Megatower vs Hightower LT - Enduro Bike Head to Head
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2024
- Head to head look at two 29r Enduro bikes from Santa Cruz. Is newer always better? Or is tried and true the way to go? Watch and find out.
[Links]
Cowichan Cycles: www.cowichancycles.com
[Socialize]
Instagram: / island.bike.life - กีฬา
Another great video, your channel is going to take off one of these days, mark my words!
Thanks again for watching and the support!
Thanks. Will stick with my HTLT for the foreseeable future - I love it
Nice comparison. I build up a used 2018 LT last November. With an off set fork as per Santa Cruz advise. Love it! Super nimble and light. It’s more playful then my 2018 Pivot Mach 6, which by the way weighs more than the LT. It also felt just as sold and stable as the Mach 6 going down fast rough trails. 👍
Best review. Honest and spot on. I felt the very same way when riding the mega. Love your reviews!!!
Thanks for watching
Great review! Love my HTLT, love it more now that it will soon be a limited edition Santa Cruz bike!
Thanks for watching!
Great review mate, debating between these two. Really like your thoughts on the what makes these different, no dribble. Cheers
Excellent, thanks for this review, i love my HTLT, the megatower would be wasted on me, and more bike than i need on my trails. Shame the LT is gonna be discontinued, but im sure the new one will be making me spend more money
It was/is a great bike. I think the new HT will split the difference between the models and be one hell of a trail bike!
Great comparison! Looks like I picked the right bike for my intended purpose. The HTLT I find is a bike that really does everything well, about as close to one bike Quiver as you can get!
Yeah it is pretty well rounded that’s for damn sure. I am really looking forward to the Hightower refresh later this year.
Yep, love mine too, best all round bike you can get
Nice review!! I own the SB150 XX1 and the OGHT. Both bikes are fun. More different in suspension travel. 👍🏻👍🏻
Wesley Gamboa i Love my OGHT aswell😍😍
great video. thanks for doing these comparisons.
Thanks for watching!
...and he delivered! Nice comparo!
Thanks again for watching!
Good job, nice review.
Thanks for watching
You just confirmed what I figured the difference would be. Already have a LT and it seems like it’s still the better allrounder if you aren’t racing.
Def a better all around trail type bike for sure. No am so very much looking forward to the HT refresh later this year.
Good comparison
Thanks for the review. I love my 2018 LT so it breaks my heart that it’s going away. For me, the megatower is to much bike for where I ride.
Thanks for watching. Glad you are enjoying your LT, great bike!
Yah, I think the DH ability in this video is over exaggerated for the mega. The tested trail is also a walking trail.... I've never ever felt underbiked on my htlt. I ride northstar, downieville, toads, bike parks in Co, mt. Elbert, and local gnar. A Proper test needs multiple laps with timed sections.
@@franzv3172 Where is your local gnarr, Nor Cal?
Great review buddy no bullshit or shit music. Straight up comparisons welldone.
Thanks for watching!
I understand you're doing a 'Head-to-Head' of two bikes just as the factory offered them, but pitting a 160mm/160mm against a 150mm/150mm should *naturally favor* the greater travel on downhill sections and the shorter travel on uphill climbs.
What I did to even the playing field was order 44 offset bottoms for the FOX 36 and rebuild to 160mm plus I added a compression disc in the rear shock, now I have the best of both worlds, improved climbing and side by side with Marty on his new Megatower on the downhills.
This subject is still bugging me. I bought a HT LT frame a few months ago, but haven't built it yet and just ordered a MT when it was introduced. What complicates the debate to me is I already have a 135mm travel trail bike that really does just about every type of non-lift assist riding I do and it seems like the HT LT would overlap that function too much. So I'm hoping the MT will still serve as an occasional trail bike but can also be an park bike to replace the DH bike I recently sold.
I would probably agree with the HTLT overlap in your scenario. I suspect (but have no confirmation) that the new HT will meet in the middle of the HT and HTLT in the current lineup right around 140/140. That will give SC a 29r travel range of 100 (Blur), 120 (Tallboy), 140(HT) and 160(MT). Just seems to make the most logical sense to me.
broke my Hightowerlt 2 weeks ago hitting a tree, as you said they stopped making the Lt and I was forced to choose between getting a mega tower frame or a Hightower 2 frame, since I already own a 5010 the choice was easy, mega tower, but ill miss my hightowerlt because it was a great bike.
That sucks but ‘lucky’ in a sense. Glad no injury other than the bike and the tree!
Island Bike Life yeah took me a while realize that the bike is a tool
And can’t replace bikes if I’m broken
did you get a free frame replacement under warranty?
HTLT is lighter and seems snappier like you state. Ill keep mine until they discontinue the mega tower.Its better on the downhill not not the uphill for me. Good review!!
Cheers, thanks for watching.
If you had a stop watch and did a 1,500-2,000 ft climb then a trail/enduro downhill which bike would be at the top first and down first and overall fastest out of the ripmo, sb130, sb150, stumpjumper 29?
I would guess either the Ripmo or SB130 on the way up and the SB150 on the way down. Total up and down would be hard to say, depends on the rider, if you are a powerful climber and slow on descents or vice versa it could be any of those.
Island Bike Life I come from 20 years of racing dirtbikes so my downhill is my strong suit. Climbing is new to me so it’s my weak point. So maybe the SB130?
