2023 Santa Cruz
HIGHTOWER R / Carbon C
A 29″ carbon frame full suspension trail bike with high-end components.
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Based on build material and quality level of the frame, fork, wheelset, groupset, suspension system, and more.
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View Comparison5'1" – 5'6"
5'4" – 5'10"
5'8" – 6'2"
6'0" – 6'5"
6'3" – 6'8"
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Apr 2023 · Ron Koch
It was the bike of choice for many long days in the mountains and even park days when we had the option of longer-travel enduro bikes to send it on.
Dec 2022 · Spencer Astra
After riding the gamut of 150-millimeter-travel trail bikes over the past year, I thought I’d pretty much covered the spectrum. That was, however, until I got the chance to ride the Santa Cruz Hightower 3. From my very first ride, I could tell that this bike was something special, and it showed me just how much room was left in my heart for another do-it-all trail bike. Given that this is Santa Cruz’s top-of-the-line, Hightower 3 X01 AXS RSV model, featuring an impressive array of high-end components, perhaps this should hardly be surprising. This bike feels possessed to move efficiently through all terrain. It stays light on its toes and puts the rider in a balanced pocket. With the 76.4-degree seat-tube angle in the low setting and a 438-millimeter chainstay, I had no issues keeping the front end planted to the ground on steep climbs. The geometry is incredibly balanced between climbing and descending, and the suspension platform remains ultra-supportive even when mashing the pedals out of the saddle, thanks to the anti-squat tuning of the rear suspension. This, along with the comfortable cockpit setup, makes the Hightower 3 ideal for all-day sufferfests.
Dec 2022 · Mike Levy
The ingredients seem run-of-the-mill, but the outcome is anything but.
A very impressive all-rounder
Loves any and all corners
Middle of the road geo will work for everyone
Not the absolute best at anything... but it is good at lots of things.
We had issues with the derailleur, brake levers
It's your money, but the price seems... pricey
Oct 2022 · Ian Collins
This Spring, Santa Cruz sent us the new Hightower for testing. Now in its third iteration, the All Mountain bike is the brand’s utilitarian offering – the most “one and done” bike in their lineup. Since there hasn’t exactly been a ton of new developments in that category over the last couple of years, I was very much looking forward to trying it out on my local trails. . With new kinematics, internal downtube storage and a slew of other updates the sum of those parts make it a much different machine than the last Hightower, even if it might
Aug 2022 · Guy Kesteven
The subtle evolutions on Santa Cruz’s latest Hightower make an already awesome all-rounder truly transcendent on the trails
Superlative, positive suspension
Excellent hard and fast handling
Fantastic surefooted yet lively ride
Lifetime frame, bearing and rim warranty
Wealth of user friendly features
Beautifully engineered internal storage
Significantly heavier and more expensive than V2
Questionable tire choice
Jun 2022 · Julian Schwede
Santa Cruz present the 2023 Hightower trail bike. We tested the GX AXS RSV model featuring their C-grade carbon and providing 145 mm travel.
Integrated glovebox in the downtube with purpose-made bags
Intuitive handling
Undersized brake rotors
Puncture prone tires
Feb 2020 · Robin Weaver
A seriously capable trail bike that’ll handle just about anything, but it doesn’t come cheap
Well-balanced and easy to ride
Geometry creates plenty of stability but still maintains a lively feel
Well-considered spec choices
It’s certainly not cheap. Thankfully, Santa Cruz offers some good builds on alloy frames for a lot less money
| Frame | HIGHTOWER R / Carbon C BB Standard: BSA, 68mm, Threaded Colors: Matte Evergreen; Gloss Translucent Purple |
|---|---|
| Fork | RockShox Lyrik Base, 150mm Travel: 150mm Spring Type: Air |
| Shock | FOX Float Performance DPS 210x55 Travel: 145mm Spring Type: Air |
| Bottom Bracket | SRAM DUB 68/73mm Threaded BB |
| Headset | Cane Creek 10 IS Integrated Headset |
| Stem | Burgtec Enduro MK3, 42mm |
| Handlebar | RaceFace Aeffect R, 780mm |
| Saddle | WTB Silverado Medium CroMo |
| Seatpost | SDG Tellis Dropper, 31.6 Type: Dropper |
| Grips | Santa Cruz Bicycles House Grips |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd |
|---|---|
| Crank | SRAM Descendant Eagle 148 DUB 30t |
| Shifters | SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd |
| Cassette | SRAM PG1230, 12spd, 11-50t |
| Chain | SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd |
| Brakes | SRAM G2 R Type: Hydraulic Disc |
| Rims | Front: RaceFace AR Offset 30 29", Rear: RaceFace AR Offset 30 29" |
|---|---|
| Front Hub | SRAM MTH 716, 15x110, Torque Cap, 32h |
| Rear Hub | SRAM MTH 746, 12x148, 32h |
| Tires | Front: Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C MaxxGrip, EXO, TR, Rear: Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C MaxxTerra, EXO, TR |
| Disc Rotors | Front: Avid Centerline 180mm, Rear: Avid Centerline 180mm |
Last updated April 13