Santa Cruz Tallboy LT Carbon 29er Full Suspension
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REVIEWS
5.0
QIKRATE
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WEB
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USER REVIEWS
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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An all around great bike. Climbs, descends, everything, very well.
Price? But all good bikes seem to have sticker shock with them now.
I'll admit, I'm partial to S Cruz bikes. This is my 3rd, but I just like the way they ride. Still, I did a very thorough demo ride program on a number of other 29ers (Pivot, Niner, Specialized, Yeti, Ibis, Giant). I can't say anything bad about the others, the Tallboy LTc was just the all around best of the bunch. I'm also right in the middle of their XL size chart range ( a rarity for me), so fit played into my decision as well. This bike just pounds thru rough stuff, climbs very well, is nimble in tight spots, inspires downhill confidence, and delivers great performance in all situations. I did a back to back ride comparison with the LTc, and the regular Tallboy. I liked the slacker head angle of the LTc, the 35mm of extra travel, and I could put a longer travel fork on front. When I found a 2013 model frame on sale, done deal!
Similar Products Used:
Demo'ed a bunch, see my review. Previous bike was a S Cruz Blur LTc.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Gobbles up anything I point it towards, good climber, torsionally stiff
None
Love this bike. I've had it for about 2 years now. Two upgrades worth mentioning: (1) pulled the RP23, put on a Cane Creek DB Inline. Big upgrade, much better small bump compliance. Plusher. and (2) sent my Fox 34 Talas 140 to PUSH for a rebuild. Their low friction seals work wonders.
I'm 210 lbs, 6 feet tall. Size Large fits great.
Similar Products Used:
Santa Cruz TB
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Light weight,chuckability,climbing prowess,encourages rider progression
Pricey as balls,encourages rider stupidity......
Ummed and aahed for ages before dropping the coin on carbon Lt all srammed up,will it climb okay,will it be durable,can it be that great? It is. Climbs more competently than my 4 inch anthem and weighs less,and going down is inspiring for a 140mm trail bike.This rig kinda forces you to reset your perception of what is possible on a trail bike,brake later,chuck it in harder,commit fully and laugh your head off,every ride is better than the last! Suspension setup is simple,just note the pike fork doesnt need much comp setting,back off 2 clicks where you normally sit. Yes its a lotta cash and there are a few long travel 29 options out there,but this bike has real character,will make you a better rider and have you jaded lot smiling like a kid again. And we cant put a price on that now,can we.......
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Awesome bike. Put a Pike on the front and go out and enjoy every trail that you ride.
A rider that is currently too fat ?
Buy one if you can find it. It's the best "all around" mountain bike I've ever owned. The Pike on the front is a must as it just works seamlessly with the rear suspension.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Climbing, cruising, AM work, bombing downhills, carbon durability, quality of frame and components, stiffness, local mfgr, category killer
low-feeling BB on tech climbs, 29er geo (depending on where you ride), narrow bars (early models)
2013 XT 2x10 model. Have had it a year now. GREAT bike - I love it. Worth every penny -- paid for a 2012.5 bike in 2013 and was $4000 out the door (list was what $5800?) All XT kit. I had to add a dropper. There are deals on these end of season and you should not be afraid to buy one used.
I've ridden a few other 29ers and though many now have very good products I haven't seen or heard (or read) of anything that beats it. Opinions:
Low BB makes this a great DH bomber and really helps with CoG when the going gets slow. But it also means pedal strikes when climbing tight/steep/technical. I can roll right over things that bottom out every one of my buddies on 26/27.5s though - so you know it's not THAT low, but the strikes are more frequent than I would expect (I do however ride flats, which lowers things considerably). Perhaps it's not so much a problem as it is a surprise when you're used to riding a bike that just mashes and rolls over surprisingly huge stuff?
