Twenty Nine Inches has received confirmation that a TallBoy 29″er is on its way to Grannygear in California for test/review. If California doesn’t float away due to the tremendous rains and storms in the next few days, you can expect to see an “Out Of The Box” report soon.

Grannygear rode this TallBoy at the Outdoor Demo at Interbike 2009.
Santa Cruz let it be known last summer that it was prototyping a 29″er full suspension bike and the buzz around the project was big. Interbike saw the carbon fiber wundebike unveiled to the cycling industry where we got our first close up look at the bike. Santa Cruz has a huge reputation to live up to in regards to suspension bike performance and for this being their first attempt at a 29 inch wheeled bike, we were duly impressed. However; one or two short trail rides can only give you an impression, so Grannygear will be ferreting out the finer details of this curvaceous big wheeler. In the next few weeks Grannygear will have a report coming that hopefully will give you a clearer idea of what this bike is like on a day to day riding basis.
Note: The reviewed bike is being provided to Twenty Nine Inches at no charge for review. We are not being paid or bribed for this review. We will give our honest opinion or thoughts through out.











Great bike. Unlike my Pivot, I had to put the shock in the Propedal 2 setting to arrest the perceived wallowing. I wouldn’t say it’s stiffer than my El Rey or Pivot. The carbon dampening is nice and the bike definitely feels lighter than the other two. I running Edge AM wheels and with heavy tires mounted tubeless it comes in at 27 1/2lbs. It’s built for a clyde.
Interesting DrDon. I have read many positive comments on the TallBoy, and frankly, want one. A friend was riding with a couple guys last weekend and one was on a TallBoy. My friend saw the bike squatting on the climbs as well. hmmmmmm……
GT do you know what rear shock and fork size there sending? Recently rode the TB XT build with a 120 fox and loved it. Look forward to reading your review
@ DrDon, @ slocaus: The “squating” wasn’t discernable, if even there at all, on our test ride at Interbike. In fact, Grannygear and I agreed that the TallBoy and the Specialized Epic Marathon were the two best climbing FS 29″ers we had ever ridden. The TallBoy actually getting the nod between the two of those.
Of course, we will take these comments under advisement as the review gets underway. Thanks for pointing that out.
@TrainHard22: Please keep in mind that Grannygear is doing the review, not I. That is a good thing, as #1: He has trails not frozen under feet of snow and ice as I do right now, and #2: He has far more experience with DW/CVA/VPP type suspension systems than I do. He will be able to give a more educated/experiential review on the TallBoy because of this. I am confident that Grannygear will do a great job on this. I can’t wait to hear his impressions myself.
That said, I do not know which kit Santa Cruz is sending, but we should all know in a few short days.
My mistake for not reading the post closer, either way I’m sure it will be good. The TB is truly amazing bike and your original takes on the bike we’re spot on from my personal experience.
Oooohhh….UPS was here. http://vintageone.blogspot.com/2010/01/tall-boy-boxes.html
grannygear
@GG – Well, get ‘im done – should be dry enough to ride in a couple days! 120 fork?
@lee T
A couple of days? More than that. Ten inches of rain this week and still more is falling. All that clay would turn the Tall Boy into an adobe art project. No idea on the fork…still in the box. Opening day this Sat. Too cold to even work in the garage right now.
grannygear
I was convinced to get a Tallboy right away! I haven’t logged that many miles on it yet, but so far am very very happy. No squatting whatsoever on the climbs, even without Propedal. Smooth and confident going down. My bike is 27 pounds fully decked out with pedals and a waterbottle cage. Not as light as it could be, mind you, but it works nicely for me. Even though it’s full XTR, I think I screwed up with XT hubs b/c they’re a bit heavy. Also, I installed an SLX 12-36 cassette, which make all the difference in the world both in weight as well as climbing. I’ll take climbing prowess over weight any day.
@grannygear – I have a heater in my garage and sandy parts of Montana de Oro will be dry by Sunday. Can I borrow it? I’ll give it back, I promise!
eventually……………………………
@slocaus
Sure, Tim…I think it is a blue moon tonight. Or not
Heading to the garage pretty soon here to spin wrenches. I know it is orange…I do know that much after a sneak peek.
grannygear
I think the squishiness I felt may be reflective of my body habitus. 230lbs with a long layback post on a large because of my 35in inseam and 5’11″ height. Or not. Anyhoo, love the bike.
@GG – well, at least Temecula has been rideable – great 12 Hour race this past weekend.
If it stays wet where you are, come here. Be glad to “help” in any way I can.
Now, of course, it’s raining again…
hi, I would be interested in how this stacks up against the superfly. Interestingly the Tallboy comes with 5 inch of travel in front fork.
cheers
kevin