Santa Cruz is one of America's top mountain bike brands, founded in 1993 and nicknamed it "Three Pants" by riders. Despite being a rising star, Santa Cruz has been active in the world's first-class mountain bike races, with its title team, the Santa Cruz Syndicate, a regular on the downhill World Cup winner's podium, and Santa Cruz's VPP suspension system is considered one of the finest rear suspension systems.
 
The Santa Cruz model is completely designed for racing, and different suspension strokes have been developed according to different mountain bike events, ranging from 100 to 220 mm of suspension travel, from hard tail to soft tail, covering all categories of mountain bikes. Generally speaking, the longer the suspension system, the greater the weight of the vehicle, and it is wisest to choose the right model according to different intensity needs. For example, downhill (DH) events that rush down from high slopes require more than 200mm of suspension stroke to play a good cushioning role, and sturdiness is also important, and weight is secondary; The trail trail only needs 120mm of suspension travel, and too long a ride will affect pedaling efficiency; The hardtail model with a 100mm stroke is enough for the average enthusiast to cope with all the city potholes and light off-roading. In its class, the hardtail is the lightest and has the highest pedaling efficiency.
 
Santa Cruz distinguishes the frame grade mainly by the material and suspension system suspension liner specifications, Santa Cruz is generally divided into an entry-level aluminum alloy version and a carbon fiber version under each model, and carbon fiber is divided into a regular "C" version and a top-of-the-line "CC" version. Compared to the "C" version, the "CC" version has a higher modulus of carbon fiber, a lighter frame and a stronger rigidity. Suspension liners are replaceable parts, each with a different compression curve, corresponding to different weights and different event needs, and only what suits you is the best.
 
Carbon fiber has the absolute advantage of light weight and high strength, which is crucial to the competition, so the race has been monopolized by carbon fiber models. Although the price of aluminum alloy frame is low, for non-professional riders, it may not be as good as carbon fiber. Although carbon fiber is known for its toughness, the tensile strength of the fiber direction is extremely high, but the shear strength is very low, this anisotropic characteristic leads to its vulnerability when dealing with bumps in individual directions, and the appearance may not be visible after internal damage, so carbon fiber models need to use professional instruments to test the frame after each crash to ensure that the internal structure is not damaged before continuing to use. Aluminum alloy is relatively durable, and the price is much more affordable, so it is wisest to choose a model that matches your use.
 
Softtail car is a model with rear suspension, now professional events are basically dominated by soft-tail cars, soft-tail cars are born in order to pass obstacles faster, front and rear suspension can make the wheels as close to the ground as possible to ensure the control of the vehicle, encountering obstacles can convert the kinetic energy of the collision into elastic potential energy, keeping the speed of the vehicle will not be greatly reduced, as for comfort, that is just a by-product of the soft-tail car. Although the rear suspension device is good, the force of the road collision and pedaling is vertical, and the original suspension device cannot be distinguished, which will waste the pedaling force.
 
One of the industry problems of soft-tailed cars is how to solve this pedaling force, for which a number of devices have been invented, and the VPP (Virtual Turn Point System) rear suspension is one of the best pedaling rigidity designs. The common suspension structure is a single turning point, and the rear wheels rotate around a single hub in the suspension stroke, and the trajectory is an arc; VPP is the Santa Cruz signature because the hub around the rotation in the rear wheel suspension travel is not physical, but virtual and changing, and the rear wheel trajectory is not an arc, hence the name of the virtual turning point, which is the signature of Santa Cruz.
 
The principle of VPP suspension is very ingenious, simply put, the power of pedaling is used to limit the action of the suspension system, when the pedal is pressed hard, the taut chain will pull the rear wheel tightly, so that the suspension system temporarily fails, to ensure the rigidity of pedaling; And when not pedaling, the shock absorber can perform a highly sensitive suspension action. But no suspension system is perfect, and the VPP is no exception, first of all, when the shock is in operation, the rear wheel lifts the chain, causing the pedal to rotate, which is not a comfortable experience; The second is that the suspension system also fails during the pedaling process, and VPP relies on this principle to improve the rigidity of pedaling, which is a contradiction that VPP cannot take into account on both sides of the coin; Third, the structure is complex, there are many connecting rods, and there is no advantage in maintenance and weight. At present, there is another mountain bike manufacturer called Intense that uses the VPP suspension system, and the space is limited, so interested riders can find out for themselves.
 
The Santa Cruz softtail variant is available in a variety of variants, depending on the suspension travel of 100-220mm. The "Blur" has a stroke of 100mm and weighs only about 10 kg, positioning it for light off-road (XC); "Tallboy" has a stroke of 110mm and is positioned as a trail vehicle; The "Hightower" has a travel of 135mm, the "Bronson" has a travel of 150mm, positioning the all-terrain vehicle (AM), and the "Nomad" has a travel of 170mm, positioning the Enduro race, which is a very popular mountain bike category in recent years; The most legendary star model of Santa Cruz is the "V10", with a stroke of more than 200mm, positioned as a downhill car (DH), the V10 is one of the models that has won the most downhill World Cup titles, the longer the trip, the more advantages of the VPP system outweigh the disadvantages, and the more the pedaling advantage can be brought into full play.
 
The "Highball" and "Chameleon" are Santa Cruz's hardtail models, which are used for low-intensity off-road and are also suitable for urban commuting. The hardtail model does not have the problem of pedaling and deflection, the structure is simple, sturdy and easy to care for, the lightest weight, the lowest price, and it is a wise choice for ordinary enthusiasts.
 
The price of Santa Cruz is cold, the aluminum alloy hardtail model also starts at 10,000 yuan, the soft-tail model starts at 20,000, and the top event version is close to six figures.