Santa Cruz Megatower vs Hightower vs Bronson, which one? | WMBN

[@paradox963]

Megatower all day set up in the short and high settings, fantastic from florida to pisgah. Everyone I know that gets a hightower just starts to slowly convert it into a Megatower, they bump out the fork, then they end up putting a cascade link in the rear. Save the upgrade money and just get the Megatower then a second set of wheels with recons on them and your set for everywhere.

[@ShaneScrimager]

i’m looking at my 2021 bike and same, i want all the squish i can get and mod from there. excellent thought! pisgah looks so good! seen a lot of sweet trails in florida too. pretty sweet corner from the carolinas / georgia / alabama / n florida riding 🙌🏻 🤙🏻

[@paradox963]

@@ShaneScrimager Yeah if your ever on the north east side of florida check out Graham Swamp. It shocks everyone, it's my home trail and ran in to BCPOV out there one days and a couple of the guys from Industry Nine. It's an old quarry so there are lots of punchy techie climbs and fun descents as well as some drops and jumps.

[@PauloMesaros]

God dammit why am I 100% targeted when you're talking about the Hightower hahaha

[@dustinbjohnson]

I've owned both the hightower and the bronson. I like the 27.5, but I love 29. Bronson was super fun. But Hightower takes care of business!

[@ShaneScrimager]

on the trails i see the hightower just owning it. but we have some gnar and some bike parks and the mega is all over with rippers ride’n em. such a hard choice. i’m on a process 153 right now and PR’ing every week. the thing is an animal. i’m so stuck, mega or hightower...

[@dustinbjohnson]

@@ShaneScrimager yah man tough call!! If I only had one bike Hightower all day!

[@TheAllEngineering]

@@ShaneScrimager Neither stick with the process.

[@kmazzanti]

LOVE THIS CONVERSATION!!

[@Kejsh22]

Great video format and interview. I've been watching a lot of videos on these bikes and none have clearly stated the obvious that they all have the same geometry with more squish/less squish. Referring to the Megatower, Hightower, Tallboy. I appreciated that comment. (subscribed)

[@ShaneScrimager]

thanks Heckler! Cory worked at Santa Cruz Bicycles for 3 years, he knows his stuff! he’s got me looking at a Hightower. i bumped in to my buddy Will on the trail today who went from a Bronson to an Ibis 29’r. he loves the wagon wheels but he’s selling the Ibis for a Hightower. Santa Cruz geo won him over!

[@kmazzanti]

Hey guys, please have this discussion again with the 2022 versions of the same bikes. Grateful!

[@ShaneScrimager]

i reached out to Cory. he said there wasn’t any real significant upgrades / geo’s. will revisit when there’s more info!

[@kmazzanti]

@@ShaneScrimager well now the Bronson is a mixed wheel and the mega tower and high tower have a 2023 version. This same discussion with the new version of bikes would be amazing, hopefully you have the time to do it. Thanks!!

[@ShaneScrimager]

@@kmazzanti oooooh dang!!! the Bronson went mullet! niiiiiiiiiiiiice

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Cool discussion taking place here. I've spent alot of time on all of them and owned several Hightowers. My take: If you are going with a lot of climbing, Hightower or Bronson. Cascade components now makes a lower link for the Hightower that takes it up to 150mm (Megatower'ish territory). If you are a shorter rider like 5'8 or less, Bronson. Megatower is a great bike and it climbs great for its category but on long extended climbs, man it will wear you out! Climbing that rig on Big Rock in Dupont, NC, it was a chore. The Hightower and Bronson will not do that to you but give you that ability to handle chuck. The Tallboy, man, this bike impressed me the most. For 120mm of travel, it feels like its 130mm. Did some reviews of these on my ch. but now I'm loving the Ripmo v2.

[@ShaneScrimager]

i'd have to agree! the Hightower could be the 1 go to bike. especially with a 150mm lower link! the Mega is a lot of bike. we've got Downieville / Northstar / Martis / some private property here to unleash the Mega but have to agree the Hightower would handle that and be able to rip the local trails as well. we've got a kid who blasts on a Bronson here in town and he's KOM'ing all the local trails. he absolutely rips but i'd have to tip my hat to the Bronson for providing the rocket ship. i stay in the 150 - 160mm travel 29'r bikes, i'll get there but won't be smashing any climbing times! i really should try 130 - 140mm trail bike, i'm sure they are so snappy and fast!

[@paradox963]

@@ShaneScrimager I don't know I have a megatower and I was chasing down and catching XC guys up Big Rock, and at 28ish lbs it's a lot of bike for the weight.

[@ShaneScrimager]

@@paradox963 we smash, you smash, they smash. it’s hard to go one for one with so many variables. sounds like you got legs and the mega is doing you well. trust me, i’ve got two friends here on mega’s, two others on slayers. they blast climbs and set times on descents. they’re animals. sounds like you’ve got something in common 🙌🏻

[@johannesschatz4070]

I sold my cube and ordert a megatower in oktober and now i ride my local trails with a 26 5 year old hardtail and my friends are riding canyon torque or scott ransom or genius quite funny to try to keep up to them😂😜

[@ShaneScrimager]

they'll have you on the climb up but you can be nice and let them know you'll see them later on the way down!!!

