If ever a bike resembled your most cherished mix tape compilation, the Hightower is it. Featuring our lower-link mounted shock design, updated, adjustable geometry, this “Engineering Best Of...” assembles some of our biggest design pleasers into one belter of a road-trip companion.
The Hightower has been a does-it-all-well trail bike since its inception. More maneuverable than its longer-travel sibling, the Megatower, and more at home in the steep-and-chunky than its snappy cousin Tallboy, Hightower excels when the route covers ‘all points in between,’ and descents come courtesy of some big-ass climbs. The VPP suspension’s lower-link-mounted shock creates a nearly linear leverage curve, meaning it mops up bumps of all sizes and maintains the kind of progressivity normally reserved for our V10 DH bike!
140mm of rear travel complemented by a 150mm front end gives Hightower just a bit more front and rear travel over the first generation model. Combined with a slacker 65-degree head tube angle, the Hightower still sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone, but with a touch more “Oh sh*t get me out of here” capability when the porridge gets too hot!
Balancing stiffness and weight savings in all the right places is a hallmark of all Santa Cruz carbon frames and the Hightower flies the flag yet higher. The advanced composite chassis tracks well across all trail surfaces, holds a line, and is reactive to rider directions while isolating pedal-influenced inputs.
The Hightower also has a bonus disc to heighten the experience—the flip chip. In the High setting, the BB height is a little higher for those tricky tech trails and/or when Plus sized tires are required. In the Low position the shock rate is more progressive, to provide additional bottom-out resistance. Whatever mood you’re in, the tone of the Hightower can be adapted to meet your individual taste.
And speaking of taste, there’s a room for a water bottle inside the main frame and a threaded BB for convenience. There’s refined cable routing for better shifting performance, simpler installation, and no cable rub. On top of that, there’s a tailgate shuttle guard, downtube protector, shock fender, and noise-canceling chainstay protector keeping things quiet.
The lifetime frame warranty, lifetime pivot bearing replacement policy, and lifetime guarantee on the optional Reserve carbon wheels assures you that the Hightower will keep delivering the hits for years to come.
We get it, you want to know every configuration, the geometry, and all the parts each of those comes with. So we've got you covered, below are PDFs with the geometry and kits that this bike comes in.
Price
£3199GBP
Weight
16.26kg / 35.84lbs
Material
Aluminum
Fork
RockShox 35 Gold RL, 150mm, 29"
Shock
FOX Float Performance DPS
Rear Derailleur
SRAM SX Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM SX Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM PG1210, 12spd, 11-50t
Chain
SRAM SX Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM Guide T
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 10 IS Integrated Headset
Bars
RaceFace Aeffect R
Stem
RaceFace Ride
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
SRAM MTH 716, 15x110, Torque Cap, 32h
Rear Hub
SRAM MTH 746, 12x148, 32h
Rims
WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0 29"
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
SDG Tellis
Saddle
WTB Silverado Race Saddle
Price
£3599GBP
Weight
15.99kg / 35.26lbs
Material
Aluminum
Fork
RockShox Yari RC, 150mm, 29"
Shock
FOX Float Performance DPS
Rear Derailleur
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM NX Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM PG1230, 12spd, 11-50t
Chain
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM G2 R
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 10 IS Integrated Headset
Bars
RaceFace Aeffect R
Stem
RaceFace Ride
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
SRAM MTH 716, 15x110, Torque Cap, 32h
Rear Hub
SRAM MTH 746, 12x148, 32h
Rims
WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0 29"
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
SDG Tellis
Saddle
WTB Silverado Race Saddle
Price
£4499GBP
Weight
15.81kg / 34.85lbs
Material
Aluminum
Fork
FOX 36 Float Performance, 150mm, 29"
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
Rear Derailleur
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM GX Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM XG1275 Eagle, 12spd, 10-50t
