Review: The 2020 Santa Cruz Hightower Gets a New Look & More Travel
Santa Cruz bills the new Hightower as a 'Goldilocks' bike, a 140mm 29er that sits squarely in the do-it-all category. The term 'all-mountain' seems to have fallen out of favor, but I'm going to dust it off for this review – it's a fitting description for the riding style that this new bike was designed for.
The Hightower is the latest model in Santa Cruz's lineup to get the lower link-mounted shock treatment, joining the Nomad, Bronson, and Megatower to create a quartet of bikes that look nearly identical, at least from a distance. Up close, and on the trail, it's the bikes' geometry, travel and wheel size that sets them apart.
The Hightower is the latest model in Santa Cruz's lineup to get the lower link-mounted shock treatment, joining the Nomad, Bronson, and Megatower to create a quartet of bikes that look nearly identical, at least from a distance. Up close, and on the trail, it's the bikes' geometry, travel and wheel size that sets them apart.
Hightower Details
• Wheel size: 29" or 27.5+
• Travel: 140mm rear / 150mm front
• Carbon or aluminum frame options
• 65.2 or 65.5-degree head angle
• Price as shown: $8,299 USD
• Frame only price: $3,299 USD (carbon) / $1,999 USD (aluminum)
• Colors: tan / blue
• Weight: 30 lb (size large, actual)
• www.santacruzbicycles.com
• Wheel size: 29" or 27.5+
• Travel: 140mm rear / 150mm front
• Carbon or aluminum frame options
• 65.2 or 65.5-degree head angle
• Price as shown: $8,299 USD
• Frame only price: $3,299 USD (carbon) / $1,999 USD (aluminum)
• Colors: tan / blue
• Weight: 30 lb (size large, actual)
• www.santacruzbicycles.com
There are two carbon frame models – CC and C, along with an aluminum option. Prices range from $2,899 USD for the base aluminum model, all the way up to $10,499 USD for the top-of-the-line carbon option, which comes with Santa Cruz's Reserve carbon wheels, and SRAM's AXS wireless electronic drivetrain.
The Hightower X01 Reserve featured here is on the higher end side of that price scale, checking in at $8,299 USD. The X01 Eagle build kit includes a 150mm RockShox Lyrik fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, SRAM Code RSC brakes, X01 Eagle drivetrain, and Reserve carbon wheels shod with 2.4” Maxxis Minion DHR II tires.
 | There's a healthy dose of plushness mixed in with its playfulness that makes the Hightower extremely comfortable, even when rolling through really chunky sections of trail. |
Construction and Features
Santa Cruz have settled into a groove with the frame design of their longer travel bikes. The new shock configuration puts the weight of the damper and linkages nice and low in the frame, along with providing room for a water bottle. Plus, it's probably nice not needing to reinvent the wheel for each model.
It does make for a familiar sounding list of features, but that's not a bad thing – Santa Cruz's frames are some of the nicest in the business, and they come with a lifetime warranty, which also includes the bearings. There's internal cable routing, a threaded bottom bracket, down tube protectors to prevent frame damage from rocks and tailgates, and a ribbed chain-slap guard on the chainstay.
A flip chip on the lower link allows the geometry to be fine-tuned – there's a .3 degree head angle, and 4mm bottom bracket height difference between the two settings, and the lower position also alters the shock curve to provide a little more bottom out resistance.
Santa Cruz have settled into a groove with the frame design of their longer travel bikes. The new shock configuration puts the weight of the damper and linkages nice and low in the frame, along with providing room for a water bottle. Plus, it's probably nice not needing to reinvent the wheel for each model.
It does make for a familiar sounding list of features, but that's not a bad thing – Santa Cruz's frames are some of the nicest in the business, and they come with a lifetime warranty, which also includes the bearings. There's internal cable routing, a threaded bottom bracket, down tube protectors to prevent frame damage from rocks and tailgates, and a ribbed chain-slap guard on the chainstay.
A flip chip on the lower link allows the geometry to be fine-tuned – there's a .3 degree head angle, and 4mm bottom bracket height difference between the two settings, and the lower position also alters the shock curve to provide a little more bottom out resistance.