Would the Large MT be closer to the XL HT?
Yes, those sizes would be more comparable.
Nice video... You basically said about these 2 bikes what I already knew. You just said it more bald and less handsome than I would have.
Nice! What’s your channel link we can start up a bromance.
@@IslandBikeLife , I have videos going 6 years back! But only 2 years back for anything bicycle related.
@@IslandBikeLife, I should have added that the way you put together words to explain these bikes, and the quality of videos you produce will always be much better than ever could have.
@@ErichVonCartmann You guys got me laughing
Hi I like your reviews
Cameing from a trek full ex 2018 I would like to get a bike more capeball downhill and still to by Abel to Pedal ,so I am thinking of buying a higtower lt because it vesital and agresiv all so ,When do you think the new higtower will be anaunced? Do you think it will have the lower vpp design? Will it pedalling the same and be more capeball downhill then the lt? For 1.82 cm the higtower lt is best in L or xl?
Tnx
Thanks for watching. I expect to see the announce on the new HT sometime this summer, likely into August, but just a guess. I do not think it will have the lower link VPP design, I suspect it will retain a similar setup to what it has now and will follow the same layout as the new Tallboy which will likely be released around the same time.
Island Bike Life ok and what size do you recommend?
I would look at a Large sized frame for your height.
Tnx
Island Bike Life well it happened this week😅
Hello there! I really appreciate the good work you do. However, I’d be very interested to know how you protect your bike from theft. Bike theft is skyrocketing along with the price of mountain bikes. I’m planning to buy a new SB130 that will cost me over $9800. I really want to protect my bike the best I can. I know Whistler BC has some of the best bike thieves in the world. What are their techniques? How do you and your friends protect your mountain bikes? This is a super important topic that I would like you to do a video on. Bottom line: if my new bike gets stolen, I won’t be able to buy a new similar one for 1 or 2 years. I worked 60+ hours per week for months to get the money for my bike. Hope you come through for me with a long and detailed reply. Thanks for your time!
Thanks for watching. I hate to be the bad news guy but the reality is if someone is intent on stealing your bike they probably will. But you can do some things to help make it less convenient for them. The most basic is investing in a quality chain rope and lock. Make sure you use it all the time, weave it through the bike and wheels and lock it to a sturdy structure. Keep your home/garage locked or wherever you store it. If you go away on holidays somewhere lock it up in someway inside your house. I think the key is to make yours more trouble than it is worth to steal. I never leave my bikes out of my sight and I never leave them alone to go into a store etc where I don’t have line of sight on them. I would rather be a little paranoid than have to replace a bike that I can’t afford to do so.
They aren’t gonna make the LT anymore? 😞😢
That’s the running information I have. Doesn’t make sense with their current lineup anymore. Could be incorrect though.
Does the Megatower have the feel of the rear end from a downhill bike? I want a new enduro bike which has this feeling. I tested the Hightower LT last week and this bike doesnt have this feeling. It is more like a trailbike than an enduro in my opinion. My lbs doesnt have a Megatower for testrides at this moment.
I think it would meet what you are looking for. It feels like a huge bike but pedals so much nice than what you would expect.
Island Bike Life thanks. I hope they will get a testbike soon. Have you ever ridden a Trek Slash? If so, is it compareable to the Megatower? My lbs will also get a Slash soon. The Salesman said the Slash is more like the Hightower LT, wich doesnt has the rear end, wich i want. But i have to say, this guy is much more into Santa Cruz than Trek.
Treks are great bikes but I have never really enjoyed the way they ride, just not for me. I haven’t been on the new Slash but it gets great reviews. Hopefully you can get in both to confirm what fits you best.
Island Bike Life I could testride the salesman private Megatower XTR and i bought a Megatower S kit. Its a hell of a bike.
Bravo
Hey. Love your videos. Thank you very much. I am about to pull the trigger on a mega tower (mostly for shuttle duties /bike park). But i’ve been reading here and there that is has a very stiff suspension, which is fine for enduro racing, but probably too stiff for most people. Is that your opinion? Do you find it less plush and comfortable then say an sb150 or pivot firebird 29? Asking you this because i already have a a trail bike. I really want something plush.
Thanks for watching. I do not find it to be a stiff bike in the least. Of course this will depend on your shock setup but I have found the MT to be a very engaging and plush feeling bike that sits in the middle between say the SB150 and Pivot you mentioned.
Than you mate.
@@IslandBikeLife Hi Island bike life. Between the Firebird 29 and the MT which would you say is more engaging/poppy and the better climber? Did you know the weight of the MT you rode? thnx
@@chrismcgregor6296 I would say between those the MT would fit those questions best. Climbs better for sure, as for the poppy feeling it would be close. The Firebird might win out but it would be hard to call for sure. Both could be set up that way with the proper shock adjustments. The MT I had was right around the 30-31lb mark though I didn't have it on a scale.
Lotsa calf raises
i think the megatower is too much for normal european riding, the bike is super slack and it feels more like a dh bike to me.. i am considering the hightower lt because i think it leaves a lot of room to improve and its not just a monstertruck
Yeah it is a very big bike. The HTLT doesn’t exist anymore but the new HT is also a great all around bike.
Island Bike Life Yeah but here in Germany there are still some Shops that got lts