Santa Cruz Bicycles

Tallboy Carbon - R XC Complete Bike

Technology has finally caught up with consumer demand; 29ers now benefit from tapered headtubes, front and rear thru-axles, and advanced materials. Before, frames and wheels were too noodly to let the large-wheel platform shine. Santa Cruz was one of the first to unlock that true potential, and its latest version -- the Tallboy Carbon dressed here in the R AM Complete Bike kit -- builds on their proven formula.

On particular feature is Santa Cruz's proprietary carbon process. It allows the frame to offer line-holding stiffness in an incredibly light package. The front triangle is constructed as once piece, rather than having components produced separately, and then bonded or wrapped. Additionally, the carbon fibers are continuous around tube junctions to distribute loads and absorb impact energy better.

One thing that you can't see without cutting the frame in half is that it looks as good on the inside as it does on the outside. There's nothing there except smooth carbon, and this isn't because SC's engineers are obsessive cleaners. This actually prevents stress risers in failure prone areas of the frame. For that reason too, there are no riveted or bonded-on cable and hose guides--they're incorporated into the original layup.

That layup provides stiff and solid mounting points for the latest generation of Santa Cruz's Virtual Pivot Point rear suspension. The upper and lower links flatten out the shock rate and provide a more active feel to the early part of the axle path. The suspension allows the rear wheel to move up and back as you ride over a bump, and it balances the downward force of pedaling with the pulling force of the chain through its link configuration and axle path. The resulting movement makes it easier to roll over a bump or through a dip, and the suspension doesn’t change whether you’re in the saddle or not.

The Tallboy Carbon has a carbon fiber upper link that shaves weight and enhances lateral stiffness. It's counterpart on the bottom is alloy, and it has easily-serviceable grease ports. The pivots for both links have stout 15mm locking collet axle-pins so they won't creak or loosen, and they run on intricately-sealed bearings that should last the life of the frame.

The VPP suspension of the Tallboy Carbon yields 100mm of smooth travel damped by a Fox CTD rear shock -- a lightweight, reliable shock that features an intuitive interface for simple, on-the-fly suspension tuning. It has three distinct settings; a firm 'Climbing' setting, medium 'Trail' setting, and a plush 'Descend' setting. This keeps operation straightforward and intuitive for beginners and experts alike.

Complementing the CTD rear shock is a 120mm Fox 32 Float CTD front shock. Like the 142 x 12mm rear axle, the fork sports a 15mm thru axle for stiffness. A hand-laced and tensioned wheelset composed of Shimano M756 hubs, 14 gauge spokes, and WTB i19 rims spin around those axles. For tires, fast-rolling Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 tubeless tires provide a nice mix of speed and grip.

The Drivetrain is a 3 x 10 Shimano SLX group: including the rear derailleur, shifters, and cassette. A M552 crank carries 24/32/42 chainrings and an XT front derailleur guides an HG74 chain over them. Stopping the RXC equipped Tallboy Carbon are a set of 160mm rotor Avid Elixir 5 brakes. Finishing off the build are Race Face Ride components for the stem, handlebar, and seatpost with a WTB Volt Race perched atop of it.

The Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon R XC Complete Bike Comes in sizes Medium through XX-Large, and two colors; Matte Carbon/Red and Black/Blue White.