Two bikes. On the left, we have Santa Cruz’s third-generation Tallboy and, at right, the company’s longer-travel Hightower. Are you about to read a “shoot-out” style review? You are not. For a lot of reasons. First, since both bikes are Santa Cruz models, a “shoot out” would be a bit like asking, “Where do you want to eat breakfast? At McDonald’s or at McDonald's?” Second, though these bikes are clearly neighboring branches on the same Santa Cruz family tree, they are not equivalents and the bedrock foundation of every “bike test shoot out” is that you are comparing equal items…apples to apples rather than apples to watermelons.



Finally, and this is really the main reason, I think shoot outs are just so much bullshit.



The original Tallboy was an XC bike that could play dirty. The new model still pedals like a demon, but is far more capable. With the Hightower, Santa Cruz was aiming to build a more capable descender than the original Tallboy LTc, without sacrificing maneuverability.

Which is “the best bike”? Dunno. It’s a flawed question. Here are some better ones:



What kind of rider might prefer one model over the other?

On which trails?

Under which conditions? And most importantly,

How do the new Tallboy and Hightower fare against their respective competitors out there in the larger marketplace?



We’ll touch on all of the above.



Alright, long-ass disclaimer officially over. Let’s get on with it.

The Tallboy Gets Rowdy



It’s been nearly eight years since Santa Cruz debuted their Tallboy and in that time the bike has converted hordes of 29er haters. The Tallboy was one of the first 29ers that didn’t handle like a drunken shopping cart. But that’s faint praise. The Tallboy was fun, it was nimble and it was more capable than its 100 millimeters of travel promised. The Tallboy, however, remained largely unchanged during a period when bikes in its were class were evolving at a furious rate.



This latest reboot of the Tallboy, however, brings everything up to date: new geometry, new suspension tune, improved kinematics, a bit more travel, burlier componentry and greater versatility, thanks to its ability to run both 29 and 27.5+inch wheels. All of these changes are aimed at one thing—making the Tallboy a more capable bike.





Tallboy Details



• Intended use: cross-country and trail riding

• Fork travel: 120mm (29er)/130mm (27.5+)

• Rear wheel travel: 110mm

• Wheelsize(s): 29-inch or 27.5+

• Carbon front and rear triangles

• Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.0'' tires

• 73mm threaded bottom bracket

• Boost (12x148mm) hub spacing

• Sizes: S / M / L / XL / XXL

• Weight: 26.74 lbs (Large, no pedals)

• Frame-Only: $1,899 USD (alum.)/$2,999 USD (carbon)

• Price as Tested: $8,499 USD

• Price Range: $2,599 - $9,999 USD (ENVE wheel upgrade available)

• www.santacruzbicycles.com • Intended use: cross-country and trail riding• Fork travel: 120mm (29er)/130mm (27.5+)• Rear wheel travel: 110mm• Wheelsize(s): 29-inch or 27.5+• Carbon front and rear triangles• Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.0'' tires• 73mm threaded bottom bracket• Boost (12x148mm) hub spacing• Sizes: S / M / L / XL / XXL• Weight: 26.74 lbs (Large, no pedals)• Frame-Only: $1,899 USD (alum.)/$2,999 USD (carbon)• Price as Tested: $8,499 USD• Price Range: $2,599 - $9,999 USD (ENVE wheel upgrade available)

Want to run a front derailleur? The Tallboy will accept a front mech, though I have a hard time understanding the need. While our early-2016 test bike features a 10-42 SRAM X01 group, the latest, equivalent model is now equipped with SRAM Eagle X01 and its very low, 10-50 cassette. The bike features a mix of internal and external cable routing. Most of it is exceptionally tidy, with the exception of these sections of the rear brake and derailleur lines that run from the down tube to the rear triangle. They're a bit...unrestrained.

