Joe's Santa Cruz Highball | Superlight Custom Ready-to-Race XC Bike

[@rolandovera5935]

I like BikeRadar for having some focused and specific XC content. I feel for as good as GMBN is, they lack this type of content. Thank you providing it please don’t stop making XC vids.

[@camperhonsa8633]

Rolando Vera All we need now is a dh/fr/dj focused channel!

[@afcforme6459]

GMBN is way too focused on enduro stuff.

[@coldforgedcowboy]

@@afcforme6459 ... that is because the GMBN staff are vertically challanged, they can't get there bikes up hill without a shuttle. In fact any ride over 10KM has to be done by the GCN staff members.

[@bike_rider-k2h]

@@coldforgedcowboy Haha, so true.

[@ukyo6195]

@@afcforme6459 GMBN is more like the SUN Newspaper in MTB

[@moynge]

Dude Joe, you are 100% correct using those Rocket Ron tires. Love those tires.

[@bikeradar]

Hahahaha, I'm so happy I'm not the only one! Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@anthonykelly6619]

Always look forward to Joe's content the most, Im really getting into xc and he shreds!

[@bikeradar]

Glad to hear you like it and thanks for watching! Joe.

[@martinzehnle8086]

Would love to see some content about the fork. Setup and ride impressions, maybe a comparison to the Fox SC 32

[@TheCrookedWheel]

Martin Zehnle I own one. ~68kg rider weight. Short: Flexy as hell, nearly too flexy. Feels like butter. Soaks up choppy stuff like nothing. Blows through travel. Noticeably lightweight.

[@michaelmaney8317]

@@TheCrookedWheel which fork are you talking about, the SID or the Fox SC32?

[@richcole5829]

My favorite radar feature of the year. Thanks for keeping it going, Joe!

[@bikeradar]

haha, and one of my favourite comments! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching. Joe.

[@maxk7023]

Wonderful bike build! I have the same exact bike, aside from the custom build. It's Santa Cruz's S build. I also put some custom parts on it like new wheels, and grippier tires (carbon wheels are for racing). I've also thrown some carbon bars on it, dropper, and hopefully some carbon cranks in the future. Bike's awesome, and it's awesome seeing someone else riding one! Great video and keep it up!

[@bikeradar]

Glad you liked the video and thanks for the info on your build. Joe

[@rmnstr604]

I ride the 2019 Highball, which apart from the color is pretty much the same bike. I love it, have no complaints what so ever.

[@abcd969696]

I'm a simple BikeRadar complain-in-the-comments fan. I see a Santa Cruz, i smash the like button.

[@bikeradar]

Haha, glad to be of service. From your friends at BikeRadar

[@gerry2893]

Have had my Highball for about 7 or 8 years now and it is still awesome! I worked with Scott (super guy!) at Santa Cruz directly on getting my frame right to my measurements which are spot on (longer torso and shorter legs). It's really the perfect all around bike.

[@Prince_Pig]

Joe’s the best. Love his vids.

[@bikeradar]

Haha, glad you liked it and thanks for watching. Joe.

[@alenkajohan2031]

Very nice frame geometry, HT purity and lightness

[@mtbness5028]

Proud owner of 2019 Highball C. Colour:🍆. Stunning bike. Truly. Glad you like it.

[@kynasf]

Good point on stiffness. Difficult to tell when compliant stops and flexy starts. I ride one for a few weeks and found it super comfortable on long rides, which is probably something most riders would prefer over out and out stiffness

[@mitchellsteindler]

Flexy means strain caused by power. Compliant means strain caused by the trial or road.

[@bikemike1118]

@@mitchellsteindler and „stiff“ means brittle which will also cause stress - to the rider AND the frame

[@mitchellsteindler]

@@bikemike1118 never heard someone call a bike frame brittle.

[@kristophstjames4143]

I have this exact bike and the new Blur.. Love them both the same.. awesome bikes

[@xxzmk]

also really happy you chose that frame color, its my favourite.

[@benvinall5856]

SRAM for going Shimano for stopping, the best combo going 👍

[@hawgietonight]

Nice one Joe, I'm not into XC but this is a good honest review.