Santa Cruz fixed the too-narrow bars spec'd on this bike for 2014+ (and added 760 - 780, depending on build spec). With the stock 720s on it it's fine for most, but this bike really wants 760+ to deal with all the inertia of the 29 hoops - though you can finesse it all day it's such a stiff, stout stomper of a bike that it's super fun to muscle around. And wider bars do help when going slow because of that 29er geo - it's not as nimble as a 26 or 27.5 - and never will be. If I rode tight trees, tight singletrack or lotsa rock (basically terrain that requires slow and picky), I'd go 27.5 and probably a Solo/5010 - not this.
But man does it pedal. I live in the S Cruz mountains and it's essentially the perfect bike for the for the fire road and (largely non-technical) singletrack climbs here. And if you prefer to have a plush ride that will blow over anything on the way down at speed (versus a super-flicky technical descender for slow and tight environs), this is a phenomenal whip.
Sizing is a little weird compared to other brands and I agree SC bikes run a little small. My experience: I'm 6'1" with a 34 inseam and normal proportions. that's a large in every other manufacturer I've tried. The large TBlt was cramped - IO was very much on top of the bike - and would have had to go with a longer-than-stock stem which would have put me out and over the front wheel. Not a good feeling on a 29er - they're already big. The XL felt a little too big - I was definitely "in" the bike (which I wanted), but had too much reach causing me to bend a little too far when pedaling - so I ended up going XL, dropping the stem to a 50mm and going to wide bars (flat). Now a very good fit, but with one somewhat-noticeable negative - the front wheel is a little lighter on steep grinding climbs (as you might expect with pulling the bars back). It is what it is - and I like the feeling of being in the bike and at the headtube (vs out over it) everywhere but in the steepest climbs - and bringing the reach back quickened the geo a tad so that's a positive add to to a climbing negative. FWIW - some feedback if you're a fairly normal sized dude at 6'1 or 6'2 and going back and forth on size.
One more fit mention - the seat tube is long. I have a Spesh command (?) dropper and with my 34" inseam it's slammed all the way down on the top of the collet for a perfect pedal stroke at highest (pre-set) position. If you have short legs but mongo torso be careful which dropper you choose (something infinitely variable is probably your best bet) - I think the seatpost height is consistently tall across the various frame sizes. If I had a 33" inseam this dropper would not have worked.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Climbs fantastically well for a 135mm travel 29er, and is just the perfect balance of stability and handling on the DH's.
Bike will not turn on a dime like some others, but very predicable and controllable.
So I needed a one bike solution for all my mountain bike needs. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoy the local trails in the area including Santa Cruz, Demo, Skeggs, and East Bay trails including the ridiculously steep fire roads we have here. I enjoy climbing and descending equally well and wanted a bike that would wouldn't give up much on the ups or downs. I also wanted a bike that would cover the rougher trails in the mountains such as Downieville and Tahoe. The Tallboy LTc has delivered on all counts. With the prices of higher end bikes these days, I was wanted to do as much research as possible before pulling the trigger with my purchase, and I demo'd many bikes including the LTc itself 3 separate times. I also rode the Ibis Ripley, Tallboy 2, Yeti SB-95, Intense Spider, and as well as the Solo and Bronson. They were all fantastic bikes, and I think I would have been very happy with almost all of them, but for my hard earned dollars, the Tallboy LTc was the most versatile of the bunch and the size large fit my 5'll frame just perfectly.
