Field Trip: Santa Cruz's $2,899 Hightower Alloy - The Least Expensive 'Tower
PINKBIKE FIELD TRIP
SANTA CRUZ HIGHTOWER D
Words by Mike Levy, Photography by Anthony Smith
SANTA CRUZ HIGHTOWER D
Words by Mike Levy, Photography by Anthony Smith
You're looking at Santa Cruz's least expensive Hightower, the aluminum 'D' model that sells for $2,899 USD, or around $400 less than the carbon Hightower frame on its own. Despite the price difference, the aluminum version gets the same lower-link VPP suspension that delivers 140mm of travel. There's also a 150mm RockShox 35 Gold fork, a 12-speed SX drivetrain from SRAM, and it's also worth pointing out the four-piston Guide T brakes with 180mm rotors, especially as it's mostly two-piston stoppers in this price and travel bracket.
This is a size-large for my 5’10” height, with a 473mm reach, 65.5-head angle, 76.8-seat tube angle, and 433mm chainstays. The geo is adjustable, too, just like on the fancier Hightowers, letting you relax the head angle to 65.2-degrees and drop 4mm of bottom bracket height.
This is a size-large for my 5’10” height, with a 473mm reach, 65.5-head angle, 76.8-seat tube angle, and 433mm chainstays. The geo is adjustable, too, just like on the fancier Hightowers, letting you relax the head angle to 65.2-degrees and drop 4mm of bottom bracket height.
Hightower Alloy D Details
Travel: 140mm
Fork travel: 150mm
Wheel size: 29"
Frame construction: Aluminum
Head angle: 65.5-degrees
Chainstay length: 433mm
Reach: 473mm (lrg)
Sizes: sm, med, lrg (tested), xl, xxl
Weight: 35.2lb
Price: $2,899 USD
More info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
Travel: 140mm
Fork travel: 150mm
Wheel size: 29"
Frame construction: Aluminum
Head angle: 65.5-degrees
Chainstay length: 433mm
Reach: 473mm (lrg)
Sizes: sm, med, lrg (tested), xl, xxl
Weight: 35.2lb
Price: $2,899 USD
More info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
There are some frame details worth mentioning as well, including well thought out cable routing, loads of room for a large bottle inside the front triangle, and a very effective chainstay protector. Another point for Santa Cruz - a lifetime warranty on all of the pivot bearings. That means that if they start to feel nasty, you’ll get new ones for free if you’re the original owner, even after countless years of your usual abuse and neglect.
I’m also going to mention the Hightower's tires as that's a spot where we see some brands saving pennies by speccing rubber with hard compounds or that might not be tubeless-friendly. Not the case here, though: There’s a set of Maxxis’ 2.4” wide DHR 2 tires in 3C compound and EXO casing. One more thing you won’t have to upgrade.
Climbing
The Hightower weighing a pound more than the rest of its Field Trip frenemies has little to zero effect on its climbing performance - the extra heft is in the frame, not its wheels and tires. That said, it did have the biggest on-trail presence of the bunch. On tight, low-speed climbs, it handled like the longest (it isn't) and slackest (it is) full-suspension bike in the group, making it feel more a little more like an enduro sled than a trail bike when it got really slow and tricky. It's not unmanageable, mind you, but the Jeffsy and Vitus both offer more of that classic trail bike handling in those situations. The Hightower might not be my pick if most of my descents were accessed via challenging singletrack ascents.
But if your climbing is done on doubletrack and gravel roads then I guess it doesn't really matter at all, just so long as the Hightower is reasonably efficient. On that front, Kazimer often preferred to flip the shock's pedal-assist to the firmer trail-mode, but I thought the chunky Santa Cruz pedaled quite well without any assistance.
While I didn't gel with the Hightower on technical climbs, the counterpoint to my complaints is that it all comes down to something called the work-to-fun ratio. Santa Cruz skews the Hightower more towards the latter, prioritizing descending over all-around-ing in both the geometry and spec departments. And rightfully so.
Descending
With the big Maxxis rubber that we all know so well, four-piston Guide T brakes, and the slackest, longest geo of the six full-suspension bikes on test, the Hightower was set up to be great when it matters most. And, for the most part, that's how it played out.
While the Vitus and Jeffsy feel closer to the edge at high-consequence speeds, the hippie-colored Santa Cruz delivers a calmer ride; in the heat of the moment, it literally seems like you have more time to think before you act. That comes from the longer, more relaxed geometry, as well as the sticky tires and powerful brakes, that see the Hightower less fazed about that sketchy line or the fact that you might just be hanging on for dear life.
