Team Visma | Lease a Bike were the expected overlords of the first mountain tests of the 2026 Giro d'Italia - and they haven't disappointed so far. As a matter of fact, their dominance has been even moreoppressive than we might've expected with Davide Piganzoli controlling situation in a third plac...

Rumors have been circulating for the past week or so about a new Santa Cruz Tallboy. The 5th generation of the bike was released in 22, with around a 3-year gap between previous versions, dating back to the original Tallboy, released in 2009.Along with those rumors came a few sneak peeks at the bike. And, boy (feeble attempt at a Tallboy pun), did that new bike look different. As we saw in a few leaked photos and the video Santa Cruz put out over the weekend, theyve moved away from its VPP suspension platform, synonymous with the brand, in favor of a four-bar design.Screenshot of an unfamiliar Santa Cruz Tallboy from the Old Ghost Road video.And while the move to 4-bar suspension is clearly the most significant change, that isnt the only thing thats new with the latest Tallboy. Lets take a look at all the changes.No More VPPSanta Cruz and VPP have long been synonymous, despite some criticism of the suspension platform. However, we have seen Santa Cruz break away from the VPP platform in recent years. The Vala and Bullit were both recently released as four-bar bikes, moving away from the VPP platform.The caveat? Obviously, both of those are e-bikes. And while Santa Cruz had to be aware of some of the criticism the VPP platform received, the move to four-bar on these bikes was mostly motor-related. Simply put, the VPP system didnt leave much room for squeezing in a bike and battery.Santa Cruz also mentioned that the move to a four-bar was to make their best handling bike yet. So maybe some acknowledgment..?If there was any acknowledgment, it is fulfilled in the new Tallboy. Santa Cruzs 6th-generation Tallboy ditches VPP Suspension for a four-bar design. Why? Santa Cruz felt like theyd gotten all they could out of the VPP platform on the Tallboy. To achieve their desired performance moving forward, they need to move to something different.Despite testing a few different suspension platforms, including flex stays, they landed on a four-bar layout. They say this allowed them to more easily achieve the kinematics they were looking for, including lower anti-squat and anti-rise, and a bit less progressivity. But, wait, didnt they just release a new Nomad? Why not a four-bar there? Basically, the VPP platform still allowed Santa Cruz to accomplish their goals with the new Nomad. However, for shorter-travel bikes, like the Tallboy, Santa Cruz is clearly admitting that a different suspension design has won out for that travel bracket.Ok, Four-Bar, But What Else Is New?A lot, actually.First, the Tallboys legs grow a bit. Suspension travel has increased by 10mm on both ends. The Tallboy now sits as a trail-ready 130mm machine, paired with a 140mm fork. Santa Cruz did this partly in response to growing XC travel numbers, noting that the Blur now sits at 120mm. While the 5010 filled the gap between XC bikes like the Blur and longer travel offerings like the Hightower, there wasnt a full 29er option.The new Tallboy now slots in between those other models.Despite growing in travel, Santa Cruz also shed some weight on the new Tallboy. The latest iteration dropped 300g, a result of the simpler four-bar platform. Like the new Nomad, Santa Cruz only offers the Tallboy in their premium CC carbon. This not only sheds some weight but simplifies the lineup and helps reduce lead times.And, like the new Nomad, they kept cable ports for cable-actuated rear derailleurs.The bike also gets a couple of accessory mounts underneath the top tube, a geo-adjust flip chip, and the updated V2 Glovebox in-frame storage. There are six frame sizes (XS-XXL), and all frames have proportional sizing and stiffness. Plus, the seat tube is uninterrupted, allowing for longer dropper posts, with the largest frames easily fitting a 240mm dropper.Santa Cruz also tweaked the Tallboys geo. The major standouts are a slacker head tube angle and a steeper seat tube angle. In the HI position, the HTA now sits at 65.1, dropping to 64.8 in LO. The flip chip also changes the bottom bracket height by 3mm. Check the chart above for the rest of the details.Tallboy 6: Builds and PricingSanta Cruz is offering the Tallboy in