Frame & Suspension

Geometry

Specifications

Specifications Release Date 2016 Price $8599 Travel 120 front, 110 rear Rear Shock Fox Float Performance Elite Fork Fox 34 Float 29 Performance Elite Headset Cane Creek 40, Integrated Cassette SRAM XG1295; 10-50t Crankarms SRAM X1 Carbon Bottom Bracket 73mm, threaded Rear Derailleur SRAM X01 Eagle Chain SRAM X01 Eagle Powerlock Front Derailleur Available with other build kits Shifter Pods SRAM X01 Eagle Handlebar Santa Cruz Carbon Flat Bar; 31.8mm clamp, 750mm (S-M), 780mm (L-XXL) Stem Raceface Turbine Basic Grips Santa Cruz Palmdale Lock-on Brakes SRAM Level TLM Wheelset Enve M60 Hubs Industry Nine Tires Maxxis Minion DHF Exo 3c; 29x2.3/Ardent Race Exo; 29x2.35 Seat WTB Silverado Team Seatpost Rock Shox Reverb Stealth; 31.6x 125mm (S), 150mm(M-XL), 170mm (XXL) Compare to other All Mountain/Enduro/XC

Set-Up

Climbing

Descending

The Fox 34 is one of the standout components on the bike and emblematic of the Tallboy's rowdier persona. As with the latest Nomad and Bronson models, the Tallboy's lower VPP link gets tucked up high. It's tidy, but also prone to collecting mud.

Component Check

The 29er Bronson



When Santa Cruz rolled out the Hightower in early 2016, they touted the bike as a 29er Bronson—a big-wheeled, all-mountain bike. Fair enough, though I think it’s easier to just call it what it is—the reboot of the Tallboy LT. Over the course of its four-year run, the Tallboy LT earned plenty of fans—it was a two-fisted brawler of a bike that harnessed all that was good about larger diameter wheels. By 2016, however, the LT’s geometry had become a bit dated--the head angle a bit steep, the top tube in need of a hair bit more length, the chainstays, well those could've always used a bit of a trimming. The Tallboy LT's rebirth as the Hightower brings the model fully up to date in terms of geometry. And like its shorter-travel sibling, the Hightower also brings plus-size tire compatibility to the table. 29er or 27.5+? The Hightower gets all AC/DC on that question.



Hightower Details

• Rear travel: 135mm

• Fork travel: 140mm (29er)/150mm (27.5+)

• Carbon front and rear triangles

• Wheelsize(s): 29" or 27.5+ wheels

• Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.0'' tires

• 67° head angle

• 433mm chainstays

• 12 x 148mm rear spacing

• Threaded bottom bracket

• Sizes M, L, XL

• Weight as shown: 27.3 pounds (Large, no pedals)

• Colors: Sriracha red, matte carbon & mint

• Price as tested: $6,599 USD; frame only: $2,999 USD

• Price range: $3,599 - $9,999 USD (ENVE wheel upgrade available)

• www.santacruzbicycles.com • Rear travel: 135mm• Fork travel: 140mm (29er)/150mm (27.5+)• Carbon front and rear triangles• Wheelsize(s): 29" or 27.5+ wheels• Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.0'' tires• 67° head angle• 433mm chainstays• 12 x 148mm rear spacing• Threaded bottom bracket• Sizes M, L, XL• Weight as shown: 27.3 pounds (Large, no pedals)• Colors: Sriracha red, matte carbon & mint• Price as tested: $6,599 USD; frame only: $2,999 USD• Price range: $3,599 - $9,999 USD (ENVE wheel upgrade available)



The Hightower has enough clearance for some 27.5x3.0 tires, though I'd recommend sticking with 2.8s, should you consider going the plus-size tire route. I personally prefer these 29x2.3 Minion DHR2s. The first run of Hightowers were equipped with 11-speed X01 groups. Current X01 and XX1 build kits are 12-speed Eagle affairs, which offer a good deal more gear range.

Frame & Suspension

Geometry

Specifications

Specifications Release Date February 2016 Price $6599 Travel 135 Rear Shock Rock Shox Monarch RT3 Debonair Fork Rock Shox Pike 29 RCT3 140 Headset Cane Creek 40, Integrated Cassette SRAM XG1295; 10-50t Crankarms SRAM X1 Carbon Bottom Bracket 73-mm, threaded Rear Derailleur SRAM X01 Eagle Chain SRAM X01 Eagle Powerlock Front Derailleur Not compatible Shifter Pods SRAM X01 Eagle Handlebar Santa Cruz Carbon Flat Bar, 31.8mm clamp, 780mm Stem Raceface Turbine Basic Grips Santa Cruz Palmdale Lock-on Brakes SRAM Guide RSC Wheelset Race Face ARC 27 Hubs DT Swiss 350 Spokes DT Swiss Competition Double-Butted Rim Race Face ARC 27 Tires Maxxis Minion DHR2 TR; 29x2.3 Seat WTB Silverado Team Seatpost Rock Shox Reverb Stealth; 150mm travel (M-L), 170mm (XL) Compare to other All Mountain/Enduro/XC

