Santa Cruz Hightower 29 XE Carbon C

With 135mm of Santa Cruz' proven VPP suspension design and a slacked-out 67-degree head angle, the Hightower shifts the 29er paradigm toward aggressive trail bike standards. Short chainstays and a spacious cockpit ramp-up the fun when railing technical descents and put you in a powerful position for blazing uphill battles. Santa Cruz didn't stop with simple updates in frame design to up this big-wheeler's appeal, though. Adding Boost hub spacing and a clever high/low chip that alters the bike's bottom bracket height allows you to run the stock 29er wheelset or change to 27.5+ for extra traction in sloppy conditions. Bike handling characteristics remain optimized no matter which wheel size you choose thanks to a flip of the chip. The Hightower 29 Carbon C XE comes equipped with a Fox 36 140 fork, Fox Float rear suspension, and a Shimano XT M8000 drivetrain that offer amazing performance in a mid-level package. For the Carbon C frame, Santa Cruz used a slightly different construction method to keep the cost down, but the stiffness, durability, and strength are identical to the top-level Carbon CC.