[@theelusiveone147]

I have a 2015 SC Bronson, can I go 27.5 in the back and going 29 in the front?

[@ShaneScrimager]

hey Kevin! you’d need to make sure a 9’r would fit in your fork. not literally but axel to crown correct fit. if you could and it works, you’re changing the geometry of the bike. little slacker head tube angle and lower bottom bracket. this may turn yer Bronson in to a trail slayer or pedal striking / bottom bracket bashing / slow to response no fun bike. if you found a fork that could be adjusted internally, like my RockShox (the 160 and 170 are the same fork but adjusted internally) i’d take 10mm off the travel to compensate for the increase in tire size. staying as close as i could to the original geometry. i think i’d keep the bike as is, it may be a money pit to get a 9’r up front!

[@totalglitch]

I have a V1 but Santa Cruz is taking care of a frame replacement. Since the new on is now 63 degrees head tube. The Bronson is mullet and the high tower is the same. I race enduros but nothing crazy and the biggest drop I do is 2 to 3 feet. Will the high tower still be fine???? Thank you

[@ShaneScrimager]

Cory said most people should be riding the Hightower, it's plenty of bike.

[@totalglitch]

@@ShaneScrimager that is what I am thinking of going back to

[@harryingd2674]

Why is it so hard to choose between 29 and 27.5. I really like both

[@ShaneScrimager]

i have both too. i race DH on 27.5 but prefer a 29’r for trail. it does come down to rolling speed. when i ride my 27.5 on the same trail as the 29’r, i notice a big difference. but fer some downhill runs i ride rolling speed isn’t the only factor. line choice / braking / getting back up to speed / agility weight in.

[@harryingd2674]

@@ShaneScrimager I’m only 12 so when i ride 29 it feel so spacious to me. But size small and mediums i try out are really cool.

[@ShaneScrimager]

unless yer 5’8” 5’10” 27.5 may be yer best bet. rip it and sell it when you grow out of it!

[@harryingd2674]

@@ShaneScrimager yes that’s what i plan to do

[@stevenbrideau3741]

I have a bike that has that flip switch that allows me to have both wheelsets

[@henryfrollo3184]

question, I was thinking about getting the Hightower, but I really like jumps and speeding through flow trails. Would it still be a good option?

[@ShaneScrimager]

100% for blasting flow trails. what i’ve noticed jumping with shorter travel bikes is you have to make the landing! otherwise the suspension claps and you can get bucked. but, more squish may not fix that anyway. you can always add tokens front and back for a little more progressive end stroke, soak up those landings.

[@dadventuretv2538]

Great vid. Love my 2019 Bronson V3 on 2.6s. I ride big gnar at high speed and it eats it up. I’m faster down than everybody except for the racers (Im 48 and done with that, ride for fun now) on their 29ers. Where they have the edge on me is the climbs. Course it could just be me too- sweeper- LOL- right there with ya- we can hang in the back and chat on our leisurely stroll up! So, interesting piece of info- Because I didn’t notice much rollover or carrying speed difference between my 29 x 2.3 and my 27.5 x 2.6, whereas I did notice the difference between my 29 x 2.3 and 27.5 x 2.3 (all Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR2), I measured difference between them and found that difference in diameter between 29 x 2.3 and 27.5 x 2.6 is only half an inch. When you consider that means only a quarter inch difference in radius, the difference in angle of attack is extremely small, which explains the lack of rollover difference I notice. That also means that over a mile the 29er will roll an extra 92 feet, or for something I can visualize, 30 yards. Compare that to 27.5 x 2.3 vs 29 x 2.3 and the 29er will travel 288 extra feet over a mile, or 96 yards. That’s basically a football field, a big difference. So when talking rollover and carrying speed I think it is important to talk wheel width too, as it makes a huge difference. 27.5 x 2.6 is sweet spot for me. In Appalachian mountain big gnar it doesn’t fall in the cracks between the rocks, I can air down a bit for better traction (both of which helps me just bomb gnar), yet still has enough psi to not be squishy on the bermed corners or hardpack. And yet it still feels way more poppy and playful than a 29er. I started to consider why this can be given that wheel diameter is not that different and My hypothesis is that it’s the bb drop. The bb drop for a HT compared to a Bronson is significantly more, so your feet are much lower than the pedals compared to with the Bronson. I think this has to do with why the bike feels like it takes more effort to get start getting it off the ground. And might also explain my other different feeling- in high speed over bog gnar the 29er feels much more stable (and my Bronson is an XL with a 1252 mm wheelbase, so not short). It’s not the Bronson feels unstable, but I am thrown around a bit more, whereas 29ers I feel more like the bike is cocooned around me. I think this might have something to do with the carrying speed difference too. I think some people might back off a bit when hitting big gnar at speed on 27.5 x any wheel size because of this feeling, whereas the feeling of stability that a 29er has they may open the taps a bit more. One of the reasons it probably doesn’t affect me as much is that my background is bmx and moto in the 80s, so I am use to that feeling of being thrown around and it doesnt really get in my head, plus growing up with no sus in the 90s I use my legs and arms as sus a lot more than many people. Course the downside to 27.5 x 2.6 is probably a bit slower on the pedal climbs. Which I always am. (Again partly me too!). Cause when we’re just pedaling up the 29er guys take off. But when we get in techy climbs I often clean stuff they cant with the massive traction and ability to pinpoint it where it needs to go. Here’s the link to the vid. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHi1hZ6PaZ6co7M Keep on shreddin’ 🤘🤙

