Santa Cruz HighTower CC

Convertibles... Top Down, Wind in the Hair Loving Life, Come Rain, You Got a Roof, a Style So Versatile! Of Course There’s Gotta Be Some Compromises. Any 911 Porsche Aficionado Would Never Be Seen Dead in a 911 Targa Citing Not Enough Stiffness in the Body. So Is a Bike Capable of Running 29 and 27+ Wheels Trying to Be Good at Everything and Master of Nothing?

Santa Cruz state their case in big, bold letters with the release of the new HighTower. While it’s somewhat of a 135mm travel replacement for the ever popular (though quietly retired) 29 inch Tall Boy LT, it’s the Nomad, Bronson and 5010 that are the big influences for this new bike. And in case you don’t know too much about those aforementioned trail weapons, that means it’s a long, laid back, short stayed and slammed 29er.

Its full-carbon frame is built around the continually refined, and now third generation VPP suspension. Boost front-and rear-hub spacing is the deal and the back end is compatible with both 29-inch and 27.5+ wheels and tyres. A rotating chip in the Nomaad-esque link that moves the shock allows the frame to take both wheel sizes, all while keeping the very dialled geometry sorted.