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Santa Cruz Bicycles
Tallboy Carbon CC 27.5+ X01 Eagle Mountain Bike - 2017

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Cage free.

The latest Tallboy Carbon CC 27.5+ X01 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike is an enigma. On one hand, it's a Tallboy, which originally became a wagon-wheel staple because the always-planted nature of its VPP suspension has long made it ride the way we want a 29er to ride. On the other hand, SC's inclusion of a flip chip in the upper linkage means it can toggle between the OG wagon wheel posture and this 27.5+ set-up. This effectively bends the bars of the previous Tallboy's XC-only cage, giving it more freedom to explore the open pastures of all-mountain riding.


This free-range tendency is further reinforced by the new Tallboy's longer, slacker, and more travel-ier frame, and the addition of SRAM's X01 Eagle 12-speed, one-by drivetrain is yet more mark in the more-than-just-XC column. See? An enigma. And rather than try to pigeonhole it in an arbitrary category based on travel and head tube angle, we find the best way to treat the new free-range Tallboy is to give it free reign on any trail this side of gnarly DH courses.


Given the revolutionary 27.5+ status it confers on the Tallboy, it's worth pausing to dwell on the flip chip. First seen on the five-inch Hightower, the flip chip was developed to allow riders to switch between 29er and 27.5+ wheel sizes. This results in a slight change in head tube angle on the Hightower; however, Santa Cruz has fine-tuned this technology to allow the geometry to remain exactly the same across each wheel size on the Tallboy. This means, depending on the day, your Tallboy 3 could be barreling with stability through gouged-up grassy trails and rock gardens, or floating over root-latticed switchbacks with the plush, quiet confidence of 27.5+ as it's setup here.


Either way, the new Tallboy's head tube angle leans it towards the trail side of the spectrum by dropping from its predecessor's traditional 70.2 degrees to a more relaxed 68 degrees, and Santa Cruz managed to shave a little over 13mm off the chainstay length to bring them down to 17.01in. This, coupled with a longer reach and shorter stem, results in a bike with the snappiness you'll need to dice through the tight and twisties and a stable, confident front end for diving off the XC course and into the white-knuckle stuff.


Geometry is only half the story, of course, and with such extensive changes, change-averse Tallboy fans will be pleased to learn that the Third Generation VPP suspension platform the Tallboy uses didn't undergo any earth-shattering changes. In fact, it's the same VPP that the Bronson 2.0 and 5010 2.0 received, inspired by the burlier Nomad, which means you get links that stay out of the way to accommodate a piggyback shock's external can without giving up the bottle cage. Because of this, Santa Cruz was able to build the frame with more ground clearance, lower standover, and a stiffer design to complement the already stiff Boost back end.


Third generation VPP also receives a few tweaks to its tuning compared to older version, with its new curve deviating from the previous "U" shape and moving towards more of a flattened check mark, with less dramatic ramping on either end of the arc. This improves the suspension's traction and compliance early and towards the middle of the stroke, lending more consistency and grip across root-laced, inconsistent trails. These changes thankfully don't have any impact on acceleration, so the Tallboy remains just as nimble and responsive as its predecessors with an overall increase in consistency and bump compliance throughout your ride.


For all the changes listed above, the Tallboy's Carbon CC construction remains the same. As with previous Carbon CC frames, the Tallboy requires less material to hit Santa Cruz's stiffness targets without sacrificing any of the responsiveness of the less expensive, heavier Carbon C models. Both triangles are constructed as whole, monocoque pieces, which also contributes to keeping weight low because the carbon can be wrapped through junctures and around joints. This eliminates the artificial weak points of bonded frames and actually requires less material in the process. While it's being cured, the frame is compacted from inside and out. This final step eliminates excess material and resin pooling, resulting in more structural integrity and, of course, additional weight savings.


Details

  • A low-travel race bike that refuses to be caged as XC-only
  • 4.3in of the latest VPP suspension keeps tires glued to the trail
  • Longer, slacker geometry adds more party to the Tallboy's ride
  • Santa Cruz's CC construction redefines our expectations of carbon
  • Flip chip in linkage preserves geometry on 27.5+ and 29in wheels
  • SRAM's 12-speed drivetrain features the ultimate bailout gear
  • Santa Cruz Bicycles is never afraid to mess with success in pursuit of improvement
  • Item #SNZ00BX
Frame Material
Carbon CC
Suspension
VPP
Rear Shock
FOX Float Performance Elite
Rear Travel
110 mm
Fork
FOX 34 Float Performance Elite
Front Travel
130 mm
Headset
Cane Creek 40
Shifters
SRAM X01 Eagle
Front Derailleur
n/a
Rear Derailleur
SRAM X01 Eagle
ISCG Tabs
no
Crankset
32 t SRAM X01 Eagle Carbon
Bottom Bracket
73mm threaded
Cassette
10 - 50 t SRAM XG-1295
Chain
SRAM X01 Eagle PowerLock
Brakeset
SRAM Level TLM
Brake Type
hydraulic disc
Rotors
180 / 180 mm Avid Centerline
Handlebar
Santa Cruz Carbon flat bar
Handlebar Width
[sizes small - medium] 750 mm, [sizes large - xx-large] 780 mm
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale lock-on
Stem
Race Face Turbine Basic
Saddle
WTB Silverado Team
Seatpost
[size small] RockShox Reverb Stealth 125mm, [sizes medium - x-large] RockShox Reverb Stealth 150mm, [size xx-large] RockShox Reverb Stealth 170mm
Seatpost Diameter
31.6 mm
Wheelset
[rims] Race Face ARC 40
Hubs
DT Swiss 350
Front Axle
15 x 110mm Boost
Rear Axle
12 x 148mm Boost
Tires
[front] Maxxis Rekon EXO 3C, [rear] Maxxis Rekon EXO
Tire Size
27.5 x 2.8 in
Pedals
not included
Recommended Use
cross country, trail
Manufacturer Warranty
lifetime on frame

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