herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Sweet rig! Looks like you might need to lower them handlebars a bit, based on the saddle height.
EDIT: I just saw the photo with your daughter riding it. The handlebars aren't high, the saddle is waaaay low! But you know that.
New Bike Day!
- Thread starter littlewave
- Start date
EDIT: I just saw the photo with your daughter riding it. The handlebars aren't high, the saddle is waaaay low! But you know that.
Sasquatch9billion
iMTB Rockstah
Great color!
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
I wish they made it in grown-up sizes, but I managed to find a suitable alternative.
mtbMike
iMTB Rockstah
Been wanting a 150/140 29er for a bit and have checked out the Smuggler, Rascal & Hightower. Even though they are a touch bigger travel, the Ripmo, Switchblade and Sentinel were also possibilities. The Smuggler &’Rascal would require outside the acceptable mods to be covered under warranty. I loved the color of the Hightower but that Rock Shox Super Deluxe and I don’t get along. I reallllly wanted to wait for the new Ripmo but they keep pushing back the release.
I probably would have waited for the Ripmo until I found a can’t pass up deal on an unridden, fully loaded 2023 Switchblade. It just happened to be for sale in Flagstaff while @pperrelle and I were riding there this weekend so I went over and scooped up this $10K ride for $6200. I’ll switch over to XT brakes and a Bike Yoke dropper and be all good for the trip next month to Oregon & Whistler.
I probably would have waited for the Ripmo until I found a can’t pass up deal on an unridden, fully loaded 2023 Switchblade. It just happened to be for sale in Flagstaff while @pperrelle and I were riding there this weekend so I went over and scooped up this $10K ride for $6200. I’ll switch over to XT brakes and a Bike Yoke dropper and be all good for the trip next month to Oregon & Whistler.
Tom the Bomb
iMTB Rockstah
Score!
Y-not
iMTB Rockstah
SnakeCharmer
iMTB Hooligan
New bike day for me too, sort of.... 
mtbMike
iMTB Rockstah
I had the 1st Mach 6 in 2014 (I loved it) and then the 1st model of the 5.5 (I hated it, sold it in less than 2 months). Demo's the 1st Switchblades and thought they were a tank. This one rides "light" and is much easier to throw around corners.
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
The shock feels great.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
The shock feels great.150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
Stay away from my Irvine Ranch STRAVA cuppies!Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
View attachment 93816
View attachment 93817
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
You're a healthy mammal who abides in the wake of my stinky enduro kit.I am only fast when you punch a hole in the air for me.
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
@Obsidian
Nice ride .. think you'll end up liking the 29 Wheels.
But seriously find out if you got charger 3.0 damper or 3.1...
The 3.0 not so good. It's what I just had the fluid Focus people completely fix.
The 3.1 is supposed to be better. Not sure if it's great but the 3.0 is the one I had to take a ton of air out and put a bunch of tokens in just to make it ride okay...
The wiz will confuse us all...
But good job. Nice looking bike. Enjoy!!
Nice ride .. think you'll end up liking the 29 Wheels.
But seriously find out if you got charger 3.0 damper or 3.1...
The 3.0 not so good. It's what I just had the fluid Focus people completely fix.
The 3.1 is supposed to be better. Not sure if it's great but the 3.0 is the one I had to take a ton of air out and put a bunch of tokens in just to make it ride okay...
The wiz will confuse us all...
But good job. Nice looking bike. Enjoy!!
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
'grats on the new scooter. I am so flattered that you are following in my footsteps - sort of.
When I was looking to replace my Tracer (which I loved) with a modern 29er, I tried a bunch of them and liked the Hightower best. So I ordered one (XXL). 8 months later, still no Hightower. Since there was an XXL Megatower frame hanging from the rafters at The Path, I went with that instead. Mistake. The Meg and I didn't get along as is well documented somewhere in these pages. I truly believe I would still have the Hightower and would have one less helicopter ride in my history, had I been patient enough to get one.
As for your fork - I'll set it up for ya. Don't go down the Shock Wiz rabbit hole. Sounds like you either need to add a token or a little more air - but not both. Dial up some slow speed compression damping too. Easy peasy.
Y-not
iMTB Rockstah
Yep. What he says. I would do about 3% more air to start and add one or two clicks of LSC.
Basically with all my messing around with the Shock Wiz it did two things for me.
