New Santa Cruz Megatower GX AXS RSV 2022 first ride review – Super-duper mega-rad enduro shredder?

Longer, slacker, faster? The new 2022 Santa Cruz Megatower has its roots deep in enduro racing and that’s exactly what it wants to keep doing! For this reason, the second iteration of Santa Cruz’s popular enduro bruiser comes with more travel, a more aggressive geometry and, for the first time in its history, an integrated storage compartment in the frame. For once, we’ll spare you the mega-puns and get straight to business! We recommend wearing your goggles for this review, because it’s gonna be damn fast!

Looks like a… Santa Cruz! With most modern bikes, the frame silhouette alone gives away the manufacturer of a bike. The new Megatower is no exception and is distinctly recognisable as a Santa Cruz. While at first glance, the latest incarnation of Santa Cruz’s enduro bruiser looks a lot like other bikes of the Californian manufacturer, behind the distinctive silhouette hides a blend of proven features and practical innovations. Nevertheless, the intended use of the new Megatower is still the same and strongly oriented towards enduro racing. However, Santa Cruz’s typical VPP rear suspension now generates 165 mm travel – 5 mm more than its predecessor – and is paired with a 170 mm fork. The latest Megatower rolls exclusively on 29″ wheels and prices range from € 5,799 up to € 13,999.

The new Santa Cruz Megatower GX AXS RSV 2022 in detail

In typical Santa Cruz fashion, the frame of the 2022 Megatower comes in two versions called C and CC. The frames are built with different carbon layups and specced with different components depending on the price point. The high-end CC frame relies on a larger proportion of higher strength fibres and allows Santa Cruz to achieve the same degree of stiffness at a lower weight.

As usual, build-quality is top-notch and proven features such as the internal cable routing, seat and chainstay protector, shuttle guard and extended downtube protector are beautifully solved and neatly integrated into the frame. Moreover, a protective film guards the seat and chainstays from scuffs and stray rocks, ensuring a fresh look and quiet ride together with the ribbed chainstay protector. A new addition is the “Glovebox” storage compartment, which hides under the bottle cage and is secured with a special locking system. The latter requires strong fingers but locks the lid securely in place, preventing it from moving and rattling, even with a full water bottle in the holder. Inside the storage compartment, you’ll find two pouches, which are included in the price and allow you to stow away all your trail essentials, including a spare inner tube, tools, snacks and whatever you fancy schlepping around the trail! The pouch also has a waterproof compartment for money and other water-shy objects. An additional wall in the downtube just beneath the shock mount prevents the contents from sliding deep into the meanders of the frame – awesome!

The new Santa Cruz Megatower 2022 – Spec variants

The new Megatower is available in two colours and five spec variants, with the R and S models marking the entry-level. When buying one of the spec variants with a GX or X01 drivetrain, you can choose between a coil or air shock and upgrade the wheels to Santa Cruz’s in-house Reserve wheelset for an extra charge. If you opt for the coil-shock setup, Santa Cruz will automatically upgrade the tires, delivering your Megatower with more robust DoubleDown rubber – which also suits the air shock model better. The flagship model features RockShox’s new electronic Flight Attendant suspension, which makes it the first bike in Santa Cruz’s portfolio with the electronic system.

Our test bike: The new Santa Cruz Megatower GX AXS RSV 2022

Like many of Santa Cruz’s bikes, the new Megatower pairs suspension components from FOX and RockShox. The FOX 38 Performance Elite fork features the high-quality GRIP2 damper, allowing for countless adjustment options. While the fork may not have the lustrous Kashima coating, it offers the same excellent performance as its high-end counterpart on the trail. At the rear, a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ shock controls 165 mm travel. Unlike its high-end Ultimate counterpart, the Select+ version doesn’t feature an external low speed compression damping adjustment.

SRAM Code RSC four-piston brakes with 200 mm rotors front and rear provide powerful and reliable deceleration. The RSC levers feature tool-free reach adjust, contact point adjustment and SwingLink technology, which provides increased control while minimising deadband and thus helping prevent arm pump. A wireless SRAM GX AXS drivetrain ensures smooth and precise shifting. The Megatower also features a small chain guide with bash guard and a special UDH mech-hanger, which was developed specifically for this bike. The latter is supposed to be more robust and can be replaced with a conventional UHD hanger if needed.

