New Bike Day!

Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.

I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it. :gag: The shock feels great.

150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon. :poop:

Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.

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Diggin the color
 
Agreed.
Santa Cruz simply picks automotive colors as I found out when I asked them to replace my frame as the clear coat peeled away.
@Obsidian , do you “happen” to know the paint code for your Hightower? I’m seriously thinking of painting mine that color.

No, but it is Gloss Ocean Blue. I like the color enough, but do not love it. The other option was some purplish red and I had no interest in that. I feel like Santa Cruz should always offer a black option. :ninja:
 
My sister and I got my nephew a new bike, wish I got something like this when I was 15.

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2024 Trek Fuel EX 9.8 GX AXS
 
NBD for the wifey...really needed to replace the oversized (for her) Cannondale Synapse she stole from me a while back, so I found this on sale at REI. Sale price + tax out the door for $2K. GRX bits with FSA crankset of the same gearing: 46/30 up front, which is easier for her.

Really nice setup and I may swap out the GRX crankset from the old Synapse, but we'll see how this works out. Best part is the cushier ride with the bigger (37mm) tires; the Synapse has 25mm tires at 105 psi :gag:. When it's easier to ride, she's more likely to ride.

2024 Cannondale Topstone 1.
 

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This little Nugget is ready for a real MTB, and Daddy abides.
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Specialized Riprock 20 9-speed with the lowest derailleur I’ve ever seen! Many of the parts from this bike (drivetrain, brakes, and cockpit) are compatible with my 26ers, except this thing has thru-axles and internal cable routing for a future dropper post (and even for the brake hoses :bang:).
She picked this color because Mama likes it, and it matched her shirt on this day. I gotta tweak a few things for fit, but this weekend is fix'n to be spent at Bonelli with the Meegies.
 
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This little Nugget is ready for a real MTB, and Daddy abides.
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Specialized Riprock 20 9-speed with the lowest derailleur I’ve ever seen! Many of the parts from this bike (drivetrain, brakes, and cockpit) are compatible with my 26ers, except this thing has thru-axles and internal cable routing for a future dropper post (and even for the brake hoses :bang:).
She picked this color because Mama likes it, and it matched her shirt on this day. I gotta tweak a few things for fit, but this weekend is fix'n to be spent at Bonelli with the Meegies.
Those are some beefy tires! I like that color too! Pistachio, Bianchi Celeste Green dream!
 
View attachment 94379
This little Nugget is ready for a real MTB, and Daddy abides.
View attachment 94380
Specialized Riprock 20 9-speed with the lowest derailleur I’ve ever seen! Many of the parts from this bike (drivetrain, brakes, and cockpit) are compatible with my 26ers, except this thing has thru-axles and internal cable routing for a future dropper post (and even for the brake hoses :bang:).
She picked this color because Mama likes it, and it matched her shirt on this day. I gotta tweak a few things for fit, but this weekend is fix'n to be spent at Bonelli with the Meegies.
Simply awesome D. Don't be dangerous though LOL
 
After checking out the build on the wife's bike, and finding it in my size (that's freakin' rare) AND for an additional 30% off at Rancho Cucamonga REI, I drove out there and picked it up for ME. $1,400 out the door, tax and all. Same build as the wifey's. GRX bits and with my existing Mavic wheelset that is 170 grams per wheel lighter than the WTBs that came with it, is under 22 lbs.

I rode it today on mixed surfaces, and am totallly impressed. And happy to have made the drive to get it. Posted it in the Gravel Bike forum. https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/th...end-of-dirt-and-road.7948/page-21#post-306382

I be a happy camper.
 
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Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.

I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it. :gag: The shock feels great.

150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon. :poop:

Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.

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Five weeks later. No KOM's. No PR's.
Big wagon wheels suck. I don't like how they turn. I feel like I am too high up.
My 2017 Tracer is faster and climbs just as well as this thing.

Not loving the new bike from a performance perspective. It does feel softer though, even with less travel. Like a girls bike. I also absolutely loath the fat downtube ... as in hate it.

I will give it until the end of summer. I better see some KOM's or out comes the hammer.
 
Five weeks later. No KOM's. No PR's.
Big wagon wheels suck. I don't like how they turn. I feel like I am too high up.
My 2017 Tracer is faster and climbs just as well as this thing.

Not loving the new bike from a performance perspective. It does feel softer though, even with less travel. Like a girls bike. I also absolutely loath the fat downtube ... as in hate it.

I will give it until the end of summer. I better see some KOM's or out comes the hammer.
Finally someone calling it like it is. New bikes ain’t always better or faster and Strava doesn’t lie.

