Video: Ben Cathro's Santa Cruz V10 is Very Yellow, Very Long - Sea Otter 2022

Apr 10, 2022
by Mike Levy  


Announced back in February, the Pinkbike racing team is tackling the 2022 World Cup downhill season with Ben Cathro at the helm as manager and coach while also still getting between the tape himself. With Cathro in California for his first Sea Otter, we thought it'd be a good time to talk to 'Line Guy' about his Santa Cruz V10 race bike and how he likes to set it up.





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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Videos First Looks Pinkbike Racing Santa Cruz Bicycles Santa Cruz V10 Ben Cathro Sea Otter 2022


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72 Comments
  • 33 0
 I understand ben’s struggle. I’m 1cm shorter than him, and sizing is always a bitch. I would love to ride with the man one day to see how he does it. Not that I would be able to emulate anything that he does, but it would be really cool.

Ben you are a great representative of the “how tall are you?” Club!
  • 2 0
 How tall is he? The network I’m on atm has videos blocked, so I can’t watch.
  • 2 0
 @Afterschoolsports: how has your network blocked YouTube? Is this a thing?
  • 6 0
 @Afterschoolsports: 6'-7"
  • 6 0
 @L0rdTom: I’m at a remote site with very slow internet that is effectively for emails only. It’s easy to block content with firewalls and routers. Kind of annoying but it’s a small price to pay for being able to work out of this amazing facility.
  • 3 0
 @Acid11: thank you!
  • 1 3
 Dude same hear. Sizing is a bitch
  • 6 11
flag Kobeefton88 (Apr 10, 2022 at 12:55) (Below Threshold)
 @Acid11: those are two measurements
  • 1 0
 @Afterschoolsports: same
  • 2 0
 @Afterschoolsports: are you in Russia my bro
  • 1 0
 @Acid11: So, 5’5
  • 4 0
 @browner: nope, I’m at an aerospace test facility. Apparently restricting bandwidth is one of the best ways to ensure that the programmes running here remain secret.
  • 35 0
 Bike looks amazing, but I can’t help think that the Pinkbike racing team should be on pink bikes…
  • 18 0
 I can confirm that at the ses rounds he would wear 4 knee pads, his legs were that long.
  • 2 0
 Makes perfect sense.
  • 5 0
 damn, first thought was "wow, two knees per leg, you could sit on your own feet, like a centaur but half man half chair" then i realised you were just talking about long legs
  • 7 0
 As someone who's 198cm I find this bike to be small. My XL Geometron G1 is bigger by a significant margin on every single measurement. It must be weird to be a pro beholden to a company that kind of refuses to make good bikes for someone your size.
  • 5 2
 I had to go and double-check. The XL V10 has 490mm of reach. That's tiny, especially for those of us approaching 200cm. My XL G1 has 535mm of reach and a 1360mm wheelbase (the XL V10 wheelbase is 1315). Godspeed Ben you're a good ambassador. Just wish someone would hook you up with a suitably sized bike.
  • 3 1
 yep, even my XL Range VLT makes this look small. I'm "only" 185cm. The bike is too small for him IMO still! Not that there is a size larger than the XL.
  • 10 0
 That's a big banana for a Big boy!
  • 3 0
 Plátano de por vida!
  • 12 2
 Only 500mm reach and you’re 6’-7”? Seems really short.
  • 13 3
 DH bikes generally are a little shorter.
  • 3 0
 I'm 6'7 myself and prefer a 500mm reach for descending
  • 13 3
 Many of the pros are not on the longer is better trend
  • 7 19
flag SintraFreeride (Apr 10, 2022 at 10:53) (Below Threshold)
 @Muckal: 500mm reach is still way too short for someone his size! He should be on +550mm reach.
  • 1 1
 @bashhard: because they want a balanced bike which is only found in certain sizes
  • 8 3
 @stormracing: That is oversimplified. Yes, balance is very important. But many pros have the chance to get customized chainstay lengths and still go for the shorter reach.
Or e.g. in Enduro maneuverability on tight tracks is important, hence many rather lose a little bit of straight line speed and win a lot in tight corners. They don't need the confidence boost in the straight line that comes with a long bike as much as an amateur
  • 1 0
 @bashhard: many actually do not have the chance to get custom chainstays.. hence why you see people like Loic Bruni using eccentric BBs and rotating them 90* to get extended chainstays and shortened reach for better balance

