Mountain Biking - my thoughts on the Santa Cruz Tallboy

i guess the Santa Cruz Tallboy is the HOT HOT HOT bike of the season, so i took a Tallboy out last night...

first off, i'm a small man, 5"5'. second, this is the first time i've ridden a 29er on trails. third...the bike was a bit large for me (it was a medium, we didn't have a small). all that said...

i'm not a fan of the bike. the good thing about the bike was step ups/going up obstacles, the bike was easy, i just had to pedal, very little pushing the bike and moving my weight around to get up stuff. that seemed to be the only worth while quality of the bike.

it did climb well, but i felt like i had to keep up good momentum to move those huge tires. the bike handled ok on twisty singletrack, not the most agile bike ever, and it wasn't the most comfortable. it overall felt heavy and clunky, and when i hucked off stuff, it felt...heavy and sluggish.

it would be a good bike for riding many relatively flat miles, for touring, for riding/stepping up large obstacles, and for keeping your wheels on the ground. if you intend to catch any amount of air, jump off stuff, or want to ride fast tight single track, i don't' think it would be the best choice.

perhaps if i were taller, perhaps if the bike were a bit smaller i may have liked it a slight bit better, but i felt like i was on a tallbike. right now, as it stands, i'm not a fan of 29ers and i am not a huge fan of the tallboy.

all this is just my (pretty worthless) opinion, you probably will feel much differently. i'd like to hear your thoughts on the bike.

I don't think anyone can make a good decision on a bike's ability on the trail when the bike is not matched to the rider. Granted, someone should be able to get a feel for the bike. Your tests, I believe, included tasks that the bike is not designed for like hucking off stuff.

As a 6'2" rider, I found the bike to be good on twisty, single track. It climbs well and is quick in a start.

At your height, the 26 is probably the best style of bike for you. What I have been reading, the 26 is still more nimble than a 29ner.

All in all, it is good to hear the opinions of all types of riders. As far as best choice, that term would be a hard one to agree on when looking for one bike for one style of riding.

What do you currently ride and what type of terrain?

. . . Your tests, I believe, included tasks that the bike is not designed for like hucking off stuff.

As a 6'2" rider, I found the bike to be good on twisty, single track. It climbs well and is quick in a start. . . .And you are just the stature of rider that 29ers are especially suited for.

I personally think PS' observations are poingant and valid, especially considering how gaga everyone's gotten over 29ers and how so many shops are so eager to jam this Next Big Thing under riders, no matter if it's the best fit for their riding style or physical size or not. In that light, it's important to have a smaller person's perspective on riding one.

And by "hucking off stuff" and whether or not it's appropriate for the bike, I'm pretty sure he wasn't referring to 10-foot-to-flat stuff ;).

For the record, I believe pablosnazzy rides Turner 5-Spot in the terrain of one of mountain biking's Meccas: Fruita, CO.

Dminor is correct...i usually ride a Turner 5 spot on various terrain.

for what it's worth, there are three guys i ride with who ride 29ers who ride the same stuff i do and they love their bikes. they are all at least 6 feet tall.

FWIW, from someone well under 6 ft. I have 2 29ers and 2 26in HT MTBs. I am 5'8 and I have not been back on my 26 since moving to 29ers. To me the 29er just feels and handles better and for where I ride, I am faster on the 29er. DM is right its all about your fit and riding style. I personally have yet to ride a FS that I like, and I have hit several demo days from various manufactures at the local trail. They seem to be all the rage, and a lot of people swear by them, but they don't work for me. I liked the Tallboy I tested for a 12 mile loop once I locked out the rear shock, so i saw no sense in getting a FS bike, if i had no intention of using the rear suspension.

My 2 cents...
flat, tight, twisty=26 HT
climbing=26 HT
big rocky=26 FS
small rocky=29 FS
flat and straight=29 HT

Pablo, I would bet that you would have had a noticeably different ride on a small instead of the medium. It's already a big feeling bike and going a size larger than you'd normally ride will only exasperate that. I'm not big on the hype but I do think 29ers have their place and prime demographic. I don't think people under 5'7" are that demographic.

Regardless of how well the wheels roll over obstacles, it doesn't make sense to make a 26er XC hardtail smaller than ~14" either.

Pablo, I would bet that you would have had a noticeably different ride on a small instead of the medium. .......

and i would totally agree. the next bike i'm gonna take out is a gary fisher 29er in my size.

At Interbike, the buzz was around the Niner Rip 9. Have you ridden that and have any comparisons?

^^ and here I thought the buzz was around the fact that dminor wasn't there . . . .

At Interbike, the buzz was around the Niner Rip 9. Have you ridden that and have any comparisons?

i haven't ridden a Niner. the tallboy was the first 29er i rode on actual trails.

This post is perfectly timed. I'm in the market for a new bike for the season maybe. I was considering the tall boy and also the intense tracer 29.

and i would totally agree. the next bike i'm gonna take out is a gary fisher 29er in my size.

Well????? did you take out the GF ? Interested if getting a different size mad a difference.

Well????? did you take out the GF ? Interested if getting a different size mad a difference.

no, not yet, gonna happen within the week though