Mountain Frames

The Trail Bikes that Love to Play The Santa Cruz 5010 has always been more capable than many expected. But now with a high-traction 29-inch wheel up front, a maneuverable 27.5-incher out back, and even more refined suspension, their touch is even more deft on the trails. Featuring a 140mm fork and 130mm of VPP rear suspension travel, 5010 was made for sporty performance.

If in doubt, take a Bronson out You know what's hard about choosing what model of Santa Cruz suits you? It's having to narrow down what kind of riding you want to do. But, what if you don't want to be pinned down by labels? What if you want to just be a mountain biker in the broadest sense of the word? What if you want to choose how you ride rather than what to ride? If this sounds familiar, then try a Bronson. Our demo crew have a saying, 'If in doubt, take a Bronson out'. The 150mm-travel bike can go deep on any landing and the VPP suspension design makes sure that there's no wasted energy when heading back up for another go. If you value style at speed or want to have fun feeling fast, then mixed wheels (29" up front, 27.5" out back) show that the spectrum is a loop, not opposite points on a scale. The larger front wheel provides more traction and stability that'll make you feel more confident squaring off the turns and diving for the inside lines. But, a 27.5-inch tire in the rear means this bike still loves getting up on the back wheel and into the air. From flat out on the trail to fully flat over a table, each generation of Bronson rider redefines expectations of what a mountain biker is.

THE MOUNTAIN BIKE, DISTILLED With 29-inch wheels, 145mm of rear Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) travel and a versatile personality, the newest Santa Cruz Hightower delivers mountain bike thrills over a wide range of terrain. Big on wheels, medium on travel, and short on fuss, this do-it-all model shines with a versatile balance of geometry, spec and durability. It’s mountain biking, distilled.

Our greatest hits compiled into one bike. Just hit play. If ever a bike resembled your most cherished mix tape compilation, the Hightower is it. Featuring our lower-link mounted shock design, updated, adjustable geometry, this "Engineering Best Of..." assembles some of our biggest design pleasers into one belter of a road-trip companion. The Hightower has been a does-it-all-well trail bike since its inception. More maneuverable than its longer-travel sibling, the Megatower, and more at home in the steep-and-chunky than its snappy cousin Tallboy, Hightower excels when the route covers 'all points in between,' and descents come courtesy of some big-ass climbs. The VPP suspension's lower-link-mounted shock creates a nearly linear leverage curve, meaning it mops up bumps of all sizes and maintains the kind of progressivity normally reserved for our V10 DH bike! 145mm of rear travel complemented by a 150mm front end gives Hightower just a bit more front and rear travel over the first generation model. Combined with a slacker 65-degree head tube angle, the Hightower still sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone, but with a touch more "Oh sh*t, get me out of here" capability when the porridge gets too hot! Balancing stiffness and weight savings in all the right places is a hallmark of all Santa Cruz carbon frames, and the Hightower flies the flag yet higher. The advanced composite chassis tracks well across all trail surfaces, holds a line, and is reactive to rider directions while isolating pedal-influenced inputs. The Hightower also has a bonus disc to heighten the experience: the flip chip. In the High setting, the BB height is a little higher for those tricky tech trails and/or when Plus sized tires are required. In the Low position, the shock rate is more progressive to provide additional bottom-out resistance. Whatever mood you're in, the tone of the Hightower can be adapted to meet your individual taste. And, speaking of taste, there's room for a water bottle inside the main frame and a threaded BB for convenience. There's refined cable routing for better shifting performance, simpler installation, and no cable rub. On top of that, there's a tailgate shuttle guard, downtube protector, shock fender, and noise-canceling chainstay protector to keep things quiet. The lifetime frame warranty and lifetime pivot bearing replacement policy assure you that the Hightower will keep delivering the hits for years to come.

If ever there was a gravity riders' XC bike, the Tallboy is it. The new 120mm Tallboy takes a leap further into what short-travel bikes really are capable of. With kick-ass lower-link VPP suspension, a streamlined design, the typical Santa Cruz refinement, and rather radical geometry, the Tallboy is back to being a genre-bending folk hero. Sure, 10mm more travel might only seem like one small step. But, coupled with a lower link-driven VPP suspension design, this is one giant leap for the Tallboy. It's the kind of bike that makes you sprint while going up, along, over, or down because of the maximum efficiency of the VPP design and responsive, lightweight chassis. But, because it shares the same engineering principles as our longest travel bikes, the progressive lower link-mounted shock feels equally at home doing cross-country as it does in extreme-country. Paired with a 130mm fork the new Tallboy becomes ever more appealing to riders who like to open it up. And, the geometry: that's a big part of what's going on... Established theory suggests shorter-travel bikes get ridden more slowly, therefore require steeper and more conservative geometries. In reality though, when was the last time you ever throttled back on a fun trail because you weren't on a bigger bike? ...caution to the wind and all that. So, we've done the same here and mimicked our longer travel geometry to create a bike with a 65.5-degree head-angle, generous front center, and short-offset fork, something rarely seen on a bike of this ilk. And, the radical thinking doesn't stop there. The Tallboy's short-short 430mm chainstays have +/- 10mm of rear axle adjustment to ensure riders of all sizes and styles feel equally at home. Match that to a relatively low BB (335mm and 37.5mm drop), and you've got a combo that's ready to haul into every pocket turn and launch out the other side. - Frame only

THE TRAIL BIKES THAT LOVE TO PLAY The Santa Cruz Tallboy combines short travel efficiency with modern geometry to create a bike that's as up for the big climb as it is the big descent. These sporty 29ers are the perfect choice for riders considering a cross country bike but will likely never race. They climb efficiently, roll fast on the on the flats, and have some real capability for when the DH music goes from easy listening to rock-and-roll. Featuring a 130mm fork and 120mm of Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) rear suspension travel, Tallboy is sporty, capable, and fun.