Introduction by Francis Cebedo

The Santa Cruz Tallboy is the #1 selling bike of the the growing Santa Cruz Bicycles empire. So they can't really change it that much. Buyers dig it for its climbing, raceability, quickness and cornering and ground-covering ability. For many folks with just one bike, the Tallboy is a great solution. So for the Tallboy 2, how could they evolve it? Well, here's what they did:

Drop the Weight - Carbon dropped .2 lbs in weight and the aluminum dropped .3 lbs.

Improve the details - Integrated chainstay protection is now included. Also dropper post stealth cable routing is now available.

Make a Small frame available - The rear shock position has been changed to improve standover clearance and allow them to make a small-sized frame. This has been a crutch of the Tallboy since the smallest frame they made for the past four years has been a Medium. This excluded riders under 5'6" in height and many women riders. So this is a welcome change as other brands have really embraced shorter riders on 29ers.

Make the rear suspension action more linear - This is actually a significant change for many, including us here at Mtbr. When we took our Tallboy to Downieville two years ago, it just was not comfortable since it felt like it ramped up too much in rear stiffness after 60% of the travel is used. This change should increase the range and abilities of the bike.

Direct Mount Front Derailleur - Since triple front rings and front derailleurs are still common on this bike, might as well use the stiffest, most efficient mount available today.

Graphics and Aesthetics - Of course, some bettter shapes, beveling and graphics make it easy on the eyes.

Change the rocker links to aluminum - They used to be carbon but the new forged links are stiffer and cheaper to produce. So one has to use the materials and technology that make the most sense.

Make it Stiffer - They said it's stiffer but they didn't say how much. Probably stiffer by a hair.

Leave the Geometry alone - Leave well enough alone.



From the manufacturer

When Tallboy first launched, it wiped the floor with everything in its category. Most 29ers of the time had the geometry and suspension performance of an economy airline seat, and the industry knew it.

Tallboy was awarded "Bike of the Year" time after time, changing the perception of what a 29″ wheel mountain bike was capable of. What we initially thought would be a niche marathon bike turned out to be a killer all-around trail bike.

The balanced geometry and proprietary carbon lay-up created a solid package that didn't need meddling with for over four years.

And still doesn't. Kind of.

The geometry of Tallboy 2 remains true to the original. However, we've fine-tuned the shock rate, improved pedaling efficiency, increased stiffness and reduced weight to make this Don of 29 the kind of sequel Francis Ford Coppola would approve of.

Santa Cruz Tallboy 2 Features

  • 100mm travel VPPTM suspension 29" wheels
  • Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL (carbon only)
  • Colors: Carbon: Matte Carbon/White or Gloss White/Black. Aluminum: Gloss Green/Black or Gloss Grey/Orange
  • 12 ENVE decal choices
  • Shock options: Standard: Custom tuned Fox Float CTD Evolution. Upgrade: Custom tuned Float CTD Adj. Boost Valve Kashima
  • Frame Weight: 2235g (4.9lbs) for size L, matte carbon
  • 142mm rear axle spacing
  • 2 × bottle cage mounts
  • Forged upper and lower links
  • Double sealed pivots with grease ports for low maintenance
  • Collet axle pivots and angular contact bearings maximize stiffness
  • Standard or Direct Mount rear derailleur option
  • Direct Mount front derailleur for precision placement
  • Stealth and external seatpost cable routing
  • 73mm threaded BB: creak-free riding and easy installation
  • Molded rubber frame protection

Santa Cruz Tallboy 2 Video

Rob Roskopp and the team from Santa Cruz present the Tallboy 2.

Santa Cruz Tallboy 2 Geometry



For more information visit www.santacruzbicycles.com.