The fourth-generation Santa Cruz Hightower continues to embody the do-it-all ethos of the original Hightower, launched in 2016, but gets a significant overhaul for 2025 in a bid to make it even more capable and versatile.<\/p>

Although the new bike also runs on 29in wheels at the front and rear, there\u2019s now 150mm of rear-suspension travel on tap and a focus on a smoother, more traction-rich ride thanks to tweaks in how that travel is delivered.<\/p>

The geometry has been updated too, boasting a slacker head angle, steeper seat tube angle and a marginally longer rear centre.<\/p>

Santa Cruz is offering six builds (three using its ‘C\u2019 carbon frames and three with the pricier \u2018CC\u2019 carbon frames), starting at $4,799 \/ \u00a34,899 and topping out at $10,899 \/ \u00a39,999 for the all-singing, all-dancing XX AXS RSV build.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Five things you need to know about the new Santa Cruz Hightower<\/h2>
Rear-wheel travel upped to 150mm, while the fork is bumped up to 160mm<\/li>
New, lower shock position and revised pivot placements result in less anti-squat, which is said to remain active while climbing and reduce pedal kickback<\/li>
Head angle has been slackened to 63.9 degrees (in the \u2018low\u2019 setting), while seat tube angle has been steepened to around 78 degrees<\/li>
Only available in \u2018C\u2019 or \u2018CC\u2019 carbon, the latter of which will only accept wireless drivetrains<\/li>
Five sizes (29in wheels on all sizes) and six build options available, starting at $4,799 \/ \u00a34899 for the C R spec, all the way up to $10,899 \/ \u00a39,999 for the top-end XX AXS RSV bike<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
More travel, traction and composure<\/h2>
Rob had the chance to ride the Hightower in the Italian Alps during the launch. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
Santa Cruz claims the Hightower is \u201cprobably the bike that most people need\u201d. But why?<\/p>
As many brands with a bike like the Hightower will claim, this could be the one bike to rule them all, the quiver killer or even the best do-it-all machine out there.<\/p>
It\u2019s a proper all-rounder and Santa Cruz has done its utmost to keep it that way, despite a few changes that might make you think it could be treading on the longer-travel Megatower\u2019<\/a>s toes.<\/p>
$\"Santa$
Elaborately shaped chainstay protection helps to quieten chain slap while riding. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
What hasn\u2019t changed is the wheel size. The Hightower continues to run on 29in wheels<\/a> and is designed specifically to do so. Take a look at the revised Bronson<\/a> if you prefer a mixed-wheel setup<\/a> with broadly similar intentions.<\/p>
For 2025, the Hightower gets 150mm of rear-wheel travel<\/a> \u2013 a bump of 5mm over the outgoing third-generation frame. This is paired with a longer-travel 160mm fork up front.<\/p>
Not only has Santa Cruz upped the travel at the back, it has also altered how it\u2019s delivered.<\/p>
While the Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) system is still used, the feel of that 150mm of travel should be different.<\/p>
$\"Santa$
Reconfigured pivot positioning and a new, lower mounting place for the shock help alter how the 150mm of rear-wheel travel is delivered. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
Santa Cruz has moved the shock deeper into the frame and rotated the lower of the two links further forward and down.<\/p>
Like the Bronson, the shock now sits low in the frame\u2019s \u2018bird’s nest\u2019 \u2013 a triangulated structure above the bottom bracket junction, which provides easier access to the shock.<\/p>
