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Santa Cruz Bikes Buyer's Guide

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Find your favorite Santa Cruz bike right here

Santa Cruz mountain bikes are some of the most coveted models in the off-road scene. Every model in the Santa Cruz lineup is built to shred so no matter how you like to ride, you'll find a bike to drool over right here in our buyer's guide.

We've broken everything down so you can quickly compare the specs of each model and find the perfect Santa Cruz bike for your style. 

Read on to get started. Or if you know want to head to the catalog, click the link below.

Read The Guide

Shop All Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Tallboy

Santa Cruz Tallboy

Tallboy Features

  • Wheels: 29"
  • Travel: 130mm Front / 120mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 65.7° - 65.5°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 76.4° - 76.2°
  • Reach (L): 470-468mm

Shop Santa Cruz Tallboy

Tallboy Details

Perfect for: Gravity-loving rowdiness with XC climbing chops

The Santa Cruz Tallboy provides riders with the uphill efficiency to enjoy extra long XC style rides along with a downhill-inclined wild side that makes the descents extra fast and fun. It's a short-travel 29er on paper but one ride is all you'll need to see that it's so much more, thanks to the lower-link VPP and more aggressive geometry.

Santa Cruz Hightower

Santa Cruz Hightower mountain bike

Hightower Features

  • Wheels: 29"
  • Travel: 150mm Front / 145mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 65.5° - 65.2°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 76.8° - 76.5°
  • Reach (L): 473-470mm

Shop Santa Cruz Hightower

Hightower Details

Perfect for: All-around trail capability with 29er speed

The Hightower is one of Santa Cruz's most popular bikes, and it makes a great case as the last mountain bike many riders will ever need. This quiver-killer gets its coveted status from the deadly combination of fast-rolling 29er wheels, a wide open downhill-oriented front end and a wildy efficient climbing position. The lower-link driven VPP suspension with 140mm of travel punches well above its weight without slowing you down, helping the Hightower be your go-to bike, whether you're headed to your local flow trail or an epic enduro run.

Santa Cruz Megatower

Santa Cruz Megatower

Megatower Features

  • Wheels: 29"
  • Travel: 160mm Front / 160mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 65° - 64.7°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 76.6° - 76.3°
  • Reach (L): 470-467mm

Shop Santa Cruz Megatower

Megatower Details

Perfect for: Supreme speed and control on heavy hitting trails

The Santa Cruz Megatower is a point and shoot trail crusher that rips through anything you take it down. This long travel 29er is the go-to weapon for riders who love to blitz their way through chunky rock gardens and send it on huge drops. The Megatower inspires tons of confidence and control on trails where those attributes have no right to exist.

Santa Cruz 5010

Santa Cruz 5010

5010 Features

  • Wheels: 27.5"
  • Travel: 140mm Front / 130mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 65.7° - 65.4°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 77.2° - 76.8°
  • Reach (L): 475-472mm

Shop Santa Cruz 5010

5010 Details

Perfect for: Extra air and excitement at every opportunity

The 5010 is a fun-loving, mid-travel 27.5 trail bike that's designed to bring out the kid in you. This bike is all about popping those wheels into the air and getting whipped around every corner. Low standover height and size specific chainstays keep the 5010 super playful for every size of rider, while the slackened headtube and low bottom bracket keep it sure-footed and confident on every descent and turn.

Santa Cruz Bronson

Santa Cruz Bronson

Bronson Features

  • Wheels: 27.5"
  • Travel: 160mm Front / 150mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 65.4° - 65.1°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 75.3° - 75°
  • Reach (L): 459-455mm

Shop Santa Cruz Bronson

Bronson Details

Perfect for: All-around trail fun with a rowdy 27.5 outlook

The Bronson is another fan favorite in the Santa Cruz lineup. It's the perfect all-arounder for making your local trails more fun and for tackling rowdier, feature-full adventures. It's super stable and confident when you need it to be while maintaining an extra agile personality for getting creative. You can even fit in some beefy 2.8" tires for added grip on loose terrain.

Santa Cruz Nomad

Santa Cruz Nomad

Nomad Features

  • Wheels: 27.5"
  • Travel: 170mm Front / 170mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 64° - 63.7°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 77.9° - 77.5°
  • Reach (L): 475-472mm

Shop Santa Cruz Nomad

Nomad Details

Perfect for: Making the unrideable rideable with beastly enduro design

The Nomad is Santa Cruz's headstrong, long-travel 27.5" bike that's crazy fun on any trail you point it at. Whether you're taking on a heavy-hitting enduro trail, ripping it up on your local mountain, or you're just trying to see if that one line is even possible, the Nomad will give you the confidence to send it like no other.

