Santa Cruz Highball C

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Rad looking bike as usual, love it. One roundabout question though: I love flat pedals and run them religiously except a) on a road bike when I had one and 2) on my singlespeed - long story short I just found it's a lot easier to ride an ss clipped in, especially given how much time you're spending out of the saddle?
Fair question with a simple answer - I never ride clipped in because it gives me the willys.

If it wasn't for that, yes logically they would be the right choice of pedal and would make a lot of the general belting along smooth path riding and especially techy climbs easier. But I also factored in an awareness that I'll inevitably ask too much of the front end on descents and need to get the foot down (quickly) from time to time... Those Chromag Dagga flats are really bloody grippy however, so you really have to lift your foot off them if you want to take it off - and I can actually (somewhat) lift and flick the back end around with the appropriate technique, so it doesn't feel as strange as it looks (for me).
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
With my physical inactivity of late (work work work...), and the summer heat/humidity coming (plus a desire to eventually ride this thing where there's some proper climbs) I succumbed to the inevitable and installed some extra ratios. 12sp is mega-mega-overkill, but I had the bits so on it went. Oh, and the Formula Cura rotors were providing more stopping power than the XC tyres could handle (particularly the rear), so went with some Hope floating rotors to give more of a progressive, slightly less powerful feel (the matchy-matchy red was actually a secondary consideration, honest! :oops:).

Pics just because (...because I love this bike!):
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Brand-whore, moi?
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More teeth than a Great-White Shark:
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Updated Specs:
Frame - Santa Cruz Highball C (V1 Carbon)
Rear shock - Nope
Front shock/fork - Fox Rhythm 34 120mm Boost
Handlebars - Renthal Fatbar Carbon 31.8 40mm riser (trimmed to 750ish wide)
Stem - Funn Stryge 80mm (underrated stem, cheap and stiff - doesn't feel like a typical noodly long stem))
Headset - Chris King
Grips - ODI Elite Pro
Saddle - Ergon something?
Seatpost - Brand X Ascent II
Brake system - Hope Tech 3/E4 Red with Uberbike pads and cooling fins (because that's what I had spare, and I don't like the standard organic pads)
Rotors - Hope Floating (Red Anno centres) 203mm front, 180mm rear
Cranks - Shimano XT M8120 with 34t chainring
Chain - Shimano CN-M8100
Pedals - Chromag Dagga
Front derailleur - Despite the cable routing lug to suit on the frame, it's not gonna happen!
Rear derailleur - Shimano XT 12sp
Rear shifter - Shimano XT 12sp
Cassette/Cog - Shimano XT 12sp 10-51t
Front hub - Hope Pro 4 110x15mm (Red)
Rear hub - Hope Pro-4 142x12mm (Red)
Front rim - Light Bicycle RM29C19 (30mm ext. width, 24mm int.)
Rear rim - Light Bicycle RM29C19 (Same same)
Spokes - DT Comps (Silver)
Nipples - Yes (Brass ones!)
Front Tyre - Maxxis Rekon Race 29x2.35
Rear Tyre - Maxxis Rekon Race 29x2.25 (because the frame clearance is really tight due to the seat stay/yoke shape)
Tubes - Nope. Just some bear tape and Stans sealant.

Took it for a urban loop (mostly bike-path, but some flattish dirt sections) to celebrate its upgrades and while there wasn't much off-road action-, bloody hell this thing rides nice. Just enough flex in the carbon to prevent unwanted 'buzz' over little sharp bumps, but still plenty stiff when torquing it up. Look forward to getting some trail kms on this thing!
 
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beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Looking good mate. Very tasteful red bling. Solid build to. How you liking 12 speed?
Thanks Scotty. I really like the Shimano 12sp. I honestly couldn't care less about the fact it's 12sp (11sp would be fine), but I love the smoother shifting. Admittedly the setup's got to be perfect, but damn it shifts nice when it's in the zone. I actually wanted the 10-45t cassette and derailleur for this bike, but the prices are insane at the moment and I was swapping the long-cage derailleur across off the other bike anyway, so XT cassette was much better VFM and will work just fine.

A @beeb build always comes out spot on. Well done sir.
Thanks good sir. Hurts the wallet, but once I get an image of what I want in my head it's hard to resist! :p
 

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
With enough red parts you’ll be able to do a 60 second sprint in 59 seconds.

I’m still upset with you for ditching the ss setup, but it’s still a cool bike I guess.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
With enough red parts you’ll be able to do a 60 second sprint in 59 seconds.

I’m still upset with you for ditching the ss setup, but it’s still a cool bike I guess.
I'm kind of upset too, but my fitness needs some work at the moment. I still have the spare freehub with the SS cog attached, and a spare chain shortened to suit. It will see a return at times... ;)
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
That said, when I put gears on the Niner for a few weeks I really didn't like it; made the bike feel slow and draggy in comparison to the SS setup.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Yeah, can't say smashing around the Youies without gears in the sun is particularly appealing.
That said, when I put gears on the Niner for a few weeks I really didn't like it; made the bike feel slow and draggy in comparison to the SS setup.
Haha, I agree with both these messages. Yesterday's ride suggests it wasn't too much of a hit to efficiency, distinguishable just - but not enough to be worried about.
 
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