[@bikeradar]

Hi Christopher, thanks for the comment and thanks for watching. Joe.

[@aaronwilmes]

I think santa cruz makes the most beautiful and most expensive frame in the world!

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

add a dropper and some wider bars and we ballin!!! :)

[@americanmuffin5894]

U. E. High Balln!

[@jasonhamlin8847]

Awesome review. Incredible bling build!

[@bikeradar]

Glad you liked it and thanks for watching. Joe.

[@frank43969]

Love watching your content, the bike looks awesome and job well done! Would love to see more coverage of the events or rides you guys do, hill climb season is cool, the welsh coast to coast was cool, that UCI race would have been pretty awesome, maybe that brompton race in the UK(?) (not sure what it's actually called, from Canada just thinking of cool events). Would love to watch you guys do the Dirty Kanza or some cool and quirky events.

[@henriquevos7612]

HotHotHot!!!!!!!!! Will take it any time... just love the way they are designed ... as a xc racer myself l went with the 2020 Santa Cruz Blur and wowwwwwwww its awesome ... l would like to know how that hardtail feels like

[@hey1steve1]

As an XC racer my go to tires are the Rocket Ron Snake Skin, they hold up very well and are still very light, excellent choice. Surprised at the weight of the bike. My racing buddies Epic FS weighs the same.

[@cornellvanderwesthuizen5458]

As per Bike Germany - Highball torsional stiffness is 35N/mm vs Spec Epic HT 51N/mm - Spec Alu Chisel frame sits at 43N/mm!

[@bikeradar]

Ah that's interesting! So I was going down the right path when I said the Highball didn't feel quite as stiff? Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@bradgriffith6234]

I ordered one of these last week. Will collect it in a few days

[@MM-fc8ie]

Joe I most certainly approve of your bike choice, and am building up one myself at the moment! Just have a question regarding the Rotor Kapic carbon cranks as I am running the Rotor Hawk "enduro" set on my Trance but am wanting to run the Kapic Carbon on my Highball. What I have been worried about is stiffness (or rather lack thereof), and more so since you mentioned the cranks may be a contributing factor to the lack of stiffness in the feel of the Highball. One thing I love about the Hawk cranks is how stiff they are, but compared to the Kapic Carbon cranks they are quite heavy. Now Rotor tout the Kapic Carbon cranks as their stiffest cranks yet, but not sure if that is just marketing and I cannot find any reviews discussing this. I wouldn't want to give up the stiffness of the Hawk cranks, but at the same time I am trying to keep my build just sub 9kg so wouldn't want to add weight unnecessarily either.

[@bikeradar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. That's a really hard question to answer as ideally you'd need to do back-to-back testing and get the cranks in the lab. However, whilst I can't say whether they're stiffer or not, I can safely say that I've been no slower using the Kapic carbon cranks compared to the alloy Rotor 2Inpower cranks I used last year. Further more, being a bit of a weight weenie I usually go for the lightest option, and have been very impressed with the Kapic carbon cranks so far. A final thought, I'm 63kg - 64kg all year round, and being so light means I put a bit less strain on components compared to a more powerful rider. If you do weigh around the 80 - 90kg mark it might be worth considering something a bit stronger. Hope that helps, Joe.

[@MM-fc8ie]

@@bikeradar That helps a lot thank's Joe, and I appreciate you taking the time to give a thoughtful reply.

[@bbossautomotive3602]

Dam that Wheelset is crazy light

[@RyBsOn888]

I'm racing marathons on a strange setup, Rocket Ron on a back and Nobby Nic on the front. Ron is pretty fast rolling tire and Nic just give me some extra confidence in harsh conditions. I ride that setup all year long for like 4-5 years already. In the meantime I was trying Racing Ralphs but could'nt get used to them as they seemed not gripy enough for my style of riding. Also the first models of RR were the lightest and I got punctures on them very often but now they improved and added a little extra weight so ones from 2017-20 are good enough.

[@superflex6587]

Those cages .....

