What's bigger than a Hightower? How about a Megatower? The name may be a little silly, but Santa Cruz's latest addition to their lineup is a serious machine, with 29" wheels and 160mm of travel. It takes the place of the Hightower LT, a bike that was more of a stopgap, a temporary solution created to appease riders and racers who wanted more travel from the original Hightower. With the Megatower, Santa Cruz now have a purpose-built enduro bike in their catalog, one that draws on the lessons learned during the development of the Nomad, Bronson, and even the V10.
The base model complete Megatower C R is priced at $4,499, with a parts kit that includes a RockShox Yari RC fork, Super Deluxe R shock, SRAM NX 12-speed drivetrain, and Guide RE brakes. It's the $8,399 Megatower CC X01 Reserve that's pictured here, which gets a SRAM X01 drivetrain, Code RSC brakes, a Fox 36 Float Performance Elite, RockShox Super Deluxe RCT, and Santa Cruz's own Reserve carbon wheels.
Santa Cruz Megatower• Wheelsize: 29"
• Travel: 160mm
• Head angle: 65° or 64.7°
• Chainstay length: 435mm or 445mm
• Threaded bottom bracket
• 12 x 148mm rear spacing
• Fork offset: 44mm
• Coil or air shock options, 230 x 57.5mm
• Sizes: S - XXL
• Colors: black, green
• Weight (claimed): 30.8 lb / 14 kg
• MSRP: $8,399 USD as shown / $3,299 CC frame only
•
www.santacruzbicycles.com Looking to buy a Megatower with your MegaMillions lottery winnings? The XX1 AXS Reserve model is the way to go – it gets SRAM's wireless Reverb seatpost and AXS drivetrain, complete with that oh-so-fancy rainbow cassette, plus all of the top-tier componentry you'd expect for $10,499 USD.
Frame DetailsThe silhouette of the Megatower's carbon frame may be nearly identical to that of the 27.5” Bronson, but in addition to having bigger wheels and 10mm more travel, the chainstay length can be set at either 435 or 445mm with a few minutes of tinkering. Making the switch involves flipping over the chip on the non-driveside chainstay, switching the brake adaptor, and installing a different derailleur hanger. It's not something you're likely to do in the middle of a ride, but it does give riders a little more freedom to fine tune the bike to match their riding style.
That 'have it your way' theme continues with the two possible shock mounting positions, which allows for a .3-degree slacker head angle and a 3mm lower bottom bracket height, along with a slightly more progressive shock curve in the low setting. There's enough end-stroke ramp up that the Megatower can accept either an air- or coil-sprung shock, and there are complete bikes available with either option.
Other notable frame details include a shuttle guard to keep the frame safe if it happens to bounce off a tailgate, a downtube protector, and a little fender that keeps mud away from the shock. There's also a ribbed chainstay protector to minimize chainslap noise, room to mount a water bottle on the top of the downtube, a threaded bottom bracket, and ISCG-05 tabs for mounting a bash guard.
The Megatower's chainstay length can be altered by 10mm, although that change does require a different derailleur hanger and brake adaptor (included).
GeometryAccording to Nick Anderson, Santa Cruz's senior design engineer, the bike's designers rode some of the longest and slackest bikes on the market and experimented with different geometry numbers before settling on the figures for the Megatower. The final numbers are modern but not extreme, with a 470mm reach for a size large, and either a 65 or 64.7-degree head angle with a 160mm fork. Switching to a 170mm air spring in the fork is an easy way to get an even slacker head angle, and I have a feeling that will be a common upgrade, especially for riders whose usual trails are on the steeper and more technical side of things.
“Roots... Bloody roots...”
Sepultura's 1996 classic was stuck in my head for all four days of riding near Nelson, New Zealand, and for good reason. Smooth sections of trail were a rarity, due to the vast network of beech roots that spiderweb in every direction. It makes for very physical, engaging riding. Even in the dry, letting your guard down can mean getting hung up and losing all momentum, or getting knocked off line and into a gigantic fern.
Two days were spent riding at the Wairoa Gorge Bike Park, where the trails are steep works of art, originally built for a billionaire vulture capitalist to enjoy before being opened to the public, and another two days involved pinballing down a selection of the trails used for the NZ Enduro, including the classic Wakamarina track.
