Bikes

Our greatest hits compiled into one bike—just hit play. If ever a bike resembled your most cherished mix tape compilation, the Hightower is it. Featuring our lower-link mounted shock design, updated, adjustable geometry, this “Engineering Best Of...” assembles some of our biggest design pleasers into one belter of a road-trip companion. The Hightower has been a does-it-all-well trail bike since its inception. More maneuverable than its longer-travel sibling, the Megatower, and more at home in the steep-and-chunky than its snappy cousin Tallboy, Hightower excels when the route covers ‘all points in between,’ and descents come courtesy of some big-ass climbs. The VPP suspension’s lower-link-mounted shock creates a nearly linear leverage curve, meaning it mops up bumps of all sizes and maintains the kind of progressivity normally reserved for our V10 DH bike! 140mm of rear travel complemented by a 150mm front end gives Hightower just a bit more front and rear travel over the first generation model. Combined with a slacker 65-degree head tube angle, the Hightower still sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone, but with a touch more “Get me out of here!” capability when the porridge gets too hot! Balancing stiffness and weight savings in all the right places is a hallmark of all Santa Cruz carbon frames and the Hightower flies the flag yet higher. The advanced composite chassis tracks well across all trail surfaces, holds a line, and is reactive to rider directions while isolating pedal-influenced inputs. The Hightower also has a bonus disc to heighten the experience—the flip chip. In the High setting, the BB height is a little higher for those tricky tech trails and/or when Plus sized tires are required. In the Low position the shock rate is more progressive, to provide additional bottom-out resistance. Whatever mood you’re in, the tone of the Hightower can be adapted to meet your individual taste. And speaking of taste, there’s a room for a water bottle inside the main frame and a threaded BB for convenience. There’s refined cable routing for better shifting performance, simpler installation, and no cable rub. On top of that, there’s a tailgate shuttle guard, downtube protector, shock fender, and noise-canceling chainstay protector keeping things quiet. The lifetime frame warranty, lifetime pivot bearing replacement policy, and lifetime guarantee on the optional Reserve carbon wheels assures you that the Hightower will keep delivering the hits for years to come. While the Hightower R is on the more affordable side of the available Carbon C frame build kits, it's no slouch when it comes to satisfying your trail riding needs. You get a stiff RockShox Yari RC fork paired with a Fox Float Performance DPS shock for excellent shock absorption, and SRAM's NX Eagle drivetrain shifts through the massive 12-speed gear range with ease. SRAM Guide R brakes and WTB ST i29 rims wrapped in Maxxis Minion DHR2 tires put confidence in your fingertips on sketchy descents, while the Race Face Ride stem and Aeffect R bar with 35mm clamp give you the stiffness and leverage you want for precise maneuvers at speed.

The Santa Cruz V10 is the winningest bike in downhill World Cup history. Born from racing, and more than adept at the bike park, the V10's lower-link-driven, VPP suspension sports 216mm of VPP travel — yet it pedals out of corners and down long motorway sections much more efficiently than you'd ever expect. The sixth generation V10 features a flip chip to adjust the geometry to give you a low and slack and a lower and slacker setting: - High: 64° headtube angle / 360mm bottom bracket height - Low: 63.5° headtube angle / 353mm bottom bracket height The shock rate has been tuned to be more linear and deliver consistent damping throughout the travel. Carbon lay-up analysis and frame shape optimization allowed for more efficient use of material, and the savings were then reinvested into other areas to ensure the bike withstands huge, flat landings. The V10 Carbon C S comes with a set of dependable components built for the rigors of DH racing. A Fox 40 Performance Elite fork and DHX2 Performance Elite shock keep you glued to the trail, while the E13 LG1+ rims wrapped in 2.4-inch Maxxis High Roller 2 rubber ensure superior control at speed. SRAM Code R four-piston brakes paired to 203mm front and 200mm rear rotors won't let you down when you need them, and a Santa Cruz direct mount stem and wide Race Face Atlas bar provide stiff leverage for navigating the roughest DH tracks.