[@bikeradar]

Haha, watch this video to see why I love them so much! kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4q3Zn-VoL2Cg7s Thanks for watching. Joe.

[@trroland1248]

Beautiful bike!

[@rommeldavid27]

Nice review Joe. BTW, perhaps you meant disclosure, not disclaimer?

[@bikeradar]

Haha yeah that makes more sense! Thanks for watching and glad you liked the video. Joe.

[@carlosflanders518]

Nothing wrong with rocket rons. Did a snowy and icy gravel race on them yesterday and they were primo.

[@AndrewGrease]

Did they fix the seatube width to take in proper droppers?

[@palpatine1975]

Sweet looking bike..

[@benvinall5856]

Joe, where is this route I often see ridden? Think it’s Forest of Dean but have never actually seen these sections....

[@bikeradar]

It's near the main fire road climb to the DH trails. On the left as you're riding up. About a 3min ride away from the carpark. Hope that helps, Joe.

[@robertbeckerson585]

Really appreciate bike radars Xc content and Joe is a great rider to watch, so thanks for all you do! I’ve a question - I ride my specialized chisel with a low front end but unless i put the stem very high (would be a crazy position for an Xc bike) and brake levers level, my gear shifter/brake lever would take a big chunk out of the top tube if I crashed and the bars span. Hoping you might know of some on the market solutions....I tried some silicon wraps called skeans but they don’t look great and are a bit too loose to fit the frame. Hope you can help and definitely keep up the great Xc vids!

[@febirusdian1465]

Am hardtail fan... I like geometry of the frame..

[@andrewlong3472]

Awesome review. I think we could measure BB lateral stiffness by securing the tires to the ground (brakes or some other way) and loading up the crank on one side. Then measure the deflection and compare it to the unloaded number? I’d love to see this metric. Maybe it’s impossible/impractical for some other reason?

[@eatnpooter1634]

I just picked me up a blue Highball myself , put a dropper and a 180mm front rotor . She shredzzzzzzz.. Now my poor 19' 29er stump jumper is collecting dust !!!!

[@LuisReyes-tn1uj]

My dream bike to go with my 2020 Tallboy!!!!!!!

[@jeeble]

Interesting you mention the water ingress as I've just discovered this exact issue with my Blur, which has the same routing port and cover...

[@bigbang3881]

Would you recommend this bike for 2.700?

[@jasoncusack3638]

i have the new highball and i use it for my 24 hr races its awesome

[@richyd2411]

The bottom bracket after 32 months & around 9000 miles is still going strong with no play . I plan to change this spring .

[@ek8507]

ooh, highball CC (Ca-Ching)

[@dcdoestri]

It does look lovely but my OCD brain can’t discount that the blues aren’t the same 😬

[@vicklein2288]

I find the fork's blue to look slightly better too, shame santa Cruz didn't use the same color

[@jameslemains7475]

Mmmm think a trek supercaliber might suit you

[@steveco1800]

I like them but wouldn't put the money down because not sure how you would maintain the shock and a Canyon Lux seems much better value.

[@DM-hw4cr]

Press fit bb on treks

[@gaffle-411]

Is the Trek Made in USA? ... if not, NOPE!

[@peterclaridad3069]

What maxxis tires is equivalent to rocket rons?

[@ashleyscarth8363]

Put a dropper post on it

[@kargi42]

XTR9100 pedals came out last year. How can it work really well for last COUPLE years? 04:40

[@jaspergeens5841]

Could you please test the new Ghost lector because it’s completely different of any other xc hardtail

[@richardsonj96]

A GX shifter?

[@marcussurleyadventures1928]

Santa Cruz is always loved... I bet you can’t say the same for cannondale.

[@rayred74]

Great looking bike. It would be good to hear your views on the Carbon Chameleon- I know it is not an XC bike but would like a comparison with the Highball being a hardtails. Personally, my Chameleon is the funnest bike I have ridden, very snappy on the climbs and loads of fun on the descents. Very nice all day bike.

[@andyblackshaw9186]

Will there be a video of your Lanzarote race, or any of your races?