For me every bike until the end of time will be compared to my Ibis Ripley OG and my 2018 Hightower. Over the years I’ve spent thousands of dollars and visited the hospital numerous times trying to match the fun meter and Strava times of those bikes. There’s been a couple that literally made me feel like a fish out of water.

I’ve learned to not believe anything the reviews and geometry charts say. It comes down to what fits your style and is fun and instills confidence in your riding.

That said I’m just like everyone else and can’t pass up a great deal and always shopping for something I don’t need. I once bought a hardtail I didn’t know I needed or wanted and we just jelled and damned if we didn’t gather up cuppies.
 
Finally someone calling it like it is. New bikes ain’t always better or faster and Strava doesn’t lie.

For me every bike until the end of time will be compared to my Ibis Ripley OG and my 2018 Hightower. Over the years I’ve spent thousands of dollars and visited the hospital numerous times trying to match the fun meter and Strava times of those bikes. There’s been a couple that literally made me feel like a fish out of water.

I’ve learned to not believe anything the reviews and geometry charts say. It comes down to what fits your style and is fun and instills confidence in your riding.

That said I’m just like everyone else and can’t pass up a great deal and always shopping for something I don’t need.
Tom, are you back riding again? I am trying to make it a point to ride Pinos early AM at least once per week. Would love to have you join me.
 
Finally someone calling it like it is. New bikes ain’t always better or faster and Strava doesn’t lie.

For me every bike until the end of time will be compared to my Ibis Ripley OG and my 2018 Hightower. Over the years I’ve spent thousands of dollars and visited the hospital numerous times trying to match the fun meter and Strava times of those bikes. There’s been a couple that literally made me feel like a fish out of water.

I’ve learned to not believe anything the reviews and geometry charts say. It comes down to what fits your style and is fun and instills confidence in your riding.

That said I’m just like everyone else and can’t pass up a great deal and always shopping for something I don’t need. I once bought a hardtail I didn’t know I needed or wanted and we just jelled and damned if we didn’t gather up cuppies.

Despite the perceived narrative from the leftists ... I will always tell it like it is. :whistling::laugh:

I am not giving up on it just yet. The myth that 29 is faster pretty much makes me laugh at this point. We shall see.
I know 100% which wheels turn better. :laugh: That said, I have encountered a few situations where the 29s are better ... just not faster.
 
Five weeks later. No KOM's. No PR's.
Big wagon wheels suck. I don't like how they turn. I feel like I am too high up.
My 2017 Tracer is faster and climbs just as well as this thing.

Not loving the new bike from a performance perspective. It does feel softer though, even with less travel. Like a girls bike. I also absolutely loath the fat downtube ... as in hate it.

I will give it until the end of summer. I better see some KOM's or out comes the hammer.
Thank you for the honest feedback. I have been questioning if I am missing something by sticking to strictly 27.5 bikes but the "I feel like I am too high up" comment is enough to keep me from venturing out, especially when I love the feel of my bikes.
 
Finally someone calling it like it is. New bikes ain’t always better or faster and Strava doesn’t lie.

For me every bike until the end of time will be compared to my Ibis Ripley OG and my 2018 Hightower. Over the years I’ve spent thousands of dollars and visited the hospital numerous times trying to match the fun meter and Strava times of those bikes. There’s been a couple that literally made me feel like a fish out of water.

I’ve learned to not believe anything the reviews and geometry charts say. It comes down to what fits your style and is fun and instills confidence in your riding.

That said I’m just like everyone else and can’t pass up a great deal and always shopping for something I don’t need. I once bought a hardtail I didn’t know I needed or wanted and we just jelled and damned if we didn’t gather up cuppies.
@AKAKTM I'm curious your opinion on this . You go thru bikes pretty quickly it seems.
 
Thank you for the honest feedback. I have been questioning if I am missing something by sticking to strictly 27.5 bikes but the "I feel like I am too high up" comment is enough to keep me from venturing out, especially when I love the feel of my bikes.
There is an odd narrative that taller people are better off on 29ers. I am 6'1" and not in love with big bikes. I ride large Intense and Santa Cruz. (That's what she said).

My Tracer and this Hightower are stunningly similar according to https://geometrygeeks.bike/

I have the slow one and the fast one. Time will tell. Not interested in selling either so just whatever feels best.
 
There is an odd narrative that taller people are better off on 29ers. I am 6'1" and not in love with big bikes. I ride large Intense and Santa Cruz. (That's what she said).

