Evil Offering vs. Santa Cruz Hightower

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Evil Offering vs. Santa Cruz Hightower
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flag bicyclebicyclebike
Posted: Mar 2, 2021 at 15:36 Quote
Hello Everyone.
So I am going to be in the market for a mountain bike soon, and I have pretty much boiled down my choices to either the Evil Offering, or the Santa Cruz Hightower. I was almost sold on another bike, but the slack seatangle is something that I just can't do, as I spend a lot of time in the saddle.
Almost everything else has too slack of a seat angle, too long of a chainstay, or is just too biased in one direction.
As an ex BMXer, I rely on puling up the front end a lot more than I thought that I would for just general trail riding/adventure time.

Obviously the Offering is better for that sort of playfulness, while still remaining stable enough to traverse rough terrain, but I was wondering if the Hightower is not all that different?

I really like the Hightower for it's ability to also run 27.5 wheels. Not looking to spend 15k on a stable here, just one good MTB that will fit most of my, mostly moderate, needs.

Trying to get the opinion of people who have tried both, or similar bikes, and owns either one or the other.
Is the Hightower not that far off from the Offering as far as playfulness goes?
I fear getting another bike that will have an unpredictable front end yank.

Thanks!
flag Remonster
Posted: Mar 4, 2021 at 15:59 Quote
Not many people on this forum are going to have experience on both of those bikes, so you're not going to get much direct feedback on a comparison.

I think most people will encourage you to demo the bikes through a dealer. I know that's a lot easier said than done, but it's the most full proof way for a picky rider to experience the ride style of each bike.
flag Ghostturtle
Posted: Mar 7, 2021 at 5:01 Quote
I have 2021 Evil offering and a 2019 Santa Cruz hightower LT, what I have noticed over the past few weeks is
The offering is much better at keeping the back tire planet to the ground specially when climbing, The offering is a little heavier but not too much, however the smoothness in the ride and running over rocks is definitely worth it. They both are great bikes in their own way it’s just the offering does its better. Now that I’ve got my offering all set up I will definitely be selling the Hightower LT.
flag jeremy3220
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 7, 2021 at 17:49 Quote
Ghostturtle wrote:
I have 2021 Evil offering and a 2019 Santa Cruz hightower LT, what I have noticed over the past few weeks is
The offering is much better at keeping the back tire planet to the ground specially when climbing, The offering is a little heavier but not too much, however the smoothness in the ride and running over rocks is definitely worth it. They both are great bikes in their own way it’s just the offering does its better. Now that I’ve got my offering all set up I will definitely be selling the Hightower LT.

The new lower link VPP bikes are much better at tracking the ground than the old VPP.
flag jacksquat
Posted: Nov 29, 2021 at 8:00 Quote
I've had a v1 Offering for about a year and I demoed a 2020 Hightower in Colorado last year. During my demo, I was very impressed with the Hightower when pointed downhill - it was either floating through or eating up the gnarly stuff. Either way, it felt amazing. It did not impress me while climbing but I'm an east coaster and I'm sure the CO elevation played a role. Despite my great demo of the Hightower, I bought a v1 Offering about a year ago without ever having ridden one. That was partially due to a fantastic closeout deal on the v1 model and the fact that I was actually able to find one during the pandemic. I will say the Offering has taken some getting used to. The rear suspension feels harsh/choppy over smaller bumps - I believe due to its high anti-squat. That being said, it feels appropriately plush on bigger hits and is an amazing climber for 140/150 bike. It's taken some time to get used to and some dialing, but I'm happy with the Offering. For reference, I'm 6'4" riding XL frames. Both bikes were GX-level builds.
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