Santa Cruz Tallboy First Look

The Santa Cruz Bicycles Tallboy has always occupied a sweet spot few bikes can match. It climbs with the efficiency of a short-travel trail bike, yet carries the right amount of confidence when the trail turns downward. For years, it’s been the go-to choice for riders chasing huge days in the mountains without sacrificing the fun on the way back down.

Now, the new Tallboy pushes that identity even further. Lighter, more capable, and more refined than ever before, the latest generation takes everything riders loved about the previous bike and adds a whole new level of descending composure and suspension performance.

Lighter Where It Matters

The new CC-only frame drops over 300 grams compared to the previous-generation CC Tallboy frame. That is a massive reduction for a bike that has actually gained travel and capability.

Santa Cruz clearly wanted “light” to return to the Tallboy conversation. The result is a bike that feels quick under power, lively on long climbs, and eager to accelerate out of corners. It is still very much a trail bike, but one that carries itself with the urgency of something shorter travel.

For riders who spend long days in the saddle or simply want a bike that removes excuses to pedal, the weight savings are immediately noticeable.

These shots are a bit of a tribute to the rain that’s made a brief appearance in the Pacific Northwest after a few oddly dry weeks. It was starting to be awfully dry out there... 

More Travel. Even More Confidence.

The new Tallboy now delivers 130mm of rear travel paired with a 140mm fork, both up 10mm from the previous generation. On paper, that might not sound like a dramatic jump. On trail, it completely changes the personality of the bike.

The latest Tallboy is far more composed when speeds pick up and trails get rough. Steeper lines, repeated hits, and technical sections that once pushed the limits of a short-travel bike now feel comfortably within reach. It still pedals with impressive efficiency, but there is now far more forgiveness and control when the ride turns aggressive.

Santa Cruz also specs all builds with a RockShox Deluxe shock and a Pike fork (Select & Ultimate depending on the build). 

Four-Bar Linkage

One of the biggest changes to the Tallboy sits at the heart of the frame. This is the first non-electric Santa Cruz bike to move away from the brand’s iconic VPP suspension platform in favour of a four-bar linkage design.

That decision was not made lightly.

Previous Tallboy generations relied on VPP, a system that worked exceptionally well across much of Santa Cruz’s lineup. But shorter-travel bikes create unique challenges. Shorter links naturally move less through the suspension stroke, which can lead to steeper leverage curves and more progressive suspension behavior.

The previous Tallboy leaned heavily into that progression. It felt incredibly supple off the top, while ramping up aggressively deeper into the travel to resist harsh bottom outs. The downside was that it could sometimes feel firmer than expected deeper in the stroke, especially for riders pushing hard through rough terrain.

The new four-bar linkage allowed Santa Cruz engineers to rethink that balance entirely.

With the new layout, they were able to reduce progression, improve mid-stroke support, and create a more controlled suspension feel without sacrificing bottom-out resistance. The result is a bike that stays supportive while pedaling, remains supple through chatter and braking bumps, and carries noticeably more composure on descents.

Santa Cruz reportedly built numerous prototype configurations before settling on the final design, obsessing over shock tunes and ride feel rather than relying on generic supplier settings. That attention to detail shows up on trail.

Small Details That Matter

Beyond the suspension redesign, the new Tallboy gets a collection of thoughtful updates that make everyday riding better.

The geometry can now be fine-tuned with an adjustable flip chip, allowing riders to choose between a higher, more pedal-friendly setup or a lower, more aggressive configuration depending on terrain and riding style.

Storage also gets an upgrade with the latest version of Santa Cruz’s Glovebox system, recently introduced with the Nomad. The latch and seals have been refined for a more secure, rattle-free fit, and a new stick-on downtube protector replaces the previous riveted design, freeing up more space to stash everything you need in the frame.

There are also integrated accessory mounts under the top tube for additional storage, along with mechanical drivetrain compatibility and the kind of durability (read lifetime warranty) Santa Cruz riders have come to expect.

First Ride Impressions

We had the chance to get our hands on the bike ahead of launch, and there was no better person to put it through its paces than Steed owner, Kim. Having owned every iteration of the Tallboy over the years, he knows exactly what makes this bike special. 