The new Hightower now uses the same suspension layout as the Nomad, Bronson, and Megatower.
Raised chainstay protectors have quickly become the norm in order to keep things nice and quiet.
Geometry & Sizing
In addition to moving to a lower link-mounted shock design, the new Hightower gets the longer and slacker treatment. The amount of rear travel moves from 135 to 140mm, which is paired with a 150mm fork. The head angle now sits at 65.2-degrees in the low setting, and the reach on a size large measures 470mm. Those are significant changes compared to its predecessor's 67-degree head angle and 450mm reach of the size large. Despite the longer front center, the chainstay length remains the same – the flip chip found on the Megatower and V10 hasn't trickled down.
In addition to moving to a lower link-mounted shock design, the new Hightower gets the longer and slacker treatment. The amount of rear travel moves from 135 to 140mm, which is paired with a 150mm fork. The head angle now sits at 65.2-degrees in the low setting, and the reach on a size large measures 470mm. Those are significant changes compared to its predecessor's 67-degree head angle and 450mm reach of the size large. Despite the longer front center, the chainstay length remains the same – the flip chip found on the Megatower and V10 hasn't trickled down.
Suspension Design
The Hightower's suspension layout may look identical to the Megatower, but a few tweaks have been made that alter its ride characteristics. The Hightower was designed to run an air sprung shock only, and as such it has a slightly less progressive suspension curve than the Megatower. The RockShox Super Deluxe shock has a low rebound and low compression tune, and comes with one volume spacer already installed – riders can add up to 2.5 more spacers in order to fine-tune the end-stroke ramp up.
There's enough room to fit a Super Deluxe or Fox DPX2, but shocks with larger air cans, like a Fox Float X2 or Cane Creek DB Air, aren't compatible.
| Specifications | ||
| Price | $8299 | |
| Travel | 140mm | |
| Rear Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe Select Ultimate | |
| Fork | RockShox Lyrik Ultimate, 150mm | |
| Headset | Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated Headset | |
| Cassette | SRAM XG1295 Eagle, 12spd, 10-50t | |
| Crankarms | SRAM X01 Eagle, 30t - 170mm (XS-S), 175mm (M-XXL) | |
| Bottom Bracket | SRAM DUB threaded BB | |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd | |
| Chain | SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd | |
| Shifter Pods | SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd | |
| Handlebar | Santa Cruz AM Carbon | |
| Stem | Race Face Aeffect R | |
| Grips | Santa Cruz Palmdale | |
| Brakes | SRAM Code RSC | |
| Wheelset | Santa Cruz Reserve 30 carbon | |
| Hubs | DT Swiss 350, 15x110, Torque Cap, 28h | |
| Spokes | DT Swiss Competition Race | |
| Rim | Santa Cruz Reserve 30 29" Carbon Rims | |
| Tires | Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C EXO TR | |
| Seat | WTB Silverado Team Saddle | |
| Seatpost | RockShox Reverb Stealth, 1X Lever, 31.6 | |
Prices for the aluminum Hightower range from $2,899 to $4,199 USD.
I'm not sure what the official name of this color is, but I'm going to go with blueberry.
Test Bike Setup
Getting the Hightower dialed in was refreshingly easy, especially after struggling a bit to get the Megatower to feel the way I wanted. I ended up running a touch over 30% sag, with two volume spacers in the Super Deluxe shock, and four clicks of low-speed compression (counted from full open). Up front, I inflated the Lyrik Ultimate to 77psi, and dialed in one click of HSC and seven clicks of LSC, again, from the open position.
The component spec on the X01 model leaves little to be desired, and the stem length, bar width, and even the grips all matched my preferences. The only small tweak I made was to swap the 180mm front rotor out for a 200 in order to boost the stopping power.
Testing took place around Bellingham, Washington, over the course of the last month of prime summer conditions - sunshine, good dirt, and plenty of daylight for racking up the miles.
Getting the Hightower dialed in was refreshingly easy, especially after struggling a bit to get the Megatower to feel the way I wanted. I ended up running a touch over 30% sag, with two volume spacers in the Super Deluxe shock, and four clicks of low-speed compression (counted from full open). Up front, I inflated the Lyrik Ultimate to 77psi, and dialed in one click of HSC and seven clicks of LSC, again, from the open position.
