"For most brands, a flagship bike doesn't change all that much from one generation to the next. We typically see small tweaks and refinements that make it better and more modern. Recently, some spy shots surfaced of what we speculate is a new, very different-looking Santa Cruz Tallboy. This prompted me to dig into the Tallboy's past and present to see how far the bikes have come and speculate on what's next for the Santa Cruz Tallboy."
"From 2009 to now, the Tallboy has seen many changes, and if the leaked image is the latest Tallboy, this might be the most drastic change yet for the short-travel trail bike. The last update was in 2022, but many are guessing that the next iteration might move away from the VPP suspension design toward a more traditional 4-bar Horst-link design without flex-stays."
"The Santa Cruz Tallboy could be seen as the bike that convinced the "wagon wheel" skeptics to put down the pitchforks and embrace the larger rim. The Tall Fella has been through five iterations, evolving from a tentative XC racer into a "long travel" version, to a short-travel trail bike that some might call XC. I think most of us just call this a mountain bike. Semantics aside, let's take a trip down memory lane - one lined with threaded bottom brackets, VPP links, and the gradual death of the 71-degree head angle."
The Santa Cruz Tallboy has changed substantially from 2009 to the present, reflecting broader mountain bike design trends. Early versions helped normalize 29-inch wheels after skepticism about their long-term adoption. Over multiple iterations, the bike moved from a more tentative XC racer direction toward longer-travel and then toward a short-travel trail-focused platform. Geometry has gradually slackened, including a move away from a 71-degree head angle. The most recent update occurred in 2022, and leaked images suggest the next Tallboy may depart from the longstanding VPP suspension system. A potential alternative is a more traditional 4-bar Horst-link design without flex-stays.
Read at BikeMag
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