Playmate: Santa Cruz Megatower C in the test
The difference to its predecessor is not quite as stark as Canyon's, but the entire geometry has been put to the test and an extremely practical storage compartment has been integrated into the down tube. The head angle was slackened by one degree, the seat angle steepened by 1.5 degrees and the wheelbase increased by 34 millimetres. The Americans have also increased the suspension travel at the front and rear by around one centimetre. Despite the longer chainstays, the tyre clearance for the 2.4 Maxxis tyres mounted in the rear triangle is quite tight. At 15.7 kilos including pedals, the Santa weighs the least. Compared to its predecessor, however, this is still 600 grams more.
In terms of the riding position, the new Megatower is also fully convincing. All testers praised the successful compromise between smoothness and playfulness. The Megatower is not only fast, but can also fly over the trails. Thanks to the high front end, you're secure on the bike even on steep sections. In order to realise the price point, the Californians rely on a mix of Fox 38 at the front and Rockshox Superdeluxe at the rear. The rear suspension works sensitively and has a good absorption capacity, but compared to the fork it lacks some counterpressure. An adjustable compression damping on the shock would have been the solution.
PLUS: Good compromise between smoothness and playfulness, stiff frame
MINUS: Little tyre clearance, slight imbalance between fork and rear triangle
Conclusion on the Santa Cruz Megatower C:
Dimitri Lehner, Editor-in-Chief FREERIDEWith the latest upgrade of the Megatower, Santa Cruz has brought its successful enduro bike up to date. The geometry update makes the Enduro even better and ensures riding fun in any terrain. This makes the Santa not only fast, but also playful. Clever: the storage compartment in the down tube.
Technical data Santa Cruz Megatower C
General information
- Price: 7500 euros, available from specialised dealers
- Info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
- Suspension travel: 170 / 164 mm
- Frame material: Carbon
- Frame size: S / M / L / XL / XXL (tested in L, 44 cm)
Equipment
- Fork: Fox 38 Float Performance Elite FitGrip2
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Select+
- Crank: Sram GX Eagle
- Gear system: Sram GX Eagle AXS 1 x 12
- Ratio / bandwidth: 30; 10-50 / 500 %
- Brake system / Disc (front / rear): Sram Code RSC / 200 mm / 200 mm
- Telescopic post / stroke / Ø: Rockshox Reverb Stealth / 175 mm / 31.6 mm
- Wheels: Santa Cruz Reserve 30 rims; Industry Nine hubs
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai / Minion DHR II 3C MaxxGrip / -Terra Exo+ Protection TR 29 x 2.5/2.4
- Ease of maintenance: medium
The results of the Santa Cruz Megatower C in the complete comparison test of the 6 enduro bikes in the Enduro Special from BIKE 6/2022 can be conveniently downloaded as a PDF below the article.
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