Greg Minnaar's Santa Cruz V10 29er - Bike Check
It shouldn't come as a complete surprise that Greg Minnaar showed up to the first round of the 2017 DH World Cup with a 29" wheeled Santa Cruz V10. After all, the 6'3" rider's quest for longer and bigger bikes has been well documented, making him a prime candidate for a downhill 29er. Now that forks, tires, and wheels are truly up to snuff, the doors have been opened for riders to experiment with the bigger wheels. Will they make a difference? We'll have to wait until race day to find out, but in the meantime, read on to find out the full details on Minnaar's new ride from Jason Marsh, Greg's longtime mechanic.
Minnaar's Santa Cruz V10 29 Details
• Rider height: 6'3"
• Rider weight: 187lbs / 85kg
• Frame size: XXL
• Wheelsize: 29"
• Travel: 210mm
• Wheelbase: 1300mm (center of axle to center of axle)
• Chainstay length: 462mm
• Head angle: Approximately 64°
• Tires: 29 x 2.5" Maxxis Shorty WT 3C compound
• Weight: Approximately 36 pounds
• Handlebar width: 815mm (end of grip to end of grip)
• Rider height: 6'3"
• Rider weight: 187lbs / 85kg
• Frame size: XXL
• Wheelsize: 29"
• Travel: 210mm
• Wheelbase: 1300mm (center of axle to center of axle)
• Chainstay length: 462mm
• Head angle: Approximately 64°
• Tires: 29 x 2.5" Maxxis Shorty WT 3C compound
• Weight: Approximately 36 pounds
• Handlebar width: 815mm (end of grip to end of grip)
What has Greg's initial feedback been about the new bike?
 | He just loves the fit of it. I think it fits him really well. Each time we get a new bike we go bigger and bigger and we haven't got to a point where we think it's too big yet. It'll be nice when we do (potentially) change to a new front end as well - we're probably going to stretch the bike out again. I mean, he's like 6'3” - there's not many bikes out there that fit him and that he feels comfortable on. It's just finding that size. |
Last year Greg raced at the EWS round in Finale aboard a Hightower - was that what got this project underway?
| Yeah, before that he'd ridden the Hightower a lot but he'd never actually raced it, he'd never pushed it. We just got the big fork, stuck it on the Hightower and did some runs. He just loved it because he was close to a bike that actually fit him. He seems confident and he's happy; that's the main thing. We've tried a few different linkages to get the feel of the bike right. Of course, with the bigger wheels you've got more mass on there. We've actually dropped down to a 500 lb spring – we were on a 550 before but we've changed the linkage ratios. I would like him to be on a 400 spring, just because it gives us a lot of options. When we were on a 550, Fox don't make a great deal above that, where with the smaller sizes they make them in 25-pound increments. 500 is good because we can go 475, which we tried out a bit, I don't know if we'll be 475 or 500. It gives us a little bit of a playing area there. |
How much does the complete bike weigh?
| I think it's about 36 pounds or something – it's not super light. He kind of likes a bike that's not too light – that's why we've shied away from titanium bolts and stuff like that. He seems to think he can feel if the bike's too light, and he definitely has an optimum weight of what he thinks the bike should be. |
Is there anything particular about the setup of the bike's front end?
| Greg will do minute changes in lever height if he feels like he's getting sore hands. He wants a straight line between his braking finger and his arm, and if he feels like he's crimped up he'll get arm pump, and same the other way as well. Depending on the steepness of the track he does play with his brake levers quite a bit. We normally raise and lower the front end as well, but I think we're pretty dialed with where it is now. We'll see – he'll come back after his first run and then we'll change all that, or he'll be happy with it. |
Can you reveal any details about Greg's suspension settings?
| We let Fox do that. All that stuff changes so much. Greg can really feel changes in the bike, and he'll come down and explain to the Fox guys what's actually happening to the bike and they'll do a click, and click. I just can't keep track. At the end of the day I'll count the settings. Some days I don't even like doing, that just in case I count them differently than the Fox guys – I'll just leave it, go and see the Fox guys and see what settings they have. Most races that we go to Fox is always there, so I rely on them a lot to get the suspension dialed; I don't really touch it. Unless we (Greg and Fox) disagree, and then we have a little fiddle ourselves and don't tell Fox. We did a bit of data acquisition with the Fox guys and figured out he uses his back travel twice as much as the front travel, so that was quite interesting to learn that, and it was pretty much bang-on 50% as well, so we're pretty happy with how that's panned out, really. |
Full audio of Ross Bell's interview with Jason Marsh:
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There is some tinkering going on beneath the curtain. No conspiracy theory about it.
I hate to bring in the shorter travel bikes for an argument but when Evil bikes (who I would consider very effected by the market demand, being rather notorious for their first frames) was pushing out the 26" Trail bike people called them crazy and they swung the 29" axe back around for a while. They made the change in one succinct motion and people were overjoyed with the results. They hit a home run and became a household name.
A lot of people hate bigger wheels, and have stuck to 26". Great for them if that makes them happy.
But making everything you sell an FRO-type bike isn't a model I don't want to see.
Santa Cruz still makes the 5010, and the Chameleon is far from a race bike and I respect that. Evil has gone on to make The Calling which is commonly referred to as the funnest bike money can buy.
Nothing wrong with it, just weird.