And some, not most, do ride smaller bikes for the tight Euro tracks yeah. Like Jack has mentioned in his videos with sizing down for euro tracks and riding his normal size elsewhere. But then there is Richie who does ride a smaller size not for maneuverability but for balance. Heard him say it
  • 1 0
 @Hbay: I’m 6’5” and prefer the same
  • 2 8
flag Kobeefton88 (Apr 10, 2022 at 12:56) (Below Threshold)
 those are two measurements
  • 1 0
 @Muckal: why is that?
  • 3 0
 @KUBBY: I think that's because they are generalpy used on steep terrain which lengthens the reach by angeling the bike. Or everybody is stupid and SintraFreeride is right. I'm sure the engineers on here will tell us.
  • 1 0
 @Hbay: I’m 5’10” and the industry says I need 475mm reach. Now that’s interesting…. I ride mediums by the way.
  • 1 0
 @Kobeefton88: foot and inch
  • 1 0
 @Muckal: ah cheers mate makes sense
  • 2 2
 @txcx166: I'm 5'11'' and I ride a size large bike with 515mm reach...
  • 1 0
 @SintraFreeride: a reverse recumbent?
  • 1 0
 @txcx166: 475 is a medium nowadays, at least in enduro/trail bikes
  • 1 0
 @Muckal: Not into BMX so I got an adult sized bike Wink Nicolai G1
  • 1 0
 @SintraFreeride: go tell the industry, they seem to have a strong BMX background.
  • 1 0
 @Muckal: They are slowly getting there but at the moment only Pole and Nicolai (and custom bike makers) make bikes for people +200cm tall.
  • 9 0
 I don't think I realized how tall Cathro is...
  • 6 0
 Word around the pits is Cathro is known for his length. Killer bike!
  • 3 0
 Is there no XXL for the V10? XL seems small for his height
  • 3 0
 The newest Gen XL is still bigger than the last Gen XXL
  • 2 6
flag SintraFreeride (Apr 10, 2022 at 13:58) (Below Threshold)
 That's Santacruz for you...maybe when Minnaar finally moves to reach above 500mm they'll make one...
  • 1 0
 Wooo woooo woooo people. Ben is not huge. He is tall and skinny as a wind blown stick in a storm. He’s so tall he can run both sides of a teeter-totter. Which as about shifting weight not muscle.
  • 3 0
 Love that Öhlins bling! Also love that it's a full 29er.
  • 1 1
 I hope someone refers to this in the Queen's English as a Proper Smasher.

Ben is huge - it's very rare to come across someone that tall. I'm 7" shorter and have a longer reach. O.o
  • 2 0
 Great to see you on Ohlins. Night and Day between Ohlins and Fox, I'd never go back.
  • 1 0
 my 03 size L Yeti Dh9 with Shivers had a 1360 wheelbase... dam tha bike was a weapon on fast trails.

www.pinkbike.com/photo/5686558
  • 3 1
 Nice bike for the AutoZone team.
  • 2 0
 Why? Are they all tall?
  • 1 0
 The logo with the 3 stripes looks like the autozone logo, and the colors are slightly similar
  • 2 0
 Ben didn't look that tall in the How to Bike but now he looks huge!
  • 3 0
 Can confirm - giraffe like
  • 2 0
 yellow bikes making a big come back
  • 1 0
 Can anyone explain why this is the first bit of coverage on the pinkbike racing teams bike?
  • 4 0
 There's a video series in the works.
  • 2 1
 Long live Scuba Yellow..... bring it back SC! For anyone not old enough to know what that is, search Scuba Yellow Super 8
  • 2 0
 Ben Cathro: "Don't skid. Don't do it.". Preach.
  • 1 0
 VHS Slapper tape top n bottom of chainstay, quiet down the V10 roar (that stuffs the bomb shizzle)
  • 1 0
 Hey Ben, keep it up and maybe we'll get you your own set of CLAMPS.
  • 1 0
 shimano modular chain control...gonna have to google that.
  • 1 0
 I like Ben and Mike and I like that bike.
  • 1 0
 beeeeeeeees
  • 1 0
 Pinkbike sliders! Woof!
  • 1 0
 The Man
  • 1 0
 @2:10 high five!
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