My prior bike was a 26" 100mm travel full suspension cross country bike that I had ridden for 7 years. It had great components on it, but was an old bike. I built that bike up with climbing in mind, and it had carbon rims. However, as my riding style has changed over the years, I definitely began to appreciate bikes with DH capability. Enter the Tallboy LTc. I give up absolutely nothing to my prior bike on climbs, even on smooth fire roads. In fact, on my regular fire road training climb, I just set a new PR that had stood for me for over 3 years. On more technical climbs, there is simply no comparison. The Tallboy LTc just grips and rolls over obstacles. For those familiar with the loose shale covered climbs in Downieville, California, the Tallboy LTc just shines in that environment and outperformed even the fantastic climbing Ripley. Point the bike downhill, and compared with my old bike, they are not in the same league. Of the bikes I rode, the Bronson was probably my favorite on the Downhill and the Ibis Ripley, while not as capable as the LTc at speed or on big hits, was a wonderful handling bike with pinpoint accuracy. The Tallboy 2 was similar to the Ripley in regards to handling, but probably more stable. What I love about the Tallboy LTc is I can go on a very long ride over rolling terrain and because it rolls so well I have plenty of energy for climbs, and I don't get rattled on the downhills. Also, of all the bikes above, it is the one that I would want to be riding if I got in over my head. In fact, recently I made the mistake recently of riding off a lip where I couldn't see the landing. Well, it was a much bigger drop than I thought, and I would have never tried it had I seen the drop-off, but the LTc just absolutely ate it up. I would not have wanted to try that on the regular Tallboy or Ripley. At that moment, I knew for certain I made the right choice. One note for potential buyers. I read a review from an ex-moto rider who said you need to ride the TB LTc like a moto and throw your weight around and work the bike. I really agree with that sentiment if you want to get the most out of the bike. Also, until ridden at speed, it feels like any other bike, but it just wakes up once you open it up on the DH. So much fun!
Ok, obviously I love the bike. I have historically lusted after every year's hottest bike release, but lately I have no interest in seeing the new releases, and I am just thrilled I finally pulled the trigger on the LTc. Sorry for the long-winded review, but when I was looking I tried to glean as much as I could so I hope this helps someone who is on the fence. If you want a one bike solution for big mountains and as well as flowy single track, look no further. For the variety of trails here in NorCal, the LTc just fits the bill perfectly.
Similar Products Used:
Tallboy 2, Ibis Ripley, Intense Spider, Yeti SB-95, 5010, Bronson
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Weight, Travel, Handling.
None so far, may be cost.
Best bike I have ridden, I come from a Yeti 26" and decided for the Tallboy LTC 29" instead of a Bronson because of my size and riding style. Very happy with my purchase.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Fast, fun, and can tackle some pretty serious terrain.
Cost
The front end is quite high, so you may need to reverse the stem or get flat bars.
Seat-tube is tall, which can limit how much travel you can use with a dropper-post if you aren't tall.
I've an my Tallboy LTc for 12 months now and it hasn't missed a beat - I'm certainly don't regret buying it. At the time I was considering the Yeti SB95 (aluminium frame) for almost the same cost, albeit that the SB95 was essentially an XT build instead of the SLX I have on the TB. Having said that, I ended up with a nice hand-built wheels instead. The SB95 was quite heavy, and I've subsequently read about frame failures with the Yeti, so I'm certain that I made the right choice in the end.
I am currently running a Syntace Flat-force stem (77mm) to get the bar height low enough for my short'ish stature (175cm tall on a Large frame...short legs). Bars are Syntace carbon low-5.
A dropper-post was mandatory, but given the long seat-tube and my short-legs, I could only get away with a 100 mm travel KS post - any longer and I wouldn't be able to fully extend the post and still have the correct saddle height. I'm 1/2 way between the medium & large size, and decided to get the longer top-tube with the large frame; thus the issue with the seat-tube length.
I switched so a 1x10 drive-train about 6 months ago (11-36 XT cassette with 32T RaceFace NW) and I haven't missed any gears. I've also upgraded the fork from an RS Revelation Dual air (110-140mm) with a 46mm standard offset to the Pike Solo air 140mm with a 51mm offset. I can notice the 51mm offset makes a difference to handling (improved, faster response), and the Pike is impressive too.
Overall it's a blast to ride downhill. It climbs very well, and I find it handles tight switch-backs very well. Having said that, it is a 29er so I think a 26" bike may handle the really tight stuff better possibly. Although there is 1 tight up-hill corner on my usual ride that I always found to be tricky on my Ibis Mojo 26", and it's no harder on the TB.