Santa Cruz Hightower
After moving to Zurich, I unexpectedly found out that the city is ideally located for mountain biking. While I still was recovering from my broken collarbone, I went for a bike ride one evening with my city bike to Üetliberg and came across the Antenna Trail. I decided to ride it down, as it was getting dark, on a hardtail and rigid forks, and, again, with a half-functioning shoulder. That evening I decided to get back into mountain biking. I got a steel hardtail: an NS Bikes Eccentric. I had a lot of adventures on it. In the spring of 2017, I tried a Santa Cruz Bronson and a Hightower at the bike test day organized by Bikehub. The Bronson had 27.5" wheels and was closer to what I was used to, but I decided to go for the Hightower and its 29" wheels.
| Part | Brand / Model | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Santa Cruz Hightower | |
| Stem | Race Face Turbine Basic |
|
| Bars | Race Face Ride |
|
| Front hub | Novatec D541 |
|
| Rear hub | Novatec D542 |
|
| Fork | RockShox Pike RC |
|
| Shock | RockShox Monarch RT |
|
| Front rim | Race Face AR 27 |
|
| Rear rim | Race Face AR 27 |
|
| Spokes | DT Swiss Champion | |
| Derailleur | SRAM GX | 11 speed |
| Shifters | SRAM GX | 11 speed |
| Brakes | SRAM Guide R | |
| Rotors | Avid Centerline | 180mm (F/R) |
| Crankset | Race Face Aeffect AL |
|
| Cassette | SRAM XG1150 | 10-42t |
| Chain | Some Shimano 11 speed | |
| Grips | Santa Cruz Palmdale | |
| Headset | Cane Creek 40 IS | |
| Seatpost | Rockshox Reverb Stealth | 31.6x170mm |
| Saddle | WTB Volt Race | |
| Front Tire | Maxxis Minion DHF 3C EXO TR | 29x2.3" |
| Rear Tire | Maxxis Minion DHR2 TR | 29x2.3" |
I’m still not comfortable riding a carbon frame, always afraid I’m going to break it.
