The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV – In our big 2023 enduro group test (2024)

As the thoroughbred enduro racer in Santa Cruz’s stable, the Megatower X01 AXS RSV stands up against the competition alongside its rowdy freeride sibling, the Nomad, which shares near-identical hard numbers. But how does the Megatower fare against the competition in our 2023 enduro group test and how does it compare to the Nomad?

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike of 2023 – 14 models in review

The Megatower X01 AXS RSV is Santa Cruz’s enduro racer and enters our big 2023 enduro group test alongside its mullet sibling, the Nomad, which was developed mainly as a rowdy freeride bruiser. Both bikes share the same front triangle and geometry but employ different rear suspension kinematics. Both Cali brothers tip the scales at 15.6 kg and retail at € 11,799, which places them amongst the most expensive bikes in the entire test field. The Megatower combines 170 mm of travel at the front and 165 mm at the rear, generating 5 mm less rear travel than the Nomad.

The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV 2023 in detail

The Megatower X01 AXS RSV employs Santa Cruz’s high-end CC carbon frame, which relies on a larger proportion of higher strength fibres, providing the same degree of stiffness at a lower weight compared to its more affordable C counterpart. Like all new bikes in Santa Cruz’s portfolio, the Megatower features the practical “Glovebox” storage compartment in the down tube, which comes standard with two pouches and is closed at the bottom to prevent the contents from disappearing into the depths of the frame. The closing system is intuitive and easy to use and holds the cover firmly in place. A small mudguard protects the shock from mud and flying debris. All cables are routed internally through the frame and securely clamped at the entry point in the head tube.

With its practical partition wall, intuitive and efficient closing system and the two standard pouches, Santa Cruz’s Glovebox storage compartment is well thought out and beautifully implemented.

The spec of the Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV 2023

As the eye-watering price suggests, the Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV comes with a high-end spec, including bling FOX Factory suspension. This consists of a 38 mm GRIP2 fork and X2 air shock, which both offer external low- and high-speed compression and rebound settings, allowing you to adjust the suspension to your needs and riding style. SRAM CODE RSC brakes with 200 mm rotors front and rear do stopping duties. The 175 mm RockShox Reverb dropper ensures smooth operation but offers among the second least amount of travel in the entire test field, restricting freedom of movement on the trail. Shifting is taken care of by a mixed, wireless SRAM drivetrain consisting of an X01 rear derailleur and cheaper GX paddle shifter. However, the latter only weighs 3 g more than its high-end counterpart and delivers the same excellent performance on the trail. At 500%, the cassette offers a smaller gear range than other Eagle cassettes in this test, but the smaller 30 t chainring makes up for it, allowing you to negotiate even steep climbs. Santa Cruz also rely on several in-house components, including the 800 mm carbon handlebars and Reserve 30|HD carbon rims, which are laced onto Industry Nine hubs. Rubber guru MAXXIS supplies the tires: our test bike combines an ASSEGAI with EXO+ casing and soft MaxxGrip rubber compound at the front and Minion DHR II with DoubleDown casing and harder MaxxTerra rubber compound at the rear. However, the air-shock variants of the Nomad are delivered as standard with both tires in the puncture prone EXO+ casing, while all coil shock variants come standard with the robust DoubleDown casing front and rear – which should be standard setup across the entire range in our opinion.

The geometry of the Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV 2023

The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV is available in five sizes, S to XXL and shares nearly identical geometry with the Nomad. The only differences are the chainstays, which, at 441 mm in size L, are 3 mm shorter on the Megatower. Moreover, chainstay length grows with the frame size, providing consistent handling across all sizes. The Megatower pairs 472 mm reach and a pleasantly-short 430 mm seat tube, but unfortunately the short-dropper post prevents you from fully exploiting the benefits of the latter. A flip chip in the shock mount allows you to adjust the reach and head angle, albeit only slightly. Needless to say, we rode the bike almost exclusively in the low setting.

The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV 2023 on the trail

The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV puts you in a comfortable pedalling position, with the weight evenly distributed between the front and rear wheel. While this prevents pressure from building up in your hands, the front wheel still keeps planted on the ground, even on steep climbing sections. Pedal bob is marginal and the Megatower is significantly more efficient than the Nomad, reaching the top of the mountain alongside the Hope HB916 and Intense Tracer, thus ranking in the midfield of this test for climbing performance.

The suspension of the Megatower provides plenty of feedback from the ground, ensuring a direct ride feeling but also requiring an experienced rider.

When gravity takes over, the Megatower still feels incredibly well balanced and inspires confidence with one of the tallest front ends in the entire test field – albeit slightly lower than the Nomad. As a result, the Megatower doesn’t integrate you as deeply into the frame as the Nomad but at the same time feels more balanced, allowing you to generate excellent traction on the front wheel without having to shift your weight forward, even when negotiating nasty off-camber sections and open corners. Compared to its freeride sibling, the Megatower has firmer suspension but is still plusher than the Yeti SB160, providing excellent feedback from the ground but also requiring you to be more vigilant. With a pre-emptive riding style and the right set of skills, the Megatower is a damn fast bike but can also transform the tiniest mistake into a chilling “oh sh*t” moment in a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, with its well-balanced suspension, the Megatower is an excellent all-rounder and rewards active riders with tons of fun on all sorts of trails, from natural gnar through flowing bike park tracks, all the way to alpine singletracks.

Tuning tips: Tires with more robust casing front and rear

Conclusion

The Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV fully lives up to its enduro racer label and although it shares similar hard numbers with the Nomad, it’s a completely different bike. The Megatower distributes your weight more evenly between the front and rear, provides more feedback from the ground and is the better all-rounder of the two. And while it can be challenging to ride, experienced riders with a pre-emptive style can ride it extremely fast and have the time of their life in the process.

You can find out more about at santacruzbicycles.com

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike of 2023 – 14 models in review

All bikes in test: Canyon Strive CFR 8 (Click for review) | Deviate Claymore (Click for review) | Hope HB916 (Click for review) | Intense Tracer 279 S (Click for review) | MERIDA ONE-SIXTY 8000 (Click for review) | Mondraker Carbon Foxy RR (Click for review) | Norco Range C1 (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Megatower X01 AXS RSV | Santa Cruz Nomad X01 AXS RSV (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon 170/165 (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon Pmax TQ 170/165 (Click for review) | Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Elite Alloy (Click for review) | Yeti 160E T1 (Click for review) | Yeti SB160 T3 (Click for review)

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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker, Mike Hunger