Set-Up

Climbing

Descending

Thanks to the Hightower's low stand-over height, the Medium and Large Hightowers are equipped with 150-millimeter travel Reverb dropper posts. XL frames get 170-mm droppers. Can we just take a moment to bask in the simplicity and general awesomeness of a threaded bottom bracket? Yes, we can. It's a small spot of mechanical sanity in a crazy world full of creaking press-fit crap.

Component Check

Pinkbike's Take:

Whereas the original Tallboy was an XC bike that could handle a fair bit of trail riding, the Tallboy 3 is something closer to a trail bike that can moonlight as an XC rig. Giving the Tallboy the "long, low and slack" treatment has created a bike that more than holds its own with the best in its class, including the Ibis Ripley LS, Pivot Mach 429 and Yeti SB4.5.



The Hightower is a consistently strong all-rounder; a far steadier and more confident descender than its predecessor and a bike that plays solidly in the same league as the better long-travel 29ers out there. While I initially raised my eyebrows at Santa Cruz referring to the Hightower as a "29er Bronson", it's actually an apt characterization--the Hightower is a capable all-mountain bike and a good choice for people looking to race enduro--no weight or pedaling penalty combined with neutral and confident downhill manners. - Vernon Felton

About the Reviewer

Stats: Age: 44 • Height: 5'11” • Inseam: 32" • Weight: 175lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None In 1988 Vernon started riding mountain bikes—mainly to avoid the people throwing cans of Budweiser at him during his road rides. At some point, roughly when Ronald Reagan was president and Hüsker Dü was still a band, he began loving mountain bikes on their own terms. Vernon Felton spends most of his time riding bikes, thinking about bikes, thinking about riding bikes and then riding some more around Bellingham, Washington. If it has a greasy chain and two wheels on it, he’s cool with it. Except for recumbents. Well, okay, maybe those too. Nah, forget it. No recumbents. Age: 44 • Height: 5'11” • Inseam: 32" • Weight: 175lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None

