Santa Cruz introduces new carbon 'cross bike and hardtail

Published February 17, 2015

by BRAIN Staff

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (BRAIN) — Santa Cruz is launching a pair of new carbon bikes and framesets, the Stigmata cyclocross model and the Highball hardtail.

Stigmata

The Stigmata is a carbon 'cross frame with internal hydraulic disc brake hose routing and a 142mm thru axle rear. The matching fork has a 15mm thru axle. The frame is available in five sizes, two colors, and as a complete bike with three build options.

Santa Cruz product manager Josh Kissner said the Stigmata is suitable for cyclocross racing as well as dirt road riding. “It’s definitely a legit CX racer, but we’ve added small details to keep it versatile, such as a 160mm brake rotors for long descents, a PF30 BB for maximum drivetrain compatibility and full 41mm tire clearance,” he said.

The Stigmata starts from $3,699 for a complete bike and is available in 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 cm sizes. The CC carbon frameset is $2,299 and includes Stigmata CC carbon fork, axles and headset.

Highball

The newest version of the Highball is available in either 27.5-inch or 29-inch versions with C or CC carbon frame options, the Highball meets the demand of more riders' preference and budget.

“The new Highball was pretty much re-engineered from scratch,” said Santa Cruz's head of engineering, Nick Anderson. "We’ve updated the geometry by lengthening the front end about half an inch while shortening the chain stays around a third of an inch. To improve the ride further we’ve introduced a 27.2-inch seat post specifically for this model and tuned the carbon layup of the seat tube and seat stays to take full advantage of the enhanced compliance."

Both the Stigmata and Highball use internally molded carbon tubes to route the rear brake hose (including connector) from entry to exit. They also includes "easy-to-thread" guides and cable tunnels for full internal routing, future-proofed for Shimano Di2 compatibility.

The Highball starts at $2,799 for a complete carbon model and is available in sizes S-XL in the 27.5-inch version and M- XXL in the 29-inch version. The CC carbon frameset is $1,899.