The newest version of the Hightower remains our greatest hits of engineering - now further refined and bottled into our most all-terrain of bikes. Big on wheels, medium on travel, short on fuss, this is the do-it-all model that does it over and over again thanks to a versatile balance of geo, spec and durability. If you’re not looking for extremes, just something extremely good, the Hightower is your elevator.
| Available in: | Carbon C and Carbon CC |
| Wheel Size: | 29 |
| Front Travel: | 150mm |
| Rear Travel: | 145mm |
OUR ENGINEERS’ GREATEST HITS
Not all frames are created equal. Hightower represents Santa Cruz’s greatest hits, showcasing our design, engineering, and performance prowess.
VPP™
VPP™ suspension can be optimized to strike the right balance between pedaling efficiency and all-out bump chomping prowess. That means wherever you see "VPP" you know it's tuned to perform exactly how it should for the purpose it's designed for.
145mm VPP travel
Looking for something good at climbing, and downhill, and going round and round your local trails? Say hello to Hightower. 145mm in the rear paired with 150mm up front is your perfect combo.
Suspension sensitivity
Compared to the last Hightower, we reduced the anti-squat in the first 40% of travel. This noticeably improves suspension sensitivity in both climbing and descending scenarios due to reduced chain influence on the suspension.
Suspension consistency
Hightower's leverage curve is relatively straight, with added progression towards the end of the travel. This provides improved bottom-out resistance with more consistent damping and support.
Glovebox
Place your ride essentials securely beneath a new high-quality latch and panel in the Hightower's downtube. The Glovebox comes with a fitted Tool Wallet and Tube Purse, tailored for the frame to keep your tools close to hand.
Sag window
A window allows easier suspension sag and setup. The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm, and rubberized DT protectors to shrug off strikes.
Flip chip
In the Low position, the shock rate becomes more progressive, particularly at the end of the stroke, and there’s some bottom-out resistance to be gained. In the High setting, the bike rides a little higher in its travel and supplies the rider with more mid-stroke support. Tweakers and finicky shredders can adapt the suspension feel to their needs and desire.
Proportional geometry
Chainstay length and seat angle is matched to the frame size so every rider, no matter their height, gets the same balanced geometry. Across all sizes however, the headtube angle has been slackened to help stability at speed, lowered the bottom bracket to compliment the better supported suspension, and increased stack in favor of modern handlebar setups.
LOWER LINK ASSEMBLY
The highly-sculpted and optimizedLower Link(A) houses a geometry adjustingFlip Chip(B) and beefyPivot Axles (C) to virtually eliminate lateral flex.
UPPER LINK ASSEMBLY
We only use the highest qualityEnduro MAX or TPX sealed, radial bearings(A) andpremium fasteners(B) for our linkage assemblies. They’re easy to properly torque and maintain, plus we offer free replacement bearings for life.
ONE-PIECE SWINGARM
VPP suspension utilizes a one-piece swingarm that eliminates the need for pivots on the stays, creating a stout, bulletproof rear end for accurate tracking and superior performance.
CARBON MASTERY
TheSag Window(A),Glovebox(B) andinternal cable tunnels(not shown) demonstrate Santa Cruz’s expertise at combining practical function with carbon design and manufacturing artistry.
THE SUM OF THE PARTS
In isolation, all these things are great—together with fanatical suspension tuning, a premium build spec, and a meticulous attention-to-detail, they’re transcendent.