The Tallboy is available in both aluminum and carbon frames and can be shod with 12 different build kits. Complete, aluminum bikes range in price from $2,599 to $2,999. Complete carbon bikes start at $3,599 and top out at $9,999.Santa Cruz added 10 millimeters of rear suspension to the Tallboy (for a total of 110 millimeters) and tweaked their VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) kinematics—giving the Tallboy a higher initial leverage rate and a flatter overall suspension curve. In a nutshell, the company was looking to improve the bike’s feel over small bumps while also making it feel more consistent throughout its range of travel. While you might expect a shorter-travel bike with a flatter suspension curve to blow through its scant travel too easily, Santa Cruz nipped that problem in the bud by also equipping this latest generation Tallboy with a more progressive shock tune.Santa Cruz also lowered the Tallboy’s stand-over height and designed the bike to accept both 29 and 27.5+ tires and wheels. The rear shock link is equipped with a two-position, flip chip that keeps the geometry nearly constant, regardless of which wheelsize you choose. In Low mode, the bike is meant to be paired with a 120-millimeter fork and 29er hoops. High mode is for 27.5+ tires and a 130-millimeter travel fork.The original Tallboy geometry was way ahead of the curve in 2009, but had grown a bit dated by 2016. Santa Cruz brings things up to date by shearing 2.2 degrees from the head tube angle, increasing the seat tube angle half a degree, adding 40 to 50 millimeters to the top tube and shortening both the seattube and chainstays (30 millimeters and 11 millimeters, respectively). The overall goal here? Make the bike more stable while improving its maneuverability.Nothing terribly sexy to report here. I tend to run XC and trail bikes at 25 percent sag and that's what I aimed for when diddling about with both the Fox Float 29 Performance Elite fork and Float Performance Elite shock. I've always opted to run rear-suspension sag at 30 percent on previous versions of the Tallboy, in order to eke out better climbing traction out of the VPP system. That wasn't necessary this time around...As for tires and wheels, I rode the Tallboy primarily in its 29er trim, but dallied with 27.5+ throughout the season in the name of science and all that jazz.Efficient pedaling has always been the bread and butter of the Virtual Pivot Point design, but on some of the older models, that crisp acceleration came at the sacrifice of small bump compliance. It’s not something you notice on fireroads or relatively buff singletrack climbs, but when I was pedaling up rocky and rooty climbs, it was an obvious bummer. Santa Cruz has been improving on this balance for a few years now and the latest iteration of VPP is, for my tastes at least, a genuine step forward. The Tallboy still pedals efficiently enough to be run wide open, but the grip on techy climbs is significantly improved. I’ve ridden zippier climbers, but not many. The Tallboy is definitely near the top of its class as a climbing machine.Looking to boost traction even further, I chose to run the Maxxis 27.5x2.8 Rekons. The wider footprint and lower tire pressure definitely make scaling rooty sections stupid easy, though some of the bike’s briskness (abundantly evident in 29er mode) gets lost in the mid-fat shuffle. Not a huge surprise—ditching the carbon Enve M60 wheels and skinnier tires for the plus-size tires and Race Face ARC 40 wheelset added about a half pound of rolling weight to the rig. That’s actually a very modest bump in weight, all things considered, but it’s noticeable all the same.The original Tallboy was a bit of a unicorn—a bike that could hold its own alongside the best cross-country machines when it came to gaining elevation…and which could drop them on descents from the get go. This new Tallboy is a unicorn with bigger balls. Or ovaries. Take your pick of downhill-enhancing gonads. Bottom line, slackening the head angle and lengthening the bike’s front center give the bike a more stable and planted feel on technical descents. Not a huge surprise, really. Ditching the spindly Fox 32 fork for a burlier, 120-millimeter travel Fox 34 also helps here. Likewise, lopping a big section of seattube mast and lowering the standover allows you to finesse the bike more easily.There's no such thing as a free lunch, however, and while Santa Cruz trimmed the chainstays to a tidy 432 millimeters (17 inches), the wheelbase has grown alongside the growing front-center and slackened head angle. No way around it. The Tallboy’s wheelbase is on par with that of other trail bikes, but it is two inches longer than that of the original-recipe Tallboy. Think of it this way: the Tallboy is less of an XC switchblade now and more of a trail bike tactical knife—still deft and sharp, but a little less of a precision instrument. If you enjoy downhills, it’s a trade-off you’ll happily accept.Cross-country bikes are steadily growing more capable—blurring that point where a race bike ends and a trail bike begins. The Kona Hei Hei DL is one such example. This Tallboy is another strong example. The Tallboy is spot on with its geometry and the suspension has a more refined feel—supple, yes, but with a truly usable 110 millimeters of travel. It doesn’t feel like it’s packing more travel than it does, but it’s an honest 110 millimeters—you use all of it, whereas some bikes ramp up so quickly that the latter third of their travel only comes into play during teeth-rattling impacts.The Tallboy is also more versatile than many of its competitors. In most conditions, I