Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc

As a brand, Santa Cruz doesn’t seem to rush in and jump onto the latest bandwagon—whatever it may be. While they now offer eight different carbon mountain bikes (from a range of 19 models), it took them until 2008 to bring their first plastic-fantastic creation to the market. Likewise, their 100mm travel Tallboy dually may be a very popular 29er, but it was their first attempt at a big wheeled bike and it’s only been around for a handful of years. Meanwhile other manufacturers have been pumping out 29ers for the better part of a decade and carbon for far longer than that.

Rather than going at new ‘technology’ like a bull at a gate, it appears they sit back and assess its worth, do plenty of research and thoroughly test a product before launching it to the broader public. Their latest models are now coming with 142x12 thru-axles after sticking with quick release for a good few years longer than most. On the other hand they are sticking with band-mount front derailleurs and threaded bottom brackets when all the cool-kids say that direct-mount and press fit is the way to go.

Some frame designs may require these newly developed systems to get their pivots in exactly the right spot or to make the down tube super wide, but why bother if you don’t need them? Press-fit bottom brackets house the bearings within a plastic shell and the housing self-destructs upon removal. Searching for a mystery creak and want to inspect the bottom bracket? Well you won’t be able to do this without buying a new bottom bracket if your bike has a press-fit system. Want to use slightly odd gearing? Direct-mount front derailleurs usually offer a narrower adjustment range which makes it harder to run non-standard chainrings. Rear thru-axles on the other hand, well the hubs are now commonly available for anything from XC to heavy-duty all-mountain use and they provide a more dependable means for wheel mounting than the old-school quick release. While their ‘wait and see’ development process may seem too conservative for some (mainly avid forum dwellers), it’s a position that I thoroughly respect.

You’ve got to wonder how many companies rush to bring something new to market, only to use consumers as their test pilots. When Santa Cruz launched the Tallboy it was a straight-out success with the XC crowd as well as marathon racers and it hasn’t changed since. From the outset it was a well-sorted design and there was nothing than needed changing.

In recent times, some people have wanted more travel on their 29ers. Big wheels are no longer reserved of mile-munching endurance machines and they are being pushed into more technical trail riding duties. Santa Cruz offers the regular 100mm Tallboy with 120mm forks to relax the steering and bolster the travel, but the market is now clearly out there for more.

Enter the Tallboy LT (Long Travel), a trail oriented 29er with 135mm of rear wheel travel. It’s rated to handle forks with up to 150mm of travel up front. At the moment, 140mm is the longest travel 29er fork that you’ll commonly find; giving it the green light for 150mm forks shows some foresight, as I’m sure the product will exist in the future. You can also fit the LT with 130mm forks for quicker steering but it’s really built around 140mm travel, and that’s what Santa Cruz spec’s on their complete bike packages.

In keeping with the theme of being late adopters, there really isn’t anything that new about long travel 29ers. Specialized, Niner, Norco, Kona, Trek, Yeti, Transition, Turner, Intense and others all have 29ers in the 120-140mm travel range, and some have had them on the market for a few seasons now. However, the Tallboy LTc does have something unique to offer. Thus far most long travel 29ers have been rather porky beasts, with frame weights commonly in the 3,100 to 3,700g range. Tack on a Fox 34 fork with some meaty rubber and your high-end bike will quickly reach the 13-14kg mark. To this point the lightest carbon long travel 29er frame that I’ve seen was a hair under 2,700g.

Tall Yet Lean

By applying their highly regarded carbon construction, they’ve got the frame down to 2,550g—at least that’s what our large demo frame weighed, complete with shock and Tonka Truck yellow paint. That’s only 160g more than the equivalent 100mm travel Tallboy (again based on samples that we’ve weighed). The black frame option is usually around 80g lighter, so a medium LTc could well match the claimed 2,428g frame weight. In any case, it’s light years ahead of the competition in regards to its weight. With an XTR build kit and Fox 34 forks our test bike came in at 12.15kg without pedals. I like a good bit of suspension travel for our local trails but we also have a good deal of climbing to get up the hills (I’m also partial to the feel of a light bike). As a result, excess weight is something that’s turned me away from longer travel 29ers. With this bike Santa Cruz has ticked one more box in my ultimate trail bike wish list.

It’s pretty clear that Santa Cruz knows their stuff when it comes to carbon construction. The tube profiles are smooth and rounded with very few tightly radiused bends. Relatively simple forms make it easier to get good compaction of the carbon when curing and reduce the likelihood of production faults such as folds or kinks in the lay-up. Once again it’s a case of form meets function from Santa Cruz, with fashion playing a secondary role. That’s not to say the bike is ugly, far from it—I really liked the simple yet curvaceous style of the Tallboy and the in-you-face colour tends to grow on you (as mentioned, there’s a matte carbon/orange colour option too).

