VP Free
What Mountain Bike
Santa's new ride mixes trail bike reactions with massive mid stroke suspension plush.
Santa Cruz have already deployed their VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) linkage technology to class dominating effect in their ten inch travel V-10 DH bike and the 4.5" travel Blur trail bike. No surprise then that they've now slotted an 8" freerider into the gap between.
The mainframe is kept low and compact for maximum strength with a big curved, clamshell gusset extending the top tube / down tube junction. Another bridge gusset braces the extended seat tube, which is kinked backwards to kick the saddle further back for workable pedalling stretch as you raise it. The heavy duty one piece VPP linkages hang from underneath the braced top tube and just behind the bottom bracket. These swing the rear wheel upwards in a flat 'S' path, controlled by the long stroke Progressive shock which sits horizontally in the centre of the frame for easy access to it's many adjustments.
The subframe is headed up with a curved, flat 'Y' box section reinforced with monocoque gussets in the seatstay angles, and a big, cast chainstay / lower pivot block. Meaty round section seatstays and rectangular section chainstays then link straight back to changeable 15mm bolt thru axle dropout sections. As you'd expect the frame is completely disc specific with cables and hose running down the sides of the top tube, and a neat QR collar for the kinky Thomson seat post.
Rather than the 30-40% sag of their V10 DH monster Santa Cruz have changed the shock leverage to give the VP Free just enough pedal feedback to let you know what's happening. The bike feels crisp and direct rather than super soft over small stuff, accelerating with a genuinely rewarding kick and giving plenty of traction feedback for climbing and corner exiting. Considering the mass of the rest of the bike its great fun to sling around on rising and falling XC trails, not just gravity assisted ones. However as the ground starts to break up and fall away the yawning mid stroke of the suspension comes into it's own. On or off the power it will suck up and swallow big rocks, deep washboards, diagonal ruts or step ups / downs without a hint of bothering the bike's complete composure, it's like every potential problem just halved in size.
While other bikes will jack up, squat or wallow through sections the VP Free just floats through as though controlled by self levelling software. The position and geometry of the bike is also totally 'right', allowing you to bury it suicidally deep into corners or casually lob it off unsighted drops within minutes of climbing aboard. Really drive it and it'll flare out slightly at the back, but otherwise it's totally rigid and accurate from stem to stern, and the accurate feedback makes it a joy to work with, or just for relaxing and going with the smooth ultra confident flow.
Go for size small for slalom and jump work, medium for technical trails and large for enough room to make a days worth of miles under your wheels a genuine possibility.
Summary
Bikes that climb and hit big stuff better than expected are becoming a clich at the moment, but the VP Free sets a whole new level. Some bikes match it for pedal kick or deep drop performance, but none charges through big, choppy rough terrain with such incredible poise and effortless enthusiasm. The linkage system obviously add complexity and cost which won't be to everyone's taste, but the VP Free is undoubtedly one of this years truly outstanding new bikes.
Verdict
Performance: 10
Value: 8
A phenomenal new benchmark for DH capability with trail bike pedal response.