{"id":38227,"date":"2022-06-21T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=684557"},"modified":"2022-06-21T09:26:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:26:15","slug":"santa-cruzs-2022-hightower-is-just-a-bike","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/santa-cruzs-2022-hightower-is-just-a-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Cruz\u2019s 2022 Hightower is \u201cjust a bike\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Alex Evans\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 21 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Santa Cruz claims its latest Hightower is a pan-discipline mountain bike, designed for \u201call-terrain riding\u201d.<\/p>\n

Its 145mm of rear-wheel and 150mm of front-wheel travel, 29in wheels<\/a> and made-over longer, slacker and lower geometry<\/a> make it Santa Cruz\u2019s most versatile full-suspension mountain bike, the brand claims.<\/p>\n

Suspension updates include reduced anti-squat in the first 40 per cent of its travel, while its leverage rate is more progressive and more linear than its predecessor.<\/p>\n

Like the 2022 Megatower<\/a>, the new Hightower gets a Glovebox, as Santa Cruz dubs it. This internal storage is located behind a door on the top side of the down tube.<\/p>\n

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The Glovebox storage compartment sits beneath the water bottle mounts.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Prices range from \u00a35,399 for the Hightower C R and rise to \u00a39,599 for the Hightower CC X01 AXS RSV.<\/p>\n

2022 Santa Cruz Hightower frame and suspension<\/h2>\n
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Each size of the carbon model has been tuned to have specific ride qualities.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Hightower\u2019s frame features the low-slung shock used across the latest iteration of Santa Cruz\u2019s bikes, from the downcountry Tallboy through to the freeride Nomad.<\/p>\n

And like the rest of the brand\u2019s range, the new Hightower is made from Santa Cruz\u2019s top-spec CC carbon fibre, C carbon and aluminium.<\/p>\n

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Cable routing is claimed to have been improved.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Taking ride-feel seriously, Santa Cruz claims it has tuned both the C and CC carbon fibre Hightower frames to have size-specific stiffness, where each size of front triangle has a \u201ctailored\u2026 flex characteristic\u201d, in a bid to make them feel similar for riders of different sizes and weights.<\/p>\n

Santa Cruz\u2019s lifetime frame and bearing warranty also applies to the latest Hightower.<\/p>\n

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The Glovebox means you can stash items inside the bike\u2019s down tube.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Down tube storage \u2013 called the Glovebox by Santa Cruz \u2013 is accessed via a door underneath the bottle cage. Each bike is supplied with a Tool Wallet and Tube Purse to help keep your essentials organised.<\/p>\n

Cable routing has been improved, according to the brand, and there\u2019s now a sag window on the non-driveside of the shock tunnel to make setting up the suspension<\/a> easier.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s room for up to a 2.5in-wide tyre, the rear axle uses Boost 148mm spacing and it\u2019s fitted with 180mm post mounts. The bottom bracket is threaded and has ISCG05 chain guide mounts, while it uses SRAM\u2019s UDH.<\/p>\n

Suspension<\/h3>\n
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The low-slung shock is iconically Santa Cruz.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Although travel \u2013 at 145mm \u2013 and the VPP twin-link design remain the same, it has been tuned up for the latest bike.<\/p>\n

Its anti-squat (how much the suspension resists pedal bob; a higher percentage means the suspension bobs less, a lower figure means it bobs more) has been reduced compared to the outgoing model in the first 40 per cent of its travel to between 140 per cent and 130 per cent.<\/p>\n

It then remains higher through the rest of the travel, where at bottom-out anti-squat is 60 per cent.<\/p>\n

Santa Cruz claims this \u201cnoticeably improves suspension sensitivity\u201d when a rider is climbing or descending because pedalling forces aren\u2019t stiffening up the suspension as much.<\/p>\n

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There is a shock sag window to aid setup.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Its leverage curve is marginally more linear compared to the old model to create more consistent support and damping throughout the travel. The increase in progression at the end of the bike\u2019s travel<\/a> means it should have increased bottom-out resistance, too.<\/p>\n

According to our calculations, the Hightower is now 24 per cent progressive throughout its travel, compared to the old model\u2019s 20 per cent progressivity.<\/p>\n

2022 Santa Cruz Hightower geometry<\/h2>\n
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Santa Cruz claims the new Hightower is designed for all types of riding.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Hightower\u2019s geometry has also been tweaked and modernised without, Santa Cruz says, \u201coverstepping its intentions\u201d.<\/p>\n

This can be understood to mean it hasn\u2019t gone super-long, slack and low on purpose, keeping the Hightower\u2019s focus on trail riding rather than turning it into a mini enduro bike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Along with a slacker head angle, lower bottom bracket, increased reach and a higher stack are size-specific chainstay lengths and seat tube angles. Santa Cruz claims this is to give different rider heights on different-sized bikes the \u201csame balanced geometry\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The new Hightower is available in aluminium, C carbon fibre and CC carbon.<\/span><\/figcaption> Santa Cruz<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Offered in five sizes, from small to extra-extra-large, the Hightower has a geometry flip chip with a high and a low setting. The flip chip changes the head angle by 0.3 degrees and bottom bracket height by 3mm.<\/p>\n

Headline figures in the low geometry setting include a 64.5-degree head angle, a 475mm reach (size large), 76-degree seat tube angle and chainstays that span from 431mm to 443mm in 3mm increments between sizes.<\/p>\n

<\/colgroup>
2022 Santa Cruz Hightower geometry<\/caption>
\ufeffSize<\/th>Small<\/th>Medium<\/th>Large<\/th>Extra-large<\/th>Extra-extra-large<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Reach (mm) high\/low<\/td>430\/427<\/td>455\/452<\/td>475\/472<\/td>495\/492<\/td>520\/517<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack (mm) high\/low<\/td>611\/613<\/td>625\/627<\/td>634\/636<\/td>652\/654<\/td>665\/668<\/td> <\/tr>
Head angle (degrees) high\/low<\/td>64.8\/64.5<\/td>64.8\/64.5<\/td>64.8\/64.5<\/td>64.8\/64.5<\/td>64.8\/64.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube angle (degrees) high\/low<\/td>77\/76.7<\/td>77\/76.7<\/td>76.7\/76.4<\/td>76.9\/76.6<\/td>76.9\/76.7<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay (mm)<\/td>431\/432<\/td>434\/435<\/td>437\/438<\/td>440\/441<\/td>443\/444<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase (mm)<\/td>1183<\/td>1217\/1218<\/td>1244\/1245<\/td>1276<\/td>1310\/1311<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket height (mm)<\/td>342\/339<\/td>342\/338<\/td>342\/338<\/td>342\/338<\/td>342\/338<\/td> <\/tr>
Standover (mm)<\/td>706\/701<\/td>708\/703<\/td>711\/706<\/td>714\/709<\/td>719\/714<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>