Adaptable to suit both 29in and 650b+ wheels, it’s the 29er Hightower that’s stolen the limelight under Santa Cruz’s top racers, but we think the fat-tyre version is a real cracker.
The frame
The Hightower is the only bike here with a full-carbon frame. This model uses Santa Cruz’s ‘C’ grade carbon, which weighs a little more than the pricier ‘CC’ but is said to be just as stiff and strong. The rear end moves on a pair of aluminium links, creating the virtual pivot point that gives Santa Cruz’s VPP system its name.
The kit
SRAM hubs and Easton AR40 rims make up the lightest wheelset on test, and the 2.8in Maxxis tyres are exceptionally fast rolling. The Shimano SLX brakes, SRAM GX drivetrain and Race Face finishing kit all perform well too.
The ride
The Hightower blows out of the water the notion that plus bikes are lazy, boring or vague. Because the 2.8in tyres are mounted on 40mm rims, carcass roll is minimised, creating a relatively accurate, trail-connected feel. The full-carbon frame is stiff and precise in the bends, and the VPP suspension is responsive and efficient, popping you out the other side with verve.
Having the lightest wheels and lowest overall weight on test helps on the climbs, and if you like to pedal stood up the Hightower is hugely resistant to bob. Sat down, though, the 73-degree effective seat angle was a little laidback for our tastes.
Without getting too technical, the VPP design serves up plenty of bob-stopping anti-squat around the sag point, which drops off towards the end of the stroke, where you don’t need it. That means pedalling is super-efficient but you don’t get too much of the pedal kickback that this usually goes hand-in-hand with. It’s not the most sensitive system at the start of the stroke though (due to a fairly low initial leverage rate), and this is where Mondraker’s Zero suspension has the edge.
Combined with the low-profile tread on the back tyre, this means rear end traction is pretty limited in certain situations. In the loose dust of Sanremo we increased the sag to 35 per cent to boost sensitivity, with all six volume spacers in the RockShox Monarch shock to prevent it bottoming out. This worked pretty well alongside the Pike RC fork, which we set up with three volume spacers and coped extremely well with the rocky terrain. The updated Charger damper offers great support and sensitivity, while the Torque Caps (which create a larger interface between the fork dropouts and hub end caps) boost steering precision. The result was big-hitting performance that only the Scott’s Fox 36 could match.
With a low BB and a supple fork at an aggressive 66.5-degree angle, the Hightower could be fired through rocky sections with confidence. We experimented with the lower (29er) frame setting to make it even slacker, but the BB height became too low and the seat angle too slack.
The 2.8in tyres feel a little more accurate than 3in equivalents but don’t offer quite as much terraingobbling traction. There’s clearance for up to 3in rubber though, and the low BB means swapping to bigger tyres won’t upset the handling. While the super-fast Ikon rear tyre was slippery on loose or muddy ground, particularly under braking, the Rekon up front was the tyre of the test. Fast rolling, with a soft compound and proper cornering bite, we’d happily keep it on until it wore out, or put it out back when Maxxis release even grippier rubber for the front.
Our bike’s pivot bolts came loose after a day of hammering in Sanremo, so keep a close eye on them. For our 6ft 3in tester the Hightower felt a little cramped and over-stemmed when swapping from the Mondraker. That said, testers as short as 5ft 8in were able to ride our XL rig at a push, so you could size up to allow a shorter stem. If you do that, you’ll be flying!
HIGHS
-Stiff full-carbon frame and efficient suspension deliver a crisp, lively ride
-Slack head angle and great fork cope well in the rough
LOWS
-A less relaxed seat angle would make steep climbs easier to conquer
-Our test bike’s pivot bolts soon rattled loose
Snappy, versatile and quick. Go up a size and you have a potential race winner on your hands
WEIGHT 13.8kg (30.4lb)
FRAME 'C' carbon fbre, 135mm (5.3in) travel
SIZES (TESTED) M, L, XL*
FORK RockShox Pike RC Solo Air, 150mm (5.9in) travel
SHOCK RockShox Monarch RT
HEADSET Cane Creek 40, integrated
WHEELS :
HUBS SRAM MTH 716 F, MTH 746 R
RIMS Easton AR40, 40mm (internal)
SPOKES Stainless, 32
AXLES 15x100mm F, 746, 12x142mm R
WHEEL WEIGHT 2.15kg F, 2.68kg R (including tyres)
TYRES Maxxis Rekon+ 27.5x2.8in F, Maxxis Ikon+ 27.5x2.8in R
CRANKSET Race Face /AEffect SL, 32t/
BOTTOM BRACKET Race Face
DERAILLEUR(S) SRAM GX
SHIFTER(S) SRAM GX (1x11)
CASSETTE/CHAIN SRAM XG-1150, 10-42t/ SRAM PC-1130
BRAKES Shimano SLX M675, 180mm rotors
BAR/STEM/GRIPS Race Face Chester, 785mm/ Race Face Turbine, 55mm/ Santa Cruz Palmdale lock-on
SEATPOST/SADDLE RockShox Reverb Stealth/ WTB Volt Race
Price 6000$