Remember how quickly 26” wheels were replaced by 27.5” versions? Well, it seems a similarly fast change is about to happen to the trail 29er, and Santa Cruz’s all-new Hightower is an excellent example of why it’s destined to happen. This new forward-thinking, 135mm-travel 29er with boost spacing front and rear is not only compatible with 29” wheels, but will also work with 27.5+ versions. That’s pretty unusual—the problem with fitting a 27.5+ tire and wheel combo in a 29er is that the 27.5+ versions are slightly smaller in diameter, which lowers the bottom bracket by roughly a half inch depending on what tires are used. On some bikes that’s a big deal, or at the very least a compromise. The Hightower avoids this pitfall by including a flip chip in its upper suspension linkage that, along with a 10mm-longer-travel fork, effectively gives the Hightower an almost identical geometry. In the future, the modern trail 29er will be compatible with both wheel sizes and go either way without compromise—and the Hightower is that bike.
This flip chip in the linkage is simply removed and flipped around to change ride height in about a minute.
Beyond the wheel size, the Hightower is a modernized version of the Tallboy LT—a bike that quietly disappeared from Santa Cruz’s line in July. Although suspension travel is the same at 135mm, the Hightower essentially received all the updates that the Nomad, Bronson, and 5010 got, such as third-generation VPP suspension, an internal dropper post line, internal shift cable tunnels, and updated geometry. The standout geometry change is that the head angle now comes in at 67 degrees—that’s a whopping 2.5 degrees more relaxed than the Tallboy LT. Another significant change is the bike’s 15mm shorter chainstays that now measure at 435mm. The Hightower is only 1x-compatible and has no front derailleur mount. The Hightower frame will be offered in carbon only, using Santa Cruz’s C and higher-grade CC builds. Colors are either Sriracha Red or Matte Carbon & Mint. A size large CC frame weighs in at 5.88 pounds with rear shock and hardware.
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Since plus-sized tires and wheels effectively drop a 29er’s bottom-bracket height, raising it back up with an adjustable linkage and longer fork makes perfect sense. Although close, the adjustment does not make the geometry exactly the same. The angles are 0.2 degrees more relaxed and the bottom bracket is 2mm lower. Santa Cruz could have made it exact or much closer, but doing so would have changed the shock rate more than its engineers were comfortable with. As is, there is a small change in shock rate, making it less progressive—roughly the equivalent of removing a single volume spacer to the shock, which Santa Cruz says is a factor most riders won’t even notice.
The Boost-width rear end has room for plus-sized tires or 29ers. A bottle cage mount offers pack free hydration on shorter rides.
Santa Cruz chose to outfit its plus-size Hightower models with 2.8-inch-wide tires; in testing, almost all of its riders found them to be more responsive, with the 3.0” size being a bit floaty and bouncy. Santa Cruz says that 3.0” tires are the maximum that will fit and I confirmed this by mounting up a wheel with a 45mm-wide rim and 3.0” Specialized Ground Control—it fit, but just barely. The Hightower will be offered in compete builds as a 29er or 27.5+ and as a frameset. At this time, Santa Cruz will not offer a kit with fork and wheels to change the bike to the opposite size configuration—it’s up to you to switch it up. If you don’t want to buy two forks, Santa Cruz recommends swapping air shafts internally to change travel or going with the longer 150mm-travel version, which will work better in 29er mode than running a 140mm fork in 27.5+ mode.
I rode the Hightower CC XX1 AM 29 complete with Enve M Series 60 Forty/HV carbon rim upgrade on my home trails, where I’ve tested countless bikes, including two excellent benchmarks: the Santa Cruz Nomad and the Specialized Enduro 29. The bike came with a 27.5+ wheel setup and 150mm-travel Rockshox Pike so I could test it in plus mode, too.
The Hightower with a 27.5+ build.
