Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy SPX XC

The Santa Cruz Tallboy doesn’t need much of an introduction, the carbon bike has been around for a few seasons now and it’s found its fans and admirers in great numbers. All thanks to its heady mix of light-weight, balls-out attitude, and its strength and stiffness. But it’s pricey too and the new ‘Alloy’ Tallboy as tested here is Santa Cruz’s ‘affordable’ option.

Santa Cruz make no bones about it though, the Alloy bike is heavier, not as strong and not as stiff. It’s just down to the physics of the material they say! It’s not what you’d call cheap in the grand scheme of things either, but relatively speaking it does bring the barrier to Tallboy ownership down somewhat.

The Tallboy is a handsome machine, in a more kind of rugged and in proportion way at least. The VPP lines and kinked top tube are a bit of a mess to the eye initially, but the Tallboy wears its big wheels well and the overall package is something that looks purposeful, in proportion and somewhat ‘right’.

Construction looks good and the welds are chunky but tidy, and it really doesn’t look like anything is missing for its lack of “made in the USA” tag. The front end comes together in an almighty junction of welds which join to a nice, low-stack, tapered headtube. The tubes on the Tallboy are relatively skinny but it feels solid and ding resistant. You also get a set of now fairly ubiquitous cable guides for a dropper post.

Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy SPX XC

There’s a strong nod to serviceability with grease-ports in the linkages which should help keep things running sweet and keep bearings running for longer. Probably a good thing as the lower linkage is real collection point for mud and spray! Santa Cruz claim a lot of mud clearance and room for big tyres but in all honestly, the (to be fair not exactly skinny) Maxxis Crossmark 2.1s were already looking pretty wide in the rear stays. 2.35s would go in but you’d be on the limit.

It’s not often 29ers look ‘low slung’. And when you get on the Tallboy, low slung is exactly how it feels. The long wheelbase leaves you sat right down between those big wheels with a proper low bottom bracket. Considering ours came specced with 120mm fork, short stem, wide bars and a Rock Shox Reverb dropper post – it’s clear that the intention here is more purposeful trail riding bike, rather than leggy race toy.

However, rolling out from the trail head, there was an initial sluggish, disappointing sensation, with the Tallboy proving somewhat reluctant to get moving! A quick check on the scales showed our size large, with pedals (OEM M505s) and the Reverb, to barely scape under the 30lb mark! A conventional seatpost and some lighter pedals was all it needed to get it down to 29lb dead, and that 1lb seemed to breath a bit of life into the Tallboy’s ability to get away. Also our bike was 2011 specced demo that never went on sale to the public. Jungle have assured us that the SPX XC without pedals comes in a smidge over 28lb.

Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy SPX XC

Climbing is thankfully a relatively efficient affair due to the VPP platform, but climbs on the Alloy Tallboy were something to be endured or dispatched rather than enjoyed. It’s purely a weight and wheelsize thing though, in technical climbs the Tallboy’s VPP rear end bites and digs, always finding traction when even its Maxxis Crossmark tyres are on the limit. It’s just those longer fireroad drags and end of day grunts that are a chore, and there’s no getting away from the fact that the Tallboy ‘rode’ noticeably heavier than a 29lb 26er full suss bike.

Suspension setup is a total breeze. And while not as totally neutral in isolating pedalling forces as say Lapierre’s FPS2 (their take on VPP), nor as taught and quite as grippy as Whyte’s Quadlink 2.0 (another VPP variant), it’s no way near as fussy and sensitive to setup as either of them. Just stick in something around 25% sag, several clicks of rebound damping, and chances are you won’t need to touch it again. So unfussy did we find it, riding it out of the box with around 40% sag (no shock pump to hand), it still rode ‘alright’.

Cresting the initial climb, it’s when you turn the Tallboy into some proper trails that it totally comes alive. Nothing quite prepares you for how much of an animal the Tallboy is when just straight lining stuff. But more surprisingly, how agile and lithe it is in twisty singletrack. It has an almost physics bending ability to nip and tuck through and around anything you throw at it, making for a very entertaining and attacking ride. It’s genuinely not what you expect from a 29er at all, and a great counter argument for those that claim 29ers can’t do singletrack well!

Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy SPX XC

That low bottom bracket is largely to thank, allowing you to really get over the bike and bank it from turn to turn. The recently rebuilt Ashton Court trails might be relatively tame and easy to bimble round, but they’re tight, twisty and berm-filled – exactly the sort of thing to embarrass any slack jawed, poor handling, noodly 29er (or rider!). The Tallboy was nothing short of exceptional, nailing every section for 8-hours straight in the Bristol Oktoberfest race. It’s also those super-short chainstays which help too. The Tallboy is so keen to manual, pop and jump at any occasion – it’s incredibly neutral in the air!

If there was ever a 29er to convert the non-racers and skeptics, it’s this one!

It’s all about keeping the Tallboy on the boil really. Just commit and throw yourself into the ride and it gives back in spades. It’ll straight line rock gardens like a 140mm 26er and the VPP platform felt plenty stiff, despite being the ‘flexy’ alloy version and having a non-bolt through rear end. When you go into the corners, just stay off the brakes as much as you dare and trust the Tallboy to carry you through, keep pedalling out the otherside, it’s a seriously rewarding ride. If there was ever a 29er to convert the non-racers and skeptics, it’s this one!

It’s a realtively sizeable investment though, the SPX XC off-the-peg build comes in at £4,099 and that’s before you spec the Reverb! Retail bikes will get the Fox Float RP2 shock as standard but the F29 120 RLC is the super slick Kashima coated model, still with 15QR axle. You get the new 10-speed XT group including the fantastic new brakes with Ice Tech rotors. Wheels are pleasingly built around Hope's Pro II Evos onto WTB's new TCS Cross Country tubeless rims.

The Tallboy Alloy can be had frame-only for £1,699 (with Fox Float RP2) which will probably make more sense for a lot of riders, allowing you to shop around and put together a potentially more cost-effective build if you're a good bargain hunter. You can also enter into Tallboy ownership with the D XC specced model at £2,399 which looks like good value on paper, but we expect this to sell the Tallboy short performance wise. Jungle have said the D XC comes in at around 32lb.

Dominating the trail without disconnecting you...

There’s no doubting the Tallboy has translated into alloy construction very well indeed. It’s a riot to ride and if you rate it purely on performance and enjoyment to ride, there’s no faulting it. The quality of ride even shines through once you know the price. It's not exactly light but if you come at the Tallboy Alloy with the mindset of it being a pretty burly Trail bike, rather than a whippet, it's almost certain to win you over.

It’s hard not to love the Tallboy and as long as you get past the first climb, it’ll definitely win you over on the first descent. Dominating the trail without disconnecting you, hard riders and timid riders alike will love the Tallboys attitude. The travel and geometry (the 70 degree HA is fairly slack for a 29er) might say XC bike but the Tallboy is so much more than that, and will happily mix it up with lighter-built 140mm 26ers.