2019 Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson Carbon Cc 275 X01 Eagle Reserve Review
Review: 2019 Santa Cruz Megatower - Stiff & Solid, But Not That Sensitive
The Megatower steamrolled its way onto the scene a few months ago, taking its identify as Santa Cruz's burliest 29er (except for the V10 29, of form), with 160mm of front end and rear travel. The shape of the Megatower'south frame is a familiar i, and at that place's more than a passing resemblance to its smaller-wheeled siblings, the Bronson and the Nomad.
Santa Cruz refers to the Megatower as a 'brawler', and that'southward a plumbing fixtures clarification for this 160mm machine. It'southward designed to work with both air and coil-sprung shocks, and while the stock build kits all accept a 160mm forks, y'all can sew together to a 180mm if you want to make the Megatower even more mega.
The base model complete Megatower C R is priced at $four,499 USD, with a parts kit that includes a RockShox Yari RC fork, Super Deluxe R shock, SRAM NX 12-speed drivetrain, and Guide RE brakes.
Megatower Details
Wheelsize: 29"
Travel: 160mm
Head angle: 65° or 64.7°
Chainstay length: 435mm or 445mm
Threaded bottom bracket
12 x 148mm rear spacing
Fork first: 44mm
Scroll or air shock options, 230 x 57.5mm
Sizes: S - XXL
Colors: black, dark-green
Weight: 31 lb / fourteen.06 kg (large, due west/o pedals)
Cost: $8,399 USD equally tested, $three,299 frame but
More than info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
Information technology's the $8,399 USD Megatower CC X01 Reserve that's reviewed here, which gets a SRAM X01 drivetrain, Code RSC brakes, a Play a trick on 36 Float Performance Elite fork with a Grip2 damper, RockShox Super Palatial RCT stupor, and Santa Cruz'due south own Reserve carbon wheels.
 | Like a parent faced with an impatient teenager who wants to borrow the car on a Friday night, the Megatower doesn't just hand over the keys to its speed. |
Structure and Features
The Megatower's shape may look a lot similar the Bronson, merely it borrows its chainstay length aligning characteristic from the V10 downhill sled. By flipping the chip on the not-driveside, and swapping out the brake adaptor and derailleur hanger information technology's possible to set the chainstay length at either 435 or 445mm. The fact that shops will now need to stock two dissimilar hangers and restriction adaptors seems like it adds an actress layer of complication (although a spare hanger for each chainstay setting is included with the bicycle), but it is nice that riders can fine melody the bike to their liking.
There's too a flip chip on the daze mountain that can be used to raise or lower the bottom bracket while simultaneously steepening or slackening the head angle. The difference that scrap makes is fairly small-scale – nosotros're talking nigh a 3.5mm BB acme change and a .3-degree caput bending change here – but information technology does besides brand the bike'southward leverage ratio slightly more linear in the loftier setting, and a little more progressive in the lower setting. It can also exist used to preserve the wheel's bottom bracket acme when a 170mm fork is installed – the summit with a 160mm fork in the Loftier setting is very shut what yous'll get with a 170mm fork in the Depression setting.
Other frame details include a shuttle baby-sit to continue the frame safe if information technology happens to bounce off a tailgate, a downtube protector, and a piffling fender that keeps mud away from the shock. There'due south also a ribbed chainstay protector to minimize chain slap racket, room to mount a water canteen on the acme of the downtube, a threaded bottom bracket, and ISCG-05 tabs for mounting a bash guard.
Geometry & Sizing
The Megatower has a 470mm reach for a size big, and either a 65 or 64.7-caste head angle with a 160mm fork, which are fairly contemporary numbers for this style of bike. Nosotros're seeing more than and more bikes released that are longer and slacker, though, and I wouldn't accept minded if Santa Cruz pushed things a petty further. After all, I tin almost guarantee that when this wheel is due for a revision in a few years information technology's not going to get steeper and shorter...
It is prissy to see such a wide range of sizing options, with achieve numbers running the gamut from 425mm on a size small all the way up to a whopping 515mm on a size XXL.
Intermission Design
The Megatower uses a lower link-driven shock, with the two counter-rotating links that are the calling card of a VPP interruption layout. The Megatower has a high level of progression, which makes it possible to run a coil stupor without worrying nearly bottoming out off of every petty drop. The suspension curve is fairly linear equally the bike goes through its travel, and free of any foreign shapes that would add unpredictability.