First it helped me to understand suspension and what happens with the different settings.
Second it gave me motivation to ride more.
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Thanks man, yep first thing I did was to scan the serial number to make sure it had the 3.1 damper so all good.
Interesting. I had no idea you were considering the Hightower when you bought the ill fated Megatower. I had the same experience with my first Santa Cruz ... it took all summer and then some to arrive, so now I only purchase if I know it is in stock.
I set it to the softest possible recommended air pressure so that is likely it. I will bump it 3 PSI before my next ride. If it can't handle that one part of Lizards then I will put a token in. I don't think there is much that I hit harder than that little wall on Lizards, I just sort of blast into it full force, LOL.
This fork does not have a whole lot of clicks available for either LSC or HSC (only 5 each I think) so not nearly as complicated as the Fox on my Tracer.
I fully agree with that second part. I was riding all the time when I was messing with the ShockWiz.
That in itself might be good motivation to play with it again. 
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
July 20th, Bommer. Let's gooooo.
mtbMike
iMTB Rockstah
Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
View attachment 93816
View attachment 93817
This bike was on my extremely short list of bikes....along with the new (still unreleased) Ibis Ripmo, the new (still unreleased) Intense Primer, the Transition Smuggler and the long shot Pivot Switchblade as I didn't really want Superboost wheels. I ended up with the Pivot only because I found a deal too good to pass up. So far, I couldn't be happier and I'm sure you'll feel the same way about the Hightower. If not, a new Hightower is on the way at the end of the year.
No way I could ride with 800 bars. I always cut them down to 780.
Tom the Bomb
iMTB Rockstah
Saweeeeet! But it looks to be a bumpy ride.
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
I’ll let you know.
Bluesrider
Well-Known Member
Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
View attachment 93816
View attachment 93817
I’m guessing you’ll love the SC once dialed in, I love my Hightower and I am a huge Intense Tracer fan. Have owned 3 of them plus a Carbine and a 5.5, but once I switched to Santa Cruz I seem to like the overall ride and feel of the SC better. Think you’ll find that the Tracer and Hightower are so similar that having both is redundant. Beautiful looking bike you got there.
Mikie
Admin/iMTB Hooligan
That color gets me giddy…Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
View attachment 93816
View attachment 93817
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
Cool ..
And which little wall.. right past the first real rocky section.. the abrupt up?
The other test place part II right after the up top rattle there is that drop in ... If you huck it wrong it can be a bit of a squash
Glad for you... Trying to figure out when I can make it back.. who knew Ribs take a while to heal.. but they do provide interesting changing bruise-scape!
Tom the Bomb
iMTB Rockstah
Saweeeeet!
Picked up a new 2024 Santa Cruz Hightower last weekend. First 29er. It seems to shift color from blue to silver somehow, but usually looks blue to me.
I got the CC version with XO Eagle Transmission and the carbon reserve rims. Only three rides so far, and still trying to dial in the fork. I bottomed it on the G out at the top of Lizards on the 4th. I might put the ShockWiz on it.
150/145 travel which is less than my Tracer by 10 & 20mm. The big wheels are taking some getting used to, as is the increase from 760 to 800mm handlebar width.. I already swapped out the grips from Santa Cruz to ODI Vanquish. Santa Cruz grips are like riding bone on carbon.
Keeping the Tracer too, unless I find myself never riding it.
View attachment 93816
View attachment 93817
Tom the Bomb
iMTB Rockstah
Bvader what did FF do to your damper? I have the 3.0 also.
By the way The shock wiz worked great for me.
By the way The shock wiz worked great for me.
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
Heya @Tom the Bomb !!!
I mean I got it to where I think I needed with the shockwiz but I was running like 55 lb and three tokens.. I weigh 200 200 fully kitted.
This is what I had done and it a pretty completely different fork.
Now I'm running about 85 with zero tokens... I have not whizzed it yet but I may try. It's pretty different
https://www.fluid-focus.com/mountain-bike-suspension-products#charger-3
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Which - the Meg or the HT - or both?
BB height wasn't really the issue for me, and I believe I was running 175mm cranks on the Meg. My issue was the lateral stiffness of the frame. Horribly unforgiving from the side. Easily deflected. The HT was a much more forgiving ride. Given the reputation of the Tracers of the era (2016 ish), I must prefer a somewhat compliant rear end.
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