Deep Loam #5 - The Hightower

Remember that class mate that your Mum loved, was good looking, popular, got amazing grades, partied the hardest whilst still finishing 1st place in everything? Yeah that’s the Hightower.

The latest Hightower, now version 2, is a cocktail blend of the greatest flavours sliced from both the Tallboy and the Megatower, with its own special powder chucked into the mix the Hightower has resulted in an all-round 29er ripper that’s to die for up, along and down trail.

The Hightower is adaption.

From the local ‘out the door, from the door’ rides to the ‘out the bike bag for the annual alpine riding holiday’ the Hightower always remains calm, efficient and confident whilst always being a hoot to ride.

With 140mm travel delivered from the lower link driven VPP linkage design the balance between poppy and lively and big hit plushness nails the do-it-all sweet spot.

Is your Mountain Bike genre varied and hard to pinpoint? Are you sold on 29’’ wheels? The Hightower could be for you.

Suspension.

The new Hightower has followed suit along with most of the Santa Cruz line up. The suspension is now driven the lower link arrangement which has filtered through the range from the world cup winning V10 downhill bike.

To summarise this means the leverage rate says consistent and reliable throughout the 140mm stroke, this keeps performance exceptional and consistent and the set up a cinch.

The bike is shipped with a 150mm travel fork to create the perfect stance for nearly every terrain. While we do not recommend dropping the travel, jumping upto 160mm is rated if your riding is more focused on shredding the downs.

In summary - it's flat out, responsive and ultimately controlled!

Adjustability.

The Hightower allows for slight geometry adjustments to be made. Switch between ‘High’ or ‘Low’ modes and even has the ability to run either 27.5+ or 29’’ wheels to alter the ride characteristics for different rider demands and trail locations.

'High or Low?'

There's a flip-chip situated in the lower link which alters the BB height and head angle - the low setting drops the BB closer to the ground and slackens out the head angle for maximum ‘ripability’! The low setting also makes the rear suspension more progressive offering more bottom-out resistance from big hits. Rotating the link mounted flip-chip 180° positions the bike in the high position. We think this better suited for big all-day missions and encountering steep climbs due to it steepening the seat angle. The high position raises the BB height making navigating technical trails that bit easier whilst also tailoring the geo to cater for plump 27.5+ rubber, if that’s your jam.

27.5+ and 29"

Here at Stif we are pretty sold on riding the Hightower exclusively with 29’’ wheels, especially with the top tier performance on offer from the Maxxis DHR Widetrail tyres supplied as standard on the bike. However, if you are a die hard 27.5+ fan the Hightower has smaller wheels and chunky rubber compatibility in its veins. Situating the bike in the ‘High’ position provides the added ground clearance needed and there is plenty of room both in the frame and the fork for aggressive 27.5x2.8 tyres, even if you’re riding in claggy conditions.

The RockShox Super Deluxe

The RockShox Super Deluxe shock is the brands flag ship rear end damper aimed at the latest hard charging trail and enduro bikes. A category the Hightower has its foundations firmly planted in. Santa Cruz spent a ton of time experimenting with different shock brands, models and tunes before deciding the Super Deluxe offered the best on trail performance, especially when paired with the RockShox Lyrik fork. Both dampers combined provide a lightweight, sensitive off the top feel which is easily tuneable with volume spacers and a total breeze to set up.

The air shock provides a lively and poppy ride, especially paired with the 140mm travel platform. The bike is supple until sag point before ramping up in the mid stroke. This suspension support gives something to push against when you are hard charging. When riding the Hightower, you get what out what you put in – push the bike through a berm with enthusiasm and you will be rewarded with additional speed out the other side.

You pick it, we build it.

The Hightower is available in all 3 Santa Cruz frame material formats – Alloy, Carbon C and Carbon CC, with several different build kits on all 3 variants there are build options available throughout the pricing scale. The Alloy and Carbon CC frames also available as a frame only options – this leaves the custom build route wide open.

Build kit?

Santa Cruz offer a host of build options across the alloy and carbon frame options. Entering with the budget but loyal alloy D-Kit, which wears Sram SX Eagle and a simple yet trusty RockShox 35 fork through to the unrivalled Sram XX1 AXS wireless shifting system, Santa Cruz Reserve carbon wheels and RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork. Whatever your demands and wants, there is a Hightower to suit you.

Custom Build?

Off the shelf bikes are as good as they’ve ever been, but if the components you want arn’t available on a stock build or you’re just looking for that special eroma a custom built bike has the options are limitless.

As we previously mentioned the Hightower is available frame only in both alloy and carbon CC guises, this leaves the doors truly wide open. Due to the versitility and light weight design there are a number of paths we could go down when building a Hightower from the ground up. We can work together to build a bike that perfectly fits your demands. Looking for a more trail orientated build? Then the lighter RockShox Pike 150mm travel fork, 27mm Reserves, Sram G2 brakes and faster rolling tyres may be the way to go.

Wanting an effiect trail bike that’ll double up as a weekend enduro racer too? Selecting the 160mm travel Fox 36 Grip2, DTswiss EX511 rims and Cushcore tyre inserts could be the way to go.

Ultimatly, we’re geared up for any custom build and our experianced sales team contains the knowledge to steer you in the right direction. Whatever your demands or wants for your new dream build give us a shout, we’re here to help and the sky the limit.

We live and breathe bikes and are lucky enough to ride & test everything we sell in our stores. 

We pride ourselves on the knowledge we have and being able to advise people on the best possible stuff is why we create the Deep Loam Articles, to pass on the collective information that we have here at Stif on our favourite bikes & products.

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