2018 Santa Cruz Hightower LT Carbon CC XX1 Reserve

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Big wheels keep on turning, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Wagon-wheeled bikes have come into the limelight this year, and for good reason. When paired with capable suspension and well-thought-out geometry, they offer rock crushing roll-over and traction smaller-wheeled bikes simply can’t provide.

We’ve spent the better part of three months on the new Santa Cruz Hightower LT sussing out the finer details of the bike. Who is it for? How did it hold up? Where did it perform best? We set out to answer all of these questions and more. From downhill bike worthy gravity laps to high alpine adventures, cross-country races, and enduro events, we put the bike through its paces in a number of configurations and riding environments.

Santa Cruz Hightower LT Highlights

• Made for enduro racing and aggressive trail riding
• 150mm (5.9-inches) of front and rear wheel travel
• VPP suspension design
• 29-inch wheels only (no 27.5+)
• Available in CC and C carbon
• Double sealed bearings
• Non-adjustable geometry (prior Hightower had two settings)
• Tapered headtube
• Internal cable routing
• Water bottle mount
• Threaded bottom bracket with ISCG05 tabs
• Boost 148mm spacing with 12mm through axle
• Lifetime warranty on frame and bearings
• Colors: Gloss Wicklow Green, Gloss Slate and Grey
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Bike Weight: 28.3 to 29.3-pounds (12.8 to 13.3kg)
• Frame/Shock Weight: 5.9-pounds (2.68 kg)
• Available with Santa Cruz Reserve carbon rim upgrade (CC bikes only)
• Available in seven builds from $3,949 to $9,299 USD

Before we continue, we encourage you to look at our First Look feature, below, as it gives a good comparison to the original Hightower as well as some of our early findings. Also, for clarity’s sake, as we indicated in our prior piece, we will call the Hightower LT the "LT" and the shorter travel Hightower the "Hightower."

In summary, the LT was the result of the Santa Cruz Enduro World Series team asking for a longer travel 29-inch bike. Some links were made, then a different rear triangle followed with a whole bunch of internet speculation. With obvious demand in the marketplace, Santa Cruz launched the 150mm 29-inch only LT in early July 2017 to the collective "exhale" of the internet. For better or for worse, the longer travel aggressive 29-inch bike is quickly becoming the one-bike-quiver for many – the proverbial Swiss army knife on account of how many things it can do and do well.

Settled and solid are the two words that come to mind. Point it where you want it to go and pick your head up. The limiting factor is likely the pilot, not the bike, when it comes to changing direction.

When this sort of frame engineering and design is combined with modern balanced geometry, it should be of little surprise that the bike is a weapon in twisty terrain. Settled and solid are the two words that come to mind. Point it where you want it to go and pick your head up. The limiting factor is likely the pilot, not the bike, when it comes to changing direction.

Hightower LT Goes Hulk Mode

We decided to do a little bit of part swapping to see if more performance couldn’t be eeked out of the LT’s ability to eat bumps. Considering the bike’s enduro racing roots and the fact we had entered an enduro race at Targhee with a good bit of chunk, it seemed prime time to see how far we could push the bike’s bump eating capabilities.

• First, we ditched the FOX DPX2 air shock in favor of a FOX DHX2 coil shock. Santa Cruz is careful to note the frame’s kinematics aren’t overly favorable to a coil, but if you are okay with a more linear suspension feel it's something you can run. Josh Bryceland also often runs his with a coil.
• Second, we tried two additional forks: a 160mm travel RockShox Lyrik RCT3 and a 170mm travel SR Suntour Durolox R2C2.
• Third, we installed a larger 2.5-inch Maxxis Minion DHF tire up front along with a Maxxis Aggressor rear tire with a Double Down casing.
• Finally, we rounded off the package with some Cushcore tire inserts.

The result? As Kai the Hitchhiker says, "Smash SMASH SA-MASH." Between the longer travel fork, coil shock, bigger volume tires, and tire inserts, the bike’s top end really started to open up. Let's dive in...

The front end of the bike felt more at home running the 160mm fork, allowing us to more aggressively weight the front wheel with the additional benefit of more grip than the 150mm setup. However, as you begin to increase the travel of your fork (or put more spacers under your stem), you begin to lose a bit of reach. To address this, we went to a 60mm stem, which is something we suggest any rider who "up-forks" this bike to consider. Is a 160mm fork always appropriate? Considering the bike's intended usage and geometry, we struggle to think of someone who won’t like it. 

If chasing the absolute best bump-eating performance is your thing, a coil is a worthwhile look, but it comes at a significant weight penalty and is a bit tricky to tune for the leverage curve. To add, it further mutes or deadens the rear end.

In the end, the bike never delivered the bump eating prowess found on the Nomad, which is perhaps an unfair comparison being the new Nomad has 20mm more travel and an entirely different shock configuration. Still, the new Nomad showed us what Santa Cruz is capable of in a pedal-friendly package, and no tuning or damper selection left us with the "shorter travel wagon-wheeled Nomad" we secretly hoped for.

After riding the bike in hulk mode for the better part of a month, we decided to swap back to the bike’s stock build. Though the bike lost a marginal amount of top end, it was more pleasurable to ride outside of uber-rough, brake bump laden race situations. Alas, it turns out Santa Cruz knows what they are doing when it comes to spec'ing a bike. The only thing we didn't really find drawbacks to was the 160mm fork (though 150mm gives a more sporty ride). Otherwise, the rest of our monkeying around came at some expense – be it weight, cost, or both.

