Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) has made the move to 27.5in wheels with Santa Cruz's redesigned V10 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) finished second at the last World Cup round in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada - James Huang / Immediate Media
Not surprisingly, Santa Cruz is sticking with its tried-and-true VPP suspension layout for the new 27.5in-wheeled V10 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is running a 500lb steel spring on his Fox RAD rear shock - James Huang / Immediate Media
The team-only Fox RAD rear shock features independent damping adjustments for high and low-speed compression, and high- and low-speed rebound - James Huang / Immediate Media
Two mounting positions for the rear shock allow for tunable geometry - James Huang / Immediate Media
Maxxis DHR II tires are mounted - tubeless - on Enve M90 Ten carbon fiber rims - James Huang / Immediate Media
Team mechanic Doug Hatfield has clipped part of the shoulder knobs off of the front Maxxis DHR II tire, which supposedly lends better cornering grip for the course conditions in Windham, New York - James Huang / Immediate Media
Grease ports and collet-type locking pivot hardware should ease maintenance and decrease creaking - James Huang / Immediate Media
The all-Enve cockpit features a molded carbon fiber direct mount stem and an 800mm-wide carbon fiber bar - James Huang / Immediate Media
While Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) does occasionally use the offset Chris King Buzzworks headset for faster and steeper tracks, Windham's tighter lines has him on a standard headset instead - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) runs Lizard Skins Lock-On Charger grips - James Huang / Immediate Media
The specially prepped Fox 40 Float fork is amazingly supple - James Huang / Immediate Media
"Ratboy" is looking to move one step further up on the podium at Windham - James Huang / Immediate Media
The fork is dressed up with a Fox decal to keep mud from packing the back of the hollowed-out brace. A small fender from MarshGuard is held on with zipties - James Huang / Immediate Media
The MarshGuard 'Stash' add-on on the front of the fender is designed to accommodate the wider gap on some forks - James Huang / Immediate Media
Derailleur housing is cleanly - and externally - routed along the down tube. The integrated bump stops provide a handy routing point too - James Huang / Immediate Media
You can't buy RAD – it has to be earned - James Huang / Immediate Media
The 165mm-long Shimano Saint crank are fitted with a 38-tooth chainring and an e13 LG1 Turbo chain guide - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is using the direct-mount version of Shimano's Saint rear derailleur - James Huang / Immediate Media
The WTB Vigo saddle is attached to an Enve carbon fiber seatpost - James Huang / Immediate Media
While the front tire is slightly modified for better cornering grip, the rear Maxxis DHR II is left as is - James Huang / Immediate Media
Velcro strips are liberally applied to the rear triangle to quiet down chain slap - James Huang / Immediate Media
"We like to keep things light, too!" says team mechanic Doug Hatfield, in reference to the smattering of titanium bolts on Josh Bryceland's (Santa Cruz Syndicate) new Santa Cruz V10 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Even the pedals are identified to keep them from getting mixed up with another team rider's bike - James Huang / Immediate Media
Wheels are handbuilt around Chris King hubs - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) runs about 5mm of spacer beneath his Enve molded carbon fiber stem - James Huang / Immediate Media
The rear shock has clearly seen its fair share of mud - James Huang / Immediate Media
The bump stop is attached with a red anodized aluminum bolt - James Huang / Immediate Media
More titanium hardware is used to attach the Shimano Saint front brake caliper - James Huang / Immediate Media
Team mechanic Doug Hatfield doesn't just ziptie the number plate to the stanchions as is the norm. It's first glued on to a wider MarshGuard plate, which provides some room to tuck the rear derailleur and rear brake lines behind for quieter running - James Huang / Immediate Media
Even the wheels are tagged - James Huang / Immediate Media
Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is coming off of a second-place finish at the World Cup stop in Mont Sainte Anne and is aiming to move one step higher this weekend in Windham, New York.
The short course leaves no room for error, so his brand new 27.5in-wheeled Santa Cruz V10 is fully tweaked to squeeze out every last bit of speed – and look fast, it certainly does.
Josh bryceland (santa cruz syndicate) has made the move to 27.5in wheels with santa cruz's redesigned v10: josh bryceland (santa cruz syndicate) has made the move to 27.5in wheels with santa cruz's redesigned v10
Josh Bryceland – aka 'Ratboy' – is on Santa Cruz's new 27.5in-wheeled V10 downhill machine
There's an extraordinary range of possible adjustments available on top-end downhill bikes to suit the diverse mixture of tracks and according to Santa Cruz Syndicate team mechanic Doug Hatfield. It's all-out, flat-out, and even the smallest gain (or mistake) can make the difference.
As a result, Bryceland's new 27.5in-wheeled V10 features a number of little tweaks to help him eke out a bit more speed. The side knobs on the front Maxxis DHR II tyre are slightly clipped for more cornering bite, there's a standard Chris King headset in place instead of the forward-offset 'BuzzWorks' version to suit Windham's tighter corners, and there's a smattering of titanium hardware to save weight wherever possible.
