Santa Cruz Bicycles

Hightower Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame - 2019

Santa Cruz developed the Hightower Carbon CC Mountain Bike Frame for the aggressive trail rider looking for one bike that'll shred pretty much any stretch of singletrack that lies before you, whether that's a flowing trail network across expanses of forested land or you're embarking on a gnarlier ride teetering along the edge of a high desert mesa. It's one of the most versatile 29ers on the marketplace, allowing you to experience the widest breadth of riding locations without it being too much bike on tamer trails or conversely, being outgunned when the trail turns steep and rocky. For the 2019 model year, the Hightower gets fresh colorways for an eye-catching look that's sure to draw complements out on the trail. Otherwise, it's exactly the same as previous model years, which is a good thing if you're seeking dialed geometry that both climbs and descends well.

This particular Hightower represents the lightest frame available, thanks to Santa Cruz's top-tier Carbon CC layup for weight savings over the cheaper Carbon C frame. Typical Santa Cruz Carbon CC frames weight approximately 250 to 280 grams lighter than those with the Carbon C layup, giving you a lighter, more spirited feel when it's time to accelerate from a corner, lay down power on punchy climbs, and smash over rocks and roots standing in your way. Best of all, this carbon layup doesn't sacrifice one bit of strength or stiffness, so you'll remain impressed with its precise handling and serious level of abuse this Carbon CC frame can withstand.

The Hightower's adjustable flip-chip is definitely one of its best features, seeing you can swap out 29-inch wheels for the voluminous traction and bump-smoothing support of 27.5+ wheels on tires up to a massive 3.0 inches wide. To convert it from a 29er to 27.5+ use, you'll have to run a slightly taller 150-millimeter fork, versus the 140-millimeter fork recommended with 29-inch wheels. This taller fork ensures the bottom bracket doesn't get too low, seeing the few millimeter difference when dropping down to 27.5+ wheels on either 2.8 or 3.0-inch tires.

Regardless of what wheel size you run, the Hightower solidifies its status as an aggressive trail machine with its long, relatively 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 140-millimeter fork on the 29er and a 150-millimeter 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 higher speeds. To help offset the longer geometry, Santa Cruz designed the Hightower with relatively short chainstays of 17.1 inches for quick turning capabilities. It's also pretty damn low, with its 13.2-inch 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 trail bike of this pedigree, it's packing 135 millimeters of travel from Santa Cruz's VPP suspension, which sports an upper-link driven shock in this configuration for an optimal mixture of pedaling efficiency and excellent bottom-out resistance on rowdy descents. 135 millimeters of travel (that's approximately 5.3 inches) optimizes the standard Hightower for aggressive trail riders seeking a well-balanced feel that'll quickly scoot uphill and conquer technical descents, but without it being too much bike for many riders like some long-travel 29ers.

This iteration of VPP uses an 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 VPP suspension is more sensitive off-the-top than older versions (especially with FOX's EVOL air canister), making it better at absorbing small bumps on the trail and laying down serious traction on rocky climbs. The mid-stroke is more linear than for a more active feel until the end-stroke, at which point it ramps up considerably to prevent bottoming out on bigger hits.