Back in stock trim the bike proved incredibly efficient and versatile, more-so than any other 130mm travel and up 29er this tester has ridden. As a result, this left him grabbing the LT more times than not. To maximize suspension performance with the DPX2, we found that by maxing out the volume spacers, running over 30% sag, and running the rebound bit faster than we are accustomed to helped liven things up significantly. The only downside was a bit of a skittish feel when shock temps rose.

Build Kit

After countless miles and a quarter million vertical feet of descending, a component check is in order.

To start, the SRAM XX1 Eagle 12-speed drivetrain worked awesome, only functioning poorly when the b-tension screw wasn’t perfectly to spec or when we knocked the derailleur out of alignment on some unknown trail debris. Our only gripe with respect to the drivetrain was the small-ish 30-tooth chainring. Considering Eagle's wide range and the bike's go fast intention, we’d suggest a 32 or 34-tooth ring.

The SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes were in line for the bike’s intended use, though the pad material may have been responsible for the audible squeal that developed after about a month of use. Swapping pads to the sintered version remedied this. For those that have experience the sticky piston problem, it does appear SRAM has remedied this. We found ourselves in steep terrain often and did our best to recreate all known Guide problems through temperature fluctuations and extended use. After hundreds of hours in the saddle, there were zero problems with any SRAM part on the bike.

A 170mm travel RockShox Reverb Stealth was an excellent touch in the XL size. Kudos to Santa Cruz for this often overlooked but beneficial upgrade. Also, unlike Reverbs of yesteryear, the seatpost functioned as it did on day one throughout the entire test, never missing a beat.  

All control parts were top rung, though we did swap for a 31.8mm diameter bar and stem setup merely for hand forgiveness. The stiffness of the 35mm diameter Santa Cruz components was a bit much for the tester’s hands, though we don’t expect most to find this as a negative. As noted above, we also went to a 60mm stem. This is obviously personal taste and will vary depending on bike size.

Finally, the new Santa Cruz Reserve Carbon wheels were a standout product. Though we did knock them out of true, they kept turning day after day despite our best efforts at ruining them. Based on experience, most other rims would have blown up at some point considering line selection, pace, pressure, and terrain. To add, the wheelset was stiff without deflecting – the result of a well-thought-out rim design paired with good spoke gauge and hole count. We’ve been on too many carbon wheelsets that overly penalized being off line when paired with a stiff frame, and these had just enough give to be forgiving in these situations. 

I Own The Original Hightower, Should I Upgrade? 

Short answer: No. We put this in our First Look feature and stand by it. The original Hightower is a good bike and the changes to the LT are more modest than the spec sheet might suggest. Again, we’d suggest running a longer fork on your Hightower and some meatier tires if you want to increase its descending prowess without breaking the bank. 

Does this mean the LT isn’t worth it? Not so fast there either. Anyone buying a Santa Cruz Hightower who is certain they will go with 29-inch wheels (remember, the LT is 29-inch only) would be silly to not go with the LT. The bike is just as light and just as efficient as its shorter travel little brother, so why not?

Long Term Durability

The suspension concerns we noted in our First Look persisted. Namely, the replacement FOX 36 FIT 4 fork, though a stellar performer, continued to intermittently and audibly top out. This didn’t really affect the bike’s performance when it came to tracking terrain, but was a bit annoying when we went to loft the front end or manual through something.

Second, the replacement FOX DPX2 air shock had an audible squeak when it got hot. Though it became almost silent over time, especially after an air can service, it was still a bit annoying. Overall, the performance of the DPX2 was good but not great, feeling like a slightly more controlled Float X. We sometimes felt as though it lost some consistency on sustained 3,000+ foot descents.

Finally, the bike did develop an annoying creak. We’d routinely clean it, but nothing seemed to remedy the problem. It would come back within two hours of tearing the entire rear end apart.

What's The Bottom Line?

So who is the Santa Cruz Hightower LT for? This is the million dollar question and perhaps the most important part of this review. If you are looking for the absolute best bump eating ability paired with wagon wheels, perhaps you’d be better served looking elsewhere. On the other hand, if you are looking for a longer travel 29er that delivers efficiency, good chassis design, and balanced geometry, the LT deserves your attention.

The Hightower LT’s strength lies in its ability to do everything with little compromise in any one spot. A 150mm bike that rides like it has less travel may sound like a bad thing, but for 95% of riders this will leave them smiling mile after mile and rarely make them wish they had a different bike. This is a bike we'd willingly do a 50+ mile ride on then turn around and race an enduro event the next week. The bike’s real strength is its versatility, and that isn’t something to be scoffed at for most riders, especially in this era of hyper-specialized mountain bikes. 

Visit www.santacruzbicycles.com for more details.

Vital MTB Long Term Rating

• 
  Climbing: 5 stars - Spectacular
• 
  Descending: 3.5 stars - Very Good
• 
  Fun Factor: 4 stars - Excellent
• 
  Value: 3 stars - Good
• 
  Overall Impression: 4 stars - Excellent

About The Reviewer

Jeff Brines - Age: 32 // Years Riding MTB: 18 // Height: 6'2" (1.88m) // Weight: 200-pounds (90.7kg)

Jeff didn't go on a real date until he was nearly 20 years old, largely as a result of his borderline unhealthy obsession with bicycles. Although his infatuation with two wheels may have lead to stuttering and sweatiness around the opposite sex, it did provide for an ideal environment to quickly progress through the ranks of both gravity and cross-country racing. These days, Jeff races enduro at the pro level, rides upward of 150 days a year while logging over 325k of human powered ascending/descending on his bike. Bred as a racer, Jeff is more likely to look for the fastest way through a section as opposed to the most playful. He lives in the shadow of the Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming.

Photos by Jeff Brines, Lynsey Dyer, Sven Martin and Jay Goodrich