"We like things light, too!" Hatfield said.
Both brake callipers are held in place with titanium bolts
Hatfield is even meticulous about how the number plate is attached. Instead of securing the plate directly to the stanchions as is the norm, he first glues the plate to a wider base plate from UK company MarshGuard, and then attaches the whole thing. According to Hatfield, this leaves a little extra room at the top for the rear derailleur and rear brake lines to pass through for quieter running during the race.
MarshGuard also supplies the mini front fender – complete with a 'Stash' extension up front to help keep debris out of Bryceland's face.
The fork is dressed up with a fox decal to keep mud from packing the back of the hollowed-out brace. a small fender from marshguard is held on with zip-ties: the fork is dressed up with a fox decal to keep mud from packing the back of the hollowed-out brace. a small fender from marshguard is held on with zip-ties
The MarshGuard front fender keeps debris out of Bryceland's eyes while the Fox decal covers up the hollowed-out arch to prevent mud from packing
Granted, the fantastically high-end build kit doesn't leave much room for improvement, though. Adding to the outstanding Shimano Saint group is e*thirteen's extra-secure LG1+ Turbo chainguide; tough Shimano DX clipless pedals; handbuilt wheels assembled with Enve M90 Ten carbon rims, Chris King hubs, and DT Swiss Competition stainless steel spokes; an Enve carbon fibre DH handlebar, carbon fibre direct-mount stem, and carbon seatpost; and a titanium-railed WTB saddle.
Tyres are set up tubeless with about 29psi up front and 30 to 31psi out back.
Team mechanic doug hatfield has clipped part of the shoulder knobs off of the front maxxis dhr ii tire, which supposedly lends better cornering grip for the course conditions in windham, new york: team mechanic doug hatfield has clipped part of the shoulder knobs off of the front maxxis dhr ii tire, which supposedly lends better cornering grip for the course conditions in windham, new york
The slightly clipped side knobs supposedly lend a little extra cornering traction
We weren’t permitted to pull out the tape measure or scales but according to Hatfield, the bike is "about 35lb" – roughly 15.9kg or so.
Suspension comes courtesy of Fox's fully supported, racer-only RAD program, and though we didn't actually ride Bryceland's bike, both ends were astonishingly supple for what we anticipate is a confidently glued-to-the-ground feel. The rear shock is especially notable for its fully independent damping adjustments for high- and low-speed rebound, and high- and low-speed compression.
The team-only fox rad rear shock features independent damping adjustments for high and low-speed compression, and high and low-speed rebound: the team-only fox rad rear shock features independent damping adjustments for high and low-speed compression, and high and low-speed rebound
The Fox RAD rear shock features an impressive amount of available adjustment
Hatfield says that Bryceland prefers a somewhat softer suspension tune, too, compared to many other top riders who run an unusually firm setup.
Santa Cruz still isn't saying much about its new V10 downhill chassis but the bigger wheels are clearly evident. According to team mechanic Doug Hatfield, the difference between those and the old 26in wheels is subtle but still evident to team riders, saying they roll better over obstacles and carry speed better.
Other details are lesser known but given common complaints on the currently V10, we're guessing the cockpit has been lengthened to give riders a little more breathing room.
We're eagerly awaiting further information but until then, Bryceland sure seems to be making the new bike work just fine for him.
Josh bryceland (santa cruz syndicate) finished second at the last world cup round in mont sainte anne, canada: josh bryceland (santa cruz syndicate) finished second at the last world cup round in mont sainte anne, canada
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Santa Cruz V10 27.5, size large
Rear shock: Fox DHX RAD
Fork: Fox 40 Float RAD
Headset: Chris King InSet
Stem: Enve direct mount
Handlebar: Enve DH
Grips: Lizard Skins Lock-On Charger
Front brake: Shimano Saint BR-M820 w/ 203mm RT86 rotor
Rear brake: Shimano Saint BR-M820 w/ 203mm RT86 rotor
Brake levers: Shimano Saint BL-M820
Chain guide: e*thirteen LG1+ Turbo
Rear derailleur: Shimano Saint RD-M820
Shift levers: Shimano Saint SL-M820
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra CS-6700, 11-25T
Chain: Shimano
Crankset: Shimano Saint FD-M820, 165mm, 38T
Bottom bracket: Shimano SM-BB80
Pedals: Shimano DX PD-M647
Rims: Enve M90 Ten, 32h
Front tyre: Maxxis DHR II 3C, 27.5 x 2.4in, tubeless, clipped, 29psi
Rear tyre: Maxxis DHR II 3C, 27.5 x 2.4in, tubeless, 30-31psi
Saddle: WTB Vigo Titanium
Seatpost: Enve, 5mm offset
Other accessories: MarshGuard front fender and 'Stash', MarshGuard number plate, titanium hardware
James Huang is BikeRadar's former technical editor. After leaving BikeRadar in 2016, he worked at CyclingTips and Escape Collective. He now runs the Substack cycling publication N-1 Bikes.
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