2023 Santa Cruz Hightower 3 - C GX AXS Full Suspension MTB

Please Note: Front Fork has some slight cosmetic damage marks from shipping. Contact us for photos

The newest version of the Hightower remains one of the greatest hits of engineering - now further refined and bottled into most all-terrain of bikes. Big on wheels, medium on travel, short on fuss, this is the do-it-all model that does it over and over again thanks to a versatile balance of geo, spec and durability. If you’re not looking for extremes, just something extremely good, the Hightower is your elevator.

Features

VPP

VPP™ suspension can be optimized to strike the right balance between pedaling efficiency and all-out bump chomping prowess. That means wherever you see "VPP" you know it's tuned to perform exactly how it should for the purpose it's designed for.

145mm VPP travel

Looking for something good at climbing, and downhill, and going round and round your local trails? Say hello to Hightower. 145mm in the rear paired with 150mm up front is your perfect combo.

Suspension sensitivity

Compared to the last Hightower, we reduced the anti-squat in the first 40% of travel. This noticeably improves suspension sensitivity in both climbing and descending scenarios due to reduced chain influence on the suspension.

Suspension consistency

Hightower's leverage curve is relatively straight, with added progression towards the end of the travel. This provides improved bottom-out resistance with more consistent damping and support.

Glovebox

Place your ride essentials securely beneath a new high-quality latch and panel in the Hightower's downtube. The Glovebox comes with a fitted Tool Wallet and Tube Purse, tailored for the frame to keep your tools close to hand.

Sag window

A window allows easier suspension sag and setup. The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm, and rubberized DT protectors to shrug off strikes.

Flip chip

In the Low position, the shock rate becomes more progressive, particularly at the end of the stroke, and there’s some bottom-out resistance to be gained. In the High setting, the bike rides a little higher in its travel and supplies the rider with more mid-stroke support. Tweakers and finicky shredders can adapt the suspension feel to their needs and desire.

Proportional geometry

Chainstay length and seat angle is matched to the frame size so every rider, no matter their height, gets the same balanced geometry. Across all sizes however, the headtube angle has been slackened to help stability at speed, lowered the bottom bracket to compliment the better supported suspension, and increased stack in favor of modern handlebar setups.

29-inch wheels

Hightower features fast-rolling, bump-easing 29-inch wheels front and rear. On high-end builds we spec Reserve 30|HD carbon rims laced to premium hubs, which are built and hand-tuned in our Santa Cruz, Calif. factory.

Specifications

	Material Carbon C Our C Carbon frames use the same proprietary processes of the highest spec CC Carbon frames to match the same legendary strength and stiffness standards. But the use of a different grade of carbon material results in a minimal weight gain.
	Rear Shock Rockshox Super Deluxe Select+ 210x55
	Fork FOX 36 Float Performance Elite, 150mm
	Rear Derailleur SRAM GX AXS Eagle, 12spd
	Shifters GX AXS Controller w/ Rocker Paddle
	Cassette SRAM XG1275 Eagle, 12spd, 10-50t
	Chain SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
	Bottom Bracket SRAM DUB 68/73mm Threaded BB
	Headset Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated Headset
	Rear Tire Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C MaxxTerra, EXO, TR
	Front Tire Maxxis Minion DHR II 29"x2.4", 3C MaxxGrip, EXO, TR
	Sealant Reserve Tubeless Sealant
	Front Hub i9 1/1, 15x110, 28h
	Front Rim RaceFace ARC Offset 30 29"
	Rear Hub i9 1/1, 12x148, XD, 28h
	Rear Rim RaceFace ARC Offset 30 29"
	Front Rotor Avid Centerline 180mm
	Rear Rotor Avid Centerline 180mm
	Brakes SRAM Code RS
	Crankset SRAM GX Eagle 148 DUB 32t
	Handlebars Santa Cruz 35 Carbon Bar, 800mm
	Stem Burgtec Enduro MK3, 42mm
	Saddle WTB Silverado Medium CroMo
	Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth, 31.6
	Grips Santa Cruz Bicycles House Grips Our House Grips have an aggressive knurl pattern for all-weather grip, finger ridges for added control and soft, yet durable rubber compound. They come in either 30 or 32mm width and have an inboard snap-on lock ring to keep them tight but no ring on the outboard side so they’re super comfortable. And they’ll do your taxes* *not true. But they are really good.
	Weight 14.39 kg
	Travel 150/145mm
	Wheel Size 29"