Santa Cruz Bicycles Hightower Carbon CC 27.5+ XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike 2017

With a long, low, aggressive geometry and a unique flip chip shock mount that lets you easily swap between 29 inch and 27. 5 tires, Santa Cruz's 2017 Hightower Carbon CC 27. 5 XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike is built to get rowdy. Boost axles give it the stiffness to climb like a trail bike and blast burly terrain like an all mountain tank. While the flip chip does add the versatility for 29er conversion with minimal impact to geometry, the 27. 5 build's combination of plush, grippy 2. 8in tires, Boost axles, stubby chainstays, a long reach, and a decidedly slack head tube constitutes a versatile platform that you may never be tempted to change. This build sits firmly in the eye catching dream bike category with SRAM's groundbreaking, top tier XX1 Eagle one by 12 speed drivetrain, lightweight yet powerful Guide Ultimate hydraulic brakes, and Race Face ARC rims laced to Industry Nine's venerable Torch hubs. As with the ability to swap wheel sizes, the Hightower's mid range, 5. 3in travel belies its true nature. Though its travel and wheel clearance may initially inspire comparisons with the more moderate 5010 or the Tallboy LT, Santa Cruz instead encourages us to think of it as the Bronson's taller brother. Yep, that Bronson. The 27. 5 Hightower's 66. 8 degree head tube angle, generous tire clearance, and reworked Virtual Pivot Point suspension all mean that it's capable of cleaning lines that would make the steep angled Tallboy stop in its tracks. Santa Cruz is so intent on proving the Hightower's outsized merit over rock gardens that it bypassed the Bronson and went straight to the 6. 5in Nomad for suspension inspiration. Besides the obvious big hit benefits, one result of this is that the link stays out of the way, which may be why the Hightower can accommodate both a bottle cage and a piggyback shock yet another indication that it thrives on XC hardpack and enduro shuttle loops. The Hightower's two triangles are joined by the latest generation of VP...