Santa Cruz's Tallboy is a bit of a tricky bike to pigeonhole. Described as 'the downhiller's XC bike', it's not a full-on XC race rig, nor is it really light enough to be 'downcountry'. Instead it sits somewhere on the shorter end of the trail bike spectrum. Much more capable than a pure XC rig, and more efficient than a trail bike, the Tallboy is the best of both worlds, depending which way you look at it.
Earlier this year sam built himself a Tallboy for the purpose of racing BC Bike Race, as well as for general trail duty on the North Shore. Short travel bikes are one of his favourite ways to get around, and he often finds himself grabbing the shorter travel option for medium to big days out thanks to how well they climb, and how much fun they can be on the descents.
With that in mind, the Tallboy comes as a pretty capable bike in it's stock build, however the North Shore trails can be pretty unforgiving. Not somebody who likes to compromise on descent, Sam bought this bike as a stock C-S build, and promptly swapped out most of the components with the intention of building a bike that descends even better than it climbs. The result is a bike that's capable of riding almost anything the Shore can throw at it, while being almost XC fast, simply with a change of tires.
Starting with the frame, at 6ft tall, Sam is on a size Large Tallboy in Gloss White. Opting for the
C S spec, it's a great base for upgrades at a solid price point. Upgrading the stock shock unlocks a bunch of potential on the Tallboy - going for a
Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate, it keeps a climb switch, but there's a greater range of tuning options in terms of high/low speed compression, while also being really easy to setup and supremely reliable. The piggyback should also help keep damping consistent on longer descents.
For the fork, Sam upgraded to a previous generation Rockshox Pike Ultimate. The 35mm chassis is stiffer than the stock Fox 34, and will be better on the burly North Shore trails. The charger 2.1 damper is said to be less harshly damped than the Charger 3, so should be a little easier on the body over 7 days of BC Bike Race and other big days out.
For drivetrain, Sam still likes mechanical setups, and opted for SRAM's
XO1 Eagle groupset, which shifts crisply and has been reliable for him so far, though saving some money on a
GX Eagle cassette. Turning the pedals are Race Face Era carbon cranks - light in weight, but plenty strong, the stainless steel scuff guard also keeps them looking good long term.
Since the Tallboy should be able to carry some decent speed with the upgrades, having good brakes was a priority for Sam - having underpowered brakes is one of his pet peeves. With that in mind, he wanted to branch out from his usual
Code RSCs, and chose British Brand
Hope's Tech 4 E4 brakes.
Just a step down from their downhill/enduro V4 brakes, the E4 is more of a powerful trail/all mountain brake, with four 16mm pistons per caliper, a contact and reach adjust at the lever and all parts CNC machined in England, the Tech 4 E4 brakes are a sweet upgrade that should have no problem keeping his speed reliably in check. Complementing the big-ish brakes, are SRAM's extra-thick
HS2 rotors, in 200mm guise up front, and 180mm out back.
For wheels, Sam can be a little bit of a wheel destroyer, so he threw on his trusty
Reserve 30 HD carbon wheelset custom built with silver spokes. The Reserve
30 SL rims would complement the Tallboy better, but it was just what he had. Having been pretty bombproof across a few different builds now, the 30 HD is a tough and stiff wheelset, perfect for almost anything. The Industry Nine 1/1 hubs are reliable, with high engagement and not ultra expensive. Keeping things fast up and downhill is a pair of Vittoria Agarro tires, with small, fast-rolling knobs, but decent puncture protection and grip, they're a great all-around trail bike tire.
Finally, for finishing kit, Sam is running the stock Rockshox Reverb seatpost, because when they work, they work really well with a light action and fast return. Stem is the stock Burgtec unit, and headset is the stock
Cane Creek Forty. For handlebars, sam is running the
Race Face Era carbon bar in 780mm width, for extra compliance, with Wolf Tooth Fat Paw grips, keeping things comfortable over big distances. For pedals, Sam is running the classic
Shimano XT Trail SPDs, and the saddle is a Specialized
Phenom Comp - their lightweight yet comfortable trail option.