ClimbingClimbing was hassle-free – the Megatower's seated climbing position was upright and comfortable, and well suited to spinning away the miles on the way to a nice long descent. There wasn't much unwanted motion during seated climbing, but I still used the climb switch on the Super Deluxe coil to firm things up even further. With the air shock I was less likely to use that little blue lever – there was less noticeable pedaling-induced motion, which gave the bike a little snappier, more energetic feel than with the coil shock.
DescendingI've ridden a healthy number of the current crop of long travel 29ers, and on paper the Megatower's numbers look fairly typical for this category. Santa Cruz have been easing their way into the long and slack realm, and while the Megatower's numbers are thoroughly modern, it's also not really
super long or slack. However, on the descents, the Megatower felt like a much burlier bike than I'd expected, especially compared to the plush and playful nature of the Bronson. There's a seriousness to its handling, one that rewards an aggressive, hard-charging riding style. That may work well for bigger riders and those who ride fully pinned 110% of the time, but personally, I had trouble coming to terms with the Megatower's handling.
At times it felt like I was fighting to get it to do what I wanted, especially in really rough sections of trail - no matter whether I had an air or coil shock installed the bike still felt stiffer and less forgiving than I'd anticipated. A lighter compression tune, or possibly a set of aluminum wheels could be the answer here.
On the final day of riding I swapped to the longer chainstay setting. That day also happened to have some of the steepest and tightest turns of the trip, but I didn't feel like the extra length was a hindrance. If anything, I felt more centered, especially on steeper straightaways – I could drop my heels and point down the fall line without feeling like I was too far off the back of the bike. The longer setting isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's nice to have the option, especially for taller riders.
In any case, I need additional ride time to see if I can crack the code to making the most of the Megatower. As it is, my initial impressions are that it's best suited to a confident pilot who values stiffness and support over comfort and compliance. We'll see if that changes once I get one on my home trails for further evaluation.
Snow over mud in the rain makes for really "Novemberkåsan" type of riding. I much prefer to keep them separate...
Just been in Hull dry sunny light wind and +10°C
Be happy with your winter, it’s our summer
Funny thing was that at that time I was also new in Switzerland and coming from Croatian coast I was sick and tired of the bad weather in Basel
Graham swamp For the Win 4 mountain bike trails
@chyu Aluminium is still the best technology to make an affordable and long lasting bikes, nothing to laugh at. Carbon is simply not worth the price, for me. If I were a dentist though, my opinion would be different for sure.
Thanks, it all fits so nicely into a hydration pack, leaving you with a light, nimble and rattle-free bike.
I have both, I even have a hydration pack with a detachable toolbag. I still carry my tool's preferred on the bike. I also like it to just do a quick one hour ride after-work. I don't need a bag for that or hydration pack if I just have a bottle mount.
This suspension work's different and feels different. Some can tell blind if it is a VPP or not but well I don't care what your preferred suspension platform looks like because both are not identical therefore I can not just buy a Capra to have the same performance. Also the Capra pedals like my long travel wannabe Enduro rig. Just bad uphill, that's something for real Enduro bikes.
Cable management also is similar and I don't think it is good as on the Nomad, still slightly better then the Capra.
I never said Horst or VPP is better, it is not the same...
I guess if you need something really plush you should look elsewhere, but that would probably give you a dead and heavy-feeling monstertruck.
Reread the review regarding progression, I'll take these pros any day:
+ Very manageable, especially considering the amount of travel
+ Never met a jump it didn't like
Even if it means that:
- Not super plush in rough terrain
I can fit a multitool/puncture repair kit in my tiny "only" hydration pack, and for 1-hour rides I just ride without it – a glass of water inside me is a lot easier than bothering with external stuff
The problem with most people I encounter with Capras is that they have problems using full travel. Some ride with a sag of up to 40 % as a result, which takes away the liveliness and makes the bike sluggish, and it's not competent under power anyway...
I thought I might try a coil on a new Capra with its progressivity, but SuperDeluxe RCT works wonderfully, and it's even smoother over Lenzerheide WC track than Tues CF Pro – 29 wheels obviously help as well.
