santa cruz tallboy

-YETI-

Active Member
For local NJ/PA XC racing - do you guys notice that much of an improvement using FS over HT?
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I love the tallboy...perfect bike for Iggy IMO. Dont compare it to a scalpel though...its not comparable....two different bikes meant to do two different things.

Oh yeah. Sc didn't buy into those new shitty bb standards to make cheaper frames. You get threaded bb on even the carbon bikes. Bonus. But it does weigh a few more grams.

You wont get a tallboy within 5lbs of my scalpel...Which is not a knock on it, they are just not comparable bikes.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
can you explain the difference between the scalpel and the tallboy? i love mine but sometimes wish the bike wasn't a 1000% race bike. would be cool to have 10% enduro bro bike. would this fit the bill?
 

gtluke

The Moped
I love the tallboy...perfect bike for Iggy IMO. Dont compare it to a scalpel though...its not comparable....two different bikes meant to do two different things.



You wont get a tallboy within 5lbs of my scalpel...Which is not a knock on it, they are just not comparable bikes.
not true at all
this thing has a freakin triple ring crank, fox fork, and crests.
put your carbon wheel, lefty, and 1x on this thing and it's under 20lbs
your scalpel weigh 15lbs?
what's the frame weight difference? 1 pound? 2 pounds? It's not 5 for sure.

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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Why would you want to lighten the bike up? The extra weight adds stability. This is a good thing for what the bike is meant for.

Who gives a shit if you can go uphill 4 seconds faster?
 

gtluke

The Moped
My shitty internet sleuthing has lead me to the carbon tallboy being 4.9lbs and the scalpel being 4.1 lbs
There's a few grams difference between the threaded BB on the tallboy and the creakmonster on the scalpel.
I guess a few grams for that one piece stem and lefty adapter too.
So what are we talking here, 1 pound? 1.2 pounds?
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
ok 3-4 lbs...and I dont NOT have to use egg beaters or ikons :)

Scalpel frame is 4lbs, tallboy is 5.3 according to SC website...but all of that is crap anyway because who knows whats on the frame when they are weighing it...I have weighed my scalpel frame totally bare with the shock, no bearings or brackets and its under 4. But still not the reason I would not buy a tallboy over my scalpel for xc racing.

can you explain the difference between the scalpel and the tallboy? i love mine but sometimes wish the bike wasn't a 1000% race bike. would be cool to have 10% enduro bro bike. would this fit the bill?

Yes, it would...its less XC race and more AM than a scalpel...More slack head angle...so it wont turn like the scalpel, higher bb...so it will clear things easier...it wont have the same road bike feel the scalpel does going uphill....trade offs...We cant explain this to luke or matty since they dont race cross country and iggy stated in his first post that its a trade off he is willing to except. I dont because I have a second bike for play time, but if i couldnt have both, then I would seriously consider a tallboy.

@Chris26er s tallboy makes more noise than a box of hammers...send him the no creaking memo. lol
 

gtluke

The Moped
ok 3-4 lbs...and I dont NOT have to use egg beaters or ikons :)

Scalpel frame is 4lbs, tallboy is 5.3 according to SC website...but all of that is crap anyway because who knows whats on the frame when they are weighing it...I have weighed my scalpel frame totally bare with the shock, no bearings or brackets and its under 4. But still not the reason I would not buy a tallboy over my scalpel for xc racing.



Yes, it would...its less XC race and more AM than a scalpel...More slack head angle...so it wont turn like the scalpel, higher bb...so it will clear things easier...it wont have the same road bike feel the scalpel does going uphill....trade offs...We cant explain this to luke or matty since they dont race cross country and iggy stated in his first post that its a trade off he is willing to except. I dont because I have a second bike for play time, but if i couldnt have both, then I would seriously consider a tallboy.

@Chris26er s tallboy makes more noise than a box of hammers...send him the no creaking memo. lol

That 4.9 number came from santa cruz for the new model.
it's less than a pound between the frames.
 

gtluke

The Moped
But...you don't race.
true. but at 20-23lbs for a race build how bad could it be?
has anyone raced a VPP FS bike? I'm sure a FSR with a brain is better, or a softtail like the scalpel is better, but the tallboy is probably the best race bike with a fully capable rear suspension that isn't a FSR epic in for warranty work.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I hAte twitchy bike behavior that's why I ride a fat bike and a downhill bike. My riding style is far from dainty more like a truck driver, get the F out of my way because I am gonna run you over!
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Do all scalpels have the ability to move "the spacer" for more slack / less slack? and what is your preferred setup?
yes, i ran mine stock for a while, but recently switched it this year and i can notice a difference. i think kurt was the OG to swap it and kert is a god, so thats your answer
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
true. but at 20-23lbs for a race build how bad could it be? has anyone raced a VPP FS bike? I'm sure a FSR with a brain is better, or a softtail like the scalpel is better, but the tallboy is probably the best race bike with a fully capable rear suspension that isn't a FSR epic in for warranty work.

I test rode a jet 9. Nice bike, lacked the climbing feel my scalpel has. Which is like nothing I have ever experienced on any other bike...Epic with a brain, etc...Its not like hardtail, it much better. I was showing @Delish what I mean by this at lewis morris one day while pedaling uphill through rocks and over roots. Max power, no bob at all, no need to break my form, no back pounding like I would have on my hardtail.....just follows the terrain like a trophy truck. Standing and mashing uphill, its excellent.

@Mountain Bike Mike if I had you do two laps of the lewmo race on your hardtail, then on lap 3 gave you my scalpel, you would build a bronze statue in my honor. :)


Do all scalpels have the ability to move "the spacer" for more slack / less slack? and what is your preferred setup?

All the scalpel 29ers being made currently do, im not sure if there is a spacer to flip on the 2016 version with the lefty 2.0, but that fork is already more slack than my older lefty so its no longer necessary. I switched mine to the more slack setting a couple of years ago for the nationals race and never switched it back. Wasn't a night a day difference IMO, but gave the front end a little more stability
 
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