[Natedogg]

Thinkin about building one up... Have read mixed reviews about this bike. Anyone have any advice? Anyone have one built up? Weight/parts/porn?

Would rather wait out a V8, but I cant see that happening anytime soon... :eviltongu Certainly not before the M3.

 

[OGRipper]

I love my vp-free. :love: 888, hadley, 5th Element, xt 4 pot discs, holzfeller/drs, blah blah. With heavy tires it's about 41lbs. It's pretty versatile depending on how it's set up, mine is basically a dh bike with a double chainring and full seat post so I can (slowly) drag my butt up the hills to get to the fun stuff. I know people who build 'em more on the trailbike side and they love it for that but for me it's kinda heavy for pedaling all day. Have been beating on mine for nearly a year and not one problem with the frame. Not sure why you'd wait for a v8 (or uzzi whatever), SCB all the way baby.

 

[Macrider]

Thinkin about building one up... Have read mixed reviews about this bike. Anyone have any advice? Anyone have one built up? Weight/parts/porn?

Would rather wait out a V8, but I cant see that happening anytime soon... :eviltongu Certainly not before the M3.

"Mixed reviews"? - Really?

I looked it up on MTBR and the VP Free has a 4.88 (out of 5) rating - which would seem to me to be the upper end of scale! I've got a Free, as do a few of my friends, all of us are completely stoked on them...this bike is an incredible performer in the freeride catagory - stable at high speeds, lots of travel, climbs well - it's my favorite bike in my quiver (until DW gets my Evil DOC to me anyway)

advice? get one
built up? yes
weight: 38.4lbs (yes, you read that right)
build: med black anno VP Free
shock: Fox DHX (love this shock, except for the weird clunk noise, but I hear Push is working on a fix for that - and it doesn't affect the performance, so who cares?)
fork: '03 Super T
drivetrain: SRAM shifters, cassette, chain & rear der., XT fr der., RF North Shore cranks
chainguide:E-13 DRS
pedals: Shimano 545 pedals (for clipped-in times) and Weyless platforms when not
wheels: Hadley hubs w/Mavic D3.1 rims
tires: Maxxis Minion 2.5 w/Stan's notubes
bar:RF Diabolis
grips: ODI lockjaw
brakes: Hayes Mag 9's, 8" rotors, Goodridge brake lines and Razor Rock levers

 

[Mustang85]

My free is built up kinda like OG's...Speed and hucks
I have a WB DH 2.0 and hope mono 6 Ti's on it.
There are pictures of it im the picture part of RM im to lazy to get the link so if you want to see you have to find it.
Depending on tires its 38.3-44lbs(little 2.35 kendas or 2.7 fattie FRO intense tires)

I love it with the 5th and it has half and inch more travel than its intense counterpart.

 

[ncrider]

Mixed reviews what???
The free is the best go anywhere do anything bike. XC, DH, FR. whatever it can do it (light tires recomended for the XC).
Mine is with the 5th, 888, xt, maxis, blah, blah, just take a look.
Bottom line, SC has great cs and my free makes me giggle every time I ride it (going up or down).

 

[OGRipper]

This a good review of the free, the author really gets it.

http://www.nsmb.com/gear/vpfree_11_04.php

Can't wait to ride mine this weekend. :heart:

 

[Natedogg]

http://www.nsmb.com/gear/vpfree_11_04.php

Nice article... now I cant remember where I saw a few reviews where they were so-so about the bike. Either online or in a rag... I think they were saying that its too heavy for riding up, and just not all the impressive down. But from the sounds of it, you guys love it! Good enough for me!

Im re-psycehd to get one.

One more Q--Im 6'4 and like the author of the article, Im used to riding smaller rigs. My LBS has a large frame--would I be cool with a large? Ive got a 50mm stem I want to use...

Actually just thought of another Q... would running a 24" rear wheel lay this pup too far back? Id be running an 02 Boxxer up front...


Thanks for the input fellas.

 

[Toshi]

vp free owners, does the bike feel overly tall? specifically in standover and general high bb height and such

 

[OGRipper]

I'm 6' (sometimes 6'1) and I ride a medium with a 888 stem (60 or 65 I think). It works great for me but I like 'em on the small side. I have a friend that is 6'3 with a large that works great for him. See if you can at least sit on one (if not ride one).

Never seen one with a 24" wheel. When I had an '03 boxxer on mine (with 26" inch wheels) it had about a 67.5 degree head angle. You would definitely slack it a degree or two. You'll lower the bb a bit too.

As for whether it feels tall, with a 888 and go-ride lowriders the bb on mine is 15". That's only slightly taller than most dh bikes (from what I know). There's plenty of standover clearance for me. The only time it ever feels tall to me is on slow tech stuff (like the rare occasion I ride skinnies, etc.), but then just about any bike feels tall to me in those situations! If you ride with the right amount of sag, the ride height is great, but then if you dab a foot and shift weight off the bike, it will rise up out of its sag and feel kinda tall. But that's true of a lot of bikes these days...

 

[mack]

this summer im going to have to decide weather i want
A. car

B. vp free or yeti asx. ?

tough stuff.

 

[BurlyShirley]

total garbage. mine broke the first day

 

[OGRipper]

Go with option B, rock it out, get lots of sponsors, movie clips, fame, and fortune, and then buy a car.
As for the yeti v. vp free, I really like the yeti and think it's a pretty tough call, but I like my free better.

 

[OGRipper]

total garbage. mine broke the first day

This is pretty lame. How about a little more info? Were you riding it when it broke? If so, what were you doing? Where did it break? Did you warranty it and if so, how was the CS? What was the explanation, if any? (Manufacturing defect or what?)

From what you've said, I would have to guess you drove it into your garage on your roof rack and they wouldn't give you a new one.

