Santa Cruz Tallboy 3 CC 27.5+ X01 build

All new for 2017, the Tallboy cuts a whole new swath across the trail bike landscape.

As a 27+ bike it revels in the severe. In desert-dry conditions the wider tires float above the dust and find oases of grip where standard tires flounder. And when the monsoon comes, lower tire pressures pull the Tallboy through the slickest of root sections like a Defender on diff-lock.

A 68 degree head angle and 110mm of VPP travel distills the original Tallboy’s playful character into something all the more mischievous. Longer reach and shorter chainstays fuel that personality, and bring the Tallboy bang up to date with the rest of the Santa Cruz range.

A flip chip on the upper link, combined with either a 130mm fork ensures geometry remains consistent across a vast range of build kits and sizes, from S to XXL.

The versatile trail bike of choice for rapid riders like Greg Minnaar—the Tallboy is for those who don’t roll with the pack.

This CC-level carbon frame is every bit as stiff and strong as our 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 us to use less material overall, which is what shaves off more than half a pound from the frame.