Mountain Frames

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! 145mm 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 "Oh sh*t, 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 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 to keep things quiet. The lifetime frame warranty and lifetime pivot bearing replacement policy assure you that the Hightower will keep delivering the hits for years to come.

When you can only have one bike, and your mission is to ride it into oblivion, this is the one. From manicured bike parks to blown-out loamy berms, alpine lines to backyard trails, the Bronson feels just as at home in the air as it does in the dirt. For the rider with a Peter Pan disposition or anyone looking to get into a pan-flat tabletop position, the Bronson encourages bad behavior.

Big on wheels, short on fuss, this is the pinnacle of go-anywhere-anytime bikes. A balance of travel, wheel size and attitude makes this a true MTB for modern mountain biking. Whether that includes the rarefied air of the alpine or just local trailheads, built and burly trails or sublime natural singletrack, the Hightower is an all-terrain thriller.

The Downhiller's XC Bike The Tallboy has earned a loyal following amongst those who seek a go-to bike that will hold up to the relentless hammering of power hour rides or riding for all-the-hours. The highly refined VPP™ suspension on the Tallboy combines pedaling efficiency and all-out bump-chomping prowess. If ever there was a gravity riders’ XC bike, the Tallboy is it.

When you can only have one bike, and your mission is to ride that bike into oblivion then this is the one. From manicured bike parks to blown out loamy berms, alpine lines to backyard trails, the Bronson is as at home in the air as it is in the dirt. For the rider with a Peter Pan disposition or who wants to get into a pan flat tabletop position, the Bronson encourages bad behavior.

Big on wheels, short on fuss, this is the pinnacle of go-anywhere-anytime bikes. A balance of travel, wheel size and attitude makes this a true ATB for modern mountain biking. Whether that includes the rarefied air of the alpine or just local trailheads, built and burly trails or sublime natural singletrack, the Hightower is an all-terrain thriller.

THE PRIVATEER'S ULTIMATE ENDURO RACE BIKE Seriously. The Megatower’s big wheels, long-travel and tough carbon fiber chassis delivers the high-speed security traits of a race bike. Yet the relatively steep seat angle and size-specific geo maintain the Mega’s mega pedaling ability, elevating its reputation as the perfect choice for big gravity rides, park laps and enduro racing. Blind confidence on blind terrain VPP™ suspension can be optimized to strike a balance between pedaling efficiency and all-out bump-chomping prowess. The Megatower is exceptional at absorbing the biggest hits so its rider can charge harder, with more confidence, in the very worst terrain. But because it's still pedal efficient, getting up to the best, highest trails isn't a chore like some other bikes. Sensitivity and constant traction The Megatower's low leverage ratio to provide a more damped, controlled feel at speed. Lower anti-squat reduces pedal induced firmness and provides excellent square edge bump absorption, which gives you a greater margin for error when taking blind risks on wild trails. Thought out for privateer racers The Megatower's low leverage ratio to provide a more damped, controlled feel at speed. Lower anti-squat reduces pedal induced firmness and provides excellent square edge bump absorption, which gives you a greater margin for error when taking blind risks on wild trails.

STOMPING GAPS AND STAMPING PASSPORTS Load up the van, hit the road, climb a mountain, hammer it back down, huck the gap, throw the bike back in the van, drive to the bike park and do laps on laps. Hell, you could even rock up to the startline of the world's wildest races. The Nomad’s forte is being ready and willing to go wherever, whenever. The only thing it needs is a rider willing to press send. All the travel anyone needs in a single-crown bike intended for the steepest and deepest of trails. VPP™ suspension can be optimized to strike a balance between pedaling efficiency and all-out bump-chomping prowess. The Nomad is exceptional at absorbing the biggest hits so its rider can charge harder, with more confidence, in the very worst terrain. But because it's still pedal efficient, getting up to the best, highest trails isn't a chore like some other bikes. Sensitivity and constant traction On the Nomad, lowering the anti-squat reduced pedal kickback on big square-edge hits at speed, all while improving the overall sensitivity of the suspension to maintain traction at all speeds. Up and downhill. Flat-out bump control and tracking By reducing the starting leverage of the latest Nomad, we were able to improve body-weight influenced geometry stability throughout the travel. While reducing progression allowed the suspension to have consistently better tracking qualities throughout the stroke. Built to last Short, stout counter-rotating links connect the front and rear triangles to create an extremely robust chassis that reduces lateral flex. Simple expanding collet axles hold things together, pivots run on large diameter axles and bearings (which we offer free lifetime replacement for) and the lower link includes a grease-port for quick, easy maintenance. Frame stiffness tuned by size Bigger riders means bigger stresses on bigger frames. So we tailor stiffness for every size to make sure everyone gets the same ride quality. Details matter The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm, and rubberized DT protectors to shrug off strikes.