Pretty quick question. Are we 100% sure no HT2 LT version will be released over the next few years? I have a HT2 on order but started wondering and wanted to verify. Does anyone have an article link or official info from Santa Cruz on this? I've decided the Megatower is a tad too much for me but a 150mm HT2 LT would be even better for me than a 140mm. Thanks guys!
Are we sure no HT2 LT coming?
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Only a couple of days before the release dates of the MT or the HT2 there were spyshots of those bikes on the internet. I highly doubt that at this point there will be any rumor, let alone official statement of a new bike that'll come in the upcoming years.
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10mm of travel makes absolutely, no difference. To be honest, 20mm of travel barely makes any difference in practical riding. Only in racing or bike park riding does a jump from 140 to 160 even become apparent.
I don't see a possibility of Santacruz releasing a bike to slot in between the ht2 and megatower. They are already incredibly similar and the defining difference is the travel and leverage ratio, everything else is near as makes no difference, the same.
If you are concerned about the HT2 not being enough bike, you need to demo the mega. I ride in your area a few times a year (trips from socal which is my local)... I've ridden all sorts of bikes up there and only at N* does a bike like the HT2 start to show it's limits. I've ridden just about everything up there that's outside the bike park and unless you're racing, i can't say I have seen anything that I would ride on a 150-160 bike that I wouldnt' ride on a 140mm bike.
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I agree with minimus, there's no reason to have a bike between the HT and MT. The HT is already slacker than a lot of other enduro 29ers.
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Yes, we are.
Ok... from Pinkbike we have "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..."
Then you can hop over to this interview on NSMB where Nick Anderson mentions those racers and says (about the Megatower): "we wanted a capable EWS bike for the team, something to support Mark and Iago and I think there was a bit of a hole in our lineup for a long-travel 29er that was designed from the ground up with that in mind. "
Similarly from VitalMTB you get "From some perspectives, the Santa Cruz Hightower LT was a compromise, and the race-driven brand knew they could do better. The Megatower is their answer."
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There might be a new Hightower LT... I just might not be the doing of Santa Cruz... 
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Good points, plus the hightower is 140mm and megatower is 160mm, building a whole different bike that is 150mm to fit in the middle makes no sense. As it is, people have enough trouble choosing between buying a hightower and megatower or hightower and new tallboy, adding another in-between bike would make the SC lineup even more confusing.
Plus the hightower can be ran with a 160 fork so that can also get you partway to where a htlt would be. And on that note, the old htlt was 150/150 and the new highower is 150/140 so that's pretty close.
This thread is giving me bad ideas, I had forgot about the people who modded their oght's to be longer travel, that option sounds kind of interesting now though...There might be a new Hightower LT... I just might not be the doing of Santa Cruz...
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Really the main point would be to see if a coil can be made to fit. The changes that would be necessary to fit a coil would probably increase travel a little.This thread is giving me bad ideas, I had forgot about the people who modded their oght's to be longer travel, that option sounds kind of interesting now though...
Thanks guys. I also figured there wasn't enough reason for them to slot a bike between the HT and MT. The SB130 Lunch Ride edition got me thinking! Now how about a 27.5 rear wheel with a 2.5 dhr II, 29 front with 2.5 assegai, 160 fork, and slight overshock for some extra gusto? Haha!
The rear shock for the new HT is a 210x52.5
There's a good chance there's a 2.5mm travel limiting spacer in there just waiting to be removed and there is a little extra travel for you (as long as the clearance is there). That'll make it a 146mm rear travel.
This is all speculation btw I haven't heard of anyone opening the Super Deluxe to have a look yet or to check tyre/linkage clearance. As soon as my frame arrives I'll check it though.
There's a good chance there's a 2.5mm travel limiting spacer in there just waiting to be removed and there is a little extra travel for you (as long as the clearance is there). That'll make it a 146mm rear travel.
This is all speculation btw I haven't heard of anyone opening the Super Deluxe to have a look yet or to check tyre/linkage clearance. As soon as my frame arrives I'll check it though.
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I bet this would be a popular modification.There might be a new Hightower LT... I just might not be the doing of Santa Cruz...
And even more popular if a coil could be made to fit.
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Sounds pretty awesome, a 160-146mm lunch ride hightower would be interesting for sure. I like the lifetime warranty of the HT frame though so no DIY messing with the rear shock for me.
I have thought about mullet-ing the HT2 but I think the benefits of doing so would be less than shoving a 29er wheel on the front of a 27.5 bike. Still, a 27.5 2.6 rear tire with the bike set in the high mode would hopefully have enough ground clearance with a 29er 2.6 front tire.
Edit:
Hightower, Hightower Lt, Megatower, and now...eTower.:skep:
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Put it this way.
If there were a compelling reason for SC to put out a 150mm frame in its current lineup, then there would be an equally compelling reason for the industry to come out with 28.25 wheels.
If there were a compelling reason for SC to put out a 150mm frame in its current lineup, then there would be an equally compelling reason for the industry to come out with 28.25 wheels.
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There's a company cascade components who machine new links for the Nomad/Bronson and change the progressivity curve to better suit coils, they also increase travel in the nomad, I'd be surprised if they didn't work on a MT/HT link as well as I'm sure they sell more of those these days. I agree a LT version would not make sense from a sales perspective, they definitely want you on a MT if you want more travel.
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now how about a megatower with a less travel making it a hightower coil compatible? That would be something I'd like vs a longer travel hightower.
does anybody know the details of frame differences between the two other than the chainstay flip chip? would a megatower? I'm not exactly sure what defines the travel on both would a megatower work with a hightower upper/lower link?
does anybody know the details of frame differences between the two other than the chainstay flip chip? would a megatower? I'm not exactly sure what defines the travel on both would a megatower work with a hightower upper/lower link?
This has me thinking because the HT2 is a few weeks out and my local shops have the MT on the floor in both air and coil.... I need to compare the geo charts. Mostly what I've heard is it's a difference in the leverage ratios and travel that make the MT just feel like more of a point and shoot, stable, comes alive at higher speed ride, which is why I steered away from it. If there's a way to tune it down a bit and, make it more nimble and plush at lower speeds, then maybe I can go snag one now.
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