six builds, including a top-spec limited-edition build. All bikes use RockShox suspension, with a Pike fork and Deluxe shock. These, of course, increase in performance level as you go up tiers, starting with a Pike Base and Deluxe Select+ for the entry Tallboy, and hitting Ultimate-level at the top.The limited-edition Tallboy features a Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock and a Pike Ultimate fork, both equipped with Flight Attendant. All builds have claimed a weight between 29 and 31lbs.See the rest of the build specs in the chart below:So, how much? The Tallboy starts at $5,899 for the 90 build and tops out at $9,299 for the XO AXS RSV build. In the press materials, Santa Cruz didnt disclose the cost of the lower Deore build, or the highest specd XX FA RSV build. Were hoping to get our hands on a test bike to see how it compares to the previous version, and well certainly let you know about it if/when we do.In the meantime, head to the Santa Cruz website to learn more about the redesigned Tallboy. santacruzbicycles.comThe post Santa Cruz Introduces the Gen 6 Tallboy, and Boy, are There Some Changes! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Santa Cruz has released its new Tallboy, and fans of the brand will be surprised to see that its signature VPP suspension system is missing. VPP has long been associated with Santa Cruz, with the brand only recently moving away from the design with the Vala electric mountain bike. This time around, Santa Cruz says it wanted to give the Tallboy a more consistent leverage curve compared to the other, longer-travel bikes in its line-up. The new downcountry bike uses 130mm of rear suspension with a 140mm fork up front. Four-bar galore Santa Cruz says it experimented with a flex-stay design, but settled on a four-bar linkage. Santa Cruz In place of the VPP suspension, the Tallboy has a new four-bar linkage. Four-bar systems are among the most popular mountain bike suspension linkages. The design makes it easy to achieve low anti-squat, resulting in minimal pedal kickback on square-edge hits while remaining active when pedalling up and across rough, technical terrain. Josh Kissner, Director of Product at Santa Cruz, says: We used a four-bar layout on our ebikes initially to make the bikes ride the way we wanted while fitting a full-power drive unit. For the Tallboy, we were really looking for a very different feel from the previous versions, and we were able to fine-tune the kinematics to get what we wanted: a moderately progressive suspension that eats bumps while being sprightly and sporty. The low anti-rise and lower anti-squat result in a bike thats very controlled under braking and allows you to pedal through roots and rocks without causing any hiccups or losing traction. On top of that, it allowed us to reduce weight and improve seatpost insertion. Big wins all around. Lower weight, geometry and frame storage The Tallboy sounds more playful than ever. Santa Cruz The new Tallboy has lost a significant amount of weight compared to the previous model. Santa Cruz saying the frame weight has dropped by around 300g, from 2,830g to 2,530g. A new frame layout has resulted in an uninterrupted seat tube, so riders of all sizes can get the saddle drop they need. Santa Cruz has also given the Tallboy proportional geometry and stiffness, meaning that all bike sizes, from XS to XXL, should be tuned appropriately. The low setting slackens the geometry for descending-oriented rides. Santa Cruz The frame features the brands Glovebox V2 internal storage system and a flip chip for adjusting geometry to suit pedalling and descending dynamics. The frame also includes space for an accessory mount, should you need extra room for snacks. Santa Cruz Tallboy models and pricing All Tallboy frames are made with Santa Cruzs highest-grade CC carbon, with no C option available for those looking to spend less money. There are six builds available at launch, with a Shimano Deore variant sitting at the bottom of the spec range and an XX FA RSV Ltd Edition sitting at the top. The pricing for these models is to be confirmed. Only two will be available in the UK: the CC 90 model, priced at 5,299; and the Shimano XT Di2-equipped CC XT Di2, priced at 6,999. Theres also a frameset option available for 3,299. You may like: The Santa Cruz Vala is the best bike I've ever tested

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