prefer the feel of the 29er tires and wheels, but the 2.8-inch tires actually complement the shorter travel bike well. Go ahead, time it all wrong and land a jump in the middle of a particularly nasty section of trail; the Rekons let you get away with crap line choices—it's all stoney smiles and butterflies instead of clenched teeth and sphincter. Maybe you don't actually want that margin of error (and, of course, you can just go the 29er route instead), but there are times when it does come in handy. I’ve also spent the last three weeks riding in shitty, crusty snow and ice and there’s no denying it—I actually enjoyed doing so on the 2.8 Rekons. Not so much on the 29er set up. Most people are going to run the Tallboy one way—they probably won’t be swapping back and forth with bike-tester abandon—but it’s cool that you have the option to switch things up with this bike.Our early-release Tallboy sports an 11-speed SRAM X01 group. Santa Cruz made a running change to Eagle X01 later in the year and Eagle is what you'll find on current versions of this particular build kit. I have no complaints with X01 and its 10 to 42-tooth cassette, but, Eagle makes long climbs that much easier. It's a good upgrade.The first run of media-sample bikes tend to be on the glitzier end of the spectrum, which is the case with our test bike. Going with the Enve wheel upgrade (as a replacement for the stock Race Face ARC 24 wheels) adds two grand to the price tag. Enve wheels add stiffness to the equation, but the Tallboy's carbon chassis is plenty stiff as it stands. So is the upgrade worth it? For my money, no. These are nice wheels, but they are not a full extra two-large nice.Santa Cruz sent the bike with both 29er and 27.5+ bits. For general riding, I preferred the feel of the 29-inch wheels and 2.3-inch Maxxis tires. The cornering bite on the Minion DHF is better than that of the Rekon 2.8. That said, the 2.8-inch tire adds an extra bit of stability and forgiveness to the ride. Which is better? It's a matter of rider preference. While Santa Cruz offers build kits in both 29 and 27.5+, they do not offer separate fork and wheelset kits for people who want to also pick up the parts necessary to convert the Tallboy from 29er to plus-size bike (or vice versa). If you want to switch and swap (something that takes just minutes to accomplish) you’ll need to pick up an extra wheelset. Thankfully, you don’t need two forks—the 130mm travel 27+ fork will work with a 29er wheelset. You can also swap out the fork's air shaft.The Hightower is currently available in carbon only, and comes dressed in seven different possible build kits. As with the Tallboy and several other models, Santa Cruz offers their complete Hightower build-ups with two different grades of carbon frame; the premier "CC" frame and the less-expensive "C". Carbon "C" frames weigh 230 grams (a half pound) more than "CC" frames, but are said to boast the same strength and stiffness as their pricier siblings. Consequently, while our pimpalicious test bike isn't so easy on the wallet, youget a carbon Hightower built up with a Fox Rhythm fork and SRAM NX group for $3,599.Like its predecessor, the Hightower sports 135-millimeters of rear suspension. The Hightower, however, benefits from the third-generation VPP system that first debuted on the Nomad and has since also popped up on the Bronson, 5010, Tallboy, etc. What’s more, there are a ton of little nip and tucks that aren’t immediately obvious from afar; those include an internal headset, Boost 148 rear spacing and internal cable tunnels in the front triangle. The Tallboy received all these same tweaks. But while the latest Tallboy will accept a front derailleur, the Hightower will not. It’s a single-ring party up in here. Most people won’t lament the lack of a front mech, but if you feel compelled to have a front shifter, you should know the Hightower isn’t having any of it. Our first-run Hightower sports a 10-42, 11-speed X01 build kit. Current X01 and XX1 build kits, however, are both 12-speed SRAM Eagle affairs, which means they benefit from that monster 50-tooth cog...yet another reason not to sweat the Hightower's front derailleur incompatibility.As with the Tallboy, stand over height has been dropped a good bit with the Hightower--a full 38 millimeters (an inch and a half) from that of the Tallboy LT. That's a big difference. The Hightower sports the same two-position, flip chip as the Tallboy. In 29er mode, the bike is equipped with a 140-millimeter travel fork. Santa Cruz specs a 150-millimeter travel fork with its 27.5+ build kits.Just as Santa Cruz set out to make the Tallboy a more capable descender without compromising its nimbleness, the company had the same goals in sight with the Hightower, though they made even more radical changes with this bike. Reach is increased by 36 millimeters (1.4 inches), the head angle is slackened by 2.5 degrees and the seat angle steepened 1.7 degrees. The company also lopped 15 millimeters (.6 inches) off the chainstays.Santa Cruz recommends 15 to 18 millimeters of sag on the stock RockShox Monarch RT3. I generally stuck with 15 millimeters (about 30 percent sag) on the rear shock and 30 percent on the Pike. I gave the 27.5+ wheels a go a few times, but invariably found myself returning to the 29er set up.You expect the Tallboy to scale mountains with ease—that’s sorta its raison d’etre, but the Hightower gains elevation almost as easily on all but the steepest of climbs. The third-generation VPP kinematics and new shock tune give the Hightower good traction on rocky climbs, yet the bike still pedals very efficiently.I rode a Tallboy LT for