The component spec on the X01 model leaves little to be desired, and the stem length, bar width, and even the grips all matched my preferences. The only small tweak I made was to swap the 180mm front rotor out for a 200 in order to boost the stopping power.
Testing took place around Bellingham, Washington, over the course of the last month of prime summer conditions - sunshine, good dirt, and plenty of daylight for racking up the miles.
Mike Kazimer
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Age: 36
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Inseam: 33" / 84cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.6 kg
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @mikekazimer
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Age: 36
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Inseam: 33" / 84cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.6 kg
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @mikekazimer
Climbing
The shock's light compression tune felt like a very good match for the Hightower's kinematics – it makes the compression dial a usable feature, as opposed to needing to run it all the way open without any room for adjustment. I added four clicks of low-speed compression (from fully open) to the Super Deluxe shock, which added a touch more support for climbing, while still retaining plenty of small bump sensitivity for rougher sections of trail. There's also a climb mode that can be used to firm things up even further, but I only touched that when I was spinning my way to the trailhead on a paved road. Otherwise, I was completely content leaving that blue lever alone.
Even though it's longer and slacker than the prior model, the Hightower is still quite maneuverable when things get tight and technical. It's not wildly light, but it's not a pig either, and the well-balanced geometry makes it easy to power through the miles required to reach the top of a big climb. The geometry is really close to that of the Megatower, but with a little less suspension squish, it handled a bit better on the climbs – the 150mm fork (vs. a 160) shifted my weight over the front a little more, and the reduced sag from the shock kept the seat angle a little steeper.
The shock's light compression tune felt like a very good match for the Hightower's kinematics – it makes the compression dial a usable feature, as opposed to needing to run it all the way open without any room for adjustment. I added four clicks of low-speed compression (from fully open) to the Super Deluxe shock, which added a touch more support for climbing, while still retaining plenty of small bump sensitivity for rougher sections of trail. There's also a climb mode that can be used to firm things up even further, but I only touched that when I was spinning my way to the trailhead on a paved road. Otherwise, I was completely content leaving that blue lever alone.
Even though it's longer and slacker than the prior model, the Hightower is still quite maneuverable when things get tight and technical. It's not wildly light, but it's not a pig either, and the well-balanced geometry makes it easy to power through the miles required to reach the top of a big climb. The geometry is really close to that of the Megatower, but with a little less suspension squish, it handled a bit better on the climbs – the 150mm fork (vs. a 160) shifted my weight over the front a little more, and the reduced sag from the shock kept the seat angle a little steeper.
Descending
I didn't look at the geometry chart for this Hightower until I had a handful of rides under my belt, and when I did I was surprised by how similar the numbers were to the Megatower. On paper they may not be that far off, but on the trail, the bikes have two distinct personalities due to the different travel amounts and shock tunes. The Hightower has much less serious feel than the Megatower; where the Megatower felt a little subdued when ridden at a casual pace, the Hightower has a much more eager, energetic nature. It's the type of bike that makes you want to toss in a little speed wheelie whenever possible, or try to double up features that probably weren't meant to be doubled.
Imagine doing a cannonball into a pile of memory foam mattresses - that’s the sensation the Hightower delivers when faced with bigger hits. It’s not ultra-gooshy, to use a technical term, but it does a great job of balancing comfort and support in rougher terrain. The shock tune felt perfectly matched to the bike's behavior - the rear wheel stayed glued to the ground when I wanted it to be, delivering a surprising amount of traction on off-camber roots and slippery, loose corners. I ended up adding one additional volume spacer to the Super Deluxe shock, bringing the total up to two. Dry summertime conditions meant that my local trails were running extra-firm and fast, and the spacer added a touch more support and bottom out resistance. I used all 140mm of travel when it was warranted, but there weren't any harsh bottom outs, or unexpected surprises at the end of the shock's stroke.
