Staff Rides | Mick's Tallboy After Two Years of Tweaking, Doodles, Photos and Washing (2025)

This is a check-in, long-term look at a bike that’s stuck around for a reason – my Santa Cruz Tallboy. I’ve had it for over two years now, and while almost everything on it has changed, the core of it remains the same: a short-travel bike that’s all about speed, response, and that pert short-travel feel. Think light, sharp, and just enough backup when things get rough.

The Frame | VPP, bearings and a creaky Glovebox.

This is my second Tallboy, and I’ve genuinely struggled to find anything that suits me better. The 120mm rear paired with a 130mm fork feels just right. I’ve tried it with a 140mm up front, and while that works for some people in bigger terrain, it dulls the handling on flatter or tighter trails. With the 130mm, it keeps its pop and precision and you can run the suspension quick and light. Pictured here, it’s 12.7kg with pedals.

The frame isn’t pretending to be a whippet. It’s not some flyweight XC rig. It’s solid and stout, with Santa Cruz’s VPP suspension. No flex stays here, just a solid dual-link setup that rewards you when you’re on the gas and off the brakes. And it’s held up impressively. I’ve rebuilt the linkage twice – a simple bit of workshop therapy – but even after a muddy three-day stage race, most of the bearings were still feeling good. Just the top swing-link bearing started complaining with some contamination, which is fair enough given the conditions and age.

Santa Cruz offers lifetime bearing replacement, so I’ll put in a request for some freshies.

The only real gripe I’ve got with the frame is the downtube storage. The trap door creaks under load, especially with a full water bottle. I’ve tried all sorts of fixes – grease, silicon spray, foam padding – but no dice. Santa Cruz sent out a replacement, but we’re still creaky. From what I’ve seen, Specialized still sets the benchmark when it comes to integrated storage. Also worth mentioning: remember to take the tool wrap out before washing your bike. It lets in water, and I’ve had rust creep in on mini tools left inside.

The Drivetrain | SRAM XX SL still going strong

The drivetrain is the one part of this build that hasn’t changed, which says a lot. It’s SRAM’s XX SL Eagle Transmission, and after two years of riding, racing, travel, and regular wash-downs, it’s still running as sweet as day one. Same chain, same cassette, same derailleur, same cranks, same pod. It just works – always has.

XX SL is SRAM’s lightest version of the Transmission group. You get hollow carbon cranks, a carbon derailleur cage, and a lighter cassette with alloy big cogs. It’s built for people chasing grams, but it’s also proven seriously tough. I’ve had no issues with dropped chains, no alignment headaches, and nothing weird in terms of wear or shifting – even after stage races, big travel shoots, or riding through full-blown slop.

One of the biggest wins is that it runs on power. There’s this distinct solid feel to how it shifts – not clunky, not soft, just confident. Wil summed it up well in his review: Transmission doesn’t just shift better, it changes how the bike feels. You stop thinking about it, and that’s the highest compliment I can give a drivetrain.

The AXS pod shifter has grown on me. I wasn’t sure at first – the button ergonomics felt nothing like a classic shifter – but now it’s second nature.

I keep things clean. After every ride, I wash the bike, dry the drivetrain, and lube it up once it’s completely dry. I’m not fussy about a single lube – I rotate through options like Weldtite Dry Teflon, Peatys, NFS, Muc-Off Dy and Wet – but I’m fussy about using the right one for the conditions. Dry lube for dry rides, wet lube when it’s been raining, just a little every time. Just don’t pile fresh lube on a dirty or wet chain. That’s sacrilege.

Suspension & Controls | The latest Float and a fork with muscle

Suspension-wise, I’m running a Fox Float rear shock. It’s the updated version with a noticeably deeper, more supportive feel compared to the previous model, reminiscent of the bigger and heavier Float X than before. It tracks the ground well and handles square-edge hits a bit more confidently than the old one, which sometimes felt like it was sitting too far into the travel, or reacted with less predictability at times. The new one sits up better with more composure.

That said, I do miss the older three-position compression lever. This version only gives you open or locked, and then three compression settings within the open mode. It’s not a huge deal — I’ve just gotten used to flicking between that middle setting on climbs or flatter bits, and I miss that simple middle ground. I’ve got the shock set to around 20% sag, which lines up nicely with how the Tallboy is designed to ride.

Up front, I’ve got the new Fox 36 SL, and this fork has me intrigued. It’s Fox’s latest take on a lightweight trail fork, built around a 36mm chassis, so right away you’re getting more support and stiffness than the older 34 or even the 34 Step-Cast. What’s clever is that it’s only marginally heavier than the 34, but thanks to the wider stance and burlier legs, it feels more planted and confidence-inspiring.

The 36 SL is an interesting fork because it straddles the line between traditional short-travel trail setups and the lower end of all-mountain. It’s built off the same 36 chassis as the bigger forks, but with a focus on saving weight and simplifying internals. That makes it a great match for bikes with 120–140mm of travel, where you want support and stiffness on the front, but you’re not chasing massive enduro-level damping.

The regular Fox 36 still makes sense for longer-travel trail and enduro bikes, the kind you’d run at 150–160mm. But this SL version is for riders like me, chasing efficiency without giving up that sturdy front-end feel. Compared to the 34, the 36 SL isn’t much heavier, but it does bring more front-end confidence, especially when you’re braking hard, diving into compressions, or just riding fast through rougher trail.