My Tracer and this Hightower are stunningly similar according to https://geometrygeeks.bike/

I have the slow one and the fast one. Time will tell. Not interested in selling either so just whatever feels best.
My wheel-size journey is well documented here in IMTB, but I will summarize. I am tall (6'4") and I concur with my conspiracy-addicted buddy @Obsidian that 29ers are not inherently better than 27.5s.

In 2015 I bought a 2016 Intense Tracer coming off a Knolly Endorphin (26" wheels). The Tracer and I got along well. As 29ers got better and better (partly due to the design freedom of not having to accommodate a front derailleur) I became intrigued and started sampling the new breed of long-travel 29ers in late 2019. I tried many and bought a Pivot Firebird on a whim. After about 15 rides and a million parts swaps and suspension adjustments, I decided I still liked my Tracer better. I traded the Firebird for a Hightower - except couldn't get a Hightower - so I got an XXL Megatower instead.

I tried to love the Megatower. It looked cool and I went uphill faster than on my Tracer. But the damn thing tried to kill me on the downs. It was far too demanding laterally and I got knocked to the ground several times, including an airlift to Mission hospital. I didn't blame the bike entirely, but while recovering from my injuries I started reading about the Revel Rail - a 27.5 that was getting rave reviews. I ordered a Rail frame and fork, and had it built up as a full 27.5.

When I recovered, I did same-day, back to back testing with my Megatower (that's when I first used STRAVA). I could tell I was going way faster down Five Oaks, Lynx and Stairsteps on the Megatower than the Rail. Except I wasn't. It just felt faster because I had less control. The Rail was too comfortable on the straight rowdy sections to be fast, right? Nope - even with traffic interrupting my Rail times, I was just as fast but far more in control. BTW - I had the same handlebars, grips, tires, fork and shock on both bikes when I tested them back to back. Legit!

Then (in 2020) I had read about a lot of DHers and a few Enduro racers putting 29" wheels on the front of their 27.5s - a reverse mullet if you will. I thought that made some sense, so I yanked the front end off the Megatower and slapped it on the Rail. I expected it to feel awful climbing, and feel like two different bikes descending. I was surprised at how good it felt. I sold the Megatower and kept riding the Rail as a mullet. Best DH bike I've owned that wasn't a DH bike.

(The final chapter in next post)
 
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@AKAKTM I'm curious your opinion on this . You go thru bikes pretty quickly it seems.
Happy to share my $0.02 worth. Please let me know specifically what you'd like to know about. A few random observations to begin.

First, newer bikes aren't necessarily faster or more fun! In fact, I can make a strong argument that the tendency toward longer, lower and slacker has some benefits, but those benefits may not be beneficial to many of us on IMTB. Most of us who ride in SoCal ride primarily more mellow trails with flow and deal with lots of sand and rocks over hard pack and long, low and slack bikes aren't too helpful in this situation and long bikes are decidedly less 'playful', slower turning and generally more cumbersome to throw around.

As you noted, I've had a lot of bikes and try to pay attention to all aspects of the bikes I own from how they build up (since I build most of mine) to how they ride to how much fun I have. Like Tom, I used to hold that the OG Ripley was one of the best I've ever had, until I rode one recently and that opinion changed. Having ridden many newer modern and much longer bikes, the OG Ripley now feels super quick turning which is not all bad, but also much less stable and less confidence inspiring. I no longer have any desire to own one and have a better perspective on what works and what doesn't as my tastes and skills have changed.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've owned and ridden some pretty 'big' bikes like the Specialized Enduro, Trek Slash and various Transition bikes with the so-called SBG (longer, lower, slacker) and I've learned that those bikes are super stable and provide immense confidence in very technical and in steep terrain and some of them pedal much better than they have a right to (Enduro). On the other hand, those same bikes feel more lethargic and unwieldy on local SoCal trails. They are more work to turn on flatter terrain and tend to be less poppy and playful. They are awesome tools for the right rider who rides the right terrain. I think of them as best suited to the PNW and Western Canada. I am sure some here will disagree and love to ride these bikes in SoCal which is great if that's what you like.

When I look back over the past 10 - 15 years at which bikes stand out as being really good and I believe I'd still be happy if I'd kept them a few stand out. I think the V4 Ripley is an awesome all-around bike for most more mature riders in SoCal and still has enough capability to be comfortable riding when you travel. For a bigger bike, the V1 and V2 Ripmos still ride great and I'd not be disappointed to ride them all the time and have either as my primary bike today. Likewise the Stumpjumper G14 (the last one) is a great all around bike and there are many others. I'm not saying bikes haven't advanced since these bikes, but they are still excellent all-around bikes.

