Full specs on Backcountry: bit.ly/2egbOQ3 Mountain biking on the Santa Cruz Hightower CC 27.5+ in Downieville, California, was the most fun I've had on a bike in a long time. My video gear: bit.ly/bkxcgear mtb
I came from a trek fuel ex 9 29er. I'm a big 29er fan! I looked at the Bronson CC, Yeti SB5.5c and the Hightower. I test rode the Bronson and didn't like the 27.5 wheels. I like the way 29ers just eat everything up. The Yeti had a bit too much travel for the kind of riding I do over here in Wales so the Hightower kinda gave me everything I was looking for. I wasn't sure about the wheel size when I ordered it as 27.5+ gives nearly the same over all wheel diameter and I had heard good things about its climbing and mud capability. Its interesting that you felt a bit disconnected as I had also heard that which is why I went for the 29er. The connection is still there, the suspension is plush and eats everything up but isn't too much that it feels squidgy on the climbs. Shame I broke my leg on it 12 days after picking it up!
Definitely worth a shot. I saw you were in the market for a new bike. To me the transition rear suspension felt more lively. Ibis is another to look at. Good luck in your quest.
Please don't stop what you're doing man. Love your videos and I love the commentary and you talking throughout them. Just keep talking about what you're feeling.
love your bike reviews man! im glad i subbed to this channel! i can only imagine how hard it is to commentate and ride at the same time. if it was me i would have been out of breath! Great fitness level
Being 400lbs in bodyweight I want to say that the Hightower is by far the best suited full suspension bike I have tried so far.Just wanted to point out to any heavy weights out there wanting to upgrade from steel hardtail that the shorter travel suspension tuned and stiffened up with the new 27.5plus tire at high psi is a fantastic combo for myself and I dont wobble all the pedal power away on the climbs.
I just bought one after riding a hard tail for 20 years. Bike is amazing, especially on Rocky Mountain Front Range. Climbs great and descends even better, couldn't get the smile off my face. Demo one and you will see. You can compare all day long and read until your head spins, just get out and ride one and it won't disappoint.
Hi i have been following you for awhile and have the opportunity to pick this bike up lightly used for $650. From what i can see this would be a steal. Assuming it's not a scam. Time will tell. Thanks for coicidentally having a video on this bike despite me only following you for about 5-6 months haha!
Nice review BK-XC. I have the Hightower 29er and am thinking of getting 27.5 to be able to switch whenever. The 29er bike is super fast and fun, I like it way more than the 29er stumpjumper comp evo I used to have.
Ryan Docena make sure you test the bike 1st 29" and the 27,5 , I don't know why but the 29" tyres is more nimble more feel , all I'm saying is try it out first , the fat tyres look cool but the grip is not great 😔
Love your channel man! Your vids are the most fun to watch, i subscribed right away. Thank you for reviewing the Hightower, I'm going to be picking up a frame soon. It was between the Bronson CC and the Hightower CC and with me living in TX, i have to do a lot of pedaling so I'm going Hightower 29. Any Chance you'll be demo/reviewing a Hightower 29?? Would be freaking awesome if you could.
+matt420c Thanks for the love, dude, I really appreciate it. No plans at the moment to check out that 29 Hightower, but if the stars align I'll go for it!
Excellent review! Always stoked to see that you've uploaded a new video. My favorite RU-vid channel! Again I'd love to get your take on a 29er. I'd love for you to demo a Tallboy 3 or the Hightower in 29er mode. I have a Tallboy 2, and I'm really, really curious about the Tallboy 3. It has boost, shorter chainstays, longer reach/shorter stem, 10mm more rear travel, etc.