Much like the Commencal Meta TR, the Hightower has that invincible personality to it that more traditional trail bikes usually lack. Of course, that means it can feel like a lazy hippie when the terrain isn't there, but when it is...
The Hightower likely could have stood shoulder to shoulder with the solid-feeling Meta, but the Santa Cruz's 150mm-travel RockShox Recon 35 fork had other plans. The damper seemed to have a mind of its own, with inconsistent rebound speeds that could see the front-end dipping off one jump and going sky-high off the next. Not good for the confidence. Unfortunately, time constraints meant we weren't able to dig in deeper to diagnose the issue, but it's worth a mention.
Much like the Commencal Meta TR, the Hightower has that invincible personality to it that more traditional trail bikes usually lack. Of course, that means it can feel like a lazy hippie when the terrain isn't there, but when it is...
The Hightower likely could have stood shoulder to shoulder with the solid-feeling Meta, but the Santa Cruz's 150mm-travel RockShox Recon 35 fork had other plans. The damper seemed to have a mind of its own, with inconsistent rebound speeds that could see the front-end dipping off one jump and going sky-high off the next. Not good for the confidence. Unfortunately, time constraints meant we weren't able to dig in deeper to diagnose the issue, but it's worth a mention.
Timed Testing
Our timed lap for the trail bikes was around 11 minutes long and split into three distinct sectors. First, a smooth, twisty singletrack climb topped out along a technical traverse that tested the bike's slow-speed handling and traction. After that, we dropped into a fast descent that began with rough, suspension-testing corners before some fast berms, flat corners, and a few fun-sized jumps. Nothing too rowdy, but representative of the terrain these trails bikes were intended to see.
Don't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and fast doesn't always mean it's the best for everyone.
Kazimer: "I had my fastest times on the Hightower out of all the bikes on all of the segments - climbing, traversing, and descending."
Levy: "I had middle-of-the-pack times aboard the Hightower, although I suspect that a more challenging test loop would see it stand apart more.
At the other end of the bike, the back of the Hightower seemed less fussed about the rocky terrain than you might think 140mm should. It's not the super-plush, forgiving ride that an extra 20mm would deliver, but the Santa Cruz does offer a lot of forgiveness for a trail bike. It works well at 25 to 30-percent sag, although Kazimer did sometimes resort to trail-mode on smoother, rolling terrain for a little extra support and pop.
Hightower versus the rest: Who am I picking? The split is between more agile trail bikes like the YT, Vitus, Giant, and the Calibre, while the Commencal, Santa Cruz, and the Norco Torrent hardtail are bigger feeling rigs that offer more stability and calmness. Assuming the Hightower's fork was sorted, it should be a match for the Meta, and either of those bikes would be my choice if my trail rides included the kind of lines that make most riders think thrice. More into covering ground than sessioning questionable moves? Then choose the YT or Vitus.
Pros
+ Very capable for a trail bike
+ Deep feeling rear suspension
+ Four piston brakes, great tires
Cons
- Heaviest of the bunch, if you care
- 35 Gold fork had issues
- Not ideal on smooth, boring trails
The 2020 Pinkbike Field Test was made possible by support from: Smith, 7mesh, and Over The Edge Sedona.
Photos: Anthony Smith
Additional footage: Lear Miller
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
It's a shame PB reviewed the Stance when the Trance 2 and 3 exist, the 3 is $2100 US ($2849 CAD) and comes with SX and a Marzo Z2.
You're not wrong if you're looking at the 27.5 geo though.
The Vitus has a decent fork, the Marzocchi, but also has SX eagle, much worse brakes, more dated geo, and a less refined frame. It's also direct to consumer so hard to really compare price.
The Giant Trance 2 listed above is probably one of the best examples iwth a decent fork and shock, still much worse brakes, and I think you could argue whether 11 spd SLX or 12 spd SX is better, and geo is closer to the year 2012 than 2020.
In all of these budget bikes you make compromises, picking out components you don't like can be done on every single one of these, so what's the point. If you buy a budget bike with NX and a decent fork, other components will be lacking.
My geo comment was to the Giant Trance, not Vitus.
And to the other guys complaining about the geo numbers...yes, the "real" geo numbers of any bike can be off by a couple degrees, 10mm low on of travel in some brands, etc. MBR UK that did a decent article, if a bit anecdotal, on real vs. claimed geo. Manufacturers love to round up on travel and claim numbers that seem only vaguely based in reality, which is why subjective ride qualities are important to sus out whether a bike is right for your riding style!
