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Santa Cruz Bicycles
Tallboy Carbon R Complete Mountain Bike - 2016

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Safe and sound.

For the 2016 iteration of the Tallboy Carbon R Complete Mountain Bike, Santa Cruz is playing it relatively safe. No radical redesign, no attempt to create any new suspension or bottom bracket standards, no claim of a new genre of off-road bike — just the classic, soundly vetted Tallboy setup. Everything from the BSA threaded bottom bracket to the geometry and Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension are the classic, proven design that — with the exception of a few occasional tweaks between model years — have remained the same since 2009, when the Tallboy first rolled onto the scene and forever deflated the myth of the clunky 29er.


The few alterations we allude to above are welcome ones, made with an eye toward saving weight, improving stiffness, and producing a more linear feel to the VPP travel. Suspension aside for now, the gains in weight and stiffness are owed to Santa Cruz's ever-evolving Carbon C frame construction. Carbon C features a lower modulus of carbon than the more expensive Carbon CC build, so it requires more material to hit the same stiffness that Santa Cruz requires from all of its bikes. More material means more weight, to the tune of a claimed 280g. Still, that's a small sacrifice to make when pennies are counted against grams, and the overall efficiency of the frame remains the same as the (much) more expensive Carbon CC model.


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.


Over the years, the Tallboy's four-inches of VPP suspension have been continually tweaked. From 2015 to 2016, no changes were made, so it's as surprisingly forgiving as its predecessor. VPP's two counter-rotating links yield a vertical wheel path in initial travel to maintain a firm platform over small bumps and climbs, but as the bike compresses deeper into the suspension, the axle moves rearward to accommodate bigger hits without sacrificing pedal input. The mid-stroke support and small bump compliance translate to snappy pedaling across trail furniture that keeps you glued on climbs and encourages aggression when you drop in, taking advantage of the efficient 17.5in chainstays and stiff, lightweight chassis for speed that doesn’t let up when the trail points down.


The Tallboy R is finished with a blended Shimano drivetrain and WTB rims laced to SRAM hubs. The build kit is ready to race but also equal to the daily abuse of training or recreation — after all, the Tallboy's meant to be ridden hard as often as possible, not kept on a pedestal until you're ready to pin on a number. This limitless use potential is also realized in the double crankset, which effectively expands the cassette's 11-36t range to save your knees and cover terrain that a one-by drivetrain would struggle with. Santa Cruz finishes the R build with a RockShox Recon Gold fork and a FOX Racing Shox shock, a suspension combination that helps the Tallboy's versatile geometry lean on the barrier between XC and trail bikes.


Manufacturer Warranty
lifetime on frame
Recommended Use
cross-country, trail
Pedals
not included
Tire Size
29 x 2.2 in
Tires
Maxxis Ikon
Rear Axle
12x142mm
Front Axle
15x100mm
Hubs
SRAM MTH 716/746
Wheelset
[rims] WTB STi19 TCS
Seatpost
Race Face Ride
Saddle
WTB Volt Race
Stem
Race Face Ride
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Lock-On
Handlebar Width
720 mm
Handlebar
Race Face Evolve
Rotors
160 mm Shimano RT66
Brake Type
hydraulic disc
Brakeset
Shimano Deore M615
Chain
KMC X10.93
Cassette
11 - 36 t Shimano SLX HG81
Crank Arm Length
175 mm
Crankset
22 - 36 t Shimano Deore M617
ISCG Tabs
yes, ISCG 05
Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT M786 GS Shadow+
Front Derailleur
Shimano M618
Shifters
Shimano SLX M670
Headset
Cane Creek 10
Front Travel
120 mm
Fork
RockShox Recon Gold TK Solo Air
Rear Travel
100 mm
Rear Shock
FOX Racing Shox Float Performance
Suspension
Virtual Pivot Point
Frame Material
Carbon C

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