SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY CC TEST
SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY CC
Big or tall—take your pick
Some of the greatest innovations have come out of garages, as Santa Cruz did many years ago. Founded in a tiny garage in Santa Cruz, California, this iconic company has made a name for itself in the mountain bike community with its extensive line of bikes designed to be the best rigs on the trail.
Over the years Santa Cruz has made its mark with its VPP-equipped bikes and helped legends like Greg Minnaar, who set records with his 18 World Cup wins. In 2015 Santa Cruz was sold to Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings, the same group that owns Focus and Cervelo. Since it was acquired by Pon Holdings, Santa Cruz has pushed to expand its line while still offering riders the same commitment to quality.
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
There are essentially two ways riders can equip their Tall Boys—with standard 29-inch wheels or more trail-orientated 27.5+ wheels. Riders looking for a more efficient, capable cross-country rig will find themselves drawn to the faster 29-inch wheels. The progressive geometry of the Tallboy will allow riders to rip just about any flowy trail or aggressive XC racecourse no matter which wheel size they choose.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The Tallboy comes in a few different versions, from aluminum to high-end carbon. All the bikes are designed with 110 millimeters of VPP suspension and 120-millimeter forks. If riders find themselves drawn to the 27.5+ wheels, Santa Cruz beefs up the front suspension to 130 millimeters. Santa Cruz built a flip chip into the upper link to keep the geometry consistent when riders swap wheels and forks. The Tallboy uses Boost spacing in the front and rear to accommodate the plus-sized wheels and will accept anything up to a 3-inch- wide tire.
Sturdy and stout: The Fox 34 is one of the best trail forks on the market, with a competitive weight and stable platform. Both versions of the Tallboy come stock with this fork, available in either 120 or 130 millimeters of travel.
Santa Cruz claims that both frames share the same stiffness and strength of the CC level, which is almost a 1/2- pound lighter and built from higher-modulus carbon. The front triangles are laid up and cured, and the design uses continuing fibers around the tube junctions to maintain strength. The CC frames are a little more expensive than the entry-level carbon frames. Our test bike is priced at $6600.
WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Go a little faster: SRAM released their Level brakes around the same time as the Eagle as a lightweight brake set. The TLM gave our testers consistent braking performance and a healthy amount of modulation.
Geared to ride: Our test bike came equipped with SRAM Eagle with the impressive 10-50 cassette and 30-tooth front chainring. The shifting of the Eagle was crisp and consistent, but most of our testers would have preferred a larger front chainring.
Between the Eagle’s 10-50 cassette and 32-tooth front ring, there were no climbs we couldn’t conquer. SRAM Level TLM brakes gave us comfortable modulation and locked up confidently in emergencies. The full Fox suspension gave our test bike a very consistent ride, especially with the 34 Float fork and Evol shock. The Evol shock complemented the VPP design well, with each setting making a significant difference in the suspension characteristics.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
Choosing the right wheel size: The Tallboy was built for 29 or 27.5+ wheels, so we tested both. If your local trails are loose and sandy, you will feel more confident on the 3-inch-wide tires. If you’re looking for some extra speed, the 29 option will have you ticking seconds off your Strava times.
Something to talk about: VPP has become the preferred suspension design among serious riders. The suspension design in relation with the Fox Evol rear shock allowed the Tallboy to ride confidently when the trail got rowdy.
Suspension setup: With 110 millimeters of rear travel and 120 or 130 millimeters up front, depending on wheel size, Santa Cruz recommends setting the rear sag between 10 and 15 percent. We set the fork at 10 percent and the rear at 15 percent, but after a few rides we ran the shock a little softer at 20 percent for general trail riding. We kept the settings the same for each wheel size, with the exception of slightly adjusting the rebound for the bigger plus-sized tires.
Moving out: The Tallboy has a versatile trailbike feel with wide 780-millimeter bars and a short 60mm stem. The new geometry has an aggressive feel, and with the stack height dropped, our testers found themselves in a comfortable position to charge the descents and shift their weight forward enough to grind out steep sections of trail.
Cornering: It’s hard to deny how grippy plus-sized tires feel in corners. With a progressive geometry and wide bars for good leverage, the Tallboy begged to be pushed hard through tight corners. The 29er wheels didn’t slow our testers down and allowed them to lean the bike over confidently. The Tallboy felt playful and confident when leaned over in hard corners or tight switchbacks.
Climbing: The settings on the Fox shock have very specific ride characteristics, depending on which setting riders choose. With the shock in the middle setting, our testers got a more supportive pedaling platform for technical singletrack climbs, and with the shock in the firmest setting, they had an incredibly stiff rear end for long fire-road grinds.
How do you want it? The revamped Tallboy was built around 29 or 27.5-inch-plus wheels, with the front suspension getting an extra 10mm on the wider wheels. We spent plenty of time on both. Most of our test riders preferred the 29er wheels, but liked the versatility of having the second option.
When we were pedaling out of the saddle, the frame and rear triangle were stiff and responsive and gave us almost no unwanted flex during hard efforts. Some of our testers did get some flex out of the wheels under hard climbing efforts, but they didn’t feel too hindered.
Descending: If there is one thing the Tallboy loves, it’s going fast. At high speeds, the Santa Cruz is stable and holds technical lines with confidence. Our testers found themselves letting go of the brakes a little more than usual and letting the bike do all the work. In the open mode, the rear suspension felt active and tracked well on smooth and technical terrain.
The 29-inch wheels were fast and all business, but when we swapped the fork and threw on the plus-sized tires, the Tallboy evolved into an even more nimble trail machine. Our testers noticed the wider tires weren’t quite as fast, but there was no shortage of smiles from our testers riding the 3-inch-wide tires.
TRICKS, TIPS OR UPGRADES?
There was little for us to complain about during our testing. The Tallboy has a solid build kit, right down to the tire choice. Some riders will want to swap out the stock flat bars for a set of risers, especially if they intend to do more aggressive trail riding. Riders looking to shed a little weight may want to opt for the upgrade to carbon wheels if they are willing to spend a little coin. This upgrade isn’t a must, but it will add a little extra performance.
BUYING ADVICE
Bikes have become more versatile in the last year, with more companies using Boost spacing to allow riders to swap wheel sizes on the same frames. The Tallboy is no XC race bike; it leans heavily towards the trail side of things but has a versatile geometry that won’t leave riders feeling too committed to one style of riding. If the carbon versions are a little expensive for you, you can find the same versatility in the aluminum versions at lower price points.
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