With the launch of two new bikes from Santa Cruz comes the opportunity to shred harder than ever before. If not harder, then certainly equally hard but with less effort. Bike Magazine headed to Sedona to tackle the trails aboard the Superlight29 and Highball hardtail.
By Brice Minnigh
Photos by Dan Barham
Courtesy of Bike Magazine
Santa Cruz Bicycles has brought an amiable crew of self-proclaimed ‘mountain-bike journalists’ to the high-desert trails of Sedona, Arizona, this week to unveil some new big-wheeled bikes—and, more importantly, to ride them.
Sir Seb shreds Sedona singletrack.
One of the highlights so far—apart from the unparalleled camaraderie and exquisite singletrack of Sedona—has been the introduction of the company’s venerable Superlight model in a 29-inch format. The longtime staple of Santa Cruz’s lineup retains the signature single-pivot design that the brand was known for prior to the advent of its VPP bikes.
Dear POC: That’s a brand-new Santa Cruz Superlight29, but Seb’s bright-blue helmet has already seen plenty of magazine coverage. Will you send him a fresh helmet in a different color, please?
The Superlight29 is essentially an updated Superlight with 29-inch wheels, 100 millimeters of travel and almost the exact same geometry as Santa Cruz’s highly popular Tallboy. With its simple functionality, sleek looks and generous standover (the company claims that the bike’s standover, at 27.5 inches for a medium and 29.3 inches for a large, is lower than anything else in this class), the Superlight29 looks to be a playful machine, and we’ll be making the most of it this week in the maze of rocky trails around Sedona.
Seb Kemp making it to happy hour on time aboard the new Santa Cruz Highball hardtail 29.
Among the other bikes we’ll be riding this weekand the only other model we’re allowed to talk about for now—is Santa Cruz’s aluminum Highball hardtail. It’s the 29-inch XC bike that the company introduced last year in a carbon-fiber frame, and will now be available in a more affordable aluminum model.
Check bikemag.com each day this week for more details on the bikes, the riding and the revelry of Santa Cruz’s Sedona ‘press camp’. It’s guaranteed to be a good time.
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