Santa Cruz Tallboy CC XT

If hardtails are the sheep of cross country mountain biking, the Santa Cruz Tallboy is a wolf on their heels. With new frame tweaks that increase its trail chops, you'll be stoked to discover where the new Tallboy can take you. On steep and rocky descents, the relaxed 68-degree head angle and 120mm fork urge you to charge harder, and a shortened rear end and more progressive shock tune provide snappy acceleration and a playful feel over smooth, rolling singletrack. For increased control through high-speed turns, the lowered bottom bracket height drops the center of gravity and gives the Tallboy a planted feel. Versatility continues with the ability to run the stock 29er wheelset or 27.5+ thanks to Boost hub spacing and a chip that changes the geometry depending on which configuration you choose. For the Tallboy CC XT, Santa Cruz creates a solid build with Shimano XT brakes and XT shifting bits in a mountain-taming 2x package. A Fox 34 Float 29 Performance Elite fork and Float Performance Elite rear shock keep the tires where they belong, and an optioned ENVE carbon wheelset ups the bling factor while keeping overall weight down around 27 pounds. This CC-level carbon frame is every bit as stiff and strong as their C-level frames, but weighs about 280 grams less, due to the use of some lighter, stronger, and more expensive carbon fiber. Using this material in key places allowed Santa Cruz to use less material overall, which is what shaves off more than half a pound from the frame.