Can I do better than the Tallboy LTc?

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Can I do better than the Tallboy LTc?
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Posted: Apr 1, 2015 at 17:18 Quote
I'm a 6'6" 240lb rider currently on a 2012 Stumpjumper Evo 29. I ride a mix of XC/trali/AM and want something that pedals/climbs better than this bike. It's almost 4 model years old so it's time for a new one. Everything but my frame is pretty new so I'll get a frame and move my parts over. Whatever frame I get will have to work with a 140mm Pike fork and 29er wheels. This is a nice balance for the trails I ride.

I've gone round and round and I think the Tallboy LTc is what would best suit me. I wish it had a bottle mount inside the front triangle, internal cable routing, and more modern geometry (head tube angle). But I can work around or deal with all of these "flaws". Just want to make sure I'm getting the best I can if I'm spending as much for a frame as my first car cost.

I was expecting Santa Cruz to make an announcement on new models today as they usually do April 1st but it looks like they aren't.

I've looked at and ruled out the following--

Evil Following - stack is 35mm less than the TB LTc so I dunno if it will fit me, frame is quite a bit heavier than the TB LTc
Niner - the Rip9 is a close match but I keep reading that the TB LTc climbs/descends better and this corners better, I'd rather climb/descend better
Ibis Ripley - largest size will not fit me
Specialized - I do not want an FSR bike anymore
Turner Sultan - no carbon frame option
Pivot - no 29ers except XC models
Yeti - no 29ers except XC models
BMC - their MTB's ride like road bikes, no thanks
Giant - no 29ers except XC models
Intense - the Spider is too XC oriented and the Carbine is too aggressive/sluggish for my terrain
Knolly - all their bikes are pig heavy and/or too aggressive for my terrain
Trek - not a fan of their suspension design and how the Remedy/Fuel ride, just feels "numb"


Not interested in anything by Surly, Rocky Mountain, BMC, Cannondale, Ventana, Sette, Scott, Norco, Kona, GT, Fuji, Felt, Diamondback, or Canfield.

Am I missing anything? Is the Tallboy LTc the way to go?

Posted: Apr 1, 2015 at 17:59 Quote
I would highly recommend the kona process 111. yes it is not the lightest frame out there but defiantly the funnest 29er ive ever ridden

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 5:44 Quote
Just not a fan of it. I want something light and carbon with a fancy suspension design like
VPP, CVA, or DW. Need all the help I can get on the climbs.

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 6:58 Quote
But you want a 140mm fork? The tall boy is a nice bike but without the shifted Geo twowards longer toptube it's like buying a bike that's two model years old.... Check out the Rocky thunderbolt. Or altitude.

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 10:46 Quote
griff369 wrote:
But you want a 140mm fork? The tall boy is a nice bike but without the shifted Geo twowards longer toptube it's like buying a bike that's two model years old.... Check out the Rocky thunderbolt. Or altitude.

Yes the "LT" model is designed for a 130-150mm fork. I have a Stumpjumper with 140mm Pike at the moment, will be moving it over.

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 12:58 Quote
I recently sold an aluminum LT, but I rode it for 3 years. While it does climb well if you don't like an active suspension, because it is not active when hard on the pedals, it has really fallen off in comparative descending ability to other 29ers. I loved descending with it at first, but as time went on and i tried some other bikes I realized That the head angle is steep, even with 29 inch wheels. If I were you, I would either wait for santa cruz to update it, or suck it up and try something better suited to you regardless of frame material. I'm all for carbon, but not at the sacrifice of getting a bike I really want.

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 13:18 Quote
LiveLifetwo wrote:
I recently sold an aluminum LT, but I rode it for 3 years. While it does climb well if you don't like an active suspension, because it is not active when hard on the pedals, it has really fallen off in comparative descending ability to other 29ers. I loved descending with it at first, but as time went on and i tried some other bikes I realized That the head angle is steep, even with 29 inch wheels. If I were you, I would either wait for santa cruz to update it, or suck it up and try something better suited to you regardless of frame material. I'm all for carbon, but not at the sacrifice of getting a bike I really want.

I keep going back and forth between the Rip9 and the Tallboy LT.

Rip9 - fits water bottle and has a newer shock design, but is 20% heavier. Slightly lower leverage ratio (better for heavier riders). No grease ports to easily service suspension.

Santa Cruz - Has grease ports to easily service suspension, 20% lighter, but slightly higher leverage ratio, no water bottle, and has a shock that is about to be replaced in Fox's lineup

Both of them have a steeper HTA than I'm used to. My Stumpy has a 68 and these are both 69.5 if I remember right.

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 13:27 Quote
If I were you I might go RIP9. If I could do it again. I like VPP. The tallboy was solid, but I just wouldn't spend money on the LT frame because it's going to be updated, and needs to be. The RIP9 has been more recently revamped.

O+
Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 17:21 Quote
i'd get a banshee phantom or a transition smuggler. both supposedly are great uphill and extremely fun downhill. if you have a well designed geometry you can get away with a little less travel and/or pedaling efficiency and end up with a super fun bike that just rips.

Both, the niner and the tallboy have XC geometry that are good for going uphill but will hold you back when the trail points downwards, and while 1.5ยบ may not seem like much, it changes the bike's feel completely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaXLPvU5M3E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEBqCl75WKs

Posted: Apr 2, 2015 at 19:11 Quote
+1 on banshee phantom

O+
Posted: Apr 3, 2015 at 6:21 Quote
Too bad you ruled out rocky mountain because sounds like the instinct bc edition would otherwise be perfect. Are you able to ride any of these bikes, see what you like?

Posted: Apr 3, 2015 at 7:10 Quote
I think you are compromising the ride of the bike by only wanting a "boutique" brand. More often then not the bigger brands are the ones with better suspension designs and better riding bikes

Posted: Apr 3, 2015 at 7:20 Quote
griff369 wrote:
I think you are compromising the ride of the bike by only wanting a "boutique" brand. More often then not the bigger brands are the ones with better suspension designs and better riding bikes

How about the Evil Following?

I want something that climbs fast, that is one of my biggest priorities. I just can't believe that something that uses the same suspension design as the bike I have now and hate the way it climbs, will climb any better at all. Horst, 4 bar, FSR, none of those are going to climb better than what I have already.

Posted: Apr 3, 2015 at 7:33 Quote
without going to an xc racebike its going to be hard to find something that feels like it climbs fast

Posted: Apr 3, 2015 at 9:28 Quote
Turner Czarr is carbon that may suit.

Niner products are amazing but only if you buy in the sale as their rrp is out of this frickin world especially in the UK.

But again you get what you pay for.

Wouldn't even bother entertaining the Evil idea if I were you. They look ok but just that and when shit gets real which it will in winter months of ride time, they have a terrible CS record.

Shame but have you seen mud clearance, what a JOKE

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