This seems to be a reoccurring pattern with brands with carbon flagship versions and cheaper alloy versions, the alloy versions tend to be much heavier making the carbon ones look attractive yet brands that have alloy only bikes are generally able (or more willing?) to make them weigh less.
One good example is Transition patrol alloy = 4.3kg medium with DPX2
Airdrop edit v3 = 3.6 - 3.9kg (size dependent) with super deluxe so at least 400g (more like 600g/1.3lbs for the medium) lighter, that's quite a lot.
Please do some calculations and you'll see that any hydration placement would have a negligible effect on your COG, so let's not even go there.
A high volume air shock obviously helps, but as Kazimer pointed out in his review he still would have liked less progression. A coil shock is the best option if that's an issue for a rider... a friend is using a Double Barrel XV in his old Capra and that's still too progressive and too much sag for my liking.
Carbon wins on 2 counts: Weight and aesthetics (smooth lines and shapes are usually nicer) maybe stiffness but alloy can be stiff too it just becomes heavier.
Alloy wins in a few areas of ownership: Less susceptible to crash or transport and impact damage, cable or foot rub can do real damage to carbon but not so much alloy, ultimately mountain bikes naturally get bashed about with use and carbon is a bit more fragile and that kind of damage isn't under warranty so ending up with a £3k paper weight is a real worry, one that I've had first hand with owning and damaging carbon frames so that alone makes me happy to choose alloy when considering a frame, then there's the big kicker of price, when alloy is very often 40% cheaper it's very easy to not care about of bit of weight and fancy carbon.
Coming off a Nomad4 the Sentinel pisses all over the nomad on the climbs. The only place I notice the weight is lifting it into the back of the ute.
Seriously, I get you love your bike, but there are plenty of people who do like their YT's so maybe tone it down a bit...
That being said I actually tried to get Jeffsy on a few seperate occasions.. But they never had stock for months.. Atleast on the north American side of it.. Needless to say, I moved on..
Hence my need to say, please tone it down, I quite like my Capra thanks.
My main issue however was it seem brands have given up trying to reduce weight on alloy frames when they have carbon versions which is a bit annoying.
But ur right.. Warranty is terrible and I couldn't get one(which by the way was a blessing in disguise).. Demoed the yeti and was blown away.. So Ya bought that..
Enjoy the Capra.
"My main issue however was it seem brands have given up trying to reduce weight on alloy frames when they have carbon versions which is a bit annoying."
Doesn't annoy me, since the weight like @MattInNZ says, is only really an issue when loading/unloading from a vehicle.
I appreciate the ride quality an peace of mind that the Alloy frames offer.
Just have to disengage the side of the brain that thinks too much about numbers.
I'll never buy a bike with racist routing.
None of them called it racist though, as it does not have anything to do with race or racism. Just something for you to think about.
When a minority of riders have to use a shitty brake routing method because the majority of manufacturers haven't considered them in the design process, what would you call the reasoning that allowed them to make that decision?
Not judging, just can't help if you've got sweaty back problems... Ask a doctor
Just get the water bottle.
I know people who can go without water for 2h. Well that and 1h is absolutely not normal.
I took a bike with a mount over another brand with almost the same frame characteristics.
I would only choose the other frame if it has external cable routing and no water bottle mount if both are almost the same.
I take the extra option if anything is almost the same like most other people. If I can have both, why not? I don't route cables internal but if the frame has both , why not....
However both bike's the Capra and the Megatower don't have what I am searching for unfortunately the Megatower is close but still wrong.
And of course most bike companies are never short of excuses for speccing cheap parts and selling at sky high prices.
I cant be arsed waiting 3 months for a bike to come in to stock, or 6 months for a replacement part, i´d rather pay the premium and have a fighting chance of being able to walk in to a shop and get an issue resolved with a person not a website or automated email. The direct brands have a terrible rep here - the only people lauding them are the people who buy them because they´re cheap. (Maybe like the people who buy them).
"Adjustability" is not always the reason for adjustability if you wnow what I meen...
"Gravel Upforked - the story of Down Country" the most anticipated book on cycling of 2019 by Mike Levy, preorder now.
Carbon rims....too stiff
Longer Stays....more stable, fun
Coil shock....felt dead
What's old is new again.