[@bikeradar]

Unfortunately not. We couldn't film during the event as it's a UCI race, so that can make things tricky. Hopefully later on in the year I'll be doing some races where we can film. Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@andyblackshaw9186]

Thanks for the reply, particularly enjoyed the Hill climb diaries but I expect they’re not uci events. Good luck with the rest of the racing, might see you on Redbull racing against Nino.

[@justinsiever8442]

Where’s the dropper short stem and wide bars

[@joeschlicht]

Is it me or does the SID WC blue not match the frame WC blue? It bothers my OCD.

[@carlingas666]

Do you only ride xc hardtails?

[@afcforme6459]

GX shifter because its lighter than X01?

[@b-manz]

Seat angle - I have a bone to pick with reviews on this. Most full suspension bikes have a sloping down tube so the quoted figure is not actually correct. It’s ‘close’ for a large number of riders assuming they all have the seat in the same place. However a rider could easily have a 73d seat angle if their seat was high. Am I missing something? Also, I like the slacker seat angles. Better for power on flatter sections and turning the cranks slowly in rough terrain.

[@gavinmercak-dinolfo1375]

What? The angle is off of horizontal. Not the other tubes

[@WhiteMFingRabbit]

Any footage from Lanzarote 4 stage race?

[@_crankclock_9902]

Hello, I have a question. Rotor inpower dm mtb C13-033-21010-000 with rotor Q-rings QX1 MTB narrow wide directly mounted chainring is this set compatible with 1/12 spam or Shimano 1/12 circuits?

[@bigwangmark]

Some nice eye candy there. And the bike is nice as well. :)

[@reubenneate3492]

Am I the only who thinks the only thing it is missing is a dropper? Not a big one but like a little 100mm travel dropper for the weight

[@bikeradar]

A dropper could be a cool addition. Something like the FRM dropper? Have you seen that yet? Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@makda971]

So damn clean 👌

[@sergio17061987]

Which you prefer...Scale RC ..FSI ore Highball??in confortable..and stiffer..

[@th_js]

Looks clean

[@crnkspinnr5863]

So I'm guessing these are 27.5 wheels? Freakin Super nice bike

[@bikeradar]

Nope, 29ers!

[@Simon-Simon-Simon]

just use compressor to get grips on

[@michaelmaney8317]

That or rubbing alcohol. Both methods work quite well.

[@paradox963]

Should have gone with the Blur, ditch the hardtail, it's a tiny bit more weight but massively faster, you could shave some of that extra weight by ditching the shimano light switches and putting a set of MT8 Magura's on.

[@donkeller6399]

paradox963 “massively faster”?!...brother, that’s hyperbole. Riding both 2019 SC bikes in CC, Xo1, carbon reserve hoops, its the specific race track that points to the better tool for the win. For free rides in Colorado routes going up and down, depending on the length and track, it’s a push for non-Fred’s. Cheers.

[@carlosgomezzzzzzz]

Every hardtail should have a dropper post installed

[@heldermonteiro7095]

Trek Supercaliper please

[@Mr_RichardH]

What a shame the forks and frame don't *quite* match...

[@haroldhdknoxstreet-glide5331]

Nice bike but at 105-110kg 🤪 I have to go with a Men's Sirrus X Comp Carbon it holds up to 130kg and is only a little over 10kg in XL 😎

[@benvinall5856]

Harold William Knox I’ve ridden a highball c for the last two years at same weight ish and found this amazing. Just had slightly stronger Hope tech enduro wheels rather than lightweight wheels. It’s incredibly comfortable and got such a quick turn of pace vs a trail hardtail.

[@michaelpegg5994]

Is this the hybrid bike from specialized?

[@grvl307]

Shimano brakes, SRAM rotors. 🧐

[@osmanselcuk1499]

René Wondergem Nothing new

[@saynotothegreatreset]

I've got sram level brakes with shimano icetech rotors

[@zmaxboost1]

If u think Santa Cruz is a cool name for a bike check out Quintana Roo's bikes, they're pretty cool as well.

[@Detroit3Pistons]

Do XC racers ever use a dropper post?

