The Santa Cruz Tallboy is a category-defining bike that arguably changed how people thought about 29in trail bikes.
The original Tallboy was released in 2009. At the time, riders were ambivalent or even hostile towards the larger perception of the larger wheel – not unlike some people's attitude towards 32in wheels today. But the Tallboy showed what a 29in bike was capable of. This new wheel size could be fun, aggressive and – importantly – fast.
The newest 2027 Tallboy is the sixth generation of the Tallboy series, and looking back through the previous iterations it’s easy to trace the dramatic evolution of trail bikes across nearly two decades, from awkward pseudo-XC machines to modern trail bikes.
29in aggression
The first Tallboy was an aggressive short-travel 29er with 100mm travel via Santa Cruz’s VPP suspension system.
Most of the componentry looks alien compared to modern mountain bikes. It has tiny 160mm rotors, a triple crankset, a clutchless derailleur, and no dropper post.
These features were in keeping with cross-country mountain bikes and lightweight trail bikes at the time, but added up to a package which would not have handled aggressive descending: lacking braking power, risking dropped chains, and with no dropper post or even quick-release seat clamp, the high saddle-height would have hindered body movement.
Despite these limitations, the (now dated) geometry was progressive in 2009 and, when combined with 29in wheels, the Tallboy proved that 29ers could be fun as well as fast.
BikeRadar’s tester Matt Poacha acknowledged that, “some people actually like – maybe even prefer – this slightly 'lazier' feel [of the 29in wheels], particularly those who are used to riding longer-travel, slacker, 26in trail or downhill bikes.”
The Mk1.1 Tallboy saw Santa Cruz upgrade the bike to a 142mm Syntace X-12 hub standard (the precursor to boost) but the original Tallboy frames fitted a 12mm x 135mm rear hub.
The bike was available for four years in both carbon and aluminum guises.
Long travel Tallboy LT created
Three years after the first Tallboy, Santa Cruz created a long-travel version. The bike's rear travel was boosted to 135mm travel and it could fit up to a 150mm fork.
The Tallboy LT had a much slacker head angle and steeper seat angle than the existing Mk1 Tallboy, and the geometry was even more aggressive than the forthcoming Mk2 Tallboy.
There was a carbon and an aluminium version of the Tallboy LT and both featured a larger 180mm front rotor, although only the higher-spec carbon version received a dropper post as standard.
All these factors created a more aggressive package tailored to descending as well as climbing. Our defunct sister publication What Mountain Bike said, “the Tallboy LTc is both stiffer and more hungry for chaos than the original.”
It was only made for three years, and production ceased in 2015.
Tallboy Evolution in 2013
In 2013, Santa CRuz released the Mk2 Tallboy. The bike was a small step forward keeping the same 100mm suspension travel, triple-chainring, static seatpost, and tiny rotors.
However, the head angle was a degree slacker and the seat tube was about an inch shorter on each size with increased standover-clearance.
Santa Cruz kept the Mk2 Tallboy similar in spec to the Mk1, as it could direct more descent-focussed trail riders towards the more aggressive Tallboy LT.
Both the aluminium and carbon versions of the Mk2 Tallboy gained a direct-mount front derailleur (instead of the band-clamp of the Mk1) and were specced with a clutch-mech, which meant the chain was less likely to end up where it shouldn’t.
2016 - the modern Tallboy emerges
Santa Cruz released the Mk3 Tallboy ten years ago in 2016. This bike was a leap forward, and it doesn’t look a million miles away from the downcountry and trail bikes we see today.
With the cessation of the Tallboy LT, the Mk3 Tallboy had to combine its descending ability with the standard version's climbing performance and speed.
Santa Cruz increased the rear wheel travel slightly to 110mm. It also slackened the bike's geometry angles and introduced Boost hub spacing.
But the componentry was where we really saw proper evolution. The Mk3 Tallboy got larger 180mm rotors, a dropper post for the top-spec model, and a 1x drivetrain with a large cassette.
Maximum permissible fork travel was increased to 130mm and the headset was integrated into the frame, instead of an external cup like the Mk1 and Mk2.
This was noticeably the most aggressive Tallboy to date and would have attracted riders looking for a bike that was fast not only on the climbs and the flat but also on the descents.
Guy Kesteven stated in the BikeRadar review that, “while it isn’t a natural on the biggest and most relentless descents (it is only a 110mm travel bike after all) it is outstandingly rapid the rest of the time.”
Tallboy gets a lowered shock and slackened angles
The Mk4 Tallboy arrived in 2019 and it looks surprisingly modern today.
It gained Santa Cruz's (now signature) low-slung shock position. The rear shock was mounted to the downtube and actuated by the lower link rather than the upper link, as with the older Tallboy models.
This kept the centre of gravity low and the revised linkage brought the new Tallboy’s suspension in line with its longer-travel siblings.
Rear wheel travel was increased again to 120mm and the bike could fit a 140mm fork. For the first time the bike was approved for up to a 203mm rear disc rotor. This catered to those those with a hunger for pushing a short-travel bike to its limit.
Top spec models saw electronic gears arrive for the first time in the form of a SRAM AXS drivetrain.
Santa Cruz added a flip chip which offered riders a low and slack option, or a steeper and higher setting.
The base geometry was dramatically altered for the Mk4. When measured in the flip chip's low position, the head angle was reduced by over 2 degrees to 65.7 degrees and the seat angle was increased by 3 degrees to 76 degrees.
BikeRadar's Tom Marvin described the Mk4 Tallboy as a “hard-charging yet short-travel trail bike that rewards riding with attitude.”
Tallboy Mk5 becomes more focussed
In 2022, Santa Cruz introduced the Tallboy Mk5, and it seemed like the American brand finally knew what it wanted the bike to be.
The Tallboy's rear wheel travel remained at 120mm, but Santa Cruz reduced the maximum rear rotor size down to 180mm and the maximum fork travel was reduced to 130mm.
These changes allowed the designers to reduce weight and further optimise the bike to be a fast and light trail machine.
Reach numbers grew for each size but only by 5mm, while the BB height and head angle remained the same. Santa Cruz also kept the bike's flip chips.
Santa Cruz introduced its tiered carbon system on the Mk5 with the more expensive and lighter CC option and the comparatively more affordable C option. But unlike all previous Tallboy and Tallboy LT models, Santa Cruz did not make an aluminium version of the Mk5 Tallboy.
Revamped Mk6 Tallboy arrives in 2026
Released in May 2026, the latest Tallboy sees some huge changes. Santa Cruz has ditched its iconic VPP suspension in exchange for a four-bar linkage.
The latest Tallboy has 10mm more suspension travel with a 140mm fork up front and a boost to 130mm at the rear.
Santa Cruz says: “The Tallboy has gone on a diet and bulked up on travel to fit the kind of rider looking to maximise power hours or just ride all the hours.”
