Santa Cruz Hightower C R - 2017

With 135mm of Santa Cruz' proven VPP suspension design and a slacked-out 67-degree head angle, the Hightower shifts the 29er paradigm toward aggressive trail bike standards. Short chainstays and a spacious cockpit ramp-up the fun when railing technical descents while putting you in a powerful position for blazing uphill battles. Santa Cruz didn't stop with simple updates in frame design to up this big-wheeler's appeal, though. Adding Boost hub spacing and a clever high/low chip that alters the bike's bottom bracket height allows you to run the stock 29er wheelset or change to 27.5+ for extra traction in sloppy conditions. Bike handling characteristics remain optimized no matter which wheel size you choose thanks to a flip of the chip. The Hightower Carbon C R comes equipped with a 140mm-travel Fox Rhythm fork and workhorse stop-and-go bits from SRAM that offer solid performance in a wallet friendly package. For the Carbon C frame, Santa Cruz used a slightly different construction method to keep the cost down, but the stiffness, durability, and strength are identical to the top-level Carbon CC.