SANTA CRUZ - SOLO 27.5" - 125mm curso

Este é um review de um utilizador do mtbr.com, não é jornalista, nem pertence ao ramo apenas um bom utilizador de BTT e foi feito no Interbike que decorreu na passada semana em Las Vegas



"I’ve been looking for a nice short travel 650b or 29” as a complement for my Knolly Chilcotin so the 125mm Solo was high on my Interbike demo list. First thing Monday morning I headed straight for the Santa Cruz tent and stood there patiently waiting for them to open. The guys from Santa Cruz were friendly and helpful and got me set up and out the door in short order. First thought? Wow this bike is gorgeous! Love the Mountain Rescue Orange and beautiful, well proportioned, carbon swoopy lines. Second thought? Wow this thing is light. Next thought? This thing pedals incredibly well.
As I climbed the road to the start of the trails I assessed the fit and determined that a large is just about right for me. At 5’11” I’m a bit of a tweener and some large frames feel a bit big but I knew from experience that SC tends to run a bit shorter so there was no question which bike to choose.
As we got on to the trail and started climbing over some of the rocky outcroppings I was trying to sense any of the dreaded pedal kick back that the v.1 VPP was famous for but was unsuccessful in detecting any. The wheel would hang up just a tad on some of the slower, squarer edges but not worse than most other bikes. Generally the rear suspension worked really well on this climb,, staying bob-free and efficient when the trail was smooth and smoothly absorbing most rocks and ledges on the way. I was a bit disappointed to see the Fox 32 fork up front because I’ve had less than stellar experiences with it in the past but this 2014 version is a sweetheart. It responded well to small and medium sized edges, rocks, and ledges on the way up and tracked very well.
This was also my first experience with a 1x11 drivetrain set up and was immediately won over. Very slick shifting even up onto the gigantic 42 tooth cog and plenty of range for most any riding you’d do on this kind of bike. Having ridden double shifting bikes for the better part of 40 years (yes I’m that old) I never gave much thought to the what it takes to coordinate shifts and gear combos between the front and rear derailleurs, but having only one lever to deal with all of that was noticeably easier on the brain. I’ll be even more interested when the 1 x 11 set ups start becoming available in the lower and mid-range groups.
When we arrived at the top of our climb and started down the back side into the caldera I was kind of expecting the thin-legged Fox and short travel rear (remember when 125mm was considered long travel?) to show their stripes but not so: This thing just flew and the fork did not hold it back. It displayed very little flex and the action was controlled and well damped only falling behind a tiny bit on some of the rougher sections. Steering was sharp, and tight switch backs took some getting used to after stepping off my 65.5 deg head angled 170mm forked Chili, but once reacquainted with what accurate, playful steering can do to a tight trail it was great . With a relatively slack 68 deg head angle, low bottom bracket, and biggish wheels, the straight line stability was still very good as well. Despite that low bottom bracket number and rocky terrain, I did not get any unusual or excessive pedal strikes.
The Solo … er 5010 (awkward name) was very easy to get comfortable on and gain confidence in quickly---Way more than I would’ve previously expected of a bike with these “travel” numbers. Yes there may have been some visions of Peaty bombing the Scottish Highlands running through my head as I swerved, popped, flowed, and threaded my way down the trail…. But delusions of grandeur aside, the 5010 felt really good. And I gotta say, I didn’t notice the wheel size one way or the other. The bike as a whole just felt incredibly well-balanced, fast, and fun.

 

Um review agora pelo Seb Kemp da Bike Mag



Santa Cruz has given birth to more new bikes this year than seems possible for the little-big company. My count is nine completely new bikes and a handful of revisions to existing models. Plus there’s the Juliana line, which adds another five bikes to the tally.

This is incredibly impressive growth, but with so much bulb-flash it’s easy to miss some things, with some models sliding under the radar. One of those being the 125-millimeter travel Solo…I mean 5010.

Yeah, before we move on to talk about this fun, little undercover hero of a bike let’s talk about that name.

When the bike was released in June the bike was called Solo and we were presented an opportunity to watch Steve Peat ‘go solo’. However, another bicycle manufacturer took issue with this name as they had a similarly-named bicycle. The end result? Santa Cruz had to take one on the chin, and be terribly good sports about it, as was proven by the fun little news blast that finished with the line, “Why “Go Solo” when you can “Go Intergalactic”. Take it away boys…”

The result? Not much. It’s just a name and what is left behind is the same bike, still pumping the same blood it always did.

Back in June, while on assignment for an upcoming story on Scotland’s varied and tasty mountain biking experience, we had a chance for a bit of a solo session on the 5010. Here’s what we thought.

While Santa Cruz’s Bronson was the big story of 2013 the 5010 shouldn’t be overlooked. Cut from very much the same cloth as the bigger-travel Bronson the frame is stiff, stout and strong. In fact, they look almost indistinguishable. This results in a very capable, playful bike which shouldn’t be confused with some other 125-millimeter travel fairies. The 5010 is a very spirited bike indeed.


Seb Kemp gets chased by Callum Jelley in Glentress, Scotland while having a skin full of fun.

The geometry might seem a little more conservative than the Bronson (68-degrees as opposed to 67-degrees on the Bronson) but there’s more to the matrix than that one number. The 5010 is a lower machine, its bottom bracket being lower, the rear center being shorter and the standover height being lower. This does make the 5010 feel very lithe and quick. Rider input is immediate and direct, making it feel like an extension of your movements rather than a machine to be manipulated. This is probably supplemented by the shorter-travel nature of the bike. Although some riders might want the full damage control of a six-inch travel bike, most riders would probably benefit from having a little less suspension motion between them and the bike and a little more control through the geometry. The 5010’s (nearly) five inches is plenty enough for most applications, but sometimes the rough and tumble nature of the chassis does get you into more trouble than you would expect on such a bike. Often a great feeling, occasionally a little too much edge work for some.

With the bike’s go-go-GO attitude the fork choice has to be questioned. On 5010 models a Fox Float 32 has being specced. While this helps keep the weight down (the carbon frames weigh just 5 pounds) and in line with what most people will use this bike for (light trail and XC duties) this wimpy little fork soon gets outridden. But this is no fault of the fork or Santa Cruz, it’s all the 5010. It’s too damn proficient at having fun.

The bottom line is this, if like many people you are considering buying the Bronson but are on a waiting list or second guessing needing so much bike, then look carefully at the 5010. Lean, low and keen to let loose, this is the sleeper bike from Santa Cruz in 2013.

 

Interestin

Interesting. That bike looks very "niner-like".