Hey! i am really enjoying your videos! it looks like you are having a lot of fun and that is the basic point of MTB having fun on the trails! I would like your opinion on something. I have come full circle in a way because when i was younger i started on a MTB some cheap but fun hardtail and when I grew a bit older I switched to road which is fun in its own way (you can really go fast when you dont have to think about rocks, roots etc. just ride all day long and test your fitness and endurance and how fast you're willing to go you can really go faster than cars downhill on a road bike) and then one winter i decided in order to stay in shape i will try some cyclocross and then i remembered how much fun it is to ride off-road! and then i went even more off road and started to doing gravel/dirt road kinda stuff with some mellow singletrack and some double track and some you know mellow trails and i realized this is extremely fun and i want to continue doing this but i want to go back to my beginnings and start riding even more technical trail and i want to ride it super fast! so there you go full circle... Now i need some advice on which type of MTB to pick because the world of MTBing has f***ing exploded with options and i am totally lost! one thing that is for sure i am not interested in niche racing type bikes so not an XC race bike or a DH bike or the newer "cool" enduro racing bikes. definitely a trail bike, but today even in this subcategory you have a sick amount of options! big wheels/small wheels/plus wheels, long travel/short travel etc. and each one will be extremely fun in its application i am sure but in the end of the day for someone returning to mtb who's technical skills could definetely need to improve with time and experience what would you recommend for someone who is pretty fit (on a road/gravel bike i have done extremely long rides with big climbs and fast descents and absolutely enjoy it) and I would love to do these type of rides in the future on trails once i am capable technically handling-wise what type of subcategory should i chosse? for example should i try out this hightower that is longer travel with 29 tires? or plus tires? or maybe a Tallboy with 29 tires? or plus tires? or possibly a bronson? or a 5010? See what i mean way to many options (great time to be/get into MTB)! I am sure all of these bike are great and i just brought santa cruz bikes as an example i am sure that all brands are coming out with awesome bikes with lots of options I just want to at least nail down the subcategory within trail bikes within MTB before i go to a LBS and they start trying to sway my opinion in order to sell a specific bike that they will get more money on... So what is your opinion?
Yeah, I would love to. I don't really plan out my demos, it's all kind of what's available when I'm riding. But if I run into a Tallboy 3 I'll give it a ride.
I wish I could ride this next level bike on this epic trail too. 14 mins went by so quickly, thx for taking us with u! Btw: Next time you maybe could do a quick walk around to show the bike in the beginning or at the end of the video :) .
Congratulations on riding your first niner. Rode the trek fuel ex 27.5+ at nembafest and it was a blast going downhill. I know what you mean about less grip on the tires but that's what these are designed to do since they are wider and run lower pressure they grip just as well. Have you ridden the pivot Mach six before it was one of my favorites at nembafest. Very light and playful and really gave me the sense I was sitting in the bike rather than on top
No, I have not ridden the Mach 6, definitely need to ride some Pivots soon. My bro has the Mach 5.7 and it's such a nice machine. I never ride it because it's a medium and I feel too big on it.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!,,, I got my Hightower yesterday dude super happy whoop whoop !, sorry SANTA Cruz Bronson the Hightower is just too good✅great video BKXC in the forest 🌳Nice 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I definitely do enjoy watching your vids on bike and trail reviews. Any chance that you can go back and review the Hightower in 29 mode? I would like to hear your thoughts on how it differs from when it was set up at 27+.
Thanks so much Gee! I might be able to ride the Hightower 29. It would be great if I could ride both bikes back to back, then I'd really be able to do a good comparison.
Nice review. Are you going to give the 29er version a try? I have a Hightower CC 29er and I'd be interested in what you think of it compared to the Bronson and 27.5+ Hightower
Really like the looks of this bike. I've been riding a Stumpy Fatty for 6 months or so, but I think this will be my next bike when i decide up upgrade frames. Did you clip the pedals much? That's my #1 and probably my only complaint with my stumpy.
Good video an review. I am in the middle of a dilema... Hightower 27.5 plus, 5010 or Bronson... I usually ride places as in your video. A mix o XC and Enduro. What would you recommend for having only one bike? And the size? I am 5.10. Thanks for your help!.
It's been too long since I rode the Hightower to form any comparison. All the pros and cons that struck me are in the videos, but if I had to rank them against each other I would say the Hightower was more fun - and fun factor is my main focus.
Thinking of making this bike my next bike, just curious does it get many if any pedal strikes? I remember the trek fuel ex plus was giving you a lot of pedal strikes, how does it compare to that one? Thanks and keep up the great rides you've inspired me to travel more and ride
Could you do a review of the Santa Cruz Nomad? I know it might not necessarily be the best bike for your riding but it would be awesome to get your take on it. Thanks.
Oh man, second guy to ask in less than an hour! If I had a choice I would want to ride the Tallboy first, but if the opportunity comes I'll check out the Nomad.
Brian! I need help! Bronson or Hightower? It would be the Bronson carbon S that's around $4600 (same price point on the HT) I've rode both and I'm ready to pull the trigger. Anyway, great work you're doing man! Keep it up!
I like it but don't see the upgrade from my 2014 Bronson C. They basically share the same specs, minus the + and 29" wheels. I'm curious how it compares to my bike. 👍🏼
Thanks man ,yeah I took it on some trails here in uk Peaselake forest check it out on you tube , its strange , I do like the 27,5 but I dunno the 29" just seems to "forgive " my mistakes , I'm not a pro rider I make lots of mistakes and the Hightower doesn't take any shit so it's kinda fun !,
Sorry if you mentioned this else where but how well did the bike climb? Did it climb better than the Bronson and could you even compare this to the 5010? Looking at these three bikes and having a dilemma! Test rides setup which would be the real tell but your thoughts are welcome.
