Santa Cruz Bicycles

Tallboy Carbon CC XT Complete Mountain Bike - 2016

With so much of today's mountain bike industry focusing on big-travel bikes like the Nomad and Bronson, those of us who don't think of climbing as a down payment toward the downhill can feel a bit left behind. Santa Cruz hasn't forgotten us, though, and the latest iteration of the Tallboy Carbon CC XT Complete Mountain Bike is proof that the California-based manufacturer loves us and wants us to be happy — especially since, for the XC hammerer — nothing makes us happier than laying tracks past the big travel bruisers on blisteringly fast courses from the Czech Republic's Nové Město woods to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in our own backyard in Utah.

Of course, that's not to say that the Tallboy is limited to smooth singletrack and fire roads only. Its four-inches of Virtual Pivot Point travel are surprisingly forgiving, feeling almost bottomless across all but the rockiest of gardens. VPP's two counter-rotating links yield a vertical wheel path in initial travel to maintain a firm platform over small bumps and climbs, but as the bike compresses deeper into the suspension, the axle moves rearward to accommodate bigger hits without sacrificing pedal input. The mid-stroke support and small bump compliance translate to snappy pedaling across trail furniture that keeps you glued on climbs and encourages aggression when you drop in, taking advantage of the efficient 17.5in chainstays and stiff, lightweight chassis for speed that doesn’t let-up when the trail points down.

The Tallboy's agile, forgiving 29er geometry has been virtually unchanged since its inception; instead, any alterations to the frame were made with an eye toward saving weight and improving stiffness. These gains are owed primarily to Santa Cruz's inimitable Carbon CC frame construction, which features a higher modulus carbon than the Carbon C model, so less material is required to hit the same strength and stiffness numbers. The chassis is lighter, so fewer watts are required to propel it, and the increased stiffness means those watts are transferred more efficiently.

The frame's two carbon triangles are built as whole pieces rather than glued together from disparate bits. This saves weight and increases structural integrity by allowing Santa Cruz to wrap carbon continuously through and around key junctures, eliminating the artificial stress points that result from bonded construction methods while saving weight by requiring less material. Finally, the carbon is also compacted from the inside and the outside for a more even finish that avoids any structural defects, excess material build-up, and resin pooling for — you guessed it — even more weight savings.

Like the Tallboy itself, the Shimano's new XT M8000 drivetrain doesn't have the star quality of the current one-by trend, but — with its durability and reliable, precise shifting — it doesn't need it. With virtually the same cassette range and chainring options on either side of the usual 32t one-by cranks, the Tallboy XT's gearing recommends it for climbing grades that turn high-travel one-by models into carbon handcarts while leaving them in the dust when the trail levels out. The Tallboy XT is finished with DT Swiss hubs and — new to the 2016 model — Easton rims.