A few years ago I got my first (hard to believe) FS Yeti--an SB130 LR and was reluctant as I'd heard so much mixed info on Yeti, wasn't sure about the overly complex SI link, the relatively heavier frame, and wasn't sure about the whole Yeti thing. I was excited about the looks and capability and reviews of the SB130 LR and finding a killer deal on a used one was enough to get me in. I took that bike on a multi-day Rocky Mountain journey riding some of the EWS enduro trails at speeds I have little business riding and I came to love that bike. I consider it similar to the Ripmo, Hightower, Fuel and other related bikes. The bike punched way above its weight and rode wonderfully. Interestingly, I slot just between size M and size L and tended to go with L bikes, but for the 130, I got a M and learned that it worked fantastically. As bikes have become longer and slacker, wheelbases have grown. Getting a size M gave me the more slack geo without allowing the wheelbase to grow so long as to compromise cornering and toss-ability. I liked that bike so much that when Worldwide in TO called to let me know they have an SB140 LR frame with my name on it, I jumped on it. I love the 140 but can honestly say it wasn't much of an upgrade from the 130 (or even a Ripmo for that matter). It's an incredibly bike and the initial sensitivity and plushness in the rear suspension is a little better than the 130 or Ripmo, but overall, it's pretty close to those bikes meaning that a 7 year old Ripmo would satisfy me about as much as the 140.

So, will I revert or keep chasing new bikes? I will not go back to the really short and steep OG bikes from 15 years ago. I'm glad geo has advanced and it suits me well to a point. Ultimately, I am finding that bikes with 64 - 65º head tube angles and 76 - 77º seat tube angles with moderate chain stay lengths (not super short) and wheelbases that run 1220 to 1240 work great for me. Running a 1180 to 1200 wheelbase would be better for Tapia and many trails in TO, but are not nearly as good in Simi, Laguna, Montana and Colorado. Given that I plan to have a single pedal MTB for all uses and an eMTB as a supplement, something like the SB140 (or HT or Fuel or last gen SJ) seems to work really well for me. Will I stay on the SB140 LR or try a new Ripmo or Stumpjumper 15? Stay tuned!

Newer is not always better or more fun and it's certainly not lighter as bikes are consistently getting heavier and potentially more robust).

As for wheel size, I think the others posting here (See SnakeCharmer below) are right on. Ride what you like. I prefer 29, but 27.5 has its strengths too. Ultimately, ride what makes you happy and what looks good because looks matter ;).
 
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My input:

Modern geo has turned each classification of bike into a more capable bike, as in a better climber AND a better descender. Therefore, I'll take modern geo over the old stuff.

29er/clown wheels absolutely roll over imperfections better. They also roll freely faster than 27.5 simply because they cover more ground per rotation. They're a little slower at the start, but they will overtake a 27.5. However, there is more mass to a 29er so they are a little more sluggish to move around. If you're a very reactive rider, commonly flicking the bike around, then a modern geo mullet might be the better option.

The pros and cons are what each rider has to consider, and no two riders are exactly alike.
 
I would agree newer bikes aren't always better. Admittedly I don't ride a ton of bikes as I tend to keep them for a longer time than most. I did demo a lot around 2016-17 before I bought a Mojo3. Ironically the Mojo3 was the one bike I didn't get much of a demo on as I ran into death mud which cut that demo ride very short. I never liked that bike as much as the original Mojo SL it replaced. The Mojo SL hung around my garage until I sold it peak Covid, so I was able to compare it to the Mojo SL and the Spur and Rail I bought (plan was to diverge from one do-it-all bike) so a more XC bike for bikepacking and the Rail for the funner stuff. I love the Spur and the Rail but none of them feel as natural a fit at the MojoSL did. If I could get that bike with a few modern upgrades (namely tapered headtube and rear thru axle) I would take it in a heartbeat. It's geo is unrideable by most keyboard warriors' standards but I rode everything on that bike and never felt it held me back. Ideally I'd have it and the Rail, which I consider to be pretty awesome as well.

As for 29er vs 27.5 I can tell the Spur is definitely like riding a cadillac, size wise. I've been able to adapt to it, but it's not fun to jump and I have to be careful with body position on steep rollers to avoid buzzing my shorts on the rear wheel. The Rail at 27.5 is a hoot to ride on tight twisty techy trail, and much more comfortable in the air. I would be better off with something else than the Spur but that was what I could get my hands on in Sept 2020. At some point I'll probably replace it with something like the Costco 951 XC bike or whatever else I can get that will fit a frame bag for bikepacking. Possibly even just go back to having my hardtail and the Rail, since the Rail is so good at pedaling.
 
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