

Santa Cruz skews the Hightower more towards the latter, prioritizing descending over all-around-ing in both the geometry and spec departments.

While I didn't gel with the Hightower on technical climbs, the counterpoint to my complaints is that it all comes down to something called the work-to-fun ratio. On that front, Kazimer often preferred to flip the shock's pedal-assist to the firmer trail-mode, but I thought the chunky Santa Cruz pedaled quite well without any assistance. The Hightower might not be my pick if most of my descents were accessed via challenging singletrack ascents.īut if your climbing is done on doubletrack and gravel roads then I guess it doesn't really matter at all, just so long as the Hightower is reasonably efficient. It's not unmanageable, mind you, but the Jeffsy and Vitus both offer more of that classic trail bike handling in those situations. On tight, low-speed climbs, it handled like the longest (it isn't) and slackest (it is) full-suspension bike in the group, making it feel more a little more like an enduro sled than a trail bike when it got really slow and tricky. That said, it did have the biggest on-trail presence of the bunch. The Hightower weighing a pound more than the rest of its Field Trip frenemies has little to zero effect on its climbing performance - the extra heft is in the frame, not its wheels and tires. One more thing you won’t have to upgrade. Not the case here, though: There’s a set of Maxxis’ 2.4” wide DHR 2 tires in 3C compound and EXO casing. I’m also going to mention the Hightower's tires as that's a spot where we see some brands saving pennies by speccing rubber with hard compounds or that might not be tubeless-friendly.
#Santa cruz hightower for free
That means that if they start to feel nasty, you’ll get new ones for free if you’re the original owner, even after countless years of your usual abuse and neglect. Another point for Santa Cruz - a lifetime warranty on all of the pivot bearings. There are some frame details worth mentioning as well, including well thought out cable routing, loads of room for a large bottle inside the front triangle, and a very effective chainstay protector.
#Santa cruz hightower full
At 35.2lb, the Fat-tower is the heaviest bike in our Field Trip group test by nearly a full pound. The Hightower has 150mm of travel up front and 145mm of rear travel.More info: Those are subtle changes if you ask me, but it alters the suspension's ramp-up as well. How much travel does a Santa Cruz Hightower have? No, there isn’t a coil spring option available for any of the Hightower models.

The Hightower originally launched in 2016 and is now in its third generation, complete with significant improvements to the suspension and geometry. What year did Santa Cruz Hightower come out? Riders simply add sealant and inflate the tires and they’re good to go.

Yes, the bike ships tubeless with the appropriate rim tape and valve stems already installed. The bike's name refers to the amount of travel, with Hightower’s suspension falling in between two other popular Santa Cruz models: the shorter-travel Tallboy and the bigger sibling Megatower. No, the Hightower runs exclusively 29” wheels, ideal for maximum rollover and ultimate traction. The Tallboy is an XC-inspired setup for more snappy riding that doesn't overcook the suspension specs. The Hightower has longer travel and is best suited to harder-hitting climbs and rough descents. The wide tire clearance eats up the rough stuff while the moderate suspension won’t overdo it. Yes, the Hightower is a pure-bred trail bike because of its mid-length travel designed to perform well all over the mountain. No, the Hightower is classified as a trail bike due to having slightly less suspension and steeper geometry than an enduro bike. Is the Santa Cruz Hightower an Enduro bike? The mid-length suspension and Goldilocks-zone geometry give riders the confidence to conquer the gnarliest parts of the mountain. The Hightower is a do-it-all trail bike that excels on the rough stuff. What is the Santa Cruz Hightower good for?