Take a look inside the head tube and you’ll see the frame is as smooth on the inside as it is on the outside. There’s no sharp edges, wrinkles or left over bits of plastic air bladder—another sign of quality carbon manufacturing. While the Tallboy is very light, Santa Cruz takes great pride in the strength of their carbon frames. The weight is simply a by-product of diligent material use. Lesser designs use extra material to compensate for potential manufacturing faults but all the carbon on the Tallboy is structural and it’s there for a reason. If you have any doubts on the strength of a well-made carbon frame, type the words ‘Santa Cruz carbon testing’ into your search engine and watch the video—it’s an eye opener!

With a long fork, big wheels and rugged trail riding as its intended use, stiffness is always going to be a key factor—nobody wants to ride a long travel noodle! Laterally, the Tallboy is amongst the stiffest and most solid feeling bikes that I’ve ridden, regardless of wheel size. There’s very little give within the two short link of the VPP suspension system and a triangulated one-piece swingarm is equally solid. There’s a pretty good chance it’ll stay that way too; Santa Cruz has been running the VPP design for many years and any bugs have been worked out of the system. It’s also nice to see touches like grease nipples on the lower suspension link and the Tallboy LT comes equipped with ISCG05 mounts in case you want to mount a full chain guide.

Other nice finishing touches include leather-like protective patches on the down tube, chainstay and the inside of the drive-side seat stay. Well executed cable routing allows for a tidy setup with minimal frame rub—it caters equally whether you run your rear brake on the left or right side of the bars. As you’d expect with a modern trail bike, there’s an extra set of cable mounts for a remote dropper post. For me, the Tallboy LTc ticks just about every ‘must-have’ box—the only problem is the underside of the downtube mounting point for the drink bottle. Most will scoff at this comment but I like to do my sub-two-hour rides without a hydration pack, and the bottle gets sprayed with dirt on the Tallboy LT. I really shouldn’t whinge as most longer travel bikes tend to run this setup.

Adding lots of travel to a 29er sounds like a great idea but shoehorning the wheels and suspension in is no easy task. It often results in a limousine-like wheelbase length, which combines with the aforementioned weight to create a supremely stable but rather cumbersome bike. While 135mm of travel is more at the all-mountain side of things for a 29er, the Tallboy’s geometry leans more towards the trail/XC end of the spectrum.

Our large test bike had a 1,150mm wheelbase—that’s only 20mm longer than the 130mm-travel 26er that usually ride and around 20mm shorter than most other long travel 29ers in a comparable frame size. This along with the 69.5-degree head angle, 455mm chainstays and respectable weight made the Tallboy LT a surprisingly lively bike to pilot through the tight stuff. It was easy to keep on line at lower speeds and even with a rather tall front end, the steering never wandered when climbing. At higher speeds the XC/trail oriented handling remained easy to manage—the big wheels always seem to lend an element of stability and confidence once they are up and rolling.

Down Boy Down

Point it downhill and the fun really begins. It may be more agile than many of its longer wheelbase competitors but it still manages to bomb through rock gardens in a solid and unflustered manner—it’s planted, composed and makes you feel pretty bulletproof. The steepish head angle does require a little extra attention when things get really steep but for the most part it’s a case of point and plough. There’s no doubt the ultra-stiff frame and precise steering Fox 34 fork assist, but I feel that much of the credit needs to go to the rear suspension.

A well sorted short-link four-bar system like the VPP can offer some great performance characteristics. The dual rotating links offer greater control over the axle path than is possible with a single pivot or horst link design. This allows the designer to change how the suspension interacts with bumps and chain tension at differing points within the travel. On the Tallboy the initial travel is quite rearward, and this combined with the roll-over effect of the big wheels really helps the bike maintain momentum over square edge bumps. Deeper in the travel the axle path turns more vertical to limit the increasing chainstay length, ensuring that you don’t feel the suspension tugging back on the drivechain. While the actual variation in axle path is relatively small, the benefits are clearly felt.

In addition to reacting better to square edge bumps, can also assist when climbing. The wheel wants to travel in a more rearward arc but the chain is pulling forward. These forces oppose each other and stiffen the suspension slightly to reduce bob or ‘squat’. The harder you pedal, the more the bike resists bob—pretty clever really. It’s called anti-squat and most suspension bikes have it to some degree, it’s just that it can be dialled for greater effect with this short-link four-bar, whilst minimising the negative effects. Everything is a trade off to some extent and too much anti-squat can either limit climbing traction (turning the bike into a hardtail) or it can disrupt your rhythm as the chain tugs the pedals backwards.