Thank you for the awesome reviews. But looking at your videos it looks like you were going much faster on the Hightower than the other bikes. Do you think it was because of the bikes capabilities or the trail?
+Israel Soto I think it was a good combination of both. This trail is 90% downhill and built for bikes. But I wouldn't sell the Hightower short, it definitely made things easier so I could go faster.
Hey BK-XC Real coll video's. All the rides look like a ton of fun. Have you ridden a Pivot Mach 429 Trail yet?? Wonder what you think of the bike If you are ever down in So Cal look me up and we can do Big Bear. The trails are not even as tough as the rides on you video's Keep the video's coming Cheers an old SOB (LOL) john hamilton
Thanks for the love John! I haven't ridden the 429 trail yet, but I keep hearing about it. It's on the list, just need to run into a Pivot demo. Shoot me an email (on my channel's about page) so I can get your email and reach out if I plan a trip down there.
Well if you are ever in the Salt Lake City area... I have a Nomad CC (medium) you are more than welcome to try out and add to your arsenal of demo videos. I'd be curious as to how you would compare it to the other Santa Cruz's you've ridden. Take her easy!
Have ridden at least fifteen different bikes in the last three months and I have to say the pivot bikes are the best to me. The 429trail is just awesome for a niner. Being ugly the Mach 4 has been the most fun and playful. Planning a trip to Sedona soon want to demo the evil bikes "the following and insurgent before I buy a bike. But if they don't wow me it will be a pivot bike for sure
I am looking at upgrading after being off my MTB for almost a decade (kept dirt biking but let myself get out of shape and am riding with my son now). What are you thoughts on the 27.5 Plus tires? I keep hearing good things, though the locals at my bike shop seem to swear them off.
I didn't do any jumps or drops on this machine so I'm not sure. Check out the MTBR.com forums and look for the Hightower thread. I'm sure there are hundreds of people discussing the bike and you'll find a ton of info.
+Petulant Frenzy Thanks, man! I've ridden a lot of Santa Cruz and really liked them all. I don't think I've ridden a Trek unless the Gary Fisher stuff from years ago counts. I would love to get some rides on 'em, just hasn't happened yet.
I found a new 2014 Yeti SB66 equipped with 26 inch wheels for a great deal, do you think it's good to get that bike just for the sake of the frame and don't mind the wheel size and upgrade the fork later so you can fit a 650b. any advice man?
+Ryan Docena If it's a new bike AND a great deal then go for it! I loved my 2012 SB66 and it had more than 3,000 miles on it. I wanted to keep it one more year before buying a new bike but it was stolen last week. I don't know the ins and outs of being able to up the wheel size to 27.5 though.
whattt that's a bummer, I like your SB66c. sorry to hear man, so your Yeti runs a 26 inch wheel as well? Yea, its a new 2014 SB66 alloy but still a great bike since this will be my first mtn bike. I hope they still sell 26" tires and don't make it obsolete as well.
+Ryan Docena Yup, quite a bummer. The Yeti was 26". That's definitely something to think about, but I think it will be a few years before 26" gear is hard to find.
Pivot is having a demo in Santa Rosa at Annadel State Park about 30 minutes north of Vallejo on Oct. 28th. You should check it out, some awesome trails!
+BK-XC Oh, okey don't worry. Love your videos man!! Keep them coming! and one more thing, do you have your gopro in superview? I think that its a little bit to high, and the bike should be more visible. but it's just an advice! nice work
+Mtb Benicadell I'm in "medium". I feel like you sacrifice the feeing of speed for a much more normal shot and better sense of height (on drops and climbs).
hey BKXC! love your vids. you mentioned early in this one that you'd do a little comparison vs ht, 5010, bronson. I got to test a 5010 at sedona and it was a really excellent climber and turning was snappy, but the straights seemed to be a lot more work to keep momentum. I'm in the middle of a bronson or 29 HT right now and I was wondering your comments on these two. obviously you rode the plus tires, but I think you have a good idea what less bouncy 29er wheels would have felt like. I'm coming from a heckler and the bronson is an awesome step up, but I'm afraid the HT will smoke the bronson on more xc rolling trails that are around us. (would love something capable for that occasional DH trip, though!) If you were on a more varied trail of xc/am most of the time with around 1k-2k ft vert on a ~20 mi trail, which would you rock? thanks!! any comment would be much appreciated! (I cannot demo both unfortunately)
