The all-new

TALLBOY

THE DOWNHILLER'S XC BIKE

Real talk - If your trails don't need big travel, you're just hauling around more weight and riding higher on the bike. It's okay! Not everybody lives in the backwoods of Squamish BC where the standard XC loop has features that would make an Enduro World Series rider blush. Let's start with the basics; the Tallboy is a 120mm travel bike with slack geometry typically associated with the big trail rigs. Since most folks equate more capability to more travel, 120mm of rear travel sounds pretty paltry. But, there is more to it than that.

What the Tallboy lacks in travel, it gains in geometry. Unlike other bikes in this travel range, the Tallboy comes out of the gate swinging just like its longer-traveled siblings with a 65.5° head-angle, long front center, and short fork offset. This means you've got a low-to-the-ground feel of a short travel bike but the geometry to tear the knobs of your tires.

That short travel has other benefits, too, it may not be a full-on mountain goat XC bike, but the Tallboy goes uphill like it's being chased by a bear (Which could be helpful if you're actually being chased by a bear). The 2023 Tallboy features a host of small but effective suspension and geometry tweaks that help keep the back end planted while climbing and keeps you from bobbing.

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WHO IS THE TALLBOY FOR?

You're the type of rider who wants to go uphill fast and downhill faster. You love how a proper XC bike climbs but hate the compromises it has to make on the downhill; After all, why sprint to the top of the hill if you can't go back down in less than 18 parsecs?

You're probably not the type of rider who is zip-tieing a number plate on at your local races, but speed is still the name of the game.

You want a bike that will make light of most terrain and easily roll over rocks and roots. When scanning the trail, you're looking for the jumps and jibs that can help you straighten out the trail or give you a better line into the next corner. You want a bike capable of taking a square edge hit hard so long as it gives you more speed out of the next corner.

 

Other Options:

  1. Even slacker? Bold Linkin 135
  2. More playful? Santa Cruz 5010
  3. Faster on the uphills - Santa Cruz Blur TR

KEY FEATURES

  • Style: Trail (Short travel)
  • Travel: 120mm Rear, 130mm Front.
  • Wheels: 29"
  • Price Range:$5,299 - $10,399
  • Frame Material: C & CC Carbon
  • Complete Weight: N/A
  • Size Range: XS - XXL
  • Tire Clearance: 29" x 2.5
  • Colors: Matte Taupe (Greyish) & Gloss Ultra Blue

WHAT WE LOVE.

The Tallboy is an icon, a bike that can tackle tons of different types of riding and terrain. While most companies throw longer travel at a platform to make it more capable, the Tallboy keeps the package tight. Here is what we love about it.

Trail Geometry

The real magic of the Tallboy comes from its geometry. The short travel helps you feel low in the bike, but the long front center and slack HT angle give the bike huge confidence beyond your expectations of a 120mm travel bike.

VPP Suspension

The Low mounted VPP suspension design is iconic within the Santa Cruz line now, but on a bike designed to make light of any trail, the short 120mm rear end of the Tallboy feels smooth and nearly bottomless... even when you get in over your head.

29" Wheels

The Tallboy is an icon, a bike that can tackle tons of different types of riding and terrain. While most companies throw longer travel at a platform to make it more capable, the Tallboy keeps the package tight. Here is what we love about it.

FULL FEATURED.

The downhiller's XC bike gets more mature but doesn't lose its party attitude. The best part about Santa Cruz is their ability to hold on to the aspects of their bikes that make them fun and exciting while lifting up the details of the bike that make it more usable. Here are some of the best features of the Tallboy.

Suspension Tune

The 5th Generation of Tallboy has evolved to feature more small bump sensitivity in the early part of its stroke, meaning it will feel better rolling on everyday trails. Santa Cruz has also tuned it to require less input from the trail to start reacting. The end of the suspension curve has also changed, providing a more progressive feel at the end of the stroke to help reduce bottom out and give a bottomless feel to the rear end. As with many of the other updated 2023 Santa Cruz models, the Tallboy also has lower anti-squat than the previous model, meaning the bike's rear suspension is freer to react to the trail without input from the rider's pedals. AKA - better feel on the trail.

29" Wheels

Big wheels carry speed. They decrease the approach angle when hitting square edge bumps so that the bike can roll over obstacles more easily and help provide more stability at speed. With the relatively short travel of the Tallboy, the big wheels help add a lot to the bike's capability by allowing it to float over trail features rather than deflect when it comes in contact.