Known among the team and his riding crew for epic suffer-fest rides, Kim has long trusted the Tallboy as his weapon of choice for tackling the demanding trails of the North Shore. We were thrilled to get him on the new bike and hear how it compared to his Gen 5 Tallboy.

Rider: Kim Steed, Owner

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 165 lbs
Inseam: 32"

Bike: Tallboy 6 X0 AXS Reserve — Size Large

Having owned every generation of the Tallboy right back to the original 2009 model, I had a pretty clear benchmark going into this ride. The Tallboy has always been one of those bikes that sits in a really useful space: efficient enough for long rides and big climbs, but capable enough that you’re not afraid to navigate gnarly trails. With the Tallboy 6, Santa Cruz has pushed that capability further again without losing the lively feel that has always made the bike so appealing.

Cockpit

The bike was set up with a OneUp Carbon bar with a 35 mm clamp, 20 mm rise, and full 800 mm width, with a Race Face Turbine SL 40 mm stem. There were no spacers under the stem. On my previous Tallboys, I would typically switch to a lower-rise bar and cut it down to around 760 mm, which is still my preferred cockpit setup. 

I’m also a big fan of the Ritchey WCS TrueGrip Neoprene Grips and run them on every mountain bike I own. For me, they’re the best option for riding gloveless, with a comfortable feel and excellent damping while still staying grippy when my palms start to sweat. I made sure to install those before my first ride on the Tallboy so the bike would feel at home right away.

Suspension

The frame was set up in the low position, placing the head angle at 64.8° and the seat tube angle at 76.5°.

Fork

The bike came equipped with a RockShox Pike Ultimate with 140mm of travel, up from 130mm on the Tallboy 5, and that extra travel gave the front end more support and added confidence through rougher terrain, especially on steeper sections where the additional forgiveness was noticeable.

My fork setup was 70 psi of air pressure, 10 clicks from closed on rebound, and 6 clicks from closed on low-speed compression.

Rear Shock

The rear shock was a RockShox Deluxe Ultimate pumped at 175 psi.

The new four-bar suspension layout felt noticeably more active than previous Tallboy platforms. The rear wheel stayed better connected through choppier sections of trail, but the bike still kept that lively character the Tallboy has always been known for.

Santa Cruz has also reduced anti-squat compared with previous layouts, which helps give the suspension a more supple feel and better traction when pedalling through rougher terrain. It also felt calm and composed under braking, which added to the overall confidence of the bike on steeper and more technical sections.

Tires

Front: Maxxis Forekaster 29" x 2.4" WT, 3C MaxxTerra, EXO — 18 psi
Rear: Maxxis Forekaster 29" x 2.4" WT, 3C MaxxTerra, EXO — 20 psi

I was used to the Forekaster as I rode this tire all last season on my Tallboy 5. The Forekaster is a great tire for mixed conditions on a trail bike in our area. In the winter I often swapped to Maxxis DHF 2.9 x 2.3 tires front and rear.

How It Rides

The Tallboy 6 immediately felt more playful on the descents. It's the kind of bike that encourages you to roll into berms, rollers, and jumps just a little faster than you planned.

The added travel over the previous generation brings a real boost in confidence through rougher trail sections, and I found myself carrying more speed into technical features than I typically would on earlier versions of the bike.

It still feels like a fast, efficient trail bike, but now has more confidence when you start pushing into rowdier terrain. For a bike that has evolved as much as this one has since 2009, this feels like a meaningful step forward rather than just a small update.

More trail time is needed before giving it a full verdict, but first impressions are very positive. The Tallboy 6 is shaping up to be the most capable and confidence-inspiring version of this bike yet.

Builds available at Steed Cycles

At Steed Cycles, the new Tallboy will be available in multiple builds, including:

• 90
  
• XT Di2
• XO AXS RSV

Shipping Canada Wide

Whether you’re ready to upgrade or just want to learn more, we’re here to help. We ship Canada wide with full online support, so you can get the bike you want no matter where you ride. Reach out to our team now at sales@steedcycles.com.