Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Megatower vs Hightower

Jump to Latest
21 - 38 of 38 Posts
#22 ·
I own the V2 Hightower and came from the V1. I did get an hour on a Mega at a demo and found it a bit boring on the trails I was riding and felt it needed to be pushed and on bigger terrain to get the best from it. I did have a quick go on the Tallboy as well the same day and it felt like a rocket compared to the Mega. The hightower for me strikes a nice balance between the two
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
Wow, ok! Sounds like almost everyone is saying the same thing. HT is going to be a much better bike for me and what I ride. Thanks for everyone's input

Also... does anyone know for sure how much the new HT frame with RS SD Ultimate shock frame weighs? Either in any size, or in XXL?
 
#24 ·
Sorry to throw another wrench in this, but I doubt that anybody who has ridden both bikes tried setting up the Mega with the suspension as firm as the HT where they only use the ~145mm of travel. I also doubt they had the same build kit most notably the tires; the Mega comes spec'd with an Assegai on the front, which is heavier and slower rolling than the HT's DHR2. And if the Mega had a coil, that could change the feel of the bike a lot both uphill and downhill.

All else being equal, more travel means the bike is going to bob a little more, it's going to mute the trail more, it's going to feel mushier when pumping and cornering, and it's going to tilt back a little further when climbing steeper trails making the bike slacker, floppier, and less precise feeling. That extra 15mm alone could account for a lot of the differences people are feeling especially when you add the Assegai on the front.

It's hard for me to believe two frames that are so objectively similar would feel all that different if they were actually set up with the same parts and suspension travel. And since you're doing a custom build, I'm guessing you're going to run the same parts regardless of which frame you choose.

I do agree that the HT seems like the ideal bike for the majority of the riding you described in your first post, and I do think you'd be happy with a HT. But it also seems to me like the Mega might actually give you the best of both with the ability to adjust the suspension firmer or softer depending on what you plan to ride.

All that said, I haven't ridden either bike, so take this for what it's worth.
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
dlxah said:
Sorry to throw another wrench in this, but I doubt that anybody who has ridden both bikes tried setting up the Mega with the suspension as firm as the HT where they only use the ~145mm of travel. I also doubt they had the same build kit most notably the tires; the Mega comes spec'd with an Assegai on the front, which is heavier and slower rolling than the HT's DHR2. And if the Mega had a coil, that could change the feel of the bike a lot both uphill and downhill.

All else being equal, more travel means the bike is going to bob a little more, it's going to mute the trail more, it's going to feel mushier when pumping and cornering, and it's going to tilt back a little further when climbing steeper trails making the bike slacker, floppier, and less precise feeling. That extra 15mm alone could account for a lot of the differences people are feeling especially when you add the Assegai on the front.

It's hard for me to believe two frames that are so objectively similar would feel all that different if they were actually set up with the same parts and suspension travel. And since you're doing a custom build, I'm guessing you're going to run the same parts regardless of which frame you choose.

I do agree that the HT seems like the ideal bike for the majority of the riding you described in your first post, and I do think you'd be happy with a HT. But it also seems to me like the Mega might actually give you the best of both with the ability to adjust the suspension firmer or softer depending on what you plan to ride.

All that said, I haven't ridden either bike, so take this for what it's worth.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this

The only reason I'm even asking about the HT and IF I should return my Mega frame is some recent reviews on blogs I read. I had already made my mind up and was happy with getting a little more bike than I might need where I ride. I did TONS of research on this. And the one thing I keep going back to, when people talk about a bike is the fact that most riders are like 5'6" - 6'2". There are VERY few riders outside of this height range riding FS bikes. And especially testing them and reviewing them at Online Bike Mags. So when they say a bike is "too big" or "weighs too much" or this or that, that's coming from some tiny little guy. Not me, at 6'8" 225lbs! I NEED a big bike that is LONG and can handle me hucking it around and landing from jumps at my weight and height. So I think the Mega will actually ride more like an all around bike for me, than most people, since I'm so much bigger than most riders.

Quite a few reviews and blogs were saying the Mega CAN and DOES ride pretty well on trails, climbs and handles fine. Not crazy sharp and super quick like a Tallboy or Fuel Ex/etc. But good enough to enjoy your bike riding. And that it does just fine. But that it really shines when the speed picks up and/or the trail starts getting steeper. They say the bike is REALLY going to give you a HUGE grin from ear to ear once you pick up some speed or head down! And the reviews for the HT are somewhat similar, but just a tad bit better for All around riding and climbing, but not quite as fun or composed on downhill sections. So, both bikes will be amazing whatever one I end up going with.