Trail Geometry

The Tallboy's lifeblood returns to good ol' fashion geometry. The idea is simple, mix a slack modern trail geometry with short travel. The Tallboy's slack 65.5° head-angle and long front center help keep the front wheel out in front while on steep terrain but thanks to the short travel, it maintains the bike's ability to scamper uphill like its sibling, the XC-focused Blur. We aren't suggesting that the Tallboy is a replacement for a sharp handling XC bike for racing, but it does provide a HUGE amount of confidence on the downhills while balancing its ability to push the speed uphill. Another welcome change to the tallboy platform is the size-specific chainstay length. Now from size XS-XXL, every bike receives a unique rear end length to help match the increasing front center. This helps keep the bike balanced regardless of your size.

Reserve 30|SL Wheels

The GX AXS and XO1 AXS models of the Tallboy will also receive upgrades to the wheels with the addition of the new Reserve 30|SL. At sub 1750grams, the 30|SL is a lightweight trail wheel perfectly paired with the Tallboy. In addition, they feature reinforced spoke holes to improve durability in rough terrain while keeping the weight low and an asymmetric rim bed that increases the wheel's overall stiffness by reducing the wheel's bracing angles for spoke tension. The rim bed has also been tuned to make mounting tubeless tires quick and painless, even with a floor pump.

GEOMETRY COMPARISON

We absolutely love the short travel trail category. Bikes that fit in here try to be confident in the steeps but fast on the climbs and in the flats. They are by no means a full-on XC race bike, but they often provide the best of both worlds, and the Santa Cruz Tallboy has been king of the castle for years.

FLIP CHIP: HI XS S M L XL XXL

Reach

405mm

430mm

455mm

475mm

495mm

520mm

Stack

601mm

610mm

619mm

628mm

646mm

656mm

Head Tube Angle

65.7°

65.7°

65.7°

65.7°

65.7°

65.7°

Seat Tube Angle

76°

76.3°

76.7°

76.8°

77°

77.1°

Wheelbase

1138mm

1167mm

1199mm

1227mm

1257mm

1290mm

Front Center

708mm

737mm

766mm

790mm

818mm

847mm

Rear Center

430mm

430mm

433mm

437mm

439mm

443mm

BB Height

335mm

335mm

335mm

335mm

335mm

335mm

BB Drop

38mm

38mm

38mm

38mm

38mm

38mm

HT Length

95mm

105mm

115mm

125mm

145mm

155mm

Top Tube Length

555mm

579mm

602mm

622mm

644mm

671mm

Standover Height

680mm

693mm

696mm

698mm

698mm

701mm

Geometry Comparison

How does it stack up to its peers? We've pulled a few key models to compare with the Tallboy

  1. Santa Cruz Blur TR: XC focused.
  2. Santa Cruz 5010: Playful trail jumper.
  3. Santa Cruz Hightower: All-round trail weapon.  
  4. Bold Linkin 135: Short travel, but Euro.
Size L / Chip Lo Tallboy Blur TR 5010 Hightower Bold Linkin 135

Reach

473mm

457.5mm

476mm

472mm

490mm

Stack

630mm

606.5mm

633mm

636mm

629mm

HT Angle

65.5°

67.1°

64.9°

64.5°

64.4°

ST Angle

76.6°

74.9°

76.8°

76.4°

77.7°

Front Center

790mm

747.4mm

803mm

807mm

815mm

BB Height

332mm

339.6mm

334mm

338mm

334mm

BB Drop (F/R)

41mm

32.9mm

16/19mm

34mm

41mm

Wheelbase

1227mm

1183.2mm

1240mm

1245mm

1249mm

Rear Center

438mm

435.8mm

437mm

438mm

434mm

HT Length

125mm

110mm

125mm

125mm

120mm

Top Tube Length

623mm

621.4mm

625mm

627mm

628mm

Standover Height

745.4mm

745.4mm

703mm

706mm

733mm

Rear Travel

120mm

130mm

140mm

145mm

135mm

FRAME SIZING

If you're on the cusp between the recommended height range of two sizes, the absolute best thing is to try to ride them both. At a minimum, check the stack/reach measurements on your current bike and compare it to the new model you are looking at to get an idea of a fit you are already comfortable with. If riding the bike is not an option, consider the following.

The 5010 is available in sizes extra small - extra extra large (XS-XXL).

Personal Preference

A larger size frame will be more stable, and will give you more room to move without upsetting the weight-balance of the bike. The larger size will put the front wheel further in front of you, which gives the feeling of security and conversely, it will require more significant body movements when you WANT to shift the weight-bias of the bike. Think hard about your riding style and how active/intuitive you want it to be vs stable and speedy. You'll need to work a bit harder to muscle the larger bike around.

Body Dimension

Not all bodies at a given height are the same. If you have longer legs and a shorter torso than the average person your height, that may push you towards the smaller of the recommended sizes. If you're all torso and arms, most likely you'll want to size up.

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