A 65-degree head angle on a 140mm 29er would have been seen as extreme just a few years ago; just take a look at the original Hightower's 67-degree head angle for proof. Nowadays, it's fast becoming the norm, especially for this do-it-all category. Yes, the front end handling may be a touch less snappy than the original, but if anything, it creates a calmer, easier to handle ride. I didn't have any trouble with the extra wheelbase length that the Hightower gained either. Granted, I've been spending a lot of time on fairly long bikes lately, but all the same, I didn't have any issues snapping through tight berms or making quick direction changes on more technical trails.
Would the Hightower make a good enduro race bike? That depends. I could see it working well at a location like Rotorua, NZ, where the trails are twisty and tight, and require faster bike maneuvering. For somewhere like Whistler I’d want a a bike with a little more travel, or at the very least the option to run a coil shock in order to better handle the longer, rougher stages.
I didn't look at the geometry chart for this Hightower until I had a handful of rides under my belt, and when I did I was surprised by how similar the numbers were to the Megatower. On paper they may not be that far off, but on the trail, the bikes have two distinct personalities due to the different travel amounts and shock tunes. The Hightower has much less serious feel than the Megatower; where the Megatower felt a little subdued when ridden at a casual pace, the Hightower has a much more eager, energetic nature. It's the type of bike that makes you want to toss in a little speed wheelie whenever possible, or try to double up features that probably weren't meant to be doubled.
Imagine doing a cannonball into a pile of memory foam mattresses - that’s the sensation the Hightower delivers when faced with bigger hits. It’s not ultra-gooshy, to use a technical term, but it does a great job of balancing comfort and support in rougher terrain. The shock tune felt perfectly matched to the bike's behavior - the rear wheel stayed glued to the ground when I wanted it to be, delivering a surprising amount of traction on off-camber roots and slippery, loose corners. I ended up adding one additional volume spacer to the Super Deluxe shock, bringing the total up to two. Dry summertime conditions meant that my local trails were running extra-firm and fast, and the spacer added a touch more support and bottom out resistance. I used all 140mm of travel when it was warranted, but there weren't any harsh bottom outs, or unexpected surprises at the end of the shock's stroke.
A 65-degree head angle on a 140mm 29er would have been seen as extreme just a few years ago; just take a look at the original Hightower's 67-degree head angle for proof. Nowadays, it's fast becoming the norm, especially for this do-it-all category. Yes, the front end handling may be a touch less snappy than the original, but if anything, it creates a calmer, easier to handle ride. I didn't have any trouble with the extra wheelbase length that the Hightower gained either. Granted, I've been spending a lot of time on fairly long bikes lately, but all the same, I didn't have any issues snapping through tight berms or making quick direction changes on more technical trails.
Would the Hightower make a good enduro race bike? That depends. I could see it working well at a location like Rotorua, NZ, where the trails are twisty and tight, and require faster bike maneuvering. For somewhere like Whistler I’d want a a bike with a little more travel, or at the very least the option to run a coil shock in order to better handle the longer, rougher stages.
Santa Cruz Hightower
Specialized Stumpjumper
How does it compare?
The Stumpjumper and the Hightower both have the same amount of front and rear travel, but there are some significant suspension and geometry differences.
The Stumpy’s rear suspension is more active, which helps give it lots of traction, albeit at the cost of some uphill efficiency, at least without using the climb switch. The small bump sensitivity is excellent, but it’s also hard to avoid using all of the travel on bigger hits due to the more linear suspension curve - the Hightower’s better able to handle those larger impacts.
As far as geometry goes, the Stumpjumper is on the more conservative side of things, while the Hightower's numbers are fairly typical for a modern aggressive trail / all-mountain bike. A size large Stumpjumper has a reach of 445mm, while the Hightower checks in at 470mm. The Stumpjumper's shorter length and 1.5-degree steeper head tube angle give it slightly quicker handling, but it doesn’t have quite the same ready-for-anything feel as the Hightower. Both bikes can handle plenty of rowdiness, but I felt like I could push the Hightower further before reaching its limits compared to the Stumpjumper.
There is one thing the Specialized has that the Hightower doesn’t - a secret snack compartment. That SWAT box is one of my favorite inventions in recent memory, and I wish more companies could figure out how to incorporate on-bike storage solutions.
