No, not a post started by Bri, but rather by Brian and his new found affection for the latest 29 offering from Santa Cruz. Mind you I have been riding, researching and educating myself about all aspects of this "29er platform" for the last several months. I've come to a few conclusions:
1. Every HT 29er I've ridden FLIES. Super fast.
2. My back gets hammered on hard tails. Super fast.
3. Would a Full Suspension 29er be the cure or just a marketing ploy?
Well today, I found out. Way too soon to be riding after my horrific (but incredibly stupid) crash a few days ago, I put the sling in the closet downed a few pain pills (doctor prescribed!) and flew in the face of the doctors advice as the normal crew (Bri, Shelly-Smurfette, Brettster,Pro Joe, Travis and the Birthday Boy GARY) all conviened at Wilder Ranch park to check out the hoopla over the Santa Cruz Bike Demo day.
First things first. The guys at Santa Cruz ROCK! They did a stellar job of putting on this event after what I can only imagine must have been a hangover of extreme fatigue from Interbike. They were helpful, answered questions, and got everyone onto bikes for some serious(?) testing!
My sole purpose was to test my tendencies and check out the hype surrounding the new Santa Cruz Tall Boy 29er. Long story short: THE BIKE IS THE REAL DEAL. After fitting myself on an XL Tall Boy, I took off and noted the following tid bits:
1. No pedal bob. We are talking rocket ship responsiveness. Wow!
2. Climbing: TINY bob, but totally acceptable and less than many 4" XC race bikes I have ridden. Not quite a hard tail, but I also didn't get a seat up my butt over every bump in the road either. I'll take a tiny bit of movement.
3. Single Track: Roots? Rocks? Trail hack? Not a problem. The bike rolls over everything and keeps forward momentum going great.
4. Momentum: This is the 29er "meal ticket" and this bike did not disappoint. It pedals quickly up to speed (remember, zero to very little bob) and once there just goes F A S T!
5. Out of the Saddle: No different than my 4" XC Bike and the big tires bite better, so overall, a great feeling when out of the saddle sprinting or climbing is on the menu.
6. Cornering: Personally, I don't understand the whole "It's hard to turn a 29er" whiners. The bigger tires bite and instill more confidence for me. This bike hooks corners like an Indy Car.
7. Here's the kicker-the ABSOLUTE WORST PART: I had to give this amazing machine back.
Having ridden the Santa Cruz Tall Boy, I can say without question if I were looking for the elusive "one bike that does it all - but is particularly good at going fast" then this is it. XC races that are smooth? You've got the big wheels turning in your favor. The rough ones? The big wheels smooth that stuff out. What about a 100 mile adventure? What can I say, the bike is comfortable and I could see doing Tahoe or all day epic rides and just asking for more!
Thanks Santa Cruz, my girlfriend is now extremely jealous of one particular Tall Boy.
1. Every HT 29er I've ridden FLIES. Super fast.
2. My back gets hammered on hard tails. Super fast.
3. Would a Full Suspension 29er be the cure or just a marketing ploy?
Well today, I found out. Way too soon to be riding after my horrific (but incredibly stupid) crash a few days ago, I put the sling in the closet downed a few pain pills (doctor prescribed!) and flew in the face of the doctors advice as the normal crew (Bri, Shelly-Smurfette, Brettster,Pro Joe, Travis and the Birthday Boy GARY) all conviened at Wilder Ranch park to check out the hoopla over the Santa Cruz Bike Demo day.
First things first. The guys at Santa Cruz ROCK! They did a stellar job of putting on this event after what I can only imagine must have been a hangover of extreme fatigue from Interbike. They were helpful, answered questions, and got everyone onto bikes for some serious(?) testing!
My sole purpose was to test my tendencies and check out the hype surrounding the new Santa Cruz Tall Boy 29er. Long story short: THE BIKE IS THE REAL DEAL. After fitting myself on an XL Tall Boy, I took off and noted the following tid bits:
1. No pedal bob. We are talking rocket ship responsiveness. Wow!
2. Climbing: TINY bob, but totally acceptable and less than many 4" XC race bikes I have ridden. Not quite a hard tail, but I also didn't get a seat up my butt over every bump in the road either. I'll take a tiny bit of movement.
3. Single Track: Roots? Rocks? Trail hack? Not a problem. The bike rolls over everything and keeps forward momentum going great.
4. Momentum: This is the 29er "meal ticket" and this bike did not disappoint. It pedals quickly up to speed (remember, zero to very little bob) and once there just goes F A S T!
5. Out of the Saddle: No different than my 4" XC Bike and the big tires bite better, so overall, a great feeling when out of the saddle sprinting or climbing is on the menu.
6. Cornering: Personally, I don't understand the whole "It's hard to turn a 29er" whiners. The bigger tires bite and instill more confidence for me. This bike hooks corners like an Indy Car.
7. Here's the kicker-the ABSOLUTE WORST PART: I had to give this amazing machine back.
Having ridden the Santa Cruz Tall Boy, I can say without question if I were looking for the elusive "one bike that does it all - but is particularly good at going fast" then this is it. XC races that are smooth? You've got the big wheels turning in your favor. The rough ones? The big wheels smooth that stuff out. What about a 100 mile adventure? What can I say, the bike is comfortable and I could see doing Tahoe or all day epic rides and just asking for more!
Thanks Santa Cruz, my girlfriend is now extremely jealous of one particular Tall Boy.
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