Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 2021 in review - Less travel = more fun?

Short-travel trail bikes have a reputation for being good climbers and, as a result, only fun on flowing descents. The Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 is the exact opposite. Can the 29″ Californian keep up with the strong competition of our group test with its conservative 120 mm rear travel?

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best mountainbike of 2021 – 22 models in review

**Santa Cruz** Tallboy CC X01 | 130/120 mm (f/r)
12.94 kg (size L) | € 8,399 | Manufacturer-website

With its unmistakable silhouette, the Tallboy is distinctly recognisable as a Santa Cruz. With 130 mm travel at the front and 120 mm at the rear, the Tallboy CC X01 shares the same twin link rear end as Santa Cruz’s long-travel bikes. For € 8,399, you get a carbon frame and a sleek, tidy look. In typical Santa Cruz fashion, the Tallboy frame is available in two grades of carbon: the lighter CC model and the more affordable C version. Our test bike features the higher-end CC frame. In size L, the Tallboy CC X01 hits the scales at 12.9 kg. The position of the FOX shock hiding deep inside the frame makes it difficult to measure sag when setting it up, made all the more difficult by the lack of any sag markings printed on the shaft. The process is slightly easier with the Tallboy’s rowdy brother, the 5010, because the RockShox Super Deluxe has sag markings printed on the shaft. A small mudguard shields the shock and link from dirt and mud, while a reasonably sized seat and chainstay protector reduces chain slap and ensures a quiet ride. On the downtube, a TPU plate protects the carbon frame from impacts and stray rocks. Unlike its long-travel siblings, the Tallboy doesn’t have the additional shuttle pad on the downtube which prevents the frame from getting scuffed when you throw your bike on the back of a pick-up. The high-quality frame is rounded off by a very tidy internal cable routing, with the cables and brake lines only visible at the transition from the main triangle to the rear end and clamped down at the ports to prevent any rattling. The Santa Cruz is a very quiet riding buddy.

With experienced riders, the Tallboy punches above its weight and takes on drops and jumps without batting an eye – provided they know what they’re doing.

The spec of the Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 Reserve

For the suspension, Santa Cruz combine a 130 mm RockShox Pike Ultimate fork at the front with a FOX FLOAT Factory DPS shock at the rear. This makes them one of the few manufacturers in this test to rely on a mixed suspension setup, with the fork and shock supplied by different brands. The reason? The Californian brand wants to provide the best possible rear suspension performance, regardless of the brand. Rockshox also supply the 175 mm Reverb Stealth dropper (size L) which, thanks to the short seat tube, can be slammed all the way into the frame. Tall riders will even be able to run a dropper with more travel – awesome! Not as awesome are the standard SRAM G2 RSC brakes: while SRAM’s popular trail stoppers offer toolless lever reach and bite point adjustments, in combination with the undersized 180 mm rotors, they tend to overheat quickly and thus require strong fingers. On long descents, this leads to arm pump, preventing you from unlocking the full potential of the bike. For the tires, Santa Cruz rely on 2.3” MAXXIS tires with the EXO casing, speccing a Minion DHF 3C MaxxTerra at the front and Minion DHR II at the rear – the latter, unfortunately, in the harder DualCompound rubber. Particularly at the rear, the weak casing is a constant threat to the expensive Santa Cruz Reserve carbon wheelset vulnerable to damage. The optional Reserve wheelset upgrade is available for an additional € 1,200. Aggressive riders who spend most of their time on technical terrain should upgrade the tires to a model with a more robust casing to avoid pinch flats and protect the carbon rims against impacts.

**Get upset, set and forget!**
The position of the FOX FLOAT Factory DPS shock hidden deep inside the frame makes it hard to see and set up, especially without sag markings printed on the shaft.

**Top model, flop performance**
Santa Cruz run the SRAM G2 RSC brakes with 180 mm rotors, which are far too small and overheat quickly.

**Woooosh and it’s gone**
The 175 mm RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper disappears into the frame. Excellent!

Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01

€ 8,399

Specifications

Fork RockShox Pike Ultimate 130 mm
Rear Shock FOX DPS Factory 120 mm
Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth 175 mm
Brakes SRAM G2 RSC 180/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM XO1 Eagle 1x12
Stem Burgtec Enduro MK3 55 mm
Handlebar Santa Cruz Carbon Riser 800 mm
Wheelset Santa Cruz Reserve 27 Carbon 29"
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHRII EXO 3C MaxxTerra/DHRII EXO Dual 2.3

Technical Data

Size XS S M L XL XXL
Weight 12.94 kg

**Home**
Santa Cruz’s in-house Reserve wheelset is available as an upgrade for an additional charge of € 1,200. If you bite the bullet, make sure you get a more robust set of tires.

**Peace and quiet**
A reasonably-sized seat and chainstay protector developed by Santa Cruz prevents chain slap and protects the paint.

The geometry of the Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 Reserve

The Tallboy is available in six frame sizes, from XS to XXL. Thanks to the short seat tubes, you can choose your frame size based on your riding style and desired reach. The latter is 470 mm in size L and increases as the frame size grows. Using two independent flip-chips, you can adapt the geometry of the Tallboy to your preferences and needs. While the flip-chip in the dropout allows you to change the chainstay length between 430 mm and 440 mm, the one on the shock mount lets you switch between the low and high settings to change the bottom bracket height and the progression of the suspension. We rode most of the time in the low setting with short chainstays. Apart from ensuring a more progressive rear end, this setting slackens out the seat angle by 0.2°. If you want to optimise your Tallboy for uphill performance, you should combine the high setting with long chainstays.

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Seat tube	370 mm	380 mm	405 mm	430 mm	460 mm	500 mm
Top tube	539 mm	567 mm	596 mm	619 mm	646 mm	678 mm
Head tube	90 mm	100 mm	110 mm	120 mm	140 mm	160 mm
Head angle	65.7°	65.7°	65.7°	65.7°	65.7°	65.7°
Seat angle	76.8°	76.7°	76.6°	76.4°	76.2°	76.0°
Chainstays	430 mm	430 mm	430 mm	430 mm	430 mm	430 mm
BB Drop	38 mm	38 mm	38 mm	38 mm	38 mm	38 mm
Wheelbase	1,129 mm	1,158 mm	1,187 mm	1,211 mm	1,239 mm	1,272 mm
Reach	400 mm	425 mm	450 mm	470 mm	490 mm	515 mm
Stack	592 mm	601 mm	610 mm	619 mm	637 mm	656 mm

**Helmet** POC Tectal | **Glasses** POC Aspire | **Hippack** Patagonia Black Hole Waist Pack 5L
**Shirt** Monserat J03 | **Shorts** ION Scrub Shorts | **Kneepads** Chromag Rift | **Shoes** Giro Chamber II
**Socks** Stance Supercrew Comp Nano | **Watch** Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL

The Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 Reserve on the trail

Uphill, the Tallboy is very comfortable. Despite the small amount of travel, it takes its time on the climbs, while the active rear end, while always generating enough traction, drains your legs quickly. Here the shock’s climb switch would help but this is hard to reach and reduces traction significantly for technical climbs. On top of that, the relatively slack seat tube angle positions the rider above the rear wheel, causing the shock to sink deep into its travel on steep ramps even with the saddle pushed all the way forward. As a result, you’ll have to actively load the front wheel to prevent it from lifting, despite the stretched riding position and wide handlebars which pull your upper body far forward. Uphill, the Tallboy can’t keep up with its direct competitors, the YT IZZO BLAZE and Yeti SB115.

The Tallboy is one of the slower climbers in this test and depends heavily on the climb switch. However, this is difficult to reach

Tuning-tips: 200 mm rotors front and rear | rear tire with more robust casing to protect the carbon rim

Even downhill, the Tallboy requires a skilful rider to generate sufficient traction on technical singletrack and rough root carpets. Ride aggressively and the Tallboy will reward you with responsive and lively handling – a blessing if you know what you’re doing. Hard hits don’t seem to impress the Tallboy, which passes them onto the rider almost unfiltered. While pro riders will have a blast on relatively tame trails, beginners will be easily overwhelmed by the demanding and harsh nature of the Tallboy. The low front combined with the 800 mm bars enables precise steering behaviour but also results in chilling OTB moments on steep sections. On flowing trails, the Tallboy shines with great cornering stability, resembling its big brother, the 5010. It’s agile, precise and, thanks to the stiff suspension, always offers enough support to pull off steps and ledges. The Tallboy is only suitable for experienced riders who can tame it with good skills and an active riding style.