Jeffsy was 10mm less than claimed travel in the rear, 8 degrees slacker ST angle than advertised. Commencal was 6mm low on travel, 10 degrees slack on ST. Trek, specialized, giant, a few others in the mix there as well.
And add the Ripmo AF and full carbon Jeffsy to the 'must consider' list of $3k options, both of which i'd take over this HT tho it's nice to see a Santa Cruz at sub 3. Genius a viable option too.
youtu.be/obUnEqsTmLg
(I kid, I kid)
(sorry I had to)
Santa Cruz are theoretically hampered in the UK by the deal they give the UK distributor - the same as they give stores in the US, so by the time they end up in a store here they're insanely expensive. While in the US they're equivalent to a Trek or Specialized, Jungle in the UK have been forced to do an amazing job at marketing them as being a proper boutique brand like Yeti. And, somehow, it seems to have worked - they're everywhere and people seem to lust after them.
The diamond d2 ISN’T a top end fork. In fact, it’s pretty disingenuous for jenson to be touting DVO bestest suspension evar when the fork is mid tier at best, and hoping riders haven’t had a new bike in a while and actually think the parts are good. Brakes, drivetrain, and fork aren’t good. Frame, and rear suspension are, but that’s a long upgrade path to go.
DVO’s customer service is polite and responsive as ever, but that doesn’t help missized forks and blown shocks being off your bike for weeks at at a time.
I would much rather start with a top tier suspension platform like DW link and top tier suspension like DVO, the rest is cheap to upgrade.
My Ripmo AF with SLX and Ibis/I9 carbon wheels has me completely impressed. SLX is so good I don't think I would ever upgrade other than for an XT shifter.
They have mistaken “understated/stealth” with “cheap/banal”
35 can not be upgraded with a better damper, you have to change the fork. Expensive! (the traits mentioned are MoCo typical)
SX drivetrain is only ok for some weekends, GX upgrade is 100€ at least.
Guide T is most basic. And never park the bike in the sunshine!
Nevertheless I would choose a SC Hightower aluminum frame over the other bikes any time.
Garbage depends on the point of view. Looking down from a Lyrik or Pike the 35 IS garbage. But coming from a Recon silver TK you might find it quite ok.
But for the intended use of this particular bike, a 35 is not ok. If it was a Revelation or Yari, you could upgrade later to a Charger2.1.
Had a Guide R for 2yrs. Was quite ok with the proper (Trickstuff) pads in - I didnt always and the rear brake overcooked and got stuck. Then I parked the bike in the sunshine and the levers stuck. Bought a new Guide then at RCZ for 30€...
Again, I just think this bike should be about $800 cheaper, but it isn't because you pay for the brand name. Dont get me wrong, SCs makes killer bikes. I just think this spec is a total ripoff
SC has serious brand power and can charge a premium. A lot of people just get the brand their buddy rides or what the shop they go to recommends. They don't do a lot of research or know a lot about DTC so this bike probably seems like a good deal when their buddy rides a $8k Santa Cruz.
Parts must be extremely cheap when RCZ can sell a Guide for 30€ or a Recon Silver for 35€. And they also still make money of it.
I remember in 2008 a guy who worked at Trek who told me, a Lyrik MiCo cost them about 120€ w/o tax.
I feel like this gets brought up a lot, the internet people say everyone is making huge profits, and shops and manufacturers say margins are thin. When a shop, particularly and online outfit which is dealing larger volume lower margin, sells a bike for 1600, they're likely breaking even or taking a loss.
The Trek I just sold was a 27.5 but it was a 150/160 bike at 28.8lbs and a hell of a climbing bike.
Travel doesn't dictate everything any more. I've seen 170 bikes that are more efficient climbers than some 130/140 bikes.... stumpy evo comes to mind. Not the best climbers.
Proud to report I’m well aware. I recently picked up a Ripmo V1 as my “enduro” bike and it shits on my 120mm Spec Camber in all areas, particularly climbing and sprinting.
I should have expounded upon this in my initial comment but, in the PB comment section, witty one-liners reign supreme.
Here in the UK the alloy frameset only is quite good value IMO - it's cheaper than the equivalent Orange (which i came from) or Cotic, similar to a Bird, Trek, or less boutiquey stuff.