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I started testing with the bike in 29er mode with a 140mm fork and the flip chip in its lowest 29er setting. I’ve spent some time on the Tallboy LT; the biggest difference I felt between it and the Hightower is the geometry. The head angle alone gives the bike a whole new attitude that makes it way more predictable at speed and on the steeps or both at the same time. Shorter chainstays really tuck the rear wheel underneath you so it doesn’t feel like its along for the ride. It’s still a long-feeling bike in general, but that’s a good thing because it’s incredibly stable. The front end also has a lengthy feel to it that puts the front wheel pretty far out in front of the rider. As crazy as it sounds, the front-center on the Hightower feels even longer than the Nomad even though it’s actually shorter—that big front wheel really adds a sensation of length and stability.
The Hightower wearing 29er wheels.
Another standout difference on the new bike is its improved suspension. Pretty much every bike has benefitted from the new higher-volume Fox EVOL and Rockshox Debonair air cans, but I’ve noticed the biggest improvement on the VPP bikes. Between the supple initial stroke of these shocks and the more linear suspension curve of the latest third generation VPP, they’re more reactive to smaller-frequency bumps, yet still take bigger hits like a champ. As with prior generations, the newer VPP still pedals really well with a nice supportive feel while the shock is in its open mode, but now it’s more supple and that really helps with climbing traction.
Santa Cruz says that some of its EWS Enduro team members will race the Hightower at select events, and I can see why: Like most good trail 29ers, this one carries an amazing amount of momentum. The speed generated in a few key corners allowed me to easily connect a couple of small natural-terrain double jumps that are usually a stretch for me and require a lot of effort on most other bikes.
El Niño has been the real deal here in Southern California for most of my test period, making for hero dirt conditions and near perfect traction—not really where plus tires shine. As a result, I spent about 75 percent of the time on the 29er setup and loved it. Over the last few days of testing, things dried out and traction started becoming scarce, so I put the Hightower in 27.5+ mode. While swapping wheels, I noticed something many may find a bit surprising—even though the 29er and 27.5+ wheels were built with identical hubs, cassettes, and rotors, the 27.5+ setup only weighed 58 grams more than the 29er. And that was even with Enve M Series 60 Forty/HV carbon rims, versus Easton aluminum ARC 40 27.5 rims.
There is plenty of room for the Maxxis Ikon 2.8” wide tires in the Hightower's rear end.
As one might expect, traction improved on the looser dry trail conditions with the plus-size tires. Acceleration seemed down just a touch—more than the handful of grams would suggest—which meant to me that I was feeling the added rolling resistance. The bike felt more planted and predictable but less snappy in the turns. This setup worked best on steep climbs and on more primitive trails or those hammered by summer floods. The suspension felt a touch stiffer and rode higher in its stroke due to the rate change. It seemed to play right into the hands of the softer tires though, and still worked great. Long-term testing will include playing with different shock settings to compensate, but it’s certainly not necessary.
If I were racing or just wanting to ride a fast, flickable bike, the Hightower’s 29er version would get the nod. Those who put an emphasis on more traction, control, and comfort will enjoy the Hightower in its monster-truck 27.5+ build. In both configurations, the Hightower felt like a modern, aggressive trail bike that satisfies the need for speed—its dual personality is just icing on the cake. Look for a full review here at Bicycling.com or in an upcoming issue of Bicycling. The Hightower is available now at the following prices (claimed weight is for a size large with sealant in the tires):
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Hightower C S AM 27.5+: $4,599, 29.67 lb.
Hightower C S AM 29: $4,599, 29.73 lb.
Hightower CC X01 AM27.5+: $6,499, 27.96 lb.
Hightower CC X01 AM 29: $6,499, 28.05 lb. / Enve spec 27.72 lb.
Hightower CC XX1 AM 27.5+: $7,799, 27.18 lb.
Hightower CC XX1 AM 29: $7,799, 27.27 lb. / Enve spec 26.93 lb.
Hightower CC frameset: $2,899, 5.88 lb.
Hightower CC X01 and XX1 29Enve M Series 60 Forty/HV carbon wheel upgrade: $2,000