Riding Characteristics

Uphill

sluggish
efficient

Agility

cumbersome
playful

Stability

nervous
confident

Handling

demanding
balanced

Suspension

harsh
plush

Fun Factor

planted
poppy

Value for money

terrible
very good

Intended Use

XC

Trail

Enduro

Downhill

Conclusion

The Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 Reserve proves that the amount of travel alone doesn’t say anything about the handling of a bike. Despite its conservative 130/120 mm suspension setup, it falls behind most of its competitors on the climbs. On the other hand, downhill it shines with precise and agile handling. But watch out: this only applies to active and skilled riders who know what they’re doing and are brave enough to tame the lively character of the bike. If that’s you, you’ll get a quiet, fun and high-quality bike for all sorts of trails. Nevertheless, there are definitely better and more capable bikes that suit a wider range of applications, both up and downhill!

Tops

outstanding build quality
quiet
agile bike with stiff suspension

Flops

climbs efficiently only with climb switch
only for experienced riders
brakes overheat quickly

Find more information here: santacruzbicycles.com

The testfield

Get an overview of the grouptest here: The best mountainbike of 2021 – 22 models in review

This scale indicates how efficiently the bike climbs. It refers to both simple and technical climbs. Along with the suspension, the riding position and the weight of the bike all play a crucial role.↩
How does the bike ride and descend? How spritely is the bike, how agile is it through corners, how much fun is it in tight sections and how quickly can it change direction?↩
Is the bike stable at high speeds? Is it easy to stay in control in demanding terrain? How composed is it on rough trails? Stability is a combination of balanced geometry, good suspension and the right spec.↩
This is all about how balanced the bike is and particularly about how well it corners. Balanced bikes require little physical effort from the rider and are very predictable. If a bike is unbalanced, the rider has to work hard to weight the front wheel to generate enough grip. However, experienced riders can have a lot of fun even with unbalanced bikes.↩
How sensitive is the suspension over small bumps? Can it absorb hard impacts and does it soak up repeated hits? Plush suspension not only provides comfort and makes a bike more capable, but it also generates traction. The rating includes the fork and the rear suspension.↩
This aspect mainly comes down to the suspension. How much pop does it have, does it suck up the rider’s input or is it supportive, and how agile and direct is the bike?↩
We don’t calculate value for money in an excel spreadsheet or based on how high-end a bike is specced. We are more concerned with how a bike performs on the trail and how the bike benefits the rider. What good are the best components if the bike doesn’t perform well on the trail? Expensive bikes with a lower-end spec can offer very good value for money – provided they excel where it matters. Just as supposedly cheap bikes with good components can get a bad rating if they don’t deliver on the trail.↩
No, it’s not about racing, it’s about efficiency. Fast, fleet-footed and efficient – those who want to speed along flowy singletrack and gravel roads need a defined and spritely bike that accelerates with ease and efficiency. Nevertheless, reliable components are important too. We interpret XC more like the Americans do: big back-country rides instead of a marathon or XC World Cup with the ultimate in lightweight construction! Uphill-downhill ratio: 80:30 (not everything has to be 100%!)↩
...also known as mountain biking. Classic singletrack with roots, rocks and ledges – sometimes flowy, sometimes rough. For this, you need a bike with good all-round qualities, whether climbing or descending. Uphill-downhill ratio: 50:50↩
Even more extreme and challenging compared to Trail riding, riddled with every kind of obstacle: jumps, gaps, nasty rock gardens, ruts and roots. For this, you need (race)proven equipment that forgives mistakes and wouldn’t look out of place on a stage of the Enduro World Series. Climbing is just a means to an end. Uphill-downhill ratio: 30:70↩
Strictly speaking, a 200 mm travel downhill bike is the best choice for merciless tracks with big jumps, drops and the roughest terrain. Those would be the black or double-black-diamond tracks in a bike park. But as some of the EWS pros (including Sam Hill) have proven, it’s the riding skills and not the bike that define what you can ride with it. Climbing? On foot or with a shuttle, please! Uphill-downhill ratio: 10:90↩
You can find more info about our rating system in this article: Click here! ↩

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Words: Peter Walker Photos: various

Santa Cruz Tallboy CC X01 2021 in review – Less travel = more fun?