The amount of anti-squat hovers around 100% for the offset two-thirds of the Megatower's travel and so drops off for the last tertiary. In theory, this should provide good pedaling support while reducing the amount of feedback from bigger hits.
| Specifications | ||
| Cost | $8399 | |
| Travel | 160mm | |
| Rear Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate | |
| Fork | Fox 36 Bladder Performance Elite, GRIP2, 160mm | |
| Headset | Cane Creek 40 IS | |
| Cassette | SRAM XG1295 Eagle 10-50T | |
| Crankarms | SRAM X01 Eagle 148 DUB, 30t - 170mm | |
| Chainguide | MRP AMg V2 Alloy chainguide | |
| Lesser Bracket | SRAM DUB 68/73mm Threaded BB | |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM X01 Eagle | |
| Concatenation | SRAM X01 Eagle 12 SPD | |
| Shifter Pods | SRAM X01 Hawkeye | |
| Handlebar | Santa Cruz Bicycles AM Carbon Bar 35x800 | |
| Stem | Race Confront Aeffect R 40mm | |
| Grips | Santa Cruz Palmdale | |
| Brakes | SRAM Code RSC | |
| Wheelset | Santa Cruz Reserve 30 carbon | |
| Rim | Santa Cruz Reserve 30 Carbon Rim | |
| Tires | Maxxis Minion DHF, 29"x2.5", 3C EXO+ / Maxxis Minion DHR2, 29"x2.4", 3C EXO+ | |
| Seat | WTB Silverado Team Saddle | |
| Seatpost | RockShox Reverb Stealth 31.half dozen | |
Test Bike Setup
The ability to change the Megatower'south chainstay length forth with the shock position allows for a sizeable range of setup options, simply after a couple of weeks of experimenting I constitute that I preferred the bike in the high setting for a piddling extra BB clearance, and with the longer chainstay position for a more balanced ride, at to the lowest degree for my summit.
Getting the stupor setup took a little bit more experimentation than normal as well, but when all was said and done I was running 31-percent sag with two volume spacers installed. Up front, I ran 70 psi and ii book spacers in the Fox 36 Float.
Testing took place in Bellingham, Washington, with trips upwardly to the Whistler Bike Park, Squamish, and North Vancouver thrown into the mix.
Mike Kazimer
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Historic period: 36
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Inseam: 33" / 84cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.six kg
Manufacture affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @mikekazimer
Climbing
It seems like nearly every bike that rolls in these days is somewhere betwixt 30-33 pounds, and the Megatower is no exception. It's a competent climber, and the efficient suspension blueprint meant that I rarely had to flip the lever on the shock, but I'd categorize its climbing manners as more than purposeful than playful. There's an aura of solidness about it that'south present while climbing and descending - it feels like a large bicycle. Information technology holds a line well, and it's not easily knocked off grade no matter the direction of the trail, although it felt similar it took more effort to get it to the height of a steep, technical climb compared to a bicycle like the Yeti SB150.
The effective seat angle is 76-degrees, which looks overnice and steep on paper, but the bodily seat tube bending is effectually 69-degrees. That means taller riders may still discover themselves a little farther over the rear wheel than they'd like, and going back and forth between the Megatower and the Yeti with its 73-degree actual seat angle made information technology quite clear what a deviation 4-degrees can make.
I started off the test flow with the bike in the lower geo setting, but after smacking my pedals into the ground a few more times than I wanted, I switched to the loftier position for a little more clearance. That did the play tricks, and the resulting slightly steeper caput angle didn't brand a meaning difference in handling - unless you're as sensitive as Greg Minnaar, it'due south a barely noticeable change.
Descending
The Santa Cruz Bronson was one of my favorite bikes of 2018, but when I was aboard that bike I found myself wondering if a bigger wheeled version would be fifty-fifty amend. I'thou yet wondering, because while the Megatower may expect similar to the Bronson, information technology has a completely unlike suspension feel – it lacks the ground-hugging plushness that I enjoyed on the Bronson.
Where I live is unofficially chosen the '"City of Subdued Excitement," and that "subdued excitement" phrase kept popping into my head every bit a way to describe what I was feeling when I was riding the Megatower. It's a very capable bike, and it can handle everything from wheel park laps to enduro race runs without skipping a shell, simply it felt similar information technology took more effort to go it to come alive compared to bikes like the Scott Ransom or Yeti SB150.