Chain
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM Code R
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 10 IS Integrated Headset
Bars
Burgtec Alloy
Stem
Burgtec Enduro MK3
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
DT Swiss 370, 15x110, 32h
Rear Hub
DT Swiss 370, 12x148, XD, 32h
Rims
RaceFace AR Offset 30 29"
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle
WTB Silverado Pro
Price
£4499GBP
Weight
15.04kg / 33.15lbs
Material
Carbon C
Fork
RockShox Yari RC, 150mm, 29"
Shock
FOX Float Performance DPS
Rear Derailleur
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM NX Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM PG1230, 12spd, 11-50t
Chain
SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM G2 R
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 10 IS Integrated Headset
Bars
RaceFace Aeffect R
Stem
RaceFace Ride
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
SRAM MTH 716, 15x110, Torque Cap, 32h
Rear Hub
SRAM MTH 746, 12x148, 32h
Rims
WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0 29"
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
SDG Tellis
Saddle
WTB Silverado Race Saddle
Price
£5399GBP
Weight
14.86kg / 32.75lbs
Material
Carbon C
Fork
FOX 36 Float Performance, 150mm, 29"
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
Rear Derailleur
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM GX Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM XG1275 Eagle, 12spd, 10-50t
Chain
SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM Code R
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated
Bars
Burgtec Alloy
Stem
Burgtec Enduro MK3
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
DT Swiss 370, 15x110, 32h
Rear Hub
DT Swiss 370, 12x148, XD, 32h
Rims
RaceFace AR Offset 30 29"
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle
WTB Silverado Pro
Price
£6099GBP
Weight
14.76kg / 32.54lbs
Material
Carbon C
Fork
FOX 36 Float Performance Elite, 150mm, 29"
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT M8100, 12spd
Shifters
Shimano XT M8100, 12spd
Crankset
Shimano XT M8100, 30t
Cassette
Shimano XT M8100, 12spd, 10-51t
Chain
Shimano XT, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
Shimano XT 68/73mm
Brakes
Shimano XT
Brake Rotors
Shimano XT RT-86, Ice Tech, 203mm/180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated
Bars
Santa Cruz Bicycles Carbon Riser
Stem
Burgtec Enduro MK3
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
DT Swiss 350, 15x110, 28h
Rear Hub
DT 350, 12x148, MicroSpline, 28h
Rims
RaceFace ARC Offset 30 29"
Rim Options
Santa Cruz Reserve 30 Carbon Rim
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle
WTB Silverado Team
Price
£6599GBP
Weight
14.04kg / 30.95lbs
Material
Carbon CC
Fork
FOX 36 Float Factory, 150mm, 29"
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
Rear Derailleur
SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM X1 Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM XG1295 Eagle, 12spd, 10-52t
Chain
SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM Code RSC
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated
Bars
Santa Cruz Bicycles Carbon Riser
Stem
Burgtec Enduro MK3
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
DT Swiss 350, 15x110, 28h
Rear Hub
DT Swiss 350, 12x148, XD, 28h
Rims
RaceFace ARC Offset 30 29"
Rim Options
Santa Cruz Reserve 30 Carbon Rim
Spokes
Sapim Race
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle
WTB Silverado Team
Price
£9499GBP
Weight
13.74kg / 30.29lbs
Material
Carbon CC
Fork
FOX 36 Float Factory, 150mm, 29"
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
Rear Derailleur
SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS, 12spd
Shifters
SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS, 12spd
Crankset
SRAM X1 Eagle 148 DUB, 30t
Cassette
SRAM XG1299 Eagle, 12spd, 10-52
Chain
SRAM XX1 Eagle, 12spd
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB 68/73mm
Brakes
SRAM Code RSC
Brake Rotors
Avid Centerline 180mm
Headset
Chris King DropSet 3 Integrated
Bars
Santa Cruz Bicycles Carbon Riser
Stem
i9 A35
Grips
Santa Cruz Palmdale Grips
Front Hub
i9 Hydra, 15x110, 28h
Rear Hub
i9 Hydra, 12x148, XD, 28h
Rims
Reserve 30 29" Carbon
Rim Options
Spokes
Sapim D-light
Front Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C, MaxxGRIP, EXO, TR
Rear Tire
Maxxis Minion DHR 29"x2.4", 3C, EXO, TR
Tubes
Stan's Sealant
Seat Post
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Saddle
WTB Silverado Team