No getting around the fact that the MT is a lot of bike. If you find that you want more than the HTLT can give, the MT is a no brainer. The MT climbs better and it's more aggressive everywhere else. If the HTLT feels like more bike than you need, the MT will likely be a bridge too far. And yeah, a MT as your "one" bike will be overkill for plenty of places. Then again, if all your riding is fast and gnarly, it'll be a perfect choice. My $.02.
I think the upcoming Hightower replacement in this platform is gonna be a lovely trail slayer. Hopefully 140r/150f or thereabouts with woke geo.
@jeremy3220: MT will climb better than your HTLT by a country mile. Doesn't solve the issue of it being more than you need for your local rides, but I could see it being a total ripper at Windrock.
Thats like, super important for us recreational riders, well worth the 8k spent on a new bike! Just imagine the strava times!
In a season or three reality will have set in, people will have stopped caring about geo all that much and another hype will roll through town. Remember the weight craze when carbon was the new cool thing?
On the downs it is a huge step up especially in stability given its longer slacker nature even tho the chainstays are pretty short for a 29 bike.. I realize the trek is closer to an xc/trail but still I had her built quite burly for its intended purpose.
Does that mean a 16 or 17 bike is obsolete? Well, to some, I guess yes they are..
Does that mean a 16 or 17 bike can't get the job done and being a shit eating grin to one's face? Of course not.
I don't know if it counts because I have a SC Blur that has VPP but I have ridden all my biking friends new bikes when they come out and on normal non-bike park/shuttle trails there is very little difference. If I time a 45-60 minute ride all the bikes are within 1-2 minutes of each other as long as it is a similar bike. (obviously a 80mm xc bike and a 200mm dh bike will vary by a lot)
It isn't just me either we bike swap almost every time someone gets a new bike and it doesn't change anyone by more than 1-2 minutes. I have never seen a guy get a new bike and start smoking everyone, ever. Maybe if your friend is on a Huffy.
The "fastest bikes in the world" are readily available and no more expensive than big brand carbon. Or if you can't live without trendy frame materials, at least get a Mondraker and put an end to the complaints about reach.
If all the hordes of complainers and people who you claim " have tried better geometry " would buy Geometrons, that would be awesome. Maybe Nicolai could expand beyond a small workshop with a couple of dudes.
It will probably take a week or two (3 rides ish) to get back up to speed for on most people after switching to a new bike so I'm not sure if going off a few minutes on a different bike is enough to go by.
We should've never moved away from them in the first place! #deathtoallpressfit
It's all about those fine marginal gains you know.
I wish Ibis will bring out a true HD29. The Ripmo isn’t progressive enough and needs 20mm more of travel.
Neither are cheap bikes, but all things considered, they are priced extremely similarly. BTW the Ripmo X01 build with the Factory fork and X2 shock upgrade is a whopping $7670
That said: for the price of entry-level Megatower C R I just bought a Transition Sentinel GX in Aluminium with a more progressive geo, premium shock, premium fork, premium brakes and that bike is so awesome! No need to upgrad (I did change the brakes so - Shimano guy). But still, wuhh, at least 1000$ less in every category.
Good lawd that's a lot of bike.
That would be a sic version:
Trumptower with gold color scheme. Orange accents. Kashima. Enve rims that crack on first ride. $10k+
And that anything that isnt 'normal geo' then becomes 'short, high, steep'?!
I’m 195cm and 77 STa on my bike offers great pedalling position.
Currently ride a Sentinel but next bike is the stanton.
To hell with those prices, i get the elite, boutique premium bs, just stop increasing the prices everytime a new bike comes out!!
You continue to prove me correct by making these asinine strawman arguments.
If you were even remotely capable of refuting epideme's points you would've done so by now. Yet here you are telling us where you're family is from instead.
Your straw man argument is exactly what you keep repeating ad nauseum. "Communism and socialism aren't exactly the same thing." Epideme didn't say that they were the exact same. He/she is wise and experienced enough with leftism to acknowledge that socialism is the stepping stone to the communist utopia. Deny it all you want,
Marx and Lenin said it themselves.
What's condescending is when you tell someone, "That's not how any of this works." When it is in fact how it works and that person you're speaking to has experienced it in person.
