How Good Are Modern Trail Bikes? The Santa Cruz Showdown

Mountain bikes are continually developing and the trail bike category has become more and more popular. But just how good are modern trail bikes? We took the Santa Cruz Tallboy, 5010 and Hightower, which cover a travel range from 120 to 145mm, for a day’s gravity based riding, to see how they performed. Hear what we thought to each of the bikes, how they compare and which one’s we’d choose to keep. Just how capable are these type of bikes and could a shorter travel bike improve your riding enjoyment? Also, can you really work out how a bike is going to perform from some numbers on a spreadsheet? As ever, we were surprised by what we found. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with me, Jonathan and Ben to find out. You can check out all of the Santa Cruz range over at santacruzbicycles.com . Supporting Partners 7mesh Do you want some incredible quality riding kit from the awesome 7mesh ? Well, they are offering Downtime listeners a 20% discount using the code ‘ DOWNTIME7MESH20 ‘ over at 7mesh.com . Head over now and check them out and what’s even better is that the ship globally, so wherever you are, you can get your hands on some top quality riding gear. We Are One Composites We Are One are generously offering Downtime listeners 15% off everything on their website. So wether you want their new Convergence wheels, their still very awesome Revolution wheels, or their incredible bike the Arrival, now is your time. You can get 15% off until midnight on December 31st 2022 by using the code ‘ DowntimeDecember15 ‘ at weareonecomposites.com (note: this must be entered at the final stage of the checkout process on the ‘confirm order’ page). Santa Cruz Bicycles You can check out these bikes and the rest of the Santa Cruz range over at santacruzbicycles.com . Podcast Stuff Downtime EP Downtime EP issue 2 is now available at downtimepodcast.com/ep . EP takes inspiration from the guests and topics of the podcast. It expands on them, and takes them into a stunning print-only format. EP is the perfect companion for some quiet time away from the distractions of modern life. Beautiful to have and hold, and a timeless piece of mountain bike history. Just head over to downtimepodcast.com/ep to save yourself £5 off of the cover price with an annual subscription for just £20 plus postage or you can purchase EP1, or EP2 on their own too. Merch If you want to support the podcast, and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop . Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast . Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. Each episode will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe . You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. Full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more.03 Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Santa Cruz Bicycles