Maxxis DHR II.
RockShox Reverb.
Technical Report
Maxxis DHRII tires: The dual Maxxis DHR II tire combination isn't a spec choice that you see all that often, but I'm a fan. It's a predictable setup, with plenty of cornering and braking traction.
Updated RockShox Reverb: The Hightower comes with the latest version of the RockShox Reverb, with 175mm of drop on the size large I tested. The fact that it takes less force to lower the post than before is noticeable, but only if you have a previous generation model to compare it to. Thankfully I didn't have any reason to try out the Vent Valve feature, which is used to rectify any squishy post issues - the post is still going up and down just like it's supposed to.
RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate shock: I touched on it already, but it's worth mentioning again: the shock tune on the Super Deluxe feels really, really good. The ol' parking lot test, the one where you ride in a circle and bounce up and down, doesn't make it feel like anything special, but it's a different story once you get away from the asphalt and onto the dirt. One of my favorite bits of trail is chock full of roots, sudden g-outs, and steep sections into hard turns, and each time I rode it I was impressed with just how well the shock was absorbing all of the impacts.
Maxxis DHRII tires: The dual Maxxis DHR II tire combination isn't a spec choice that you see all that often, but I'm a fan. It's a predictable setup, with plenty of cornering and braking traction.
Updated RockShox Reverb: The Hightower comes with the latest version of the RockShox Reverb, with 175mm of drop on the size large I tested. The fact that it takes less force to lower the post than before is noticeable, but only if you have a previous generation model to compare it to. Thankfully I didn't have any reason to try out the Vent Valve feature, which is used to rectify any squishy post issues - the post is still going up and down just like it's supposed to.
RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate shock: I touched on it already, but it's worth mentioning again: the shock tune on the Super Deluxe feels really, really good. The ol' parking lot test, the one where you ride in a circle and bounce up and down, doesn't make it feel like anything special, but it's a different story once you get away from the asphalt and onto the dirt. One of my favorite bits of trail is chock full of roots, sudden g-outs, and steep sections into hard turns, and each time I rode it I was impressed with just how well the shock was absorbing all of the impacts.
Pros
+ A true all-rounder - very wide range of capabilities
+ Comfortable + supportive suspension
Cons
- Slightly limited shock options
- A little heavier than the previous model
Pinkbike's Take
| Super slack and burly enduro bikes are often granted some leeway when it comes to climbing due to their downhill performance, and it's understandable when lighter duty trail bikes don't shine quite as brightly on the descents. As a mid-travel 29er, the Hightower doesn't get to rest on its laurels in either direction - the expectation is that it should be able to hold its own on the climbs and the descents. The good news is, it does. Yes, there is a limit to what the Hightower can handle, but it takes a good deal of pushing to get anywhere near it, and trying to find the edge is part of what makes it so fun to ride. It hits the sweet spot, where there's enough travel to deal with rougher trails, while still remaining entertaining on smoother, flowier trails. Achieving that balance can be tricky, but the Hightower gets it right. It's more bike than the previous model, but it hasn't lost that sturdy, dependable nature. |
437 Comments
And something about discolored butthole flaps.
@squint51: Waki did this better last year: www.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-the-new-santa-cruz-bronson.html
@colincolin: Fap yourself to a tweet
Anyone I can get at my age...
I get that not everyone loves retina-searing bright colorways, but SC's totally gone from pushing the envelope, to offering the most boring colors imaginable.
...
I'll see myself out.
The nice thing about Tacoma owners is they’ll tell they’re a Taco owner even if you never asked them.
unless they actually ride them on dirt
Again, it's just how I like my bike... I tend to ride heavier aluminum bikes and maybe I'm weaker than others and don't hit features as hard which might necessitate more travel... as I found having more travel didn't offer enough of a positive to outweigh the negatives that I experienced.
I old-man-enduro-race and found I'm faster on my trails and my local race series stages with a little less travel and I don't get as tired as quickly.
Also climbing... 25 to 30% sag on a longer travel bike is more than on less travel = changes your geometry more... slacks you out a little more. All these little things combine to just making a bit shorter travel bike more fun to ride for me.