 

[BurlyShirley]

This is pretty lame. How about a little more info? Were you riding it when it broke? If so, what were you doing? Where did it break? Did you warranty it and if so, how was the CS? What was the explanation, if any? (Manufacturing defect or what?)

From what you've said, I would have to guess you drove it into your garage on your roof rack and they wouldn't give you a new one.

no. the brakes wouldnt even work on it. it sucked.

 

[DHCorky]

no. the brakes wouldnt even work on it. it sucked.

That has alot to do with the frame

 

[BurlyShirley]

That has alot to do with the frame

the broke the ifrst day an then santa cruz wouldnt evin sponser me I hate SC

 

[HRDTLBRO]

Bam!
Sarcasm at it's finest! Thank you Burly.

 

[Urinal Mint]

My buddy just got one (after waiting 2 months). He's ridden it for less than a week and it appears the lower drive-side bearing (by the bb) is already shot, or the pivot piece is ovalized. It's really disappointing, and its the only vp free I've seen to do this. I have a few other friends who have them, and they all love them. Maybe this was a bad one. Santa Cruz said, "yea, I guess you can send it back if you want..." Not very promising for a week-old $1700 frame...

 

[420oztofreedom]

Dude, just buy it! I've had mine for 2 months now--i got it used up at downiville. VPP works wonders on the uphills, i keep pace with my friends on hard tails on the uphills. The rear feels a little dead on the descents but its extremely stable. This bike works great for hucking, jumping, riding to school, and bombing down hills, everything. My only complaint is that it has made all my favorite trails too boring.

 

[lonewolfe]

Santa Cruz has excellent customer service. Perhaps it's something you said or how you said it that put them off. It wouldn't surprise me at all. Dude, I bet you never even had a VP Free.

Oh, and which companies are beating down your door to sponser you?

 

[ChrisKring]

I am 6' and ride a medium. I have a 2003 boxxer on the front with 8" of stantion below the crown. The HA is 66 degrees. The height/standover feels fine.

I really like the bike for DH racing. Mine is built to 39 pounds with reasonable components on it. It feels like a hardtail while pedaling but sucks up the hitsvery good. Hech, it has as much travel as the Giant DH that I raced the previous 2 years without all the weight of the Giant.

The 150mm rear wheel hold true better than a 135mm with the same components.

My advise: ride one.

 

[Red Bull]

Hey girlieshirley, that is qiete possibly the stupidest thing uve ever heard. IT broke why? And did u ever think youre not good enough to be sponsored.

 

[Toshi]

the broke the ifrst day an then santa cruz wouldnt evin sponser me I hate SC

you must be one really bored individual. but this is good, drawing targets for my ignore list out of the woodwork

 

[Urinal Mint]

Santa Cruz has excellent customer service. Perhaps it's something you said or how you said it that put them off. It wouldn't surprise me at all. Dude, I bet you never even had a VP Free.

Oh, and which companies are beating down your door to sponser you?

Woah, were you talking to me? Clarify...

 

[BurlyShirley]

Hey girlieshirley, that is qiete possibly the stupidest thing uve ever heard. IT broke why? And did u ever think youre not good enough to be sponsored.

I am good enouf to be sponserd anyway and SC wouldint so they misst out but it doest mater becuase i have a p1 now.

 

[HTFR]

Hey girlieshirley, that is qiete possibly the stupidest thing uve ever heard. IT broke why? And did u ever think youre not good enough to be sponsored.

haha nice, you get it. welcome to the monkey, i recomend lurking.

the vp-free = V8, no?

 

[OGRipper]

vp-free is a santa cruz, v8 is an intense, or at least it was but now they call it the uzzipimpdaddylcious or something like that. haven't been on the intense. the seem similar, the intense has a 1.5 headtube, other than that I don't know too much about the intense. They're both vpp bikes but could be way different in axle path, shock rate, etc...

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

I am good enouf to be sponserd anyway and SC wouldint so they misst out but it doest mater becuase i have a p1 now.

you are the winner!!!

 

[Natedogg]

vp-free is a santa cruz, v8 is an intense, or at least it was but now they call it the uzzipimpdaddylcious or something like that. haven't been on the intense. the seem similar, the intense has a 1.5 headtube, other than that I don't know too much about the intense. They're both vpp bikes but could be way different in axle path, shock rate, etc...

I would guess that the axle path might be slightly different--the shock mount on the V8 is on the top tube whereas its on the downtube on the VPFree. Or maybe not... the rate must be different though, no?

 

[Natedogg]

__________________
check out my site. it doesn't suck.

Some of your photos definitely dont suck!

 

[lonewolfe]

No Urianal Mint, I was directing that at Burly Surly

 

[Natedogg]

A'ight fellas, thanks to your suggestions, I put $100 down to reserve a large VP-free at the LBS. :dancing: When my Christmas bonus comes around shes MINE!

I think Ive got just about everything I need to build it... anyone running a Blackspire guide and Turbine LPs? I need to know what size bb will work best...

 

[OGRipper]

I don't have a blackspire (I run an e.thirteen drs) but I use a 128mm bb with my holzfellers and it works great, chainline is spot on.

Congrats on making the call to get one, hope you like it as much as I like mine.

 

[TheInedibleHulk]

A'ight fellas, thanks to your suggestions, I put $100 down to reserve a large VP-free at the LBS. :dancing: When my Christmas bonus comes around shes MINE!

I think Ive got just about everything I need to build it... anyone running a Blackspire guide and Turbine LPs? I need to know what size bb will work best...

Wouldnt recommend the turbine LP's, I broke mine on the first day(and I'm not lying, like burly was). I dont think Ive ever ridden a pair on any kind of aggro bike that wasnt at least bent. Go with the holzfellers, a little heavier but similar price and much stronger.