[gwm]

I'm not too keen on getting a Highball and lately I've been looking at getting a Blur XC for racing but I'm now thinking of going Tallboy. Anyone here races with a Tallboy? I've never tried a 29er but if there's a 29er out there for me I think this must be the one.

 

[SparxFlyer]

The general opinion around MTBR seems to be that if you want a great bike trail bike that you can also race then the TB is the bike to get... If you want a more pure race bike then the Specialized top of the line Epic 29'r with the Brain is the way to go.

I have the TB and think it's awesome. With carbon wheels and top of the line race / weight weenie components some folks have it down to 22 lb territory. I have XT level stuff and a KS 950 remote seat post and mine weighs in at 28 lbs. The bike is very capable and has given me the confidence to try stuff I normally wouldn't on a HT 26'r.

I'll race it one of these days, but not until I'm more fit 'cause it's the engine, not the frame, that's going to make the difference!

 

[wilks]

I have a blur xc carbon as a dedicated race bike - even our race courses here are pretty technical with limited fire road and mainly all singletrack - often pretty tight and twisty. Whilst there are plenty of people on 29ers (hardtails and full suspensions) I don't see the advaqntage of them until an extended fire road or where the singletrack opens up and allows for a lot of cranking at speed. If your race courses are buff or include a lot of fireroad I would go 29er all the way. If you only want one bike get the tallboy and use some crest wheels set up tubeless to race and some arches or flows for trail riding. I wouldn't want to ride the blur xc much as a trail bike...

 

[jabrabu]

I have seen a number of Tallboys at the races, and I plan to race mine. Earlier this year I raced on a Stumpjumper FSR 29er, and I don't feel like it held me back much. As someone said, it's more the rider than the bike. The Tallboy is lighter and climbs better so I'm sure it will be even faster.

I have the stock SPX build on the Tallboy, and I also have a Niner hardtail with Crest wheels. I'll use the stock wheels with burly tires for trail riding and the Crests for racing.

As someone said, if you want a capable trail bike that can also be raced competitively, then the Tallboy is a great choice. If you want a pure race bike, then a carbon hardtail or a Blur XCc or an Epic might be a better choice. The Epic is also a nice trail bike, just a little more race-oriented than the Tallboy.

 

[Muahdib]

Have to disagree with the Blur XCc not being a good trail bike. My wife's bike is a BlurXCc and I have a 120mm Sid in it and often times take it out instead of my Blur LT. It rides exceptionally well on our trails which has some good technical areas and can be ridden all day long. That being said I don't think you can go wrong with the Tallboy either.

 

[robdeanhove]

I have a Tallboy and have raced on it for the last two years, everything from short course XC to 24hr solo racing, this bike rocks, it lets you carry so much speed through twisty or techy sections. I can't recommend it highly enough.

My Tallboy HERE

Mmmm! My Tallboy

Racing to 6th at the European 24hr Solo Champs

Zoom!

Attacking the night laps (and having a whole bunch of fun!)

Singletrack weapon

Hope you enjoy your new bike, whatever you end up with. I'm sure you will if it's a Tallboy!

 

[helifitz]

As robdeanhove said "I can't recommend it highly enough." I've raced a good number of XC's to a couple of 100 milers and I'm noticeably faster on it than my Gary Fisher HiFi 29er or Paragon.

 

[1-bar]

Like others have said, it's a versatile machine. I have mine built up for pure XC and its fast! My current build is 22.3 lbs which makes it the same weight as an S-works Epic. I would agree that a S work Epic 29er has the edge but not but much.

 

[hillharman]

Beautiful bike. Mine gets here tomorrow!

 

[CrushT]

Looking for a new ride and wondering how does the Tallboy carbon stack up against the Giant Anthem X29er 0? Racing vs Trail? The Anthem seems incredibly light for an aluminum build?

 

[atekt]

1-bar, can you list your current setup for the 22.3lbs?

 

[1-bar]

1-bar, can you list your current setup for the 22.3lbs?

You see most of it here:

Chris King Headset
Easton EC90 XC wheelset
Hutchinson Python TLR
Crank Bros Cobalt II handle bars, seat post and pedals
KCNC Team Fly stem 90mm and 160/140 rotor setup
Tune DC15 light weight skewer
FOX 100mm fork
Sram drivetrain : Truvativ Noir crank 36/22 front, XG999 cassette 11-32, XO rr der., XO grip shift, shimano SLR frt der.
Sram XO brakes
That's it for the most part... It's a light build but not it can still handle whatever my170lb body can throw at it.

 

[uncreative]

very nice build, good looking bike.

 

[Guest]

I think it would be a great race bike i don't race anymore but when out riding with friends we ride just as if we are racing so yeah go for it.