SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY REVIEW

September 22, 2026

The sixth generation of the Santa Cruz Tallboy marks a new era for Santa Cruz mountain bikes. By moving away from their long used VPP suspension platform, the team have been able to develop a bike that is not only lighter, but also more capable. They have bumped the rear travel up to 130mm and the front to 140mm, and with this new four bar layout, they have reduced both Anti-Squat and Anti-Rise to pack more of a punch on the way down.

These intensive group reviews would not be possible without some amazing partners. Their support ensures our entire crew can ride all these bikes on a variety of terrain to establish real-world data for our audience.

SUPPORTING BRANDS

Thule handled all our bike transportation and gear storage needs. Their products were crucial to support all the bikes and gear we had while traveling to different zones over the several months of testing. On the daily, we used the Thule Verse two-place bike rack, with its integrated work stand. For our big shuttle days, we used the Thule Revert, a 6-place vertical bike rack which helped us efficiently transport nearly all the bikes on-test. We also received one of the best MTB gear bags in the game: the Thule Roundtrip 70L duffle. It was the perfect bag to store all our gear, while the Thule Chasm kept all our spare parts in one place. Out on the trail, our crew utilized the Thule Rail hip pack, ensuring snacks, tools, and essentials were always on hand.

Delium provided us with our control tires, ensuring consistent, dependable traction for all bikes on test. Balancing rolling efficiency and grip through our dry summer conditions, we opted to run the Steady up front and the Fast out back, both in the All-Round construction. We ran these tires at 23psi up front and 26psi out back, with no flats or rim dents and a surprising amount of traction on tap.

We also wanted to keep our touch points consistent, so partnered with SDG Components. SDG supplied us with their new Thrice Open Core Grip and Bel Air V3 Overland saddle. These proved to be the perfect combination for long days out, and we were stoked that testers didn’t have to complain about OE grips or uncomfortable saddles.

ABOUT THE SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY

The biggest thing you might notice about the Santa Cruz Tallboy is the move away from the VPP suspension platform, shifting to a more common four-bar layout. While hardcore Santa Cruz riders might hate the change, the way the bike rides might just make them change their mind… The team behind the bike were able to cut around 300 grams of frame weight from the outgoing model, while also adding in frame storage and more travel front and rear. The suspension kinematics have been positioned to be more capable on the way down and deliver more traction on the way up. Santa Cruz worked with RockShox to develop custom shock internals to maximise the feeling of the new suspension platform.

With the new platform they have also included a geometry flip chip, giving riders some geometry customization. Dropper post insertion has been massively improved, and there are 5mm allen key bolts for all main pivot bolts for easy bolt checks. And of course, Santa Cruz’s lifetime frame and bearing warranty remains. It is worth noting the bike is only coming in Santa Cruz’s higher end CC carbon layup at the time of writing.

SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY GEOMETRY

As with all other bikes on test, we opted to test the size large Santa Cruz Tallboy, with a reach of 472mm. Santa Cruz offers the Tallboy in the largest size range on test, from XS to XXL. The biggest stand out in the geometry department is the relatively slack 64.8º head tube angle and tall 635mm stack height. Its low 41mm bottom bracket drop sits the rider deep into the bike. The seat tube angle, chainstay length and wheelbase are right in middle ground of all other bikes on test.

SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY BUILD OPTIONS

Santa Cruz offers a few different build kits for the Tallboy, our SRAM XO build lands at $9,299, making it the most expensive build on test. This build has been spec’d with the Ultimate level RockShox Pike and Deluxe suspension, SRAM Motive Silver brakes and XO Transmission drivetrain. This build has a carbon Reserve wheelset with the DT Swiss DEG DF kit. Santa Cruz offers an entry level build starting at $4,999, with the top spec coming in at a staggering $13,999.

RIDING THE SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY

CLIMBING PERFORMANCE | The Tallboy sports the most modern trail bike feeling climbing position on test. It was the most upright feeling bike in our group, something all riders really enjoyed. The suspension landed on the more sensitive and traction rich side rather than supportive, so it tended to ride a bit deeper in the travel, especially when up and out of the saddle. This combined with the upright position to be very comfortable on big days, but not the most efficient feeling.

The combination of chainstay length and head angle did not make for the most agile of climbers through the tighter stuff, but knowing you had plenty of traction made getting off line less of a concern. With all that said, the Tallboy is still sufficiently efficient when compared to longer travel bikes, but falls short of the other bikes on test. It is not intended to be an efficient XC bike, they positioned this bike towards riders who want to earn long back country descents.

For some, the reduced efficiency may be frustrating, but we are not mad about it. It is only notable because we were riding so many bikes in this category back-to-back. Living with the Tallboy, day in and day out, we would likely acclimate to the reduced efficiency and focus on enjoying the benefits it brings elsewhere.

DESCENDING PERFORMANCE | The descents were where the new Santa Cruz Tallboy really stood out above the rest. The Tallboy had no reason to ride as capable as it did, but damn it was good. There is something special Santa Cruz does with their bikes that gives you a very connected feel, with little to no time required to feel comfortable and push at your maximum pace and aggression. The Tallboy remained smooth through both the high frequency chatter and the bigger back-to-back compressions. And with the DEG DF kit and it got even better. We ran it in the 10º setting for most of our rides, and enjoyed the extra freedom it provided the rear end.

The comfort and traction produced by the Tallboy resulted in paying a bit of a price in the lower angle trails where we were trying to pump and build speed. Once at speed, keeping the speed was quite easy, but it was not as effective at generating speed as some others on test. The limit of the terrain this bike can ride is very wide. It is the one bike on test that all riders agreed could be their only bike for doing all the things they enjoy most, even supporting a cheeky bike park day with adequate tires fitted.

The Tallboy was not the most playful bike on test; it was more of the brawler of the group. But, with that said, at just a hair over 30lbs, it was by no means a slug. The confident riding position allowed us to charge a bit harder and pull a bit further on gaps.

All said and done, the Santa Cruz Tallboy was a very enjoyable bike to ride on all types of trails.

HOW DID IT COMPARE?

The Santa Cruz Tallboy’s downhill characteristics stood out in terms of overall capability. Sure, it was not the most playful or efficient bike – check out the Intense Spider if you are looking for that. It heavily rivalled the Forbidden Reya in the stability department, but with stability coming from different sources. It was not as efficient as the Revel Ranger, but by no means are you going to get massively dropped on the climbs as a result.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Love it or hate it, the Santa Cruz Tallboy absolutely rips going downhill. For our crew, it was well worth the reduction of efficiency on the way up. As gravity-focused riders, we put more value in how the bikes descends. But with that said, climbing the Tallboy was still done with ease, developing plentiful traction. If you want to make your enduro riding buddies second guess their bike choice, by all means, go Tallboy.

WHO SHOULD BUY THE SANTA CRUZ TALLBOY?

If you are looking to replace an older longer travel trail bike with something a bit peppier with modern geometry, the Santa Cruz Tallboy is going to be a sweet bike for you. If you are more concerned with smiles per mile vs KOM climb times, the Tallboy will serve you well. Overall, this is a hard bike not to recommend, besides its higher price point. But I think even the lower spec models are going to provide a very similar ride feel and would be something you can upgrade over time.

Price: $9,299
Weight: 30.16lbs (As Tested with Crankbrothers Mallet DH and Delium Tires )
Website: Santacruzbicycles.com

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