Santa Cruz Revamps the Hightower V3

Today, Santa Cruz is announcing an all new Hightower – their All Mountain all rounder. Now in its third iteration, the bike sees downtube storage, updated geometry and all new kinematics amongst a slew of other new features. Read on for the full scoop…

Details

29″ wheels
150mm front travel / 145mm rear travel
Size specific chainstays
Adjustable geometry
Glovebox internal downtube storage
Max tire width: 29 x 2.5
Boost 148mm spacing
Post mount brakes for 180mm
Universal derailleur hanger
S-XXL frame sizes
Lifetime warranty

The new Hightower takes some notes from the new Megatower with downtube storage being the big story, but there is also another interesting feature that is all new. Looking at the section the shock passes through below the seat tube, there is a little peep hole on the non-drive side that allows riders to monitor their sag. If you’ve tried to do this on newer Santa Cruz bikes in the past you’ll know how frustrating it can be, so this is a nice solution.

Suspension

On the suspension side of things, Santa Cruz has reduced the anti squat in the first 40% of the travel to make things a bit more supple and improve the traction. As far as leverage rate curve goes, the new Hightower sees a more linear rate of progression and a bit more ramp at the end of the travel.