And the other main factor for me was the HT doesn't have a few key options on it, like the Mega does:

- the ability to change to ANY air or coil shock. Plus it has that SUPER tiny little area for the shock to fit in the frame and people say it's so hard to set your sag right because you can't even see the shock in there. And when it gets dirty, it's really hard to clean

- plus the ability to change the CS length. Which for me is HUGE! Being 6'8" and wanting this to be MY one and only all around bike, that ability to have a slightly shorter CS for trail riding or longer for downhill is just a HUGE advantage to have. Since no bike will ever fit me well, having the ability to change the CS length to make the bike feel better for my giant a$$ is a huge advantage and will be WAY more important than some tiny change in suspension travel.

Your post and some others above and online is just more food for thought. Going to need to think about this some more before I decide either way. I'm leaning towards just keeping the Mega, and setting it up with parts and settings more for Trail riding and just ride it! I think I'm over thinking this and already got a SICK bike. I just wanted to make sure it was the perfect bike for me. But I don't think there is such a thing, after talking with you guys about this and thinking it through. And since I'd rather have more fun going fast and plowing stuff, I think the Mega is going to be great for me. At this point, unless I can find one of the new HT frames on a 10% off sale, I'm just going to keep and build my Mega. Thanks everyone
 
#26 ·
Just gonna chime in here quickly and say in my experience, any time I've had my heart set on something (a bike, or whatever) and save up for it only to pivot in another direction at the last minute, I've usually regretted it. I'm left with always having that nagging "what if" feeling.

Analysis paralysis is real. Just go with your gut and your original decision on the Mega. Yes it might be overkill in your area but you're still gonna have fun and have a bike that can handle bike park trips in the future should you decide to hit some gnarlier trails.

Don't get lost in the weeds comparing numbers when you've pretty much already made up your mind. It's not like you're debating buying a DH bike to ride paved roads.
 
#27 ·
EDIT: And what the poster above says is something to consider, if you have your heart set on a megatower then its probably the right choice for you. I guess listen to your heart! Based on your original post with mentions of DH sections and rather being overgunned, the megatower is probably a good choice for you. I got a hightower since I ride everything from XC to aggressive trails but not really extreme DH stuff.

My feedback:

I rode both the megatower and hightower demo bikes in 2019 with the same build kits (I think) including DHR2s on both bikes and I have the 2020 HTV2 which had 140mm rear travel vs the 145mm on the new bike. They were ridden on different dates and locations though and I really only had limited time on the megatower. Plus I'm not a professional racer or mechanic either, I'm much more of a amateur rider, so take that into consideration.

IMO it comes down to how crazy and steep your terrain is. The hightower in its stock form with DHR2s is already very capable and already a bit slow and overkill for flatter pedal-y yet rocky and aggressive trails with decent sized drops, and I got the impression from my short ride on the megatower that you need really steep crazy terrain to make it worth it. I threw a semislick on the back of my hightower and it made pedal-y trails much more fun while I still crush flowtrails. At recommended pressures, I use just about 100 percent of my rear travel at my local flow trails with a few big drops, so maybe a megatower could be useful there, but then it would totally suck for the more xc-oriented trails I ride. I keep riding more and more aggressively and am starting to feel more and more that I could actually make good use of my hightower with a 160 fork and 150mm rear travel kit that some people on these forums have installed, so draw your own conclusions there. Basically, the hightower is an all-arounder that's a bit overkill for flatter trails and apparently capable of riding at a bike park (i'd really want a 160 fork and the long travel kit if I was doing that though) while the megatower is a strict enduro bike focused on the most aggressive terrain only. I think the old hightower is actually probably a better bike for flatter, less aggressive, and more xc-oriented trails as the new hightower is a beast. If you put it in the climb mode and crank up the lsc before longer flatter climbs, the new hightower does pedal very well though. The lsc on the rear shock makes a huge impact on how the bike pedals and descends.

You mention the coil ability of the megatower, so if you really want a coil that's clearly a benefit of owning the megatower. If I remember correctly, the megatower can accept 2.5 rear tires while the hightower accepts only 2.4's (some have ran a 2.5 aggressor but it sounds like it may rub occasionally) so that is something else to consider, personally a 2.4 dhr2 is wide and grippy enough that I don't miss the ability to run wider tires, although it would be nice.

I think if I jumped on both bikes again with the same build kits, they would feel pretty similar with the megatower feeling a bit more sluggish all around, especially when climbing, but the mega would also be a better bike for high speed steep terrain. This year's hightower has an extra 5mm rear travel so now there's really only 15mm rear travel separating the two bikes so there isn't a world of difference.
 