Different strokes for different folks of course... but my personal opinion is that there are a lot of people riding bikes with more travel than they need and would be well serviced and maybe having more fun by choosing a bike with a little less.
They made a big bet building their own carbon factory in China just in time to get hammered by the tariffs. Now they are trying to save pennies where people will (hopefully) not notice so much. Full SRAM build to get a few more points off and hope you like garbage two-pawl DT 370 hubs on your 5,300$ bike. Death by a thousand cuts. And there is no easy solution because they can’t easily move their production someplace else unless they eat a huge upfront investment.
You can run a coil on the megatower, it just requires a different upper link - should be available from any SC dealer.
Which geo is “better” is very much in the eye of the beholder, I, for one, wouldn’t like the long chainstays on the Swoop. And I haven’t seen a current Swoop in the flesh yet, but Radons tended to have a rather progressive leverage curve, which would not work that well with a coil shock - is your friend happy with his setup?
Besides, I don’t think brands like Santa Cruz do have the same target market as direct sale discount brands do, next to nobody is going look at a Santa Cruz and then choose a Radon instead (and vice versa!).
But brand, quality, and geo considerations aside, I’d never choose a fsr-type suspension over a vpp anyway.
(the more the kids grow, the less I can spend on bikes. Hence the question.
Somehow I messed that sentence up, what I was trying to say was that Radons used to be to linear to run a coil shock, however, I checked in the meantime, and several reviews of the Swoop actually mention that it has a progressive curve, therefore coil shocks should work just fine with it.
According to the Santa Cruz product page:
Aluminum / S Build kit weight: 15.43kg / 34.02lbs
Carbon / S Build kit weight: 14.3kg / 31.53lbs
Specs on both carbon and aluminum kits seem the same so 3.5 pound difference for the frame? That would be excessive.
Most people I know buy on geometry and ride quality rather than what badge a bike has, maybe that's a British thing?
Santa Cruz have a bit of a reputation here as the lazy choice for the noob rider who wants "the best bike".
Look, the lower linkage design is rad, it looks cool, it rides cool, but nobody likes to pedal a 35lbs bike up a hill. If the TB4 utilizes this same design I have a hard time believing it will compete with the Ripley for weight.
@rjp1
damn that's porky. I've ridden a 34 lb trail bike (alu sentinel). hard to knock off line coming down but a pain in the arse on the climbs. eesh.
I know this is pinkbike so this will be downvoted but we just wanted to recognize their innovation.
The dedicated internal cabling carbon tracks that some companies use are neat, but I think they are unnecessary because it adds weight and brings up the costs of the frame.
I'm still skeptical that the next Tallboy will be lighter than its predecessor.
If you want a light frame, look to Scott or Giant (the latter even make Alu frames which are lighter than Santa's carbon frames).
Let us know how you like it.
Additionally I look to carbon for stiffness for weight, not absolute lowest weight.
All this said I don’t have a Santa Cruz right now and you don’t have to either.
Like was said before, however, the reason these heavy carbon bikes sell is because people buy them, and for the vast majority, weight is of little concern.
Good suspension doesn't weight more than bad suspension. The strongest brakes on the market (Trickstuff Diretissima) are lighter than XTR, frames can be super strong and light at the same time (Scott, Giant, BMC, etc.), longer droppers don't weight more than short droppers, drivetrains are the same on heavy enduro rigs and lightweight XC race machines, I could go on...
You can even make wheels light and strong, look at Syntace or Newmen. Literally the only place where weight truly equals performance is in tires.
Light, cheap, durable, choose two used to be the saying. But I guess even for efffing over TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS you can't get light and durable. Is that too much to ask?
Note that a large Ibis Ripmo can be built to about 28lbs without pedals for $9,000 (similar spec to axis HT) so there are lighter weight options. Ibis has a decent warranty too, not as good as SC, but still decent.
They might have similar travel, but the geo is wildly different, they're made for very different purposes.
Where do you hear such things? I‘m thinking of buying a Ripmo in the near future and this could be a reason to wait.
