyway, we decided when we began the lead up to the final development for this new 29″ bike (yes, we really are going to call it the Tallboy. Here’s hoping some people have a sense of humor) that we’d play with a slightly more open hand. But even still, we were leery of showing off the aluminum prototype mules we were riding around because for the most part our prototype mules are butt ugly. They exist to get the suspension characteristics right and the geometry where we want it and that’s about it. Usually, they are fabricated out of whatever tubes or hacked up old frames we have lying around. The upside to such drab and awkward prototypes is that people usually don’t pay them much mind because they just look like dull grey beaters. The downside, aside from the heinous real world expense of each frame, is that people who know to look for prototypes can spot them a mile away. Which then means we have to cobb up fake Cannondale or Specialized decals to throw people off the scent.

Anyway, by this spring, after many many months of riding other bikes, comparing them, fabricating our own mules, revising them, comparing them to each other, revising again, the mules were about where we wanted them. They rode nicely, handled well, and the suspension behavior was right where most of us wanted it to be. Cockpit sizing and ergonomics were dialed, and it was time to begin the next phase, which would ultimately lead to something we could take pictures of.

That said, we’re still a long way from final production, and there could be many small tweaks between now and then. So, don’t be too hasty in the rush to judgement. Still, for the most part, the following photos are going to be pretty damn close to what hits the showrooms in the fall:

And there she be. Things to note:
Carbon fiber frame
Next generation VPP suspension (with grease fittings and angular contact bearings and carbon fiber upper link and aluminum axles and all that good stuff)
Should be really light
And really stiff
Probably available in orange
And maybe another color too

Here is a photo from the cellar! (more…)

Ahh cr*p. Santa Cruz have updated my tango beast… and as you would expect it is a absolutely beauty. Why oh why do I even look!?

Freshly redesigned, reaping the benefits of next generation VPP technology, the all-new Nomad further messes up the boundaries between trail riding and gravity performance. 160mm rear travel meets 1.5″ headtube and ISCG05 chainguide mounts in a lightweight but aggressive aluminum frame. Newly revised shock rates, grease ports in the lower link, carbon fiber upper link, 15mm diameter pivot axles rolling on angular contact bearings are part of the plush, stable, flex free design. So, what is it? A heavy-duty trail bike? The new all-mountain contender? Freeride lite? Yes.

Have a look at the catalogue here: http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/nomad/catalog.pdf

Santa Cruz’s new Jackal is available from April. It has been re-engineered after input from Santa Cruz Syndicate riders Jamie Goldman and Kirt Voreis, the all-new Jackal is built to do one thing – Jump.

Stif.co.uk have a great deal on this frame and fork combo… if you ride a small size grab yourself a bargain!

Frame:
- Rear shock: Fox DHX 3.0
- Travel: 178mm
- Huge 20mm swingarm pivot
- Lifetime pivot bearing guarantee
- 1.5″ headtube
- 135 QR (standard) or 150mm through-axle
- Optional 150mm axle fully floating rear brake kit (call for details)
- Hard anodized 7075 aluminum hardware
- Multiple cable routing options (either full housings or split housings, take your pick

Forks:
- Spring: Coil
- Travel: 160mm
- Adjustments: Coil preload, Rebound, Low speed compression, High speed compression
- Internal adjustments: Hydraulic bottom-out resistance in damper
- Stanchion Tubes: Aluminium
- Steerer tube: 1 1/8” threadless steerer (Industry Standard)
- Disc mount: Post Mount
- Weight: ~5.2lbs

Price: £1,199.00
was £1,788.00
Save 33%

Buy them from Stif HERE

Santa Cruz website now includes the Driver 8 – http://www.santacruzmtb.com/driver8/

Download the official catalogue HERE (PDF 280k)

Check out the article on bikeradar.com HERE

Powder coat with Vivid 5.1 $2399
Powder coat w/Fox DHX RC4 $2561
Anodized with Vivid 5.1 $2599

Word on the street is:

“Available to customers mid-May, 2009, in all the usual powdercoat colors as well as an anodized, as yet to be named, golden colour.

Accepting orders for FRAMESETS now
Accepting complete bike orders April 1st, 2009″

littermag.com have an article on the prototype Santa Cruz V10 for 2009/2010

To me it looks an awful lot like the recently announced Driver 8 (see other post). It will be interesting to see what the major differences are… other than that seat tube angle!

Santa Cruz Syndicate V10 Prototype Teaser from Litter Mag

go check it out!

http://www.littermag.com/2009/exclusive-2009-santa-cruz-syndicate-v10-downhill-bike-prototypes/

Santacruz are releasing a new free ride bike called the ‘Driver 8′.

As the name suggests it is an 8″ travel bike based on the legendary V-10.

Here’s some spec and pricing from Rob Roskopp (it’s in dollars but it’ll give you an idea)

The new Driver 8 is our newest freeride bike. It offer’s a low leverage ratio, making a more playful bike when jumping or stunt riding. With the ability to raise or lower the seatpost 7″’s you can go anywhere on this bike!

- 8″ rear travel, lower leverage ratio
- 2nd Generation VPP
- grease ports w/ 8 bearings in lower link for ultimate durability
- carbon upper link
- 7″ of seatpost adjustability, so you can ride it back up the mountain
- built in rear fender
- 1.5″ headtube
- maxxle rearend

D8 frame powdercoat DHX 5 Coil – $2,599
D8 frame ano DHX 5 Coil – $2,799

D8 frame powedercoat w/ Vivid 5.1 – $2,645
D8 frame ano w/ Vivid 5.1 – $2,845
D8 Complete pcoat w/ DHX 5 SPX FR kit Totem Coil – $5,699

For more about the name…

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Video by Alex Rankin

Click below to view –>

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