Spare me your bullshit apology. Epideme is the one you should apologize to.
- "budget" carbon frame vs. highest end
- not even close with suspension
- Code R vs. RSC brakes
- Stylo cranks (at $6600?!) vs. GX
Say what you want about Specialized, but you're not allowed to make fun of Supreme anymore if you buy based on a brand name.
Also @Connerv6 if only Santa Cruz didn't already do it
It’s made of metal not posh plastic
And it’s the real deal
The Megatower May have some power
But my Bronson is the Charlie
It’s like riding Route 66
On Dennis Hoppers Harley
My Bronson has that Shimano
That Megatower sucks on sram
Where the mechs are made of posh plastic
And often go KA-BAM!
But not with that Shimano
It’s clicks faster than Robocops knickers
And looks better than Mr T
In a tank, eating snickers
Welle well. Looks very interesting, I love the numbers and adjustable chain stays. Now that seat angle is slowly getting steeper but I wonder at what sadddle height it’s measured. I guess it will be closer to 74 in the end, I’d rather be closer to 78. All other numbers are so perfect though...
Most people apart from the shortest riders will have their seat higher than the headtube so a bike like this with slack actual seat tube angles (guessing as it looks pretty slack) will end up with a slacker angle than the numbers suggest which is annoying.
It would however be hard to standardize on a measurement that accounts for seat height, this is why publishing actual angle alongside effective is useful.
I think some brands have tried to give a more realistic number especially on larger sizes when the seat would be up much higher but as i mentioned it would be hard to standardize this as how do you decide how high the seat will be and geometry charts are made for comparison purposes so picking a standardised point like the top of headtube makes it easier to compare across brands, but having actual angle would help
SC publishes 75 Degrees for the "Effective Seat Tube Angle" on the Medium BronsonV3 and my own measurements is also 75 Degrees.
However, I am shorter rider at 5'7" (170cm), for really tall guys of say 6'3" (190cm), I can see the "Effectice Seat Tube Angle" dropping below 70 degrees for the MegaTower because the Actual "Seat Tube Angle" on these newer SC bikes are fairly Slack, so the more the seat post sticks out, the Slacker the "Effective Seat Tube Angle" will be.
I always measure my own Seat Tube Angle to confirm what is published.
No doubt it is much easier to measure Head Tube Angle than Seat Tube Angle, as HT angle is easy to measure and it stays constant.
"Effective Seat Tube Angle" is hard to line up, you have to get a long straight edge ruler and line up the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the Seat Post Clamp when the seat post if fully extended to your riding height.
"Effective Seat Tube Angle" will always vary with the height of the seat, so the TRUE Effective Seat Tube Angle will always be dependent on how tall the Rider is.
It is best to just take your own measurements.
The way I measure:
- I put the seat at my riding height, which is around the height of the handlebar grips (usually I have about 25mm worth of spacers).
- I use a 3 ft (900 mm) straight edge metal ruler to line up the center of the seat post clamp to the middle of the bottom bracket.
- I line up my angular measurement tool with the 3 ft straight edge, this angular measurement tool also has a bubble level to get a precise horizontal.
- Doing this, I am getting 75 degrees for my Medium BronsonV3, which is what Santa Cruz published.
- For my Medium Ripmo, using the same measurement techniques, I am getting a whopping 79.5 Degrees for the Seat Tube Angle! Ibis has the Seat Tube Angle published at 76 Degrees for the Ripmo.
No wonder my Ripmo climbs so much easier on the really steep stuff. The front end stays down on my Ripmo easier.
Also keep in mind that the Longer the Chain Stay, the more balance the bike will be and the Front end will stay down easier. My Medium Ripmo has a 5mm Longer Chainstay than my BronsonV3 (430mm vs. 435mm). This is why the Ripmo is currently the Best Trail Bike of all time.
Who rode a Nomad and thought ‘this is crying out for 29” wheels’?
The only fox fork I’ve ever been able to get to have good small bump compliance is one fitted with a coil conversion.
Nukeproof Mega (AM/TR) ( 290/275)
Guerilla Gravity Megatrail
Kore Mega (handlebar)
the word "mega" is very in demand in the mtb industry...
cmon santa cruz...wheres the forward thinking in all this?
geometrygeeks.bike/bike/santa-cruz-megatower-2019
Um yea cause big wheels...
