If you didn’t catch our recent company profile on Everett based Cascade Components, it’s definitely worth a quick read. They’re designing links to make the full suspension bikes we all love even better. While they don’t have a link for every frame out there, they just might make one for yours.
The company’s most recent link is specifically engineered for the popular Santa Cruz Tallboy V4. The redesigned link bumps the Tallboy progression curve up to 35% from the stock 26%, which should make the bike feel more lively and improve bottom-out support. It also increases travel on the 120mm bike to 128mm, and lengthens the chainstay measurement by 5mm for increased stability.
In terms of swapping in a coil on your tuned Tallboy, Cascade says “For most riders, a coil shock is not the way to go on the Tallboy. The size of impact that a coil spring can absorb is decreased very quickly as the shock stroke is decreased. The Tallboy uses a relatively short shock, so this requires over-springing or running excessive damping, both of which are generally detrimental to how the suspension behaves. As such, our recommendation is to stick with air.”
The company says that all of the bike’s other geometry remains the same as stock. Since the Tallboy is designed to be pedaled fast and to coast with equal aplomb, Cascade Design included the anti-squat chart pictured below to show that the differences in chain growth rates between their link and the one from Santa Cruz are insignificant. Put another way, the bike will climb just as well with the new link as it did stock.
Links for the V4 Santa Cruz Tallboy come on black, red, or silver for $331. Buyers should note that Santa Cruz Bicycles has stated that anyone with a Cascade link installed has voided their frame warranty.