On our XL test bike, the RockShox Reverb dropper post has a whopping 200 mm travel and can be inserted all the way into the frame. For the wheels, Santa Cruz rely on an in-house 30 mm Reserve wheelset with Industry Nine hubs and Maxxis tires, combining a 2.5” ASSEGAI with soft MaxxGrip rubber compound at the front and a 2.4” Minion DHR2 with MaxxTerra compound at the rear. UNFORTUNATELY, both tires come in the new EXO+ casing – and the uppercase letters aren’t a typing mistake! More robust tires with tougher casing, like MAXXIS’ DoubleDown, would suit the racing-oriented character of the Megatower better, protecting the carbon rims against nasty impacts and allowing you to run lower air pressures for more traction and better cushioning. The cockpit consists of Santa Cruz’s in-house 800 mm carbon handlebars and an elegant Burgtec stem and is extremely tidy thanks to the electronic drivetrain.

The geometry of the new Santa Cruz Megatower 2022

The new Megatower is available in five sizes, S to XXL. A flip chip in the shock mount allows you to adjust the reach, head and seat angles, stack height, bottom bracket height as well as the wheelbase of the Megatower. In the low geometry setting, our XL test bike has 492 mm reach, which is average for this size. The 458 mm stack height ensures a high front end while the short 460 mm seat tube ensures sufficient freedom of movement on the trail. Chainstay length increases as the frame-size grows, providing consistent handling across all sizes.

The geometry of the new Santa Cruz Megatower 2022 in the low setting

size	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Top tube	570 mm	594 mm	613 mm	637 mm	666 mm
Seat tube	380 mm	405 mm	430 mm	460 mm	500 mm
Head tube	90 mm	100 mm	110 mm	120 mm	120 mm
Head angle	63.5°	63.5°	63.5°	63.5°	63.5°
Seat angle	77.0°	77.2°	77.5°	77.5°	77.5°
BB Drop	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm
Chainstay	437 mm	438 mm	441 mm	444 mm	448 mm
Wheelbase	1206 mm	1237 mm	1266 mm	1298 mm	1334 mm
Reach	427 mm	452 mm	472 mm	492 mm	517 mm
Stack	618 mm	627 mm	640 mm	658 mm	672 mm

The new Santa Cruz Megatower GX AXS RSV 2022 – Our first riding impression

On the way to the trail head, the Megatower convinces with a comfortable pedalling position and the sensitive rear suspension swallows up the irregularities on the trail, while always keeping composed, even with larger unexpected impacts. However, the Megatower isn’t your weapon of choice for second-shaving KOM hunts uphill and reaching for the climb switch will save you a significant amount of energy. On steep climbs, the front wheel remains planted on the trail, allowing you to change direction without knocking out your teeth on the stem in the process.

When gravity takes over, the Megatower draws a massive smile on your face, inspiring tons of confidence with its high front and encouraging you to play with the trail, no matter how steep it is. The weight is evenly distributed between the front and rear wheel, allowing you to move the bike with ease and generate traction without shifting your weight too much. Even after a long day in the saddle, you’ll get to the car park safe and sound, although your brain is already at the pub. When paired with the RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ shock, the rear suspension of the Megatower sticks to the ground and generates plenty of grip, even in open corners and with abrupt braking manoeuvres. With the FOX X2 FACTORY air shock, you’ll get a similar amount of traction, albeit with a little more support. While the air spring makes it easier to pop into the air, it passes on more feedback from the trail, requiring a more vigilant riding style.

If you’re not too fussed about air miles and prefer a plush rear suspension to ploughs through nasty rock gardens and root carpets, we recommend choosing one of the models with RockShox shock, which marks the entry-level of the Megatower range. However, if you’re hunting for KOMs on your local descents and love spending time in the air, you should take a closer look at the models with the FOX shock.

Our conclusions on the new Santa Cruz Megatower 2022

While at first glance, the new Santa Cruz Megatower 2022 looks a lot like its predecessor, behind the familiar silhouette hide a few cool new features, with the Glovebox being the most striking one! As usual, build quality is incredibly high, and so the price! On the trail, the new Megatower inspires huge amounts of confidence and generates plenty of traction. Whether you’re hunting for KOMs on your local trails, clocking laps at the bike park or shrugging off the stress of everyday life on a post-work ride, the Megatower is an excellent companion for every situation!

For more information about the new Megatower, visit the Santa Cruz website.

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Words: Peter Walker Photos: Max Schumann, Peter Walker