The VPP is now a very refined and effective short-link four-bar. Despite having 135mm of travel, set up with 25% sag, the Tallboy LT climbed with very little unwanted suspension movement—and that was with the ProPedal turned completely off. It never felt soft or soggy under power, yet it was always ready to suck up a bump when required. The suspension only became unsettled if you mashed the pedals without applying much power through the drivechain. For the most part, the Tallboy pedals very efficiently without the need for platform damping or a lockout. This in turn means you can set the suspension for maximum comfort and control without compromising pedalling efficiency.

One Tall Order

So here we have a 135mm travel 29er with a frame that rivals the weight of many 26-inch duallys. It’s stiff, well made, pedals with excellent efficiency and motors through the rocks with unbelievable ease, but where does it fall short? Some potential buyers will be 29er devotees, in which case the following points are moot, but many long-travel trail bike buyers may also be considering the 26-inch options. The frame may be light but you can’t do much about some of the components. Weighing in at just over 2,000g, the 140mm travel Fox 34 fork is around 300g heavier than a 150mm travel Float 26er fork. Factor in the added wheel and tyre weight and your Tallboy LTc will come in 600-900g heavier than an equally high-end long travel 26-inch bike, which will probably have a bit more travel too. This won’t bother most, but if you’re trying to go light and long, the weight penalty is pretty much unavoidable.

The other issue applies to vertically challenged riders. I’m 177cm tall and I struggled to get the handlebar position low enough for my taste, and that was after fitting a 700mm wide flat bar and running the stem with a six-degree drop. The head tube on the medium and large frames is only 100mm in length, so it’s not like Santa Cruz could make the front end lower. It’s just that the 29er wheel combined with 140mm of squish makes the front unavoidably tall. Some riders like to be more upright than others, so again this is more a matter of individual preference. I prefer a long top tube combined with a short stem, so I went with a large frame and that worked fine. Santa Cruz lists the medium frame (450mm seat tube) as being suitable for riders as short as 165cm. That’s the smallest Tallboy LT they make and I can only imagine a rider of that stature will need a negative 16 degree stem if they are going to get the bars anywhere near low enough. These points will apply to any long travel 29er and Santa Cruz has done everything possible to mitigate the issues.

With a frame-only price of $3,450 and complete bikes ranging from $5,299 (SLX build) up to $8,499 (XTR as tested), the Tallboy LTc pricing is consistent with the high-end carbon offerings from other boutique brands. If that’s all too much, there’s also an alloy Tallboy LT that cuts around $1,100 from the carbon price tag; same suspension performance, just an extra 700g of weight in the frame.

The Tallboy LTc is a brilliant do-it-all trail bike. It’s light and efficient enough to tackle the biggest of climbs as well as dabble in marathon events. Aside from a few extra grams and the tall bar position, there’s no reason why this couldn’t be a thoroughly competent XC racer—as long as you’re in it for fun. However, where it really comes into its element is in technical trail riding and long days on the dirt. With plenty of travel and the added forgiveness that 29-inch wheels provide, the Tallboy LT just laughs at drop-offs and rock-step littered terrain. It does all of this while still retaining an agile feel that belies the size of the bike and the travel. Santa Cruz may have taken their time before leaping into the long travel 29er race, but it’s safe to say that it’s been well worth the wait!

Thumbs Up

Fun and flickable rock garden destroyer

Bob-free yet supple suspension

Super stiff and very light

Thumbs Down

Tall handlebar position

Giardia catching bottle mount

Specifications

Frame: Carbon Monocoque VPP

Shock: Fox RP23 135mm travel

Fork: Fox Float 34 RLC 140mm travel

Headset: Cane Creek 110, 1 1/8 - 1 1/2

Handlebars: Truvativ Noir T40 riser 700mm

Stem: Easton EA90, zero degree 90mm

Shifters: Shimano XTR

Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR

Cassette: Shimano XTR 11/36 10-speed

Chain: Shimano XTR

Cranks: Shimano XTR 24/32/42

Bottom Bracket: Shimano XTR

Pedals: N/A

Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail

Rims: WTB Frequency i23

Spokes: DT Swiss

Hubs: DT Swiss 240 / Chub front

Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic/Racing Ralph 2.25

Saddle: WTB Silverado

Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Weight: 12.15kg without pedals (Large frame 2,550g)

Available Sizes: M, L (tested), XL

Price: $8,499 (frame only $3,450)

Distributor: Neezy Pty Ltd 0418 771 583 / www.santacruzmtb.com