I have almost 1000 trail miles on my Mega, and I have to say you completely nailed the review. Love my Megatower, best all around MTB I have ever owned.
Im 5’8” (~172 cm), 185 lbs (~82 kg) and pick a large frame with a shorter cockpit (35 mm stem) with moving the seat forward. I really enjoy the large frame reach when climbing. I built it the same but got 170mm fork Fox 38 with NOBL T37 laced on Onyx hubs. The bike is literaly silenced. For usual day I ride the flip chips settings on High/Short wheelbase and go opposite (Low/Longbase) when hitting the park. This bike is just sick! 🤘🏻
Now that is a really great review. Great camera work, right to the content (great content) and great riding. Such a relief to not have to sit through fifteen minutes of someone jawing off about everything but the bike and how it rides!
Wow man! Top notch review. Thanks for covering some “things you might not know”. I’ve had this bike on my “next bike shortlist”. Your review bumped it up a couple spots. 🤘🏽
great review! so nice to hear unbiased pros & cons from an owner. conversely, bike magazine's review...every bike is awesome at everything. you covered it all. very helpful for any prospective buyer, like myself.
KillerJob on this Video!! Love the quality edit & details! On a side note.. “Saaaaanta Cruzzz is coming to town!! Saaaanta Cruz is coming.. to my town!!!” 🎼🎼🎼 I’m Sooo Stoked to be a brand new Mega Bro after it comes in today! Shhhh 🤫🚲💨💨
Hahah, Thanks a bunch! I’m beyond stoked~ Going to be fun putting it together tomorrow am & then it’s Off to Oregon for the Ashland Enduro for my Bday! Yeeeowww! Let’s ride sometime if we can!
Honestly dude, no body wants a “stiff through the chassis... taught... harsh... movement under heavy pedaling” out of their full sus MTB investment. If that’s truly your preference you should have bought hard tail...Judging by the trails you shot this review on, the Megatower is overkill. Personally I think the Mega is the perfect bike for a rider that is 6’2-6’6”... and north of 215lbs. If a downhill bike is truly needed...V10 is the easy decision.
Great vid. I have the same bike and ride the same trails! Was out at JMP yesterday -- amazing how your camera flattens out Cindy and Chap. I love the X2, but went to the new v2 PUSH instead this time. Set and forget is pretty cool. I love built mine up with a Lyrik Ultimate. Several of the sections you're climbing in don't look like JMP (a few do), where were those shot?
No comparison between the Super Deluxe Air and the Float X2? The SuperD comes with a Med/Med tune so I imagine it will feel harsher/stiffer than the X2...although by your review I assume you set the X2 to feel like the SDAir?
Yeah the HT LT just makes you wanna push on harder. Think I’m hooked on Santa Cruz for life. Debating whether or not to upgrade my Hightower LT to this Megatower. Like I have no faults with my current bike but I always have that thought “mmmmmm, wonder how I’d get in with that bike!” Just seems more enduro specific after the HTLT bodge job. And that’s what I’d be after it for. Enduro races.
Nice review! I can see how that bike feels more firm than you’d expect, I rode with a guy that had one and he was popping off stuff and jibbing all over the place, not something a long travel bike would normally inspire🤔
MTB Savant mine came with the Coil (Select +). I also have the Factory X2 currently installed. Im considering going back to the RS Coil to be honest , it was very confidence inspiring and supple. The X2 is amazing but If I had to do this over id probably just leave the coil on there or upgrade to an Ultimate or DHX2.
@@mtbsavant5414 Can't believe you just replied. I am flattered. I have a crush on mountain biking (not love) because crush is one sided and by that I mean I love mountain biking but have never done it. I live in india and we have literally a few trails that too not good. I wish we had more trails like Whistler. I need to ask this, what job do u do so that you can afford such costly bikes?
Ben Hoppe for me it was the overall fit of the bike. You can’t go wrong with either one. I have wanted a Santa Cruz since I started riding a long time ago. Thus far every ride both uphill and down have been a PR. I also like the rear chainstay adjustment depending on where and what I’m riding. Good luck with your decision.
I like this bike but the price is a huge downside for me. I went with Revved Guerrilla bike, I get 4 different bikes for a price of 1 Santa Cruz. GG bikes also allows you for wide range of customization.
Haven't been able to put it all together on Chap and Cindy yet on this bike. Strava times say I'm faster but haven't put a clean run yet. Current PR's are 1:29 on Cindy and 52 seconds on Chap.
What about the specialized enduro ... 2020 .. 170mm 🤔..under 7g’s for the expert build , carbon wheels and X01 build ... the MT is almost 8 for the lower end carbon with carbon wheels ...
