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Santa Cruz Bicycles
Highball 29 Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame - 2017

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No substitute.

Beginning in model year 2016, newly re-imagined suspension designs have been ushering wagon wheels into the all-mountain category, but there's still no substitute for the speed and agility of a steep-angled 29er. Santa Cruz Bicycles has done its own work on the 29er suspension front, but the Highball 29 Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame remains a pure cross-country speed machine. Riding a hardtail means no squish and no weight penalty, so the bike is more efficient and easier to propel uphill. Santa Cruz's Carbon CC construction also maximizes weight loss and stiffness, further contributing to the worm-burning qualities that made us first fall in love with 29ers all those years ago.


The Highball 29er's frame is a single-piece layup of carbon fiber instead of a jigsaw puzzle of individually-cured carbon tubes. This allows Santa Cruz to wrap the fibers continuously around structurally important junctures like the head tube and bottom bracket, strengthening the frame, dissipating the force from impacts and pedaling load, and allowing for comparable strength with less material. Translated into trail talk, this means it hits the bricks when you stomp on the pedals, dampens high-speed chatter, and holds lines like a cat on carpet — all with a low-weight that makes any full-suspension bike look like a bloated downhill-only machine.


The Highball does somewhat address the lack of rear suspension with a diminished seatpost, slimmed down to 27.2 millimeters. While this doesn't quite equate to the square-edge hit capabilities of the Nomad or Bronson, it does help to eat up chatter that will otherwise accumulate over the course of a long ride. Up front, the 29-inch model has a sharper head tube angle than the Highball 27.5 so it dances nimbly through switchbacks and technical sections. Although it has longer chainstays than the 27.5 version, The Highball 29er actually has a shorter wheelbase, courtesy of that head tube angle, which contributes to the confident handling when quarters get tight.


Finally, Santa Cruz's approach to the carbon layup process deserves a quick mention before we sign off. The carbon is compacted from both inside and out, eliminating voids, preventing delamination, and creating a smooth interior. While that level of aesthetic perfection is a nice idea, even if we can't see it, the real-world benefits of a perfect interior include no resin pools or unintended material abnormalities, which can structurally compromise a frame over time.


Details

  • An uncompromising cross-country race frame
  • Steep front end stays on point while grinding out climbs
  • Exhibits nimble agility when the trail turns crunchy
  • Top-tier Carbon CC construction drops grams and stiffens up
  • Internal routing and threaded bottom bracket satisfy every mechanic
  • Santa Cruz Bicycles has been a driving mountain bike force since 1993
  • Item #SNZ00B8
Frame Material
Carbon CC
Fork Travel
[recommended] 100 - 120 mm
Head Tube Diameter
1-1/2 - 1-1/8in tapered
Headset Included
no
Bottom Bracket Type
73 mm English threaded
ISCG Tabs
no
Cable Routing
internal
Front Derailleur Mount
high direct
Derailleur Pull
bottom
Brake Type
disc
Seatpost Diameter
27.2 mm
Rear Axle
12 x 142mm
Recommended Use
cross country
Manufacturer Warranty
lifetime on frame

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