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I was wondering what it was like and what you use it for
thanks
I have one. Use it for everything - it’s my only MTB.
I’ve definitely moved towards more local XC rides and would prefer a Blur.
The Tallboy is reasonably light and efficient but it’s no cross country machine. It’s a short travel trail bike.
it’s no cross country machine. It’s a short travel trail bike.
Agree with that. The DHer's trail bike.
Tallboy 5 CC here. XXL with a fairly robust build weighing 15.3kg inc SPDs and front Mudhugger. It's my default for general MTBing but not my only MTB - in my case, some of what I use if for can be fairly lairy (steep and/or lumpy descents). Indecently capable for a 120mm rear travel bike.
I did, it was a V5, dont have it any more as I probably should have had a large rather than an XL.
I used it for a bit of everything, other than actual XC. It’s firmly in the short travel trail bike club, not on the XC end, considering it has the same amount of rear travel as my Epic8, it just highlighted how sluggish it felt.
Compare it to a longer travel trail bike however & it was great - really good fun to ride, could be ridden on some really inappropriate stuff & the only times I got twitchy on it was when it was really fast & rough.
Thanks
i am having one built to replace my 2022 Stumpjumper Expert (which pedalled really well on the flat and the ups but was a bit twitchy on any technical downs) and was hoping might perform similar.
I’ve got one and use it for 90% of my riding. It’s a short travel trail bike, not an xc bike it does everything from 70km xc loops to the steeps round ladybower by just changing the tyres. Did cutgate on it a week or so ago with no problem
Its an xc bike for the less confident ( and skilled) descenders! (me) .
Lack of outright efficiency probably made up on the descents.
Mines been a great allrounder (TB3) , including some easy bike packing between b and b's. carrying my kit and my some of my Mrs kit.
A great trail bike.
Slightly ltd rear tyre clearance for beefier DH tyres on mine.
Bought one last year. First new bike (mountain anyway) since my 2007 Orange 5. My frame of reference is therefore a bit out of date! I’ve never ridden anything like it, but that’s probably because literally everything is 10x better than a 2007 Orange 5. I did ride one or two hire bikes around the time I purchased (a Bird Aether and something else) and the Tallboy feels superior. Feel like a fraud riding it but I love it still.
Tallboy owner here .. It has been and will continue to be my fave bike ever . Ive used in in the Lakes for xc epics, steep daft stuff (not as fast as my bigger) but my god its fun. Hopes pops and mannys without hesitation. It covers ground quickly to, with the right rider I think you could climb a ladder on it, it just seems to want to go . I recently used mine for the Mcr to Blackpool and left a load of road riders scratchy thier heads when I passed them . My xl is close to 31lb with 150 lyriks and a float x so a little over forked .
I really really could loose the bigger bike and have a Tallboy as my only steed but it does have its limitations . I wouldnt want to hit Chatel on it but I bet there is those who could .. Its ****ing brilliant
My xl is close to 31lb with 150 lyriks and a float x so a little over forked
My scales must be dodgy AF! My XXL CC-framed build is 15.3kg (33.7lb) with a lighter-than-Lyrik Mezzer fork (also rather over-forked), DPX2 shock, Reserve HD carbon rims on Industry9 1-1s, sensible tyres, 4-pot XTs and 1x12 XT. No idea how I could get it 3-4lb lighter! How have you done it?
I really really could loose the bigger bike and have a Tallboy as my only steed but it does have its limitations . I wouldnt want to hit Chatel on it but I bet there is those who could .. Its ****ing brilliant
Agree with you. My bigger bike feels more redundant than ever due to the Tallboy and having fewer opportunities to visit places worthy of my big bike, but I'm keeping it (for now) as although I could ride the Tallboy in it's place, like you say it has its limitations. Combined with my limitations as a rider, using my Tallboy in the Alps probably wouldn't end well 😀
Mines a cc xl frame with 150 lyriks , im running Bongrager line elite carbon wheels se5+6 tires on a gx groupset and hope e4s . My Hl2 is 34.8lb and defo feels that 4lb heavier .