#28 ·
I've ridden both, own a mega. If you're only going to own 1 bike and you bias slightly towards the rowdy side on your normal rides and throw bike parks in. Megatower for sure. If you're going to be doing 20-30 miles of pedaling on 1-2 rides per week, hit a bike park maybe once a year at most and some times not even that.... then hightower.

They both feel about the same to me if they are built up with similar builds. The difference is that hte HT2 with the shorter travel makes it a bit easier to access the progressiveness of the shock/spring where as the mega wants bigger, more dynamic moves to get that. Other then that, they ride very similar. I will say that for the reasons I just mentioned, the HT2 is a bit more fun to jump right up until you need the extra travel to save you by landing sketchy. Then we're back to the mega.

Me personally, I have a mega because I don't just have 1 bike. I share the stable with a 120mm travel trail bike and for that reason, the mega was the obvious choice. I have different wheelsets and both coil and air shock for my mega so that I can have some flexibility from park/shuttle days to 30+ mile pedal days on the mega. That being said, I have no issues riding hte mega on even the most tame rides and it's still fun and doesn't need to be ridden hard. Tbh, the mega is actually pretty conservative geometry and because of that, it's more versatile then it likely needs/should have been when slotting into the SC line up.

Overall, I think they are both great bikes. If I were in the market for a trail bike, the ht2 would be on my list, but I would likely look elsewhere and go with something a bit more progressive and a bit lighter... but take that with a gain of salt. I'm not a 1 bike guy so my opinion is always going to be based on having a big bike and a trail bike.

HT2 air shock with the stock link, and then backed up with a cascade link with a take off coil shock is likely the best of both worlds option. A little spendy, but it could be the 1 bike to rule them all and get someone like me down to 1 bike. food for thought.
 
#29 ·
I've demoed both bikes

I live and ride in the northeast where our terrain is fairly technical. Depending where you ride, very technical is a better description. Roots, rocks, tight trails and short but steep climbs.

One ride on the Megatower and I came close to saying I hated the bike. To be nice, lets just say it was way more bike then I needed.

The Hightower was completely different. More nimble, a better climber and way more suited for where I ride.

Then I road a 2021 Tallboy and bought it. It is well suited for what I ride and can easily handle things more technical then what I ride.

You say you ride in the Midwest but that covers a whole lot of territory.
What do you mean? Iowa? Northern Michigan? They are both Midwest but words apart.

Summing it up, for my technical northeast riding. Megatower isn't necessary and not even fun for me. The Hightower fits my needs. The Tallboy is the best of the three for me. I love climbing. So does the Tallboy.
 
#30 ·
Hightower V1

I've rented the HTv1 on a number of trips and always liked it and was pretty set on getting a HTv2 until I rode one. To me, the TBv4 I bought was more like the original HT and that was what I wanted.

As I said when I answered the original poster, the MT was just wrong for me. It really did feel sluggish and didn't exactly shine on tight single track. Not that you couldn't use it but I wanted I bike for what I rode most of the time and am perfectly happy to rent the a bike that is more suited to where I'm traveling to. I also don't want the hassle of taking my bike on a plane.
 
#31 ·
6’7 240lbs, I went back and forth between the Hightower and mega tower. I live in SoCal and everything I ride is straight up, straight down for the most part. So I can’t comment on your type of riding, but here are my thoughts.

Demoed and mega tower, it was A LOT of bike. It was fun as hell on the downs, and did the ups fine, but it’s definitely a “winch and plummet” bike IMO.

Ended up on a Capra 29 XXL, which was 160/160. Same thing as the mega tower. Lot of bike, but muted the trail if you weren’t Mach chicken. Cracked the frame, replaced, and sold.

Now currently on a transition sentinel v2 XXL. I think it’s pretty similar to the HTv2 being 160/150. It does everything pretty well. I ride flats/slow with my wife, and I have no qualms whatsoever. Also ride gnarly steeps with my friends, and very rarely do I feel it’s “out of its element”

Given that, I would go with the HTv2 if you ride in the Midwest where “winch and plummet” isn’t as available. Probably not what you want to hear, but if I were in the Midwest that’s what I’d do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#32 ·
If I were in your shoes, then I would be getting a short-mid travel bike living in the midwest. My Stumpjumper is 130 / 120 and did great when I biked in north Georgia. A little over a year ago I moved out to Denver, and, while the trails are a lot more gnarly in Colorado, my short-travel bike does excellent on all but the most difficult trails. I can't imagine the midwest has trails that are comparable to the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Everyone wants big travel bikes, but they don't make sense for most riders' trails. That being said, I am totally getting an enduro rig for bike parks this summer.
 
#33 ·
Seriously, keep the Megatower. The difference isn't worth several hundred dollars extra you'd have to spend.