The resulting change to the pivot placements has reduced the anti-squat (the measure of how much the suspension design resists bobbing as you pedal).<\/p>
$\"Santa$
There’s now more room around the shock where it pierces the seat tube, meaning the new Hightower can accommodate a coil shock. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
It\u2019s said this change has been made to help keep the rear suspension more active while pedalling up rough, technical terrain, as well as reducing pedal kickback when the rear wheel smashes into square-edge impacts, reducing any harshness.<\/p>
According to the graph shared by Santa Cruz, though, anti-squat should still be well over 100 per cent at sag and provide a fairly efficient ride.<\/p>
Should you wish to switch from an air-sprung to coil-sprung shock<\/a>, there\u2019s now more room around the shock where it pierces the seat tube, making this a possible aftermarket upgrade option.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Top-end frames cut out the cables<\/h2>
$\"Male$
Keep an eye out for a full review coming soon. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
At present, Santa Cruz is only offering the fourth-generation Hightower frames in its \u2018C\u2019 or more expensive \u2018CC\u2019 carbon.<\/p>
While that isn\u2019t outside the norm, what is more newsworthy is that, just like the Bronson and carbon Specialized Stumpjumper 15<\/a> that launched earlier this year, the pricier \u2018CC\u2019 frame won\u2019t have internal routing for cable-actuated drivetrains.<\/p>
The higher-end carbon frame will only work with wireless gear systems, which will limit what owners can switch to later down the line should they destroy a derailleur.<\/p>
Whether this is a good or bad thing is certainly up for debate.<\/p>
The slightly more wallet-friendly \u2018C\u2019 version of the bike does, however, come with internal routing for cable-actuated systems, which many riders will appreciate.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Longer, slacker and more capable geometry<\/h2>
$\"Three$
Santa Cruz is offering six build kits on the new Hightower \u2013 three using the ‘C’ carbon frame and three using the more expensive ‘CC’ carbon frame. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
The changes to the suspension weren\u2019t the only thing in store for the Hightower, which now gets a slacker head angle, steeper seat tube angle and slightly longer rear centres.<\/p>
Like the previous version of the bike, the new Hightower features a flip chip<\/a> at the lower shock mount, which enables you to alter between two geometry settings, \u2018high\u2019 and \u2018low\u2019.<\/p>
This gives you 0.3 degrees of adjustment at the head and seat tube angles, 1mm difference at the chainstay, and alters the reach and bottom bracket height by 3mm.<\/p>
$\"Santa$
The Californian brand continues to use a high and low flip chip to alter the geometry. – Max Schumann \/ Santa Cruz Bikes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
In the low setting, Santa Cruz says the head angle is a slack 63.9 degrees (that\u2019s 0.6 degrees slacker than the outgoing model), while the seat tube angle is now closer to 78 degrees \u2013 nearly a full degree steeper than the third-generation Hightower.<\/p>
Why am I being a little vaguer with this figure? Well, it varies across the size range, so while the small should measure 77.3 degrees in the low setting, the XXL frame should be steeper at 78.1 degrees in a bid to give riders of all sizes a similar position between the wheels when seated.<\/p>
Reach figures range from 432mm on the small to 523mm on the XXL (again, in the low setting), while the rear centres (otherwise known as effective chainstay lengths) vary from 435mm up to 446mm.<\/p>
<\/colgroup>