[@bikemike1118]

rarely

[@BurnDuration]

The slackened seat tube angle closes up the riders hip angle, and decreases power efficiency.

[@joelirving9292]

BurnDuration care to elaborate?

[@BurnDuration]

Joel Irving when the riders hips are moved forward this allows for larger muscle groups to be utilized, like the glutes. Also, at the top of the pedal stroke, the riders knee does not come up as high, and the rider has an easier time breathing. Opening up the hip angle is accomplished also with shorter crankarm lengths, which aims at keeping the bend in the knee as straight as possible at the top of the pedal stroke. I like to think of it this way, when performing squats at the gym, peak power and strength is accomplished when standing nearly upright, and the least when squatting. Keeping the hip angle open allows the rider to operate more in this upright position a greater percentage of the time during the pedal stroke. This is also why essentially all Time Trial/Tri frames have nearly vertical seat tubes.

[@peteristrups5565]

did somebody see that Frame is 1to 1 with giant xtc geometry >?

[@nicoladiana2358]

But the santa cruz ebike ?

[@jonienglish3231]

what size FRAME ? did you say LARGE !!! how Tall Are you ?

[@bikeradar]

Yes a large and i'm 183cm tall. Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@jonienglish3231]

@@bikeradar Thanks for Reply JOE Keep Videos Coming . Just Confused with NEW GEOMETRY with Longer Top Tube and Shorter STEMS

[@jonienglish3231]

@@bikeradar Kool Same Height

[@kamilmitek]

what is frame weight ?

[@markreams3192]

I’m in the market for a hard tail. No press fit BB! Great! However the 2020 Specialized epic has a threaded BB as well! Press fit bottom brackets are a deal killer for me. It took me a year to get the creak out of my Giant Defy. Never again! By the way, the cure was a Chris King BB

[@XCRiders]

How’s it climb

[@TheAllEngineering]

If you buy a fully built up model from Santa Cruz even the top of the range is heavy compared to competitors.

[@jimthebikeguy]

Same tires front and rear?

[@donkeller6399]

James Charlesworth lm curious as well...I couldn’t spot the front labeling in the vid.

[@bikeradar]

Yep, Rocket Ron front and rear. Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@brauljo]

2:11 But is it T47?

[@luc4662]

I wondered for a while what the hell „sun screws“ were.

[@bikemike1118]

Screws lying in the sun, of course

[@theexecutioner5120]

I like rocket ron Its good

[@markwells8798]

Rocket Ron's are the best tires made, Everything else sucks! But a racing Ralph is a faster rear tire depending on conditions.

[@pli257]

Does anyone know the Background music At 1:00 ?

[@murraylangley2449]

When I bought my new Specialized SWorks Epic, I looked at the Santa Cruz, the $$$$ premium for an equivalent spec'ed SC was far to high for very much the same bike.

[@LCNismo]

2year warranty vs lifetime even if you crack it jumping it. Shit even orbea has a longer warranty. You get what you pay for.

[@DM-hw4cr]

Lifetime on spesh frames

[@lekerbeketje]

You look a bit too happy down there if you ask me

[@JasonLiske]

Thunderburt rear and then you are set.

[@brennansquad]

How tall are you?

[@thecatsonholiday5932]

I want it. I need it. Uhhh

[@raphtabiner4069]

Sram XO?

[@igormarinkovic1531]

Looks like Cube Aim Pro

[@galdakaMusic]

Weight and size?

[@bikeradar]

Size large, 9.03kg with cages, pedals and Garmin mount.

[@christiansmyth1466]

Wow, I don't think there is a single stock component on that bike. Is this video supposed to be useful to folks considering buying a Highball? To me, if they are buying a stock bike, no. And if they are buying frame-only, then no again, unless they are using the exact same build-up as Joe (or something really similar). So is this just for entertainment? I guess I've never really dug into the LTR vids before...are they all like this?

[@Nondezeusproduction]

I do hate those tires hahaha got flats on my first ride with them. I'm a religious believer in the maxxis ikon 2.35

[@bikeradar]

Hahaha, no worries! Good to hear you've found a tyre you like and thanks for watching. Joe.