Like a parent faced with an impatient teenager who wants to borrow the car on a Friday night, the Megatower doesn't just hand over the keys to its speed. It takes some coaxing; this is a bike that rewards pilots, non passengers, riders who are willing to push difficult in order to really wake it up. It was easier to get it to wake up in the Whistler Cycle Park, where there'south no shortage of higher speed trails. In that setting - fast, semi-smooth trails - the Megatower came alive, with lots of back up for railing through bermed turns and popping off the lips of jumps.
On slightly flatter, fast sections of trail the Megatower responded very nicely besides, with lots of support to generate speed by pumping through rollers and corners. There was plenty of stability, especially in the longer chainstay setting, and equally long as you can hang on for the ride there doesn't seem to be any upper speed limit.
The Megatower has a very progressive leverage curve, but without whatsoever spacers installed (the stock configuration) I was bottoming out the RockShox Super Deluxe stupor too often for my liking. Calculation 2 volume spacers and running a touch on more sag gave me the balance I was looking for, and helped add a little more pocket-sized crash-land compliance. However, square-edged hits were withal quite noticeable, a sensation I first experienced when I rode the cycle downwardly in New Zealand.
I ran the low-speed compression all the mode open and tried multiple suspension settings, and even different wheels, but the corporeality of feedback that passed through the bike and into my easily and feet in crude terrain was greater than I would take expected from a bike with 160mm of travel. I have a feeling this sensation was related to the very progressive suspension curve - it reminded me of what I experienced aboard the YT Capra, another very progressive bike. It's too possible that a lighter compression melody (the Megatower has an MM tune) would have helped, although going that route could potentially brand the suspension feel less supportive. Keep in mind that I'm not the heaviest passenger out there (a side effect of riding all the time) - bigger riders may have amend luck with the Megatower'due south kinematics.
How does it compare?
The Scott Ransom and the Megatower both take similar geometry numbers when it comes to reach and head bending, although the Scott does have 10mm more travel compared to the Santa Cruz. The Ransom'southward frame is also lighter – the complete aluminum-wheeled test bike weighed about two pounds less than the carbon-wheeled Megatower. Granted, one cycle had EXO casing tires and the other had EXO+, just even with identical tires the Ransom still wins the weight game.
Out on the trail, the Megatower has a much firmer ride feel – the Ransom can absolutely erase chunky, choppy sections of trail, while the Megatower transmits more feedback to the rider. Points for small crash-land compliance and overall comfort also go to the Ransom. The Megatower is the more efficient feeling climber in the fully open mode, but the Ransom'due south TwinLoc remote evens the playing field while besides cluttering up the handlebar.
Technical Study
Maxxis EXO+ tires: Maxxis' EXO+ tires seem like they could be the happy medium that many riders take been looking for when it comes to balancing weight and pinch apartment protection. They're lighter than a DoubleDown or a DH casing tire, so information technology doesn't experience like you're dragging a gunkhole anchor behind you on the climbs, and they're more pinch flat and puncture resistant than a standard EXO casing. I didn't become whatsoever flats during my time on the Megatower, and I ran into enough of rocks in Whistler and on the North Shore that had the potential to do some damage.
MRP AMg V2 chain guide: Bash guards are i of those things you lot rarely think about, at to the lowest degree until y'all smack full speed into a log or a rock and then await down to see that your chainring is still nice and straight thanks to that well-placed chunk of plastic. The MRP AMg did its job on multiple occasions, and while there aren't that many bikes coming with bash guards these days, I'grand a fan, especially on a bike like this.
RockShox Super Deluxe Shock: I tend to prefer air shocks over gyre due to the ability to easily conform the amount of sag and terminate-stroke ramp-up, along with the extra 'pop' that they typically have, but with the Megatower I'd go with the scroll option in order to gain a little more comfort when things get really rough.
Pros
+ Efficient pause feel for climbing
+ Solid + sturdy feeling
+ Multiple geometry adjustments
Cons
- Square edged bump performance is lacking
- Suspension setup can exist tricky
- Seat angle could be even steeper
Pinkbike'due south Take
| | The Megatower isn't just a big-wheeled Bronson – it's a stout and sturdy machine with a more serious, race-oriented nature. Ambitious riders who prioritize stability over all-out comfort will exist nearly at dwelling house aboard this cycle; there are meliorate options out there if you lot're looking for something that's costly and playful. |
Source: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-santa-cruz-megatower-2019.html
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