It’s been no secret that big wheeled Santa Cruz V10s have been rolling around the World Cup circuit. But until now, the only way to get your hands on one was to be fast enough to race for the Syndicate. Naturally though, after years in development for the fastest racers in the world, Santa Cruz is now offering them to anyone – no matter how fast. Not into the wagon wheels for DH? That’s OK too, since they have two completely different frames to run 27.5 or 29″ wheels.
In terms of looks, the 29″ (above) and 27.5″ (below) V10s look nearly identical. There are some obvious visual cues like bottom bracket drop and the look of the wheels themselves, but most of the geometry numbers are kept fairly consistent. One big difference is that the 29er is available in M-XL frames, while the 27.5″ bike is only from S-L. If you’re on a small or a large, you’ll be forced into a wheel size. Otherwise, you can choose what suits you best.
Both frames offer the ability to adjust the chainstay length to “optimize front/rear balance” through an adjustable axle position. Rear axle spacing is standard 12 x 157mm DH spacing.
Cable routing is a mixture of internal and external, with the brake hose staying on the outside of the frame while the derailleur cable tucks in and out of the tubes in strategic locations. 
Santa Cruz states that part of the internal derailleur routing design was to prevent damage to the housing from the chain. Speaking of, there is one of a few different replaceable frame protectors over the chainstay.
There’s also a bottom bracket guard and a tailgate protector plate above.
A flip chip at the rear shock mount allows you to set the bike in Low or High position for different handling characteristics.
The frame is said to have a lower leverage rate to improve shock performance. Bikes will be available with a Fox DHX2 Performance Elite Coil or DHX2 Factory SLS Coil, while frame only will be sold with the Factory SLS Coil shock. Both frames get the same 215mm of travel out of the VPP suspension system.
Offered in two builds for each wheel size, the more affordable DH S builds will sell for $5,999 while the DH X01 ramps it up to $8,199. A frame only will still set you back $3,699. The 29″ bikes will be available in February 2019, but the 27.5″ bikes won’t be available until April.
Along with the new bike, Santa Cruz is also releasing the Reserve DH 29″ wheels. Details are limited, but we’re told that these are the same wheels that the Syndicate has been racing and they’ll be built with Syndicate-spec Chris King hubs. No word on price, but they’ll be available along with the 29″ V10 in January.