[@ShaneScrimager]

ha! save your legs for the down, i’ll be enjoying the view on this climb! i’ve found the subtle differences between a 29’r and 27.5 too. they both have their place. same points, rolling speed / distance. i was on my 27.5 and friend same bike but 29’r, epic ride from single track to slabs to creek bed single track. the extra diameter the 29’r had was keeping his wheels more on top or over the cobble where my 27.5 was punching between the cobble. noticeably, he was floating over the cobble where i was eating cobble each section. ended up cycling the suspension and hopping through it looking for anything on the sides of the section to give my arms a break. really interesting to see. now it’s a simple choice of what trail are we riding and i’ll bring that bike. i love em both, 29’r and 27.5, i still have a 26’r downhill bike. in the end i do feel like i’m putting a pedal in here and there to keep up to speed on 27.5 where the 9’r just lives at speed or carries the speed on its own. when it’s gnar and chunk with root, rock, drops and sendies i’m on the 27.5 every time. the 9’r feels like train and rails through it but the 27.5 feels like sports car and i can change lines, manual, smash and bash so much easier. on that note, i’ve been looking at the Specialized Status or the Kona Process X mullet bikes... best of both worlds!!! (maybe🤣)

[@dadventuretv2538]

@@ShaneScrimager yup. Totally with you, They each have their place. For this point in my life without a lot of free time, I pretty much just need the best allrounder- something I can just grab and go and know it will be good whether hitting the skatepark, riding street round my hood, riding my local more mellow singletrack, hitting the mountains gnarly singletrack, or hitting the DH bikepark. Bronson fits that for me, and fits my goofball playing around riding style. Which I agree with ya tire size should fit riding style- I’m pretty active rider (probably the bmx background and never having done road riding) so the bit of extra body and bike movement required of a 27.5 and the using air to clear things sometimes suits how I ride anyway. Whereas someone who maybe has more of a road riding background and loves to just power through stuff and keeps wheels on the ground a bit a more, a 29er will probably fit their style a bit more. Interested to demo a mullet next summer- I’d be curious with something like a 29 x 2.5 front and a 27.5 x 2.3 rear.

[@jesusguido6986]

Will be upgrading next yr. Will demo 3, but Nomad not megatower.

[@ShaneScrimager]

i've been hearing a lot of great things about the updated Nomad! let me know what you think.

[@eatnpooter1634]

SC Hightower #allday💯🥜🇺🇸...

[@koreanmtnbiker2931]

where is the Nomad? My bike.

[@ShaneScrimager]

right there with the V10! not so much a trail bike, but more enduro / dh! a few years ago the Mega took the Nomads spot. but now that the Nomad went mullet it has its own place. that’s a big squish bike, and the Mega has a ton of squish for normal trail riding. the Tall Boy has a seat here too.

[@IMac8939]

Soooo, Just watched this and for some odd reason I now feel stoned and YET I don't smoke Weed.......AND I feel like I need to go watch a Cheech and Chong Movie ....

[@ShaneScrimager]

dangerous combo!

[@natanaellorenzi5]

Nomad.

[@ShaneScrimager]

oh yeah! i watched the pinkbike update a bit ago. i’m a 170 front and rear for 27.5 trail / enduro bike. the Nomad is a proven bruiser! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3StmJ-VnZutl68

[@karunyavlogKB1432]

Please give me one mountain bike gift bro

[@ShaneScrimager]

we’re talking about a do all bike next week as well. of Santa Cruz’s line up, i think the Hightower could be pressed in to anything. i just saw an insanely good enduro racer on a Tallboy! my riding style and the trails around here, the mega would be happy. but, i still think a Hightower would handle it all, aaaand climb a litte better.

[@karunyavlogKB1432]

@@ShaneScrimager bro I am an Indian guy.i am 17 years old.please give me one mountain bike gift bro please

[@gweflj]

Tough call. I’d go with a Stumpjumper Evo.

[@ShaneScrimager]

oh yeah! i have an Enduro and have been looking at the Stumpy Evo. i can't seem to leave my Kona Process at home though. my go to bike right now.

[@ShaneScrimager]

just saw the 2021 Status, seeing if i can't get one on order. may have to grow a mullet, again...

[@eatnpooter1634]

SC Hightower all day ! I came off a stumpy now shredding a 21’ HT .. bike is a beast , I ride here in NorCal too ...yeeeyeee!