three seasons and generally climbed with the rear shock wide open. With the Hightower, I wound up switching the RockShox Monarch RT3 rear shock into its firmer suspension setting on longer climbs, but it’s a trade-off I’d happily make for the Hightower’s better overall traction. With the Tallboy LT, I often found myself riding the nose of the saddle on steep climbs. The Hightower’s steeper seattube angle puts you in a better position on climbs, requiring a lot less body English from you in order to attain the ideal weight distribution on the bike.The Hightower’s slack head angle, long reach and fairly generous wheelbaseprove a bit of a handful on tight uphill corners. If the Hightower has a weakness on the climbing front, it’s here, when the front end feels light and the front wheel wanders a bit.At the risk of flogging the hell out of a dead horse, the Hightower, like the Tallboy, is a more neutral and confident descender than the bike it replaces in the Santa Cruz lineup. Sixty-seven degrees is slack for a 29er, no matter how you slice it. That relaxed head angle, the relatively low bottom bracket and a generous wheelbase give the bike a very, very stable feel on descents.Mike Kazimer wrote ourback in February and remarked that the bike gets better and better the harder you push it on descents. That’s true. The Hightower is a hell of a lot of bike—more bike than you might guess, given its 135 millimeters of rear suspension. Pushing the bike hard, however, is the best way to realize that fact. Its forte is bombing down loose and shitty sections of trail. The more you let it out hang out on the Hightower, the more it rewards you.The Hightower is not, however, the most lively of bikes in its class. I’ve spent a fair bit of time this past season, for instance, on a Medium Pivot Switchblade, Large Specialized Stumpjumper 29er and Large Evil Following—all of which sport similar geometry, but wheelbases that are about three-quarters of an inch shorter. Santa Cruz trimmed the chainstays down to 435 millimeters (17.1 inches), so the Hightower's rear center is actually quite tidy. The difference here is that the Hightower is on the long and slack end of the spectrum. That's a big plus on wide-open, high-speed sections of trail, where the Hightower is a more steady and confident-feeling bike than the majority of bikes in its class. Once the trail starts getting really tight and the corners start coming fast and tricky, I prefer the other aforementioned models, which have a more playful feel to them and are easier to maneuver and coax through tight spots. I’m not saying the Hightower is a stubborn mule of a descender. Far from it. With its generous front-center, the Hightower, however, places more of its design eggs in the stable-and-steady basket (so to speak) than in the lively-and-playful basket. Which is better? The answer just depends on who is riding the bike.I also experimented with plus-size tires while riding the Hightower (Maxxis Rekon 2.8s, again). While I can see the attraction for people who might be riding very primitive trails, I definitely preferred the 29er set up on the Hightower. The squishier, grippier tires aren't for everyone, sure, but they did complement the shorter-travel Tallboy in some conditions. On the longer-travel Hightower, the bigger tires just felt…unnecessary to me. Plus-size tires add stability and poise to a bike, but the Hightower already possesses those traits in spades. Adding plus tires to the Hightower simply gave it a somewhatfeel, whereas the 29er set up lent it a more precise and speedier vibe. Ultimately, however, it’s cool that Santa Cruz affords you the option to painlessly run either set up. More options are always a good thing.Speaking of options, there are people out there who've pursued another option with the Hightower since it debuted: they've been "long shocking" it. By installing a 200x57 shock, they've wrangled 150-millimeters of rear travel out of the machine and created a Hightower of a different flavor. Clearly, it can be done--there are a couple guys in our neck of the woods, for instance, who are riding Hightowers that way. What's Santa Cruz's take on modding the Hightower this way? I asked Santa Cruz engineer, Nick Anderson."We know there are people out there running the Hightower in some non-spec configurations and we highly advise against doing so," says Anderson."More than simply negating your warranty (which it does), running the bike with anything other than 135mm of rear travel is potentially dangerous. In the scenario you describe, there’s the risk of the tire hitting the seat tube, and/or the shock over-centering the linkage. If the shock has a reservoir it could hit the top tube. Any one of these scenarios could cause a crash. Simply put," says Anderson, "when you take a bike like this outside of its design parameters in this way, you're inviting trouble."A lot of ink has been spilled in praise of this fork, but it's much deserved. Light, burly, easy to tune....it's a workhorse of a fork and a particularly good match for this bike.Our Hightower is spec'd with Race Face ARC 27 rims that are mated to DT Swiss Competition spokes and 350 hubs. It's proven a reasonably lightweight, yet completely trouble free, wheelset. No complaints at all.While I never actually found myself needing a lower gear than what was provided on our 11-speed X01 build, anyone whose rides consistently involve racking up several thousand meters/feet of elevation will probably be happy with Santa Cruz's decision to spec Eagle versions of X01 and XX1 on their upper end builds. Extra range and a more giving low end are hard to argue with.