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8 things to know about the new Santa Cruz Hightower


1. TALLBOY 2
The Hightower is the replacement for Santa Cruz’s Tallboy LT, which broke the 29er mould when it was launched back in 2012 but had begun to show its age in terms of geometry.

2. FRESH GEO
The new bike is longer up front, shorter in the rear, slacker and lower than its predecessor, with a 622mm efective top tube, 435mm chainstays, 67-degree head angle and 337mm bottom bracket height on the large size in 29er mode.

3. PLUS POINTS
The Hightower isn’t just a 29er though. It’s also compatible with 650b+ wheels/tyres. So is it a 29er that’s plus-size compatible or a 650b+ bike that can run big wheels? Both. Santa Cruz will be ofering it with a choice of three 29er and three 650b+ build kits, with prices starting from 6000$. The frameset will set you back 4050$.

4. LATEST LINKAGE
Like the Tallboy LT, the Hightower serves up 135mm (5.3in) of travel, but it gets the same streamlined VPP linkage as Santa Cruz’s redesigned Bronson and 5010.

5. 1X SPECIFIC
If you like doubles (or even triple cranksets) this isn’t the bike for you – the Hightower is designed for use with single-ring drivetrains only.

 6. FIBRE DIET
Don’t hold your breath for an alloy version, because Santa Cruz only plan to produce the Hightower in carbon fibre. This keeps stifness high and weight low – a large frame with RockShox Monarch RT3 shock weighs a claimed 2.68kg (5.88lb), while complete bikes range from 13.5kg (29.73lb) to 12.2kg (26.93lb).

7. SORRY SHORTIES
The Hightower isn’t a bike for the vertically challenged. Santa Cruz are only ofering it in medium, large and XL sizes, and the complete bikes all come with 150mm dropper posts. There’s no longer an XXL size, but the reach of an XL Hightower is 18mm longer than that of an XXL Tallboy LT.

8. DEVIL IN THE
DETAILS Practicality hasn’t been forgotten. The Hightower has internal cable routing for the rear derailleur but external routing for the rear brake, making parts swaps much easier. You can also expect to enjoy many creak-free rides thanks to the triedand- true threaded bottom bracket. Thanks, Santa Cruz!




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