Santa Cruz Bikes

Our Tallboy Carbon took the big wheel market by storm when it was introduced, earning praise from the 29" faithful and skeptics alike, and also created a demand for an aluminum sibling. So along came the aluminum Tallboy; same 29" wheels and award winning handling as the carbon bike, same 100mm travel, same velvety plush but crisp pedaling VPP® suspension, same angular contact bearings and oversized aluminum pivot axles. It is the value packed alloy clone of the trail bombing, racer friendly carbon Tallboy, identical in almost every way except for material choice and price tag.

Frame Features

• 29" wheels
• Hydroformed aluminum tubing
• VPP® suspension
• 100mm travel
• Grease ports, angular contact bearings
• Frame weight with Float CTD shock - Approx 6.6lbs

Tech Data

• Shock Setup (pdf)

Awards

• 

Reviews

• Bike Magic : Long Term Test (Nov 2012)
• Singletrack 68 - Aug 2011
• Cyclist No1 - SPX XC Review - Aug 2011
• IMB Magazine - SPX XC Review - June 2011
• Bike Radar - First Review - Apr 2011

Geometry

Tallboy Alloy Geometry
Based on 505mm axle-to-crown

Frame Size	Top Tube Length*	Seat Tube Length	Head Tube Angle	Seat Tube Angle	BB Height	Wheelbase	Head Tube Length	Chainstay Length	Standover Height	Reach	Stack
Medium	23.0"	17.7"	71.0°	73.0°	12.8"	42.6"	3.9"	17.5"	29.1"	15.6"	24.1"
Large	24.0"	19.5"	71.0°	73.0°	12.8"	43.6"	3.9"	17.5"	29.9"	16.6"	24.1"
X-Large	25.0"	21.0"	71.0°	73.0°	12.8"	44.7"	4.3"	17.5"	30.6"	17.5"	24.5"
XX-Large	25.9"	22.5"	71.0°	73.0°	12.8"	45.6"	4.7"	17.5"	31.0"	18.3"	24.9"

* Effective top tube
** Seat Tube length measured from center of BB to top of seat tube

Size Guide

Can I mount a chainguide on my Tallboy Aluminum?

Yes, the Tallboy Al was designed to easily accept a BB mount chainguide. For a more XC setup, you can use top-only guides like the MRP 1x or e13 XCX. For full chainguidance, we recommend the MRP Lopes guide, MRP Mini G SL, or E13 LG1 TR.

What size fork should I use on the Tallboy?

The Tallboy was designed around 100-120mm forks- and will handle best in one of these configurations.

Can I use 2x10 cranks with this frame?

Yes, the Tallboy Aluminum will accept most any crank on the market from major manufacturers. Sram XX will work, but you must use the standard Q-factor version of the cranks (166mm).

What is the largest tire that will fit?

We never like to make promises here, as tire dimensions vary so much, but pretty much any 2.35" tire will work. The WTB 2.55 Weirwolf LT fits with plenty of room. We designed the frame with significant tire and mud clearance- the front derailleur cage is actually the thing that keeps you from putting super mondo tires on there.

What size shock is on the Tallboy?

All frame sizes use a 6.5" x 1.5" (165x38mm)shock.
Mounting hardware on both ends is 22mm wide (21.84mm to be exact), with an 8mm through hole.

What kind of front derailleur do I need?

The Tallboy requires a bottom swing (high clamp), top pull, 34.9mm front derailleur. Both SRAM and Shimano make models that work.

I would like to use a different shock on the Tallboy, can I do that?

Yes, the shock is a very common size, and there are plenty of other models on the market that will fit.

Can I use a quick release seat collar?

Absolutely. The frame takes a standard 34.9mm seat collar, so there are plenty of quick releases that will fit. Our favorite is ours, of course. You can purchase it on our online store for $24.

Are there water bottle mounts?

Yes. All frame sizes have two bottle mounting locations. One on top of the downtube, and another underneath for longer rides.
Custom aluminum mounting bolts are included with the frame.

What size seatpost does it use?

The Tallboy uses a 30.9mm post. Make sure it is always inserted a minimum of 100mm into the frame.

What is the largest rear brake rotor that I can use?

185mm

I'm addicted to using a Gravity Dropper/Joplin adjustable seatpost- can I use one on this bike?

We are all huge fans of adjustable seatposts, and included cable routing under the top tube for this purpose.

What kind of cranks can I use?

We use a standard 73mm bb shell, so pretty much any cranks you want will fit on there. Just make sure your crankset has a 50mm chainline, and you are good to go.

It looks like the lower link is off center in my frame- is everything ok?

Yes- this is correct. With our newer pivot system, the pivot axle draws the link over to one side in order to properly preload the bearings. This offset is accounted for in the frame design so everything ends up nice and straight in the end.

What kind of headset will I need for my Tallboy?

This bike uses a tapered headset- which have many different configurations these days. Ours uses a standard (external) 1.5" lower cup, and a semi-integrated 1 1/8" upper. The semi-integrated upper headset is a pretty standard size these days- we use the 44mm ID standard.

As all of us frame manufacturers seem to be using slightly different configurations with tapered headtubes, these headsets are custom items. We will offer options from Chris King and Cane Creek in our kits, and also as an option with your frame purchase.