Santa Cruz has updated the Tallboy and Juliana for 2020 with both bikes getting the redesigned lower VPP suspension seen on the other bikes in the lineup plus more travel and geometry that they reckon pushes what a modern 29er cross-country bike can be capable of.

• Buyer's guide to mountain bikes - get the best MTB for you
• Is it worth converting your mountain bike to tubeless?
• The ultimate guide to frame materials: what's best for bikes?

Inspired by the Tallboy's big-wheeled siblings, the Hightower and Megatower, Santa Cruz has pushed the new bike to become what they reckon is the gravity rider's cross-country bike. With the addition of 10mm of travel in the new lower mounted VPP suspension setup, they've paired it with a slightly beefier 130mm fork up front, delivered by a Fox 34 or a Rockshox Pike on the pricier models.

If you choose to stick with the WTB rims or upgrade to the super fancy Santa Cruz Reserve carbon rims, they'll be wrapped with Maxxis Minions, the DHF up front and DHR on the rear.

The extra suspension isn't the only thing the brand has changed to improve the ride. They've focussed on the geometry with the intention of allowing the rider to let loose rather than feel confined with a conservative shape. Mimicking their thinking with their longer travel bikes, Santa Cruz has slackened the head angle to 65.5 degrees, stretched the bike for a roomier reach (468-470mm) and specced the fork with a shorter offset to increase the trail figure and gain a snappier feeling front end.

Found on the already short chainstay (430mm at shortest) is +/- 10mm of rear wheel adjustment meaning that the rider can adjust the length of the stay to their own needs. The brand says this is to help riders of all sizes feel comfortable on the bike. Along with this is a geometry altering flip-chip that offers 3mm BB, and .2 degrees of head angle adjustment.

With Santa Cruz's updates to the Tallboy, Juliana has done the very same to the Joplin. The Joplin also gets all of the same updates as the Tallboy but features a slightly lower standover and only comes in XS to medium sizes if you choose the carbon options. If aluminium bikes are more your thing, they come in either small or medium and the bike comes in one colour, Aquarius Green.

The Tallboy is available in two colours, Rocksteady Yellow and Stormbringer Purple. The aluminium frames come in small to XL sizes while the carbon builds come in XS up to XXL.

Prices for the Tallboy and Joplin start at £1,900 for the aluminium frame only right up to £9,300 for the top bling CC XX1 AXS RSV model, fitted with SRAM's wireless shifting and Santa Cruz's Reserve carbon wheels.

• www.santacruzbikes.co.uk

You might also like:

• Buyers guide to mountain bike tyres - get the best rubber for your MTB
• Your complete guide to SRAM MTB drivetrains, from AXS and XX1 Eagle to NX