Santa Cruz Heckler

 Santa Cruz Heckler

Heckler Features

  • Wheels: 27.5" or Mixed
  • Travel: 160mm Front / 150mm Rear or 140mm Front + Rear (Mixed)
  • Head Tube Angle: 65.5°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 76°
  • Reach (L): 465mm

Shop Santa Cruz Heckler

Heckler Details

Perfect for: Absolutely epic rides with more trails and more fun

The Heckler is a premium electric mountain bike that will expand your limits and make the longest, hardest rides you can dream up more attainable than ever. With the help of the Shimano STEPS EP8 motor you'll fly up the long climbs that typically eat up the hours so you can focus your energy on the fun stuff and ride longer loops than ever before. Choose between an agile 27.5" wheelset or go for added rollover power with a mixed wheelset, but either option will give you the ability to set new boundaries and unlock a whole new level of riding potential.

Santa Cruz Bullit

Santa Cruz Bullit

Bullit Features

  • Wheels: Mixed (29" Front / 27.5" Rear)
  • Travel: 170mm Front / 170mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 64°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 77.1°
  • Reach (L): 475mm

Shop Santa Cruz Bullit

Bullit Details

Perfect for: Maximum enduro capability with easier uphills

The Santa Cruz Bullit is a next-level electric mountain bike with a big appetite for eduro caliber trails. Even without the top notch pedal-assist motor the Bullit is for big days on even bigger terrain thanks to a long and slack, gravity-inclined travel and design. The mixed wheels give you the monster truck capabilities of a 29er with the agility of a 27.5 all in the same, epic package. But the Shimano STEPS EP8 motor puts this bike in a class of its own as a serious trail crusher that's just as capable on the downs as it is on the ride back to the top.

Santa Cruz Chameleon

Santa Cruz Chameleon

Chameleon Features

  • Wheels: 29" or 27.5+
  • Travel: 130mm or 120mm Front
  • Head Tube Angle: 67.3°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 72.8°
  • Reach (L): 457mm

Shop Santa Cruz Chameleon

Chameleon Details

Perfect for: Ultimate versatility for unlimited possibilities

Another legend in the Santa Cruz ranks, the Chameleon is as versatile as its name suggests, and your options are as varied as the adventures you'll take it on. Set it up with fast-rolling 29" or wider 27.5+ wheels for more cushion and grip. Keep it geared or run it as a single speed. Go with affordable aluminum or high performance carbon. Take to the trails or on an epic bikepacking adventure. The choice is yours.

Santa Cruz Highball

Santa Cruz Highball

Highball Features

  • Wheels: 29"
  • Travel: 100mm Front
  • Head Tube Angle: 69.5°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 73°
  • Reach (L): 450mm

Shop Santa Cruz Highball

Highball Details

Perfect for: XC and ultra endurance races

The Highball is a featherweight carbon hardtail XC race bike that's designed to provide athletes with all the speed and efficiency of a world class cross country bike with the added trail-oriented capability you'd expect from a Santa Cruz. It's the kind of bike you can train for the podium while enjoying some shred sessions when it's time for some fun. The 27.2mm seat tube and low, bridgeless seat stays help smooth out the bumps so you can ride harder and longer.

Santa Cruz Blur

Santa Cruz Blur

Blur Features

  • Wheels: 29"
  • Travel: 100mm Front / 100mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 69°
  • Seat Tube Angle (L): 74°
  • Reach (L): 460mm

Shop Santa Cruz Blur

Blur Details

Perfect for: Elite level speed and control on ultra demaning XC races

The Santa Cruz Blur is built for XC athletes who want to ride crazy fast over crazy long distances on crazy demanding terrain. The Blur is Santa Cruz's lightest full suspension frame coming in at 2060g, so it's perfect for XC racers, FKT seekers, and weight-conscious trail riders and adventurers. When you want to smooth out the trail to reach your top speed, the Blur will make it happen.

Santa Cruz V10

Santa Cruz V10

V10 Features

  • Wheels: 29", 27.5", or Mixed
  • Travel: 215mm Front / 215mm Rear
  • Head Tube Angle: 63.7° - 63.3°
  • Rear Center (L): 440mm
  • Reach (L): 462-460mm

Shop Santa Cruz V10

V10 Details

Perfect for: Syndicate-approved gold medal downhill dominance

The Santa Cruz V10 is one of the most successful and sought after downhill bikes that's been ridden on the World Cup stage. The V10 now offers 3 different wheelsets so every rider has the ability to compete at his or her highest level. The 215mm of VPP suspension and gravity-focused geometry take the biggest hits in stride and inspire the confidence you need to go full throttle on the wildest downhill trails there are.

Santa Cruz Stigmata

Santa Cruz Stigmata

Stigmata Features

  • Wheels: 700c or 650b
  • Rear Center: 425mm
  • Head Tube Angle (56): 72°
  • Seat Tube Angle (56): 73.5°
  • Reach (56): 388mm

Shop Santa Cruz Stigmata

Stigmata Details

Perfect for: Elite gravel performance for races and adventures

The Stigmata is Santa Cruz's gravel and cyclocross race weapon that's at home on everything from weekend spirited group rides on lonely back roads to multi-day ultra endurance competitions. With the option to run either 700c or 650b you can dial in the Stigmata for lightning fast hero gravel, super remote trails, or elite CX courses. You can't beat the stiffness and power transfer that lets the Stigmata rocket you forward on any terrain.