I was really tempted to take it to the Alps this year and do the T du MB on it but as im off doing some higer peak stuff with Whiteroom I will bow out and take the bigger bike . Besides that the Highlander sits upon the shoulder better :~)
Don’t have one myself but my riding buddy has one (I think it’s the v4 ~2021 version). And I’ve swung a leg over it a few times.
Agree with the comments above it’s a short travel trail bike rather than light weight XC mile munching climbing machine.
It’s confidence inspiring, agile, fun, good at everything, it can climb, it can descend and everything in between.
Yes 120mm has its limitations when the ground gets really chunky but you’ll be finding those limitations with a smile on your face.
The Tallboy is a really good attempt at one bike to rule them all!
Thanks. Some great comments and information.
kind of confirms my thoughts since returning to mountain biking 12 months ago which is that the recent trend is to have bigger travel bikes than is needed?
Hopefully pick mine up tomorrow
Value and stunning colour ..
They are superb but I found that as soon as you look at some of the builds with 4 pot brakes, reinforced tyres and piggback shocks, you get awfully close to the Hightower... so thats the route I went a few years back. You can then effectively build the same bike, with the same spec, but with 20-30mm more travel for basically zero penalty.
Tallboys are great but think carefully how you are going to build it - Lyriks and Fox 36s, 2.5" gravity casing tyres and massive brakes are not, I'd suggest, probably what SC intended originally and it kind of makes a rod for its own back by being so damn good at going down that it persuades people in that direction.
They look superb, the build quality and warranty is typical SC top notch, and there are some great deals out there!
I've a gen 4 alloy and have basically done what the poster above says. Cascade link, Sdu made big improvements to the back end but realistically I should've bought a hightower.
How far have people gone with overforking? I'm at 140mm atm but considering swapping to 160mm lyrik off my other bike for a Scotland trip. I do have a 150mm shaft but can't be arsed to swap it for a weeks riding.
Not sure I understand how heavy the builds mentioned in this thread are considering the frame and shock are around 3kg. My L Rascal is around 3.6kg yet my total bike weight is just 13kg, admittedly plus pedals but still.
Not sure I understand how heavy the builds mentioned in this thread are considering the frame and shock are around 3kg. My L Rascal is around 3.6kg yet my total bike weight is just 13kg, admittedly plus pedals but still.
As one of those 'heavy' build owners I'm not sure I understand either 😀
My XXL will always weigh more than smaller frames but not enough to excuse 15.3kg (or, 14.8kg without pedals...). There's nothing outlandish weight-wise, possibly just a good example of little bits of 'extra' weight here and there adding up collectively:
- Tallboy 5 CC XXL
- Mezzer Pro 2100g & Fox DPX2
- Reserve 30HD on i9 1/1s, 1860g
- Conti Xynotal 29x2.4 Trail (1,040g) & Crossking 29x2.3 XC (760g), Cushcore XC 150g in rear
- 1x12 XT with 10-51t
- OneUp chain guide
- XT 4-pots, 203/180 RT76
- OneUp V2
- Spesh saddle 280g
- Deity bar 230g
- Deity stem 160g
- Mudhugger 120g
- M530 SPDs 460g
Secondhand and not specced by me (it was Ben Cathro's 'training' bike). It's great for my use, specced for reliability rather than weight weenie.
i love my v5, always get complements on it.. fox factory 36 140mm upfront handles most things, rear shock could be better
its the bike that made my super light/ super stiff yeti arc redundant..
size large, well under 13kg, i've not gone light either, carbon six element wheels, hope brakes XT/oneup dropper/riser bar.
just put on summer tyres it flys, dissector upfront
Not sure I understand how heavy the builds mentioned in this thread are considering the frame and shock are around 3kg. My L Rascal is around 3.6kg yet my total bike weight is just 13kg, admittedly plus pedals but still.
The Stanton I'm building up at the moment is supposedly 2.83kgs frame and shock and is coming in around 15.8kg - spreadsheet says 14.5 though. Don't know if claimed weights ar BS, or my scales are out tbh