You’re looking at Santa Cruz’s least expensive Hightower, the aluminum ‘D’ model that sells for $2,899 USD, or around $400 less than the carbon Hightower frame on its own. Despite the price difference, the aluminum version gets the same lower-link VPP suspension that delivers 140mm of travel. There’s also a 150mm RockShox 35 Gold fork, a 12-speed SX drivetrain from SRAM, and it’s also worth pointing out the four-piston Guide T brakes with 180mm rotors, especially as it’s mostly two-piston stoppers in this price and travel bracket.
This is a size-large for my 5’10” height, with a 473mm reach, 65.5-head angle, 76.8-seat tube angle, and 433mm chainstays. The geo is adjustable, too, just like on the fancier Hightowers, letting you relax the head angle to 65.2-degrees and drop 4mm of bottom bracket height.
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