Throw in the warranty and the very good quality of finish, paint etc and I reckon its up there, a better price/performance ratio than the CC for sure. Easy to spec one up with new/on sale/bargain bits.
I've had all sorts over the years, I'm really happy with this frame, it's properly fast downhill and climbs great.
Does an insta link work here?
www.instagram.com/p/B5ffnAKHF9yTrV81iNx4wGztoBSnde-g3BxW1A0/?igshid=24r0gvtr63mr
Granted, you can get a Guerilla Gravity Smash (carbon front triangle) frame for $2.2K.
However you can get a far better spec for 2800€ if you take your time and built it up with discounted last year components.
Not saying that there should be a paywall behind certain bikes or brands, but SC is setting a very bad precedent for the bike industry. 'Look every other brand, we can get away with selling garbage builds for $3000.' Soon enough, everyone else will be following suit. This is the biggest problem I have with this build kit in particular. Oh, and don't even get me started with SC shoehorning you in to buying their carbon wheels if you want the highest end componentry. SC can go to hell.
Not sure if you've looked at SC's builds lately but if I want say, Factory suspension and top of the line drivetrain and brakes, I'm forced to spend close to $9-10K specifically BECAUSE SC specs those bikes with their carbon wheels. I love carbon wheels. But what if someone else wants aluminum? Or what if someone else wants a different brand of carbon wheels? This is the shoehorning I'm talking about. SC has officially taken the 'Most ridiculously priced bike' from Yeti. And by no small margin either. If anything Yeti's T1 builds are a bargain(relatively speaking) compared to the ridiculous pricing model SC is peddling.
And your Yeti comparison doesn't compute. Top build of a Hightower (which again, I would never consider buying unless I won the lotto), is an AXS drivetrain, carbon wheel model for $10,500. Yeti's top line (they have two different DT-Swiss carbon wheel options) is $10,900. Even the primo XO-level build Yeti is more expensive by $200, and that's with both models having aluminum wheels with 350 hubs (7,300 vs 7,100). The t1 level for Yeti is a tweener - lower level carbon with XT components. SC doesn't have that - it has a lower level carbon frame with GX components (both Yeti and SC have lower to middling suspension and wheels/hubs for each) for $5,200 compared to $6,800 for Yeti. So I guess the only thing we'll agree on is that yeti still takes the highest priced products (but I haven't seen how Pivot prices their current line-up).
most dh bikes weigh less than that.
With better spec and a full carbon frame...dont want to know the mark up on the Sc build
Add to this a low cost option and you end up with 36 lbs.
Like I said, it sounds like a handful, but as long as it climbs/pedals great and lasts, who cares?
I didn't say "it doesn't need to climb that well to be fun" or "it can be heavy as long as it's great downhill".
I said clearly "as long as it climbs/pedals great"
Otherwise awesome review, thank you! SC looks like nice option considering you can ride/race/play with that bike without any issues
Feels much more stable over literally everything vs my 27.5 jeffsy carbon. Only carbon bike I have ever had, not a huge fan.
This thing is only 100$ cheaper than the YT Jeffsy Comp (cheapest carbon frame Jeffsy), which has much better components all around and is also gonna be a lot lighter.
nice one gnarnaimo! i demoed the GX C version of the HT and while i thought the suspension and geo was awesome and on point, it did feel like a bit of a let down on the climbs. the competition is insane for these do-it-all trail bikes. anyway based on that experience i'd agree w/ CDT that i would not want to pedal this tank up a hill. idk... run it in the high position and throw a semi-slick on the rear maybe. 35 is a tough pill to swallow. took a 34.5 lb (verified - w/tubes i think) GX alu sentinel out a while ago and while geo including climbing position was also on point, that weight was not insignificant.
Can you put a charger damper in a 35 gold chassis?
The MoCoRL works well for my kids for now, but I think they'll appreciate the upgrade as their riding progresses. Sorry I missed the AMA.
For the record: I do think ergonomics are highly subjective since I use said lever on two of my bikes and am perfectly fine with it. Sits about in the same position as the gear shifter.
Also: nice job on the field trip series overall.
Field Trip: Santa Cruz's $2,899 Hightower Alloy - The "Least Expensive" Tower
Field Trip: Santa Cruz's $2,899 Hightower Alloy - The big D
But SC is a "massive" company? They're not even big within the bike industry, small compared to Specialized & Trek, never mind Giant.
Tiny they are.
Japanese women- yes we love a sumo sized “affordable” ride