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Santa Cruz Bicycles
Tallboy Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame - 2016

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Sitting pretty.

Since its last round of revisions, Santa Cruz's Tallboy Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame has displayed aggressive climbing, surprisingly nimble agility on descents, and four-inches of Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) travel that eat drops and flowy singletrack without sacrificing the kind of always-planted tire/trail contact that made the original Tallboy the touchstone of 29ers. It's not only light and stiff, but the retuned shock rate is even more resistant to bottom-outs, so the latest Tallboy takes drops and steps more like a trail bike. Given these properties, we're happy that it's returning for 2016 with no other changes besides aesthetics, sitting pretty on a winning platform.


When the Tallboy was most recently under the knife, Santa Cruz was smart enough to let a good thing well enough alone. Instead of fiddling with its best-seller's geometry, Santa Cruz instead looked at ways to shave weight and improve stiffness. The resulting frame is significantly lighter than comparable designs on the market. These gains are owed primarily to Santa Cruz's inimitable Carbon CC frame construction, which features a higher modulus carbon than the Carbon C model, so less material is required to hit the same strength and stiffness numbers. The chassis is lighter, so fewer watts are required to propel it, and the increased stiffness means those watts are transferred more efficiently.


The frame's two carbon triangles are built as whole pieces rather than glued together from disparate bits. This saves weight and increases structural integrity by allowing Santa Cruz to wrap carbon continuously through and around key junctures, eliminating the artificial stress points that result from bonded construction methods while saving weight by requiring less material. Finally, the carbon is also compacted from the inside and the outside for a more even finish that avoids any structural defects, excess material build-up, and resin pooling for — you guessed it — even more weight savings.


The suspension is a refinement of Santa Cruz's dual-link, counter-rotating VPP suspension design. When compressing the suspension from the beginning of the stroke, most of the rotation happens in the stiff aluminum top link, which pulls the wheel closer to the bottom bracket. That keeps the Tallboy soft off of the top, making for a supremely smooth ride. Once you pass the sag point and get deeper into the travel, the forged aluminum lower link handles most of the rotation. In this stage, the rear wheel travels away from the bottom bracket, so it's better equipped to handle larger, square-edged impacts. VPP is also incredibly effective at neutralizing brake dive and g-outs, and it maintains a solid, consistent pedaling platform to reduce bob.


Those with considerable saddle time on the Tallboy platform know that despite its modest 100mm wheel travel, this is a bike that begs to be pushed hard. That's why the geometry was designed to pair the VPP with either a 100mm or 120mm fork — though we think the bike's aggressive capabilities recommend the latter. Additionally, the Tallboy receives stealth routing for dropper seatposts. So, you have several options if you're looking for more control on descents and technical sections. For compatibility with tapered forks, the mixed-tapered 44/56mm head tube carries over, as does the 142x12mm thru-axle rear end. Both traits not only boost the stiffness of the frame, but of the bike as a whole. This equates to a precise level of tracking, which is particularly noticeable on rough lines and off-camber sections.


Frame Material
Carbon CC
Suspension
Virtual Pivot Point
Wheel Size
29 in
Rear Shock
FOX Float Factory
Rear Travel
100 mm
Head Tube Diameter
mix tapered
Headset Included
yes, Cane Creek 40
Bottom Bracket Type
73 mm BSA threaded
ISCG Tabs
yes, ISCG 05
Cable Routing
internal, stealth dropper
Front Derailleur Mount
direct mount
Brake Type
disc
Seatpost Diameter
30.9 mm
Rear Axle
12 x 142mm
Recommended Use
cross country
Manufacturer Warranty
lifetime on frame

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