The Battle of Brands prize bike - A custom Santa Cruz Hightower build
When it comes to top builds, this Hightower is hard to beat.
Last year, we let the bc community join in to bet on who would win the TrailTrophy Enduro series, we called this Battle of Brands. The top prize for winning was a Santa Cruz Hightower 1.0 CC MTB. As is, this bike kills it with colour and parts choice. However, we wouldn’t be bc if we didn’t spice it up a bit with some custom goodies from various other sponsors. Below, is a review of what parts we used, to show you just how sick this bike really is.
A fine rear shock.
The VPP suspension performs at a top-notch level.
That clean Santa Cruz head badge...
Frame
Since its release in 2016, the Hightower has really showed the MTB world that there is a bike made for both long tours and downhill rippin’. We built the prize bike with the Santa Cruz’s top-quality CC carbon layup, which comes in at a mere 2670 g. The proven VPP linkage offers 135 mm of suspension that is sufficient for most riders on their local trails.
Suspension
To keep the do-it-all attitude of the Hightower intact, we stuck a Fox Float DPX2 rear shock in it. The front end is outfitted with a Fox 36 Float FIT4 fork with 150 mm of travel. Perfect for any Enduro ride, especially when combined with the rollover of 29” wheels. When things get steep, the Fox Transfer seatpost allows our winner to rip through any trail.
A true dream bike!
Now that's a fancy post.
Hard to beat this wheel and tyre combo.
That's a fine looking rear end.
Wheels / Tyres
Once look at the wheels and its clear where they come from: e*thirteen. Here, the top TRS Race Carbon wheels are used to keep things light, stiff and fast. The rim has an inner width of 27 mm and they only drop 1690g on the scale. To complement these wheels, the Continental Baron Projekt 2.4 tyres were used. What more can you want from an Enduro classic?
Drivetrain
Not everyone can reach 511 % of range and instead of going with one of the big manufactures, we went a little alternative with e*thriteen’s TRS Race 11-speed cassette. With a gradation from 9-46 the cassette offer 11 % more range than the typical 12-speed drivetrain. The carbon cranks are also e*thirteen’s TRS Race series with a 32-tooth chainring. All of this is pushed with crankbrothers Stamp pedals and everything is shifted with Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur and trigger.
The Levelnine stem keeps things stiff.
Mhmmm Kashima...
The XT derailleur does a great job at shifting.
The Stamp pedals keep feet secure and ready to rip.
The way the Baron logo works with the frame is so sick.
Cockpit / Saddle
A lot of riders underestimate the importance of a good cockpit. So we put a LEVELNINE stem and carbon bars to give stiffness and our winner good control. The handlebars are 785 mm wide with a 20 mm rise, which is perfect for steep descents. The grips and saddle come from the comfort masters at Ergon. The SME series for the saddle and GE1 Factory series for the grips make the perfect combo for being able to spend hours out riding.
It’s a shredder
All in all, this is one dream bike. It’s always great to take an awesome frame and put it together with top-quality and reliable parts. We congratulate our winner and hope they have the best of times ripping this sled everywhere they go.
