2020 Santa Cruz Hightower Carbon CC XX1 AXS Reserve

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Overview

About this bike

Our greatest hits compiled into one bike—just hit play. If ever a bike resembled your most cherished mix tape compilation, the Hightower is it. Featuring our lower-link mounted shock design, updated, adjustable geometry, this “Engineering Best Of...” assembles some of our biggest design pleasers into one belter of a road-trip companion. The Hightower has been a does-it-all-well trail bike since its inception. More maneuverable than its longer-travel sibling, the Megatower, and more at home in the steep-and-chunky than its snappy cousin Tallboy, Hightower excels when the route covers ‘all points in between,’ and descents come courtesy of some big-ass climbs. The VPP suspension’s lower-link-mounted shock creates a nearly linear leverage curve, meaning it mops up bumps of all sizes and maintains the kind of progressivity normally reserved for our V10 DH bike! 140mm of rear travel complemented by a 150mm front end gives Hightower just a bit more front and rear travel over the first generation model. Combined with a slacker 65-degree head tube angle, the Hightower still sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone, but with a touch more “Get me out of here!” capability when the porridge gets too hot! Balancing stiffness and weight savings in all the right places is a hallmark of all Santa Cruz carbon frames and the Hightower flies the flag yet higher. The advanced composite chassis tracks well across all trail surfaces, holds a line, and is reactive to rider directions while isolating pedal-influenced inputs. The Hightower also has a bonus disc to heighten the experience—the flip chip. In the High setting, the BB height is a little higher for those tricky tech trails and/or when Plus sized tires are required. In the Low position the shock rate is more progressive, to provide additional bottom-out resistance. Whatever mood you’re in, the tone of the Hightower can be adapted to meet your individual taste. And speaking of taste, there’s a room for a water bottle inside the main frame and a threaded BB for convenience. There’s refined cable routing for better shifting performance, simpler installation, and no cable rub. On top of that, there’s a tailgate shuttle guard, downtube protector, shock fender, and noise-canceling chainstay protector keeping things quiet. The lifetime frame warranty, lifetime pivot bearing replacement policy, and lifetime guarantee on the optional Reserve carbon wheels assures you that the Hightower will keep delivering the hits for years to come. This Hightower CC XX1 AXS Reserve brings together the best of what's available now in the bike industry. SRAM's XX1 AXS drivetrain provides flawless electronic shifting throughout the 12-speed range, while Code RSC four-piston brakes stop you in the most demanding conditions. A RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork, complemented by a Super Deluxe Select Ultimate shock keep you firmly planted through the rough stuff while handling big hits with nary a flinch. Santa Cruz's Reserve 30 Carbon rims come standard on this build, backed by i9 Hydra hubs and venerable Maxxis Minion DHR2 rubber for confident tracking through the chunder and quick acceleration out of the hole. A Reverb Stealth dropper, i9 A35 stem, and Santa Cruz AM Carbon 800 x 35mm bar complete this dream build.

Specifications

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