I just wanted to see one with Josh Lewis shredin’!
Was that BK?
Frame only the SC is $500 cheaper
www.jensonusa.com/Yeti-SB150-Turq-X01-Eagle-Bike-2019-Orange-Medium?pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=shopping_us&pt_keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpsLkBRDpARIsAKoYI8wdGHFP5X1NnehDZt_h9jFxFtW8FYmK7CjpCInaeeaKF7acKW0xZ3IaAq0CEALw_wcB
is Santa Cruz changing styles?
Wondering if i should take this or a nomad :/
Sooner of later people will realize it is more fun with short travel bikes.
It would be cool if they bring back the superlight rather than keep buildng bigger bikes nobody can handle.
Seems obvious they'll bring this same linkage to a ~140mm version that will better suit those who pedal more than shuttle.
Used to sell SC back when they were MADE IN USA.... hung on for a while after that, selling mostly V-10's and Nomads.. SuperLite's and Bullets were popular for a while until people had to drop $250+ if they bent the non replaceable rear D hanger.
Didn't care for the MADE IN USA price tag even though they were now Made In Taiwan... nowadays, pretty much everything is outsourced largely in part to the B Clinton Admin.
their stuff is still pretty damn pimp regardless
The nickel and diming of their customers continues. Kind of bike you have to spend 1000$ out the box to make it rideable.
the first ride impressions surprise me. The average Santa Cruz rider is not, shall we say, an aggressive rider.
I'd go for a dhx2 myself, but I'm sure all the rich bros on the forums are already in a tizzy about ordering a Push 11.6 for it...
Rebound and low speed compression are the basic point of entry to a full suspension bike and the bare minimum on a bike costing 1/4 what this does.
The other two may have the edge when it comes to outright performance in the right hands, but if you remember SC bikes are sold in kit form and anyone willing to drop the kind of money SC are asking will probably be willing to pay their LBS the upcharge to another shock.
I don't think this bike was designed with VFM in mind, so I can't really judge the parts based on what you'd expect for the money as that way madness lies.
What's about the sizes with SC? I mean almost any Medium frame I see got 430/440 seattube and this is @ 405.
My M frame has a 440mm seat tube with 445 mm reach and the wheelbase is even longer then the L frame of the Megatower. Bike's I had before long and slack was cool had the same figures like the Megatower except seattube length.
I do really like one straight seattube when it is shorter. But then I need a much longer reach then this.
ah it’s US assembled “made in china boutique”
does its coming warped in USA flag, with small label made in china??
USA, USA, USA
Same with wheels. I recently tried to lose some rotational weight with a new wheelset. Couldn't do it. Carbon and aluminum are now very similar in weight. Unless I wanted to shell out huge money, there wasn't anything that could save me more than 100g.
You can get custom made G1 with intended, EXT, trikstuff, rest components on your chose on same price. oh yes you paying for “US” brand.
Ripmo / HD4 cant run a coil either ...
Seems far more stable in rough conditions than the ripmo, far better climber etc etc
I will agree that Ibis’s spec is better than Santa Cruz. Even with the downgraded spec it looks like SC MT will more than makeup the downgraded spec in superior handling..
This being said, the ripmo isn’t a BAD bike..
Definitely made a bad decision will be selling mine! The only issue is I won’t be able to afford the entry level mega tower with the sale of my custom ripmo :p
The Ripmo is an aggressive trail bike, this is an all mountain (Enduro AF) shredder that competes with the Wreckoning, Firebird 29, sb150, and the like that are designed to mob the descents.
If you need a bigger bike than the Ripmo then why did you buy it? It ain't slowing the Ibis enduro team down. Throw an X2 on it and angleset?
@shredb4dead
shred a lot of riders will fork this up to 170. but yeah at 160/160 it's not much more but the platform is different and the geo is nothing like it, which makes the biggest difference.
this is the new HTLT and the standard Hightower will be released soon with this updated platform and woke geo. it's gonna be sweet.
Mixed suspension why??
Does it fit EXT storia
Way to short, so no miracle “made in china boutique” for Asian size peoples or for Trex syndrome people.