Consider this - at your size, the Megatower's 445mm chainstay's gonna feel more natural than the HT2's 439mm. Also, the M/M stock shock tune is totally fine for someone of your weight. If you want to make the thing more sporty, just throw in a couple more volume spacers front and back. If you never use the last half inch of travel, that'll make the bike feel just like the Hightower.
 
#34 ·
jaks said:
Seriously, keep the Megatower. The difference isn't worth several hundred dollars extra you'd have to spend.

Consider this - at your size, the Megatower's 445mm chainstay's gonna feel more natural than the HT2's 439mm. Also, the M/M stock shock tune is totally fine for someone of your weight. If you want to make the thing more sporty, just throw in a couple more volume spacers front and back. If you never use the last half inch of travel, that'll make the bike feel just like the Hightower.
Click to expand...
THIS! I have owned both and ridden them on everything from mellow flow trails, to park. They are both amazing bikes - I currently have the HTv2 with the Cascade link and have been questioning mysekf whether I should have just stuck with the MT given how close I now have it setup. If you set them up both the same its very hard to tell them apart. The reality is that whilst the climbing position is slightly better on the HTv2, the differences are minimal and unless you're going to be looking at Strava for your uphill times, its not worth moving over for. Equally, unless you are in full DH trail territory, you arent going to dramatically notice the difference between the two. The differentiator for me is the ability to use a coil on the MT ... something that at your weight is no possible on the HTv2. I dont think you'll regret the MT and if you prefer being overbiked, why not do it properly?
 
#35 ·
Thought I would weigh in.

All of these types of discussions are generally around how you ride, where you ride, how sensitive you are, and what you need the most help with.

As a HT 2 owner, I have my bike just under 30 pounds, with DHF 2.5 / DHR 2.4 tires, Reserve Rims, Lev Ci post, and 780 Renthal fatbar carbon 35. I also raised the fork to 160mm. So basically, I have a "Megatower light" with the same front travel, but rear travel that caters to technical climbing, and reasonably technical downhills, and being able to pedal through technical rock gardens. As people mentioned, look at James Weingarten in Nate Hills videos - he has zero issues with the gnar, and is popping off all over the place.

I think a Megatower would be a bit more sluggish for the more "agility-centric" riding style and be a bit of a drag for longer rides (> 20 miles). Anyway, that's my .02 cents.
 
#36 ·
Re: James Weingarten, who's been brought up a couple times now. In the videos I've watched, it seems like his riding style involves a lot of popping over things and precise line choices. Not to discount the capability of the Hightower, but I think a lot of people could ride those same trails and just plow straight through all the tech, in which case the Mega might make more sense. Just depends on how you like to ride.
 
#37 ·
I am 6’6” and have a HT1 and a MT; both in XXL. Not too many options for us out there.

While there are meanwhile others in XL that are in the same size ballpark as the HT1, I think the MT is more spot on for the size - which makes it a LONG bike. That can be annoying on tighter trails. But that’s not the question here. I have actually never ridden a HTII. But here’s my take HT1 vs MT.

I live on the East Coast and the MT is definitely too much bike for most “ride along” IMBA kinda bring-your-family trails here. You can do it, but I’d compare it to going grocery shopping with a F150. For shuttled terrain or DH oriented climbing (I mean you go up once on a USFS road where possible with the target to go down) it is the perfect bike.

Personally, according to Strava I am faster on more up and down ish tighter trail terrrain with the HT1, no matter what I do with the MT.

While it can be used an one, it’s not your allrounder that makes it fun to ride everywhere. At the same time, I know a couple of people that ise a Nomad as their ONE bike and they get along well with that too.
 
#38 ·
I have new version of the Tallboy, MT, and HT. Geo for all 3 practically the same and can't tell them apart. Tallboy is as light as HT but more nimble because it has 25mm inner width rims with 2.3 tires. My MT came with 2.4WT rear and 2.5WT tires on 30mm inner width rims. HT came with 2.4WT front and rear on 30mm inner width tires. Tallboy has 32T chainring so feels faster than both HT and MT which both have 30T chainring. Rear feels bottomless on all 3. Swap wheels/tires/chainrings and these bikes are very very similar. Tallboy owners upgrade to 140mm fork and HT owners upgrade to 160 fork. Just get a Megatower to have the 160mm fork and put 2.3 tires rear or both front and rear to be as nimble and climb worthy as a HT or Tallboy. There was vid on YouTube that stated 2.4 heavier tires have no substantial improvement over 2.3 as far as times go. Santa Cruz is so smart.
 
21 - 38 of 38 Posts
About this Discussion
37 Replies
27 Participants
Last post:
hyperpm
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion