Santa Cruz Megatower bike check — Damian Stones Mountain Bike skills Instructor and MTB Guide

Bike check time! Being riding this Santa Cruz Bicycles big travel XL Mega Tower Its been an epic summer. Now we are going into the autumn season which is the best riding time in Nelson. Just thought I would give ya break down of the current build with a few new Shimano NZ and Pro Bike Gear parts. Let me know if you have any questions on how I set this bike up.

Seat Post: // Pro Koryak Dropper post / 170mm travel 558 gram, Internal cable routing

Had a few dropper posts over the years, one of the best mountain bike inventions over the last decade. Never had a Pro Koryak Dropper post fail on me yet, these posts are super reliable and now having 170mm drop is mint now that we have these low standover height trail bikes. They are driven by an air-sprung sealed hydraulic cartridge system and are cable-actuated with a sweet integrated i-spec lever.

Bars: // Pro Tharsis 3Five Carbon riser 800mm 200gsm Rise 20mm, Backsweep: 9 deg

Stem: // Pro Tharsis 3five CNC stem 35mm Clamp 150gsm length 35mm

Really like the stoutness of the Pro bike gear Tharsis 3five cockpit without being too stiff, the carbon bars reducing the trail vibrations. I really notice it coming from aluminium bars to carbon bars. Reduction of that small trail chatter can really help in the fatigue levels of your hands and also following onto better control of your bike. Having a long bike and the 35mm stem sets up the steering to be super direct and compact without getting arm stretched out and the dreaded steering flopping about

Grips: // Pro Lock on Trail Grip

Pro has also released some new grips the Pro lock-on trail grip I am pretty happy about this as I ride gloveless most of the time. Really like the grips texture and the flange to stop your hand rubbing up against the lockring. It has a little more to grip on the underside and tighter spaced ribs right around where you grip with your thumb and trigger finger. The grip also has a built-in end cap which is super handy when changing grips without having to remove the end cap out of ya bars each time you change your grips.

Saddle: // Pro Stealth offroad saddle 152 mm (width)

I’ve ridden on pro saddles for a few years and always found them comfortable and durable, whether it multi-day missions or a quick local rip. This new pro stealth saddle has a new school broad nose combined with a wide cutout and shortened overall length. This shape better accommodates different sit bone widths, I went for 152mm. Pro gear has a program where you can try them out before you buy and make sure the saddle is the right fit for ya.

Bottle cage: // Pro Bottle Cage Carbon, Full Carbon cage

Had this cage for a month now, woa never had a bottle cage that so satisfying to use. It feels more like a precision instrument when inserting and removing the water bottle super snug fit. Even in the wildest trails, I feel my water bottle is not going to fly out. Oh, and it's light! like Nothing!