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Santa Cruz Tallboy 29'er Side
New Project - phew...just finished in time for the Mont
Santa Cruz Tallboy XL 29'er
Hope there is time for a shakedown ride....
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What happened to the lefty? You seemed so set on that idea.
Have fun on your shakedown race!
Hi Nick
In the end there were three reasons for chosing the Fox Talas RLC 29'er fork over the LEFTY....
a) Geometry: You can convert a 140 mm LEFTY into a 110 mm 29'er fork, however the Axle to Crown height is approx. 15 mm shorter. The Tallboy already has a pretty low BB height for my taste, using the LEFTY would have lowered the front even further. I believe geometry-wise the Lefty is more suited to low slung XC race bikes, not so much for Trail bikes.
b) Weight & Budget: The LEFTY has a good reputation for stiffness and weight. However the actual weight saving would have been only ~ 300g over a 2011 Fox fork. (be aware that advertised LEFTY weights are mostly measured without the steerer tube/Project 321 adapters). The new Fox forks with tapered steerer and 15 mm thu-axle are very stiff, too. The cost for the LEFTY would have been ~ $ 600 more than the top level TALAS...plus the need for extra LEFTY hub, plus I couldn't get the Easton Wheels with a LEFTY hub.... Fox won.
c) Serviceability: I plan to take this bike abroad ...after listening to three separate experienced (C'dale) bike mechanics it was clear that the LEFTY needs regular TLC, service skills and uniqe spare parts that may not be available in out-of-the-way places. This was confirmed by one of my favourite LBS mechanics:
Regular TLC (eg, bearing resets) are an easy DIY item, but fair call on the parts and specialist tools if you're travelling to exotic places. On the geometry front, I think you made the right call too. 15mm is quite a crown height difference.
Looking forward to taking it for a spin... :grin:
PS: I think your mechanic should invest in a BB spanner and quit using his teeth
But isn't the axle to crown distance adjustable with a sinister fork?
I figure with the short head tube on that XS frame you could have put a spacer or a Cane Creek S8+15 lower bearing in?
I'm sold on the price saving though
Crown height used to be adjustable on the older model forks, but the latest ones are all fixed ('bonded').
Something about cutting weight - the change did away with a few steel bolts.
Always good to learn new stuff.
What a shame weight weenieism led to a loss of functionality
I still lust after a Carbon Lefty 140 for the yeti
how did the tallboy go at the Mont was it set up for it ?