5'10 and u go for Medium? Do you think you could ride more beneficial if you were to go for a Large according to Santacruz official sizing recommendations
Dissector is a great rear tire, and it's staying on there. Front DHF 2.4 is great for trail riding. I swap between that and a DHF 2.5 exo+ depending on the ride.
What are your shock settings on the Super Deluxe? I'm on a size large and 155lbs, I've found the bike rides best with it wide open, 0 compression, 0 rebound. I'm considering revalving it to a lighter tune.
This is a really great video. The editing, the review, the footage, the music - really top notch. I loved the details you went into on the bike too. I think the only thing you didn't touch on was how tall you are and how big the bike is. Also, love the great paint job with matching font color on the fork. Looks so slick. I kinda want one but I believe I'm an "in-between" height for the Santa Cruz brand at 6'2" - I'd rather find a brand that has me set right in the middle of the intended sizing range. Have you experienced that issue before? Are there brands you avoid/go to based on the sizing range? Both my Trek and my Klein had the odd sizing so my Trek at 19" was too small and my Klein at 21" was too big. 2005 My Rocky Mountain and 2010 Vassago are "just right" at 20.5" and 20.0" respectively. I don't even know if the seat post inches are used as a reference point anymore or if it would make sense with the strange seat tube shapes now. It's a really challenging topic that no one addresses - would love a video that covers the "not quite one size fits all" size issues that current bike manufacturers run up against and how different brands compare. A Large in one is not a Large in all.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm 5'10 but with a longer torso and shorter arms and 31 inseam. I'm inbetween sizes for almost anything I get. I made a video called "are we riding bikes that are too big for us" that addresses size selection. Check it out!
What shock do you think you will end up running? I have the SD ultimate on my mega and honestly the shock feels great to me but I am easily bottoming it our for some reason even with 2 volume spacers stuffed in the can. I’m considering picking up an x2 shock. Do you think it’s worth it on this bike? Any thoughts experiences you could share? Thanks man great video!!
Thanks Steven. I'm actually going to stick with the SD ultimate and the X2 will be for sale soon. The X2 is a terrific shock and I was hoping it was versatile enough where I could get it to feel like both the air and coil options. It felt great as a coil replacement as i could get it to feel very supple and ground huggy, however I could never get it to feel as supportive as the SD without feeling too harsh. I'll probably end up selling it and picking up a second hand SD coil that I can swap back and forth. As for your bottom out make sure you're in the low position as it adds a little more progression at the end. Unless it bottoms out hard (you can actually feel on the trail) I wouldn't worry too much about using all of the travel.
MTB Savant thanks for all the valuable info dude! I haven’t tried the low position yet, and I should have rephrased, only a couple bottom outs on the SD ultimate on a couple big drops so that’s probably to be expected honestly... I am running 30% sag and weigh 170 lbs shock is at 185 psi. I’ll try the low and I may try one more volume spacer if I need to. Anyway, would you mind giving me a heads up if you post the x2 up for sale? I’d be interested. Did you order 230x57.5 with the climb switch? Thanks!
@@mtbsavant5414 Awesome!. I believe the torch was 3° and the 101 is 4° of engagement so not much difference between the two. Sounds like they are a good option without having to spend over $400 for a rear hub
Any long term thoughts on the I9 101? Been looking to upgrade my wheels on my 2018 Bronson. From watching / reading online these seem like a good mid level option.
Great Video! Great video for all the Millennials! - under 10 minutes, check. Because Millennials have very short attention span. - Not much hard content or hard data, check! Because Millennials have a hard time interpreting anything that takes more than 2 steps. - great camera work with with a lot of change of scenery, check! because Millennials are visual people and they like colors and different backgrounds. Millennials needs colorful pictures. "More colorful pictures and less wordy good content please!" -- Millennial - nice soothing voice with a lot of PC words to please the sensitive ears of Millennials, check! Millennials get their feelings hurt easily and they are offended by loud voices.
@@mtbsavant5414 , you do put out some nice quality videos though... and your voice! Your voice can be in Hollywood! Your voice is Morgan-Freeman-esque, you do NOT sound like him, but you have a nice tone (without being monotone), and it is a great story telling voice!
Condescending Boomer comment by an ageing guy from the generation that fucked the world over and thinks young people should work for minimum wage, no opportunities and live all their lives in rented accommodation. Nice.
Rich Dukes , Millennials cant't do basic tasks and are pretty much useless overall. Boomers are also useless, us Gen X'ers keep the world rotating. We pay for the benefits for the Boomers and then we have to to do the work because you Millennials can't do jack, and good portion of you guys still love with mommy and daddy despite being 40 years old. You are Welcome! HUGGGZZZ!
