Many would see the 29er Tallboy as the crosscountry option in the Santa Cruz lineup and, while that is true to an extent, we have seen the Tallboy used to great effect on massively steep and technical ground where it just eats up the ground with aplomb.
The C model is one step below the range-topping CC frame which uses the best quality carbon to reduce the frame weight by a further 250g. The price hike is pretty steep however, so only you can decide if that extra weight gain is worth the money.
Of course the C itself isn't cheap with our mid-range S build coming in not that far off £5000, but it is kitted out with some excellent components. Money has been saved on the 'Performance' grade of 120mm travel Fox 34 forks, but they still perform, and the same could be said of the rear Fox Float Performance DPS shock. A SRAM GX Eagle 1x12 drivetrain gives a great spread of gears too, with a massive 50 tooth sprocket allowing for wall climbing potential.
Worthy of consideration if you want a bigger tyre profile is to build the tallboy up as a 27.5+ wheel size, in fact Santa Cruz offer the Tallboy with a S+ build kit with just that - shod in huge 2.8" Maxxis Recon tyres for even more solid offroad grip and a very forgiving ride.