When I do decide that my 26 has had its day then i will have no issues buying a bike with bigger wheels, in fact I would absolutely love a new bike with bigger wheels! But I'll get another year or two out my old one first.
Houston, we have a problem.
I think the bike industries new focus on the 29" wheel size and its clear advantages is really a huge punch in the tits to the 27.5" wheel size. Especially to the tits of companies like Giant that just made shit up in hopes we all move to 27.5" so they could increase their profit not having to design frames for multiple wheel sizes.
26" has an advantage in agility, acceleration and quickness and 29ers have an advantage in rollover and pure speed. 27.5" was interesting at first because it was new. Now that we've had it for a year or two we've lost interest and are either looking for ways to make the 27.5" perform more like a 29er with plus tires or we are back to the 29" because plain old 27.5" is just boring.
I was another who said 650b is pointless when it arrived. 26" is more fun and 29" is faster. I enjoyed having both of those wheel sizes for a completely different experience.
That said I love 650b+. They're bloody hilarious.
Either way riding is riding to me. I just love MTB.
Cheers!
I assume that you can probably handle a 29 pretty well if you can already go fast on a 26..
So if 29" lets you go faster and take more brazen lines, Its logical to start transferring your skills over to the bigger wheel. It doesn't sound like 26 is holding very strong with the dh crowd anymore.
I'm having a hard time picking my next bike after riding a friends mid travel 29er... My longer travel 26 was super fun while pedaling around, but I could feel the 29 holding traction on turns where the 26 would have washed out..
Might have to skip the 27.5 movement and buy a 29er...
I've been back & forth on different 29er 2.35 and B+ 2.8s set ups and the 29er definitely holds more speed, even with a pretty close wheelsize. When I went from 26 to 29er the 26 felt like it got hung up on everything, but there is something to be said for being far closer to the ground at the axels. If you have a bike you love riding with 26ers the fun ain't dead, but when you do wanna buy a new bike don't exclude wagon wheels till you've put in your due diligence and properly ridden one.
I sure love my HT 29er more than the 27.5ers (I'm 5"11) and I ride it like a lightish enduro bike i guess.
I think i'd be a little scared on a 29er DH bike. But I don't know.
We'll see how this plays out...Based on how I have been riding with friends and race times...my 29er trail bike is definitely faster than my 27.5 bike was. But I think the benefit of 29" wheels may play more to the riders that are hovering around 6' and up.
Will taller riders be the only ones to be able to unlock this mechanical advantage? If so...how long before UCI starts to put limitations on DH bike tech so that rider talent is the only thing that differentiates the competitors.
This looks pretty proportionate to me.....
www.pinkbike.com/photo/14542425
A few centuries ago, XL bikes looked ridiculous with 26" wheels. But take a good look at this, the proportions fit really well. If you're tall and strong enough, I don't see why you shouldn't go with the 29ers.
I am kind of surprised they rolled this out for a steep and tech course like Lourdes though. Everyone was talking about how we may begin to se 29ers on the more bike-parkey courses this year, but I didn't expect to see it at Round 1, much less a full campaign.
put bike out on media, and sit and wait for the hate ...
MTB RIDERS : Actually it pretty good,
MTB RIDERS : geometry has caught up,
MTB RIDERS : looks good, best tool for the job,
MTB RIDERS : we trust Greg,
MTB RIDERS : good idea,
MTB RIDERS : 29ers have improved and matured, right time really
MTB RIDERS : yada yada
MTB RIDERS : wonder if spec will bring their soon
MTB RIDERS : skipped 27.5, media fake, but this 29 looks good
MTB RIDERS : was sceptical but big bike for a big guy
MTB RIDERS : ...
SANTA CRUZ : (mouths open) W ... T .. F .. ???????
MTB RIDERS : I still hate them .. #27.5ForLife .. I Mean .. #26aintdead .. erm .. i mean .. hate it .. erm its stupid .. like your mom .. yeah .. !!
SANTA CRUZ: yay .. we got a hater .. we got a hater .. phew!!!
basically, santa cruz are expecting hate, most are being level headed, some people are just whinging ninnies regardless
is the owner of SC like 5'6" and really wants to ride a L? lol
Up until a few days ago, they still were!?!
Interesting how Santa Cruz were one of the last (if not the last) holdouts on 26 inch wheels in the DH circuit, and now they'll be spearheading the move to bigger wheels. I wonder of Jeff Steber had anything to do with it.
And all this time I've been looking at the o-ring on my forks and banging my head against the wall trying to work out how to get full travel out of the front while I'm bottoming out the rear. It turns out that apparently I don't need to, I just ride like the GOAT!
Minaar could bomb a WC run on a dang Flintstones contraption and still smoke most of us. But that thing needs a monster truck soundtrack on the way down "This SUUUNNDAYYY see Gravedigger versus Greg Minaar at the fairgrounds!!!"
T-Mo crushed everyone on a 29" then bugged out. Then Ravanel crushed everyone on a 27.5.. Now Courdier is "awake" and on a 27.5. With the men, 27.5 bikes are still winning more than 29's.
All that said one might guess that perhaps it's the nature of EWS courses, but I'll say it's more likely the rider and how he or she interfaces with the bike.
Whatever the case, that 29" V10 is 53X!
#still_likes_riding_26
(Sorry folks I get honest when I drink Vodka)
I'd rock that for sure
.
Be amazed if these hold up
Didn't have a tape measure long enough