Santa Cruz Bicycles

Hightower Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame - 2018

The Hightower Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame is Santa Cruz's premier bike for conquering large swaths of imposing alpine terrain where steep, rocky descents pose a significant challenge. When it was first introduced, the Hightower represented the longest travel 29er in Santa Cruz's range (now supplanted by the Hightower LT), making it the go-to choice for handling challenging alpine terrain. For unmatched versatility, it's configurable with either 29in or 27.5+ wheels, courtesy of its flip-chip located along the upper linkage. This ability to swap between wheel sizes gives the Hightower speed-carrying, obstacle-rolling abilities as a 29er or voluminous traction and bump-smoothing support in 27.5+ form.

This particular version of the Hightower benefits from the significant weight savings of Santa Cruz's top-flight Carbon CC frame, which saves approximately 230 grams compared to the less expensive Carbon C frame. The frame's weight savings don't sacrifice one bit of the legendary strength and stiffness you've come to associate with Santa Cruz carbon. And because it's the Carbon CC version of the Hightower, you'll find the Fox Float Factory DPS shock is upgraded over the lower-end Float Performance shock with a buttery Kashima coating for improved small-bump compliance.

Regardless of what wheel size you run, the Hightower solidifies its status as an aggressive trail machine with its long, slack geometry inspiring confidence at high speeds. The head tube angle is practically the same between both wheel sizes at 67-degrees, so long as you choose a 140mm fork on the 29er and a 150mm fork in 27.5+ form. Both sizes retain a roomy cockpit and noticeably long wheelbase for a comfortable and confident riding position, also lending stability when you open it up at high speeds. To help offset the longer geometry, Santa Cruz designed the Hightower with relatively short chainstays of 17.1in for quick turning capabilities. It's also pretty damn low, with its 13.2in bottom bracket keeping you glued to the trail when you're rallying across rock gardens and bombing downhill at high velocities.

As you'd expect from a bike of this pedigree, it's packing Santa Cruz's VPP suspension for an efficient pedaling platform with a plush, almost bottomless feel on the descents. The newest iteration of VPP is revised over older versions, with the upper box-style link attaching to the top tube for greater stiffness and increased stand-over clearance. The lower link sits neatly above the bottom bracket, protecting it from damaging rock strikes when you're riding the Hightower like a monster truck over loose rocks and trail debris. The revised VPP suspension is more sensitive off-the-top stroke, making it better at absorbing small bumps on the trail and laying down traction on rocky climbs. The mid-stroke is more linear than before for greater support until the end-stroke, at which point it ramps up considerably to prevent bottoming out on bigger hits.