Santa Cruz Size Chart (Bronson, Hightower, Nomad, & More)

Santa Cruz offers bikes in variety of sizes, ranging from XS to XXL/49 to 60cm. The brand easily lets you know what frame size should be the best according to your height, body dimension, and preferred models on their official website. As you know, picking the correct bicycle size is important to get the optimum experience when riding the cycle.

Santa Cruz was founded by two genuine skateboarders – Rich Novak and Rob Roskopp in the year 1993. They produced their first bike named Tazmon that was an instant hit with the masses, and eventually, the brand kept on reaching heights.

Here today, I will be listing out the most popular Santa Cruz mountain bikes that you can consider (list included at the end). Let’s first have a look at the size chart of each and every model of Santa Cruz bicycles.

Santa Cruz bike sizing charts

Check out your recommended frame size according to Santa Cruz models given below –

Hightower, Heckler, Megatower, and Bullit

Nomad 6, 5010, and Bronson size chart

V10

Santa Cruz Tallboy size chart

Highball and Chameleon

Blur

Jackal

Stigmata

Juliana (Wilder)

Juliana (Joplin, Roubion, and Furtado)

Juliana (Quincy)

7 popular Santa Cruz mountain bike models

This USA-based biking company has an impeccable range of bikes on offer, with mountain bikes being their Numero Uno (number one) priority. Also, they have a list of enduro bikes, e-bikes, gravel bikes, and much more.

These are the six best Santa Cruz MTBs that I have hand-picked after hours of research. Here you go:

1. Hightower

Having a front suspension of 150 mm in the front and 145 in the rear, it is a rock-solid mountain bike with unreal capabilities. Known to be a beast to tackle the trails, you wouldn’t find issues in overcoming steep technical climbs.

It is undoubtedly a versatile mountain bike that comprises refined suspension, glovebox in-frame storage, and other impressive features. Moreover, it is incredible to see how light in weight the bike is as that is what every mountain bike enthusiast dreams of.

With the dual option of Carbon C & CC, it is a mountain bike that has a lot to offer for that off-road adventure. If you are ready to spend slightly more than the average, this is the best mountain bike one can have without any cons in my opinion.

2. V10

Another highly-rated mountain bike that uses the VPP suspension layout and it has a voracious hunger for speed. Known to be a well-balanced mountain bike, you are in for a highly enjoyable ride across the mountainous areas. The low-slung top tube in the bike is its friend and provides a heck lot of space during maneuvering.

Cornering is fun too with the V10, and I don’t see any flaws regarding it. It is known to be a big boy when it comes to race pace, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be able to handle sharp maneuvers and slower speeds. Surely there are certain loopholes, but it is a sure-shot all-round mountain bike.

If you are in search of a mountain bike with top-notch performance and a bit of other extra things, your search shall end here.

3. Nomad

The Nomad can be termed as a bike that is for people wanting a nippy pace and is playful with their rides. With those 27.5 big wheels, maneuvering seems buttery smooth and the longer reach is bliss as it brings out the best in riders tackling steeps and technical obstacles during the ride.

If you are hell-bent on making your adventure ride a rough one, Nomad has it all as it is considered to be the most roughly used bike from Santa Cruz.

What struck me was the quality of detailing done on the bike, whether it is the seat tubes, high-quality carbon frames, and even the rear. Since it has a smaller 27.5 wheel size, there’s no hindrance to climbing capabilities. Usually, other bikes with 27.5 wheel sizes do struggle on rough climbs, which is not the case with the Nomad.

It is a fun bike that you should be picking up right away!

4. Heckler

The Heckler is the entrant to the e-mountain bike category from Santa Cruz. With 150-160 mm of rear and front travel and an extra emphasis on the tech side without cutting off the fun of a traditional mountain bike, it is a bomb of a bike.

The previous models of the Heckler had a 27.5 wheel size, but the company has brought about changes by adding a 29er to make it exhilarating. You do get a 504-watt interchangeable battery and a complete carbon frame that provides a posh look to the Heckler.

Equal weight distribution on any bike is imperative to let a rider have fun, and that is what this bike does. Whether you’re climbing up the trails or moving downhill, it has super stability and control.

5. Tall Boy

This rocket-ship of a bike is a certain upgrade from its ancestor that won’t let you break into a sweat with its comfortable seating design. It comprises a lightweight chassis and is built for a longer duration.

Versatility is in its build as it can without a doubt outperform XC race bikes on tough trails and descents. Also, it is a cream when it is dealing with long-duration rides and outperforms a range of other bikes with amazing uphill climbs.

Just like its predecessors, Tall Boy is completely optimized for every rider, and that can be seen with the chainstay length and seat angle being similar to the frame size. This makes any rider irrespective of height the same handling characteristics and balance of geometry.

6. Chameleon

Known to be the most affordable bike from Santa Cruz, it sports an aluminum frame and it sticks true to its name by being super versatile. This hardtail mountain bike might not have all the features that you would find on other MTB, but it does the job decently.

However, it has a perfect geometry that lets you get superior jumps and has a 130 mm fork on it. Sweet, right?

The Chameleon goes for rather affordable components that won’t make things complicated with too much going on in a bike. It does have dropouts that can be swapped to let it convert between single-speed and geared terrains, hence the name (Chameleon).

This cheeky lizard has been reworked over the years to provide a hardtail that can be converted to a biking horse with all of the qualities of an expensive mountain bike.

Santa Cruz rivals – Orbea, Yeti, Specialized, and Giant

In conclusion

The above charts are just a handy guide to help you estimate your ideal Santa Cruz frame size. Getting a perfectly fitting bicycle requires knowing your height, inseam, stand-over height, and body structure. If possible, go for a test ride or do a professional fit test at the store.

Coming to Santa Cruz MTBs, there are total six bikes that I have mentioned. All of them are equally power-packed and handy for bike enthusiasts.

If I had to pick one personally, the Hightower would be my preferred choice.

What about yours?