The 36 SL sits in that sweet spot for what modern short-travel trail bikes are becoming. It’s aimed squarely at bikes like the Tallboy, Trek Top Fuel, Specialized Epic EVO, Norco Fluid, and even bikes like the Transition Spur or Revel Ranger – all those bikes that are around 120mm travel, light and efficient, but capable enough to be pushed harder on fast or technical terrain. We’ll surely see this fork fitting well on SL e-MTB’s also, though it’s maxxed out at 140mm travel.

Geometry has evolved, riders are asking more of their bikes, and the old-school 34 fork can sometimes feel outgunned. That’s where this one steps in.

I’m still experimenting with the setup – air pressure, volume spacers, rebound – and I’ll update those numbers once I’ve landed on something I’m completely happy with. Right now, I’m running the low-speed compression dial about a third of the way in, with rebound sitting in the middle. It’s already showing plenty of promise. I’ve also got plans to swap the fork back to a 34 SL and run a lighter wheel and tyre combo, just to see how far I can tip this build toward the fast-and-light side without losing too much capability. Watch this space.

Touchpoints | Saddle, stem, bar, and the new Reverb dropper

Controls-wise, I’ve been loving the RaceFace ERA bar. It’s got a nice balance between shape, stiffness and damping; this set is 760mm wide. For a long time, 35mm clamp bars were all about large aesthetics and no comfort, but things have come a long way. Combined with the Race Face Turbine stem and ODI Reflex grips, it’s a setup I really enjoy. The stem is the new Race Face Turbine SL, a really simple, lightweight 123g unit, 40mm length, with a clean finish. It’s reversible, which is handy for bar height adjustment, and it doesn’t draw attention to itself, which I like. You end up staring at it a lot when you’re grovelling up a climb, and it’s just one of those parts that never gives you a reason to change it.

The grips aren’t as chunky as they look, they compress nicely when you hang onto them. The mixed squares, waffle, and ribbed pattern give a good grip, whether you’re gloved up or riding sweaty barehanded.

The saddle is one I’ve stuck with for years, carried over from previous bikes, a Specialized Phenom, Mimic. It’s slim, supportive, and just fits. Shows some wear around the sides underneath, but nothing worth replacing it over.

The post is a 150mm RockShox Reverb AXS, and I’ve come to appreciate it more than I expected. At first, I wasn’t sure about the squish when it’s into its stroke, the so-called “Active Ride” feel. That’s just how the air-over-air system works in this latest version. Initially, I was sceptical. It felt like SRAM was turning a byproduct of the design into a feature, rather than something they intentionally engineered. But to be fair, it didn’t take long to get used to.

See our review of the new RockShox Reverb AXS here.

Now that I’ve spent a decent amount of time on it, I’d say the squish is actually kind of welcome. It smooths out the chatter just slightly when you’re seated and pedalling, which is something I never thought I’d care about. It’s also a little firmer to compress than some other droppers, but it’s never felt like a problem on the trail. If anything, that solid top-out feel gives the post a bit more presence when you’re up and down a lot.

It’s pretty funny; every time we post about the new AXS drop, someone loses their mind about how it looks. Fox did it first with the battery-on-top thing, and now SRAM are copping the grief. I get it, it’s not subtle… but it works, and it’s built like this for a few reasons, and that’s all I care about.

Worth noting too the Reverb AXS isn’t travel adjustable, so what you pick is what you get. At 150mm, it’s right in that sweet spot for this bike. Not too tall, not too slammed. And because the shorter Reverbs are lighter than the longer ones, it’s a smart middle ground for a bike that already leans toward the efficient side of things. All in all, a really tidy bit of new tech that I’m sure we will see a lot over the coming years.

Final Details | Brakes, tyres and that ride feel

The brakes are a story in themselves. I’m running the new SRAM Motive Ultimate, and they had a rough start. I fitted them with lightweight CLX rotors and metal pads right before a stage race. Bad timing. Wet conditions on Day 1 chewed everything up. I replaced the pads but kept the scarred rotors, which never really bedded in properly. Eventually, I swapped in new HS2 rotors and fresh pads, and now they’re singing. Smooth, powerful, and more than enough for this bike. They don’t quite hit Code-level power, but they’re a big step up from the Levels.

Only real annoyance is the hose routing. The inward angle of the brake line out of the lever is awkward, and it’s done a scratchy number on my nice carbon bars. I much prefer the straighter routing on the new Mavens. Damn it!

See our review of the new SRAM Motive brakes here.

Tyres are Schwalbe Wicked Will front and rear, in the SpeedGrip compound. These came from the Fox Recon launch, and while they’re usually seen as rear tyres, I’ve stuck with them both ends. They’re fast, durable, and offer a predictable feel. Grip is decent, not amazing, but I like knowing what the tyre’s going to do. The best tyre is the one you know, right? I’ll probably fit a softer compound up front eventually, but for now, this setup’s working. Pressures are 19 psi front, 18 psi rear, with no inserts fitted.

Read more about Schwalbe Wicked Will tyres here.

What’s Next | A big bike joins the mix

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed that. Just a snapshot of where this nice bike’s at right now. It’s not my biggest travel bike, not the lightest either, but it’s the one that keeps me coming back. Quick, fun, and dialled in to my local singletrack. Suits the way I ride when I want to go fast without overthinking things.

Got questions, suggestions, or thoughts of your own? Drop a comment below or hit us up on socials, we’re always keen to chat bikes.

Up next, the Ibis HD6!