Spec probably won’t be comparable to DTC brands, but if you still get the life long warranty on frames and bearings with it it’s gonna be the „entry drug“ into Santa Cruz and/or full sus 29ers for quite a few people because of the brand name alone.
Lots of Megatowers now for sale?
For my personally, I really wanted to see a 145mm rear travel hightower to replace my HTLT. I know it's splitting hairs, but for me 145/150 is the sweet spot.
I believe the new Bronson's run the same time as the new HT, and have a 210x55 size shock, be interesting if someone's swaps it and reviews the ride.
Would you instead put the EVo with the Mega?
Anyway, will be interested to see if they release another version with a different linkage.
This is still VPP.
Fork offset is 42mm.
Or is it just me?
Either Santa Cruz didn't have the foresight to realise that the Bronson geo would be outdated in less than a year or they think that a 650b bike needs to be more conservative for some reason.
However, most Santa Cruz bikes’ geometries are pretty close to the competitors that are already in the market, when they appear, this Hightower is very close, for example, to the Orbea Occam, that was recently released.
The same was true for the Bronson, when it was released, when compared to existing bikes in its category back then, like the Kona Process.
Geometries just have kept changing quite a bit in recent years. I’m sure when the Bronson gets an update, it will also be longer and slacker yet again, 27.5 or not.
This isn't just a Santa Cruz thing though, there's a trend towards more progressive geo on 29ers compared to 650b bikes. Companies are either failing to update their 650b bikes (Ibis, Yeti) or updating their 650b bikes more conservatively than their 29ers (Transition, Devinci).
Try finding a 650b bike with a ~77 degree seat angle. There's way fewer options compared to 29ers...
1. Because for the same gearing, a 29er has larger gear inches. Forward saddle helps you engage your quads and makes it easier to get that power on tap.
2. 29ers are seen/positioned as more "pedally" bikes to be ridden all day, where 27.5 bikes are for "fun" rides where you pedal less.
Hightower v2: July 2ns, 2019
Bronson and 5010 v3: July 3rd, 2018
Blur v3: March 20th, 2018
Hightower LT: July 16th, 2017
Nomad v4: June 1st, 2017
Tallboy v3: April 26th, 2016
Hightower: Feb. 2nd, 2016
Bronson v2 and 5010 v2: Sept. 11th, 2015
Nomad v3: April 1st, 2014
The new Ripley is a killer short travel bike that for most people would work as a great trail bike and part-time XC racer.
Also,I agree that the new Ripley looks REALLY good which is why I'm hoping for something competitive from SC.
Nice looking bike!
For Fox, I can understand this as the 36 has access to GRIP2, where the 34 does not. The 34 is also a dated chassis that despite being class leading weight wise, is probably also the flexiest of the "Trail" category forks. A Step-Cast 36 would be BITCHIN and I wouldn't doubt it's not in the pipeline.
The Pike however, has access to nearly the same damper/air spring options as the Lyrik, but is 175g lighter, and for most riders the difference is stiffness probably isn't noticeable. If given the option, I might choose the Pike over the Lyrik, and I'm a heavier rider. That all-silver colorway is rad.
The Mattoc 29 is kinda heavy (2032g 180mm Mezzer tech needs to trickle down to a 1800g 140mm 37mm Mattoc) the Ribbon has mixed reports of performance (stiction), Suntour can't seem to make a lightweight fork, X-Fusion is no-where to be found, Formula and DT Swiss are expensive as top-tier stuff but the performance isn't there. Basically, given the options, its not surprising that the 36/Lyrik are the most common choice.
If you're stretching the Pike to Lyrik lengths (150+) that might be a different story, but people won plenty of races on 32mm forks back in the day.
cracking review...
Odd choice.. but I guarantee you the engineer who worked on this is way smarter than I am.
I don't live in San Fransisco... I'm in Kingston, NY. Other side of the country.
I'm still on an 03' Stinky my friend...
Riding a YT is NOT scraping by...
And on top of that it's getting to be one of those things that if you DON'T have it people wonder why. Why not include something that can give you options that also removes a differentiator from the competition.
I've got one on my Trek. You can definitely tell when it's flipped.