Santa Cruz Launches The New Tallboy

The new Tallboy is sharper, but slacker, shorter but longer, steeper but lower, racier but trail-ready. And it’ll take 27.5+ wheels as well as 29in wheels. It’ll take a 120mm fork up front, to it’s 110mm rear, but if you’re running 27.5+ wheels, you can run a 130mm fork and keep the geometry the same by using the flip-chip on the rear shock mount. Exciting times for a bike that had languished a little as the rest of the range got updated.

Santa Cruz enlisted Scotland’s Cut Media to help it launch the bike by filming a tongue-in-cheek video that shows Greg Minnaar at this year’s ABSA Cape Epic, missing the start and having to find some short cuts to try to catch up with the racers – Santa Cruz’s way of showing that it’s not just a race bike, but that it can handle some pretty chunky trails. The video is down there for you.

The bike, meanwhile gets these specs:

110mm VPP rear travel, comes in S, M, L, XL and (Barney rejoice) XXL!
At 68° head angle it’s 2.2° slacker than the previous Tallboy2
The reach increases by 40-50mm depending on frame size
The chainstays have been shortened by 11mm to 432mm while still allowing a front derailleur (on a removable spur)
Like the Bronson and 5010, the Tallboy’s seat tube has been shortened to allow for better standover and compatibility with the new crop of longer dropper posts.
The seat tube is also 0.6° steeper to keep the weight forward with that longer front centre.

Santa Cruz recommends that you get a taller, second fork if you want to swap the bike from 27.5+ to 29 or vice versa for better handling with the bigger wheels. If you’re too lazy to do that, then it recommends getting the longer 130mm fork rather than smacking your pedals with the lower setting.

The bike still features a (73mm) threaded BB, has a downtube protecting plate and a wraparound moulded chainstay protector. As you might expect the back end is now 148mm Boost.
Complete bikes will come with a size-specific Reverb post – the small will get a 125mm, M-XL get a 150mm and the XXL gets a 170mm dropper.

Complete bikes will also get a 34mm fork instead of the previous 32mm. This all helps give the bike a far more trail-ready feel than the previous 100mm Tallboy2 which was very much still an endurance race bike.

And Juliana fans, you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s a new Juliana Joplin announced today too, but we’ll give it its own story.

UK pricing is as follows:

TALLBOY 3 CC (Float Performace Elite) – yellow/emerald or grey/rust £2799
sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
XT AM / 34 Performance Elite 29″ 120 or 27.5+” 130 £4999
XO1 AM / 34 Performance Elite 29″ 120 or 27.5+” 130 £5399
XX1 AM / 34 Performance Elite 29″ 120 or 27.5+” 130 £5699
XTR AM / 34 Performance Elite 29″ 120 or 27.5+” 130 £5999
Shock Upgrade – Float Factory £80
Fork Upgrade – 34 Factory 29″ 120 Kashima (no 27+ option) £100
Fork Upgrade – BOS Dizzy 29″ 120 (no 27+ option) £120

And here’s the behind the scenes video for you.