Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Brigade) scored a top-ten finish in Pietermaritzburg aboard this colorful Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
Even the derailleur housing and brake hoses are color co-ordinated on Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
The drilled-out blades provide just a hint of extra traction on Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Hope brake leversJames Huang/BikeRadar
A small plastic fender guards the rear shockJames Huang/BikeRadar
The Fox Racing Shox DHX RC4 rear shock is neatly tucked away low on the chassisJames Huang/BikeRadar
Two counter-rotating links and specific geometry form the basis of Santa Cruz’s VPP suspension designJames Huang/BikeRadar
Four-piston Hope calipers with titanium hardware on Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 Carbon runs with Shimano’s current nine-speed Saint groupJames Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Brigade) was among many downhill racers in Pietermaritzburg running a dropper seatpost on the pedaling-intensive trackJames Huang/BikeRadar
Downhill bikes aren’t typically set up for use with dropper seatposts so mechanic Kevin Joly had to get creative on Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
Whereas the rear brake caliper is fitted with titanium bolts exclusively, a mix of titanium and steel is wisely used on the front caliperJames Huang/BikeRadar
Alloy spiders on the Hope rotors save weight but also add some color on Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Brigade) ran his Santa Cruz V-10 Carbon in the shorter travel position on SundayJames Huang/BikeRadar
Shimano are soon to update their long-running Saint group, but unlike reigning World Cup champion Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing), Gracia was running the current version at PietermaritzburgJames Huang/BikeRadar
Most downhillers we saw in Pietermaritzburg used four bolts to attach the rotorsJames Huang/BikeRadar
A Fox DOSS dropper seatpost and a custom finished saddle atop Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) Santa Cruz V-10 CarbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
Mechanic Kevin Joly trims away the flange on Gracia’s Lizard Skins grips to free up access to his Shimano Saint shifterJames Huang/BikeRadar
The clipped rear tire yields greater rolling speed without overly sacrificing cornering tractionJames Huang/BikeRadar
The front tire is left unclipped, though, so as retain braking performanceJames Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia’s (CG Racing Brigade) mechanic, Kevin Joly, clips tire knobs in anticipation of fast conditionsJames Huang/BikeRadar
170mm-long cranks and a 38-tooth chainring for Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Brigade)James Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Bridage) pairs his Shimano Saint crank with an MRP G2 guide and Time pedalsJames Huang/BikeRadar
Cedric Gracia (CG Racing Brigade) is one of the most colorful characters on the downhill circuit so it’s no surprise that the aesthetics of his Santa Cruz V-10 Carbon match his personality. What started life as a basic matte black carbon frame is now a flying rainbow of black, red and yellow – all perfectly co-ordinated, of course.
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Gracia’s machine isn’t all flash, however, as there’s plenty of performance tucked away beneath the bright livery, courtesy of Santa Cruz’s well-proven VPP suspension design and light but stiff carbon fiber front triangle (Cedric’s bike doesn’t sport the new carbon rear end developed last year for the Santa Cruz Syndicate).
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Equipment includes Mavic DeeMax wheels, custom etched Hope Tech Evo M4 four-piston disc brakes, a Shimano Saint transmission, a Fox DHX RC4 rear shock and new air-sprung 40 fork, hand-clipped Panaracer tires, and even Fox’s upcoming DOSS dropper seatpost. Total weight as pictured was just over 16kg (35lb). Check out our image gallery for lots more pictures.
Four-piston hope calipers with titanium hardware on cedric gracia’s (cg racing brigade) santa cruz v-10 carbon: four-piston hope calipers with titanium hardware on cedric gracia’s (cg racing brigade) santa cruz v-10 carbonJames Huang/BikeRadar