\ufeff<\/th> S<\/b><\/th> M<\/b><\/th> L<\/b><\/th> XL<\/b><\/th> XXL<\/b><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

High \/ Low<\/td> High \/ Low<\/td> High \/ Low<\/td> High \/ Low<\/td> High \/ Low<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td> 77.6 \/ 77.3<\/td> 77.9 \/ 77.6<\/td> 78.2 \/ 77.9<\/td> 78.3 \/ 78<\/td> 78.4 \/ 78.1<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td> 64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> 64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> 64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> 64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> 64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> <\/tr>
Rear centre<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 434 \/ 435<\/td> 436 \/ 436<\/td> 439 \/ 439<\/td> 442 \/ 443<\/td> 445 \/ 446<\/td> <\/tr>
Front centre<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 742 \/ 742<\/td> 801 \/ 801<\/td> 825 \/ 825<\/td> 854 \/ 854<\/td> 883 \/ 883<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 380 \/ 380<\/td> 405 \/ 405<\/td> 430 \/ 430<\/td> 460 \/ 460<\/td> 500 \/ 500<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 573 \/ 573<\/td> 596 \/ 596<\/td> 614 \/ 615<\/td> 637 \/ 628<\/td> 663 \/ 664<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 110 \/ 110<\/td> 120 \/ 120<\/td> 130 \/ 130<\/td> 150 \/ 150<\/td> 160 \/ 160<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket drop<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 29 \/ 32<\/td> 29 \/ 32<\/td> 29 \/ 32<\/td> 29 \/ 32<\/td> 29 \/ 32<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket height<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 344 \/ 341<\/td> 344 \/ 341<\/td> 344 \/ 341<\/td> 344 \/ 341<\/td> 344 \/ 341<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 1176 \/ 1206<\/td> 1237 \/ 1238<\/td> 1265 \/ 1265<\/td> 1296 \/ 1297<\/td> 1329 \/ 1329<\/td> <\/tr>
Standover<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 722 \/ 714<\/td> 723 \/ 719<\/td> 726 \/ 722<\/td> 727 \/ 723<\/td> 731 \/ 727<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 623 \/ 625<\/td> 632 \/ 634<\/td> 641 \/ 643<\/td> 659 \/ 661<\/td> 668 \/ 670<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td> 435 \/ 432<\/td> 460 \/ 458<\/td> 480 \/ 478<\/td> 500 \/ 498<\/td> 525 \/ 523<\/td> <\/tr> <\/tbody> <\/table>

\ufeff<\/th>	S<\/b><\/th>	M<\/b><\/th>	L<\/b><\/th>	XL<\/b><\/th>	XXL<\/b><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
High \/ Low<\/td>	High \/ Low<\/td>	High \/ Low<\/td>	High \/ Low<\/td>	High \/ Low<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>	77.6 \/ 77.3<\/td>	77.9 \/ 77.6<\/td>	78.2 \/ 77.9<\/td>	78.3 \/ 78<\/td>	78.4 \/ 78.1<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>	64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td>	64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td>	64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td>	64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td>	64.2 \/ 63.9<\/td> <\/tr>
Rear centre<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	434 \/ 435<\/td>	436 \/ 436<\/td>	439 \/ 439<\/td>	442 \/ 443<\/td>	445 \/ 446<\/td> <\/tr>
Front centre<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	742 \/ 742<\/td>	801 \/ 801<\/td>	825 \/ 825<\/td>	854 \/ 854<\/td>	883 \/ 883<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	380 \/ 380<\/td>	405 \/ 405<\/td>	430 \/ 430<\/td>	460 \/ 460<\/td>	500 \/ 500<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	573 \/ 573<\/td>	596 \/ 596<\/td>	614 \/ 615<\/td>	637 \/ 628<\/td>	663 \/ 664<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	110 \/ 110<\/td>	120 \/ 120<\/td>	130 \/ 130<\/td>	150 \/ 150<\/td>	160 \/ 160<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket drop<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	29 \/ 32<\/td>	29 \/ 32<\/td>	29 \/ 32<\/td>	29 \/ 32<\/td>	29 \/ 32<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket height<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	344 \/ 341<\/td>	344 \/ 341<\/td>	344 \/ 341<\/td>	344 \/ 341<\/td>	344 \/ 341<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	1176 \/ 1206<\/td>	1237 \/ 1238<\/td>	1265 \/ 1265<\/td>	1296 \/ 1297<\/td>	1329 \/ 1329<\/td> <\/tr>
Standover<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	722 \/ 714<\/td>	723 \/ 719<\/td>	726 \/ 722<\/td>	727 \/ 723<\/td>	731 \/ 727<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	623 \/ 625<\/td>	632 \/ 634<\/td>	641 \/ 643<\/td>	659 \/ 661<\/td>	668 \/ 670<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td>	435 \/ 432<\/td>	460 \/ 458<\/td>	480 \/ 478<\/td>	500 \/ 498<\/td>	525 \/ 523<\/td> <\/tr> <\/tbody> <\/table>