The Santa Cruz Hightower, by a meaningful margin in rough, high-speed terrain. The longer wheelbase (1237 mm in size m vs 1219 mm on the Ripmo AF in MD), slacker 63.9° head tube angle in the Low setting, and lower-anti-squat VPP layout combine to deliver what reviewers consistently describe as a "planted," "composed" feel that mutes chatter "better than all of the bikes in the category."

The Ripmo AF is no slouch on descents — it's confidently capable on most trails — but reviewers note the rear wheel can snag on rocks and feel "a bit twitchy" in wide-open, high-speed chunder. If most of your riding involves outright plowing through chaos, the Hightower is the better tool.

It depends on what kind of climb. On technical, steep, rooty climbs, the two are very close — both have steep effective seat tube angles (76.5–77.5° on the Ripmo AF, 77.9–78.2° on the Hightower) that keep the rider centered, and both have suspension platforms that maintain rear-wheel traction over obstacles.

On smooth, rolling, or fire-road climbs, the Ripmo AF feels noticeably heavier and less snappy than a carbon trail bike, but it's still a competent climber. The Hightower V4 is also not a sprinter — it gained roughly 170–200 g in the frame over the V3 and several reviewers explicitly noted it feels "slower to accelerate" than its predecessor. Neither is a featherweight; both prioritize traction over urgency.

Ripmo AF: $3,749 (Deore) or $4,299 (90 build with SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission). Two alloy builds, no carbon option.

Hightower V4: $4,999 (R, SRAM NX) up to $11,399 (XTR Di2 RSV or XX AXS RSV). Nine carbon builds total, with the C-grade frames (R, 70, S, 90) covering $4,999–$6,099 and the lighter CC-grade frames (GX AXS and up) covering $7,249–$11,399.

There is no price overlap between the two platforms — the Ripmo AF tops out $700 below where the Hightower starts.

Ripmo AF: Yes, on the SM and MD sizes. There's a flip chip that lets you run those frames as either full 29" or MX (29" front / 27.5" rear). XM, LG, and XL ship as full 29ers.

Hightower V4: No. Santa Cruz committed the Hightower to dedicated 29" wheels for this generation and pushes mixed-wheel buyers toward its sibling, the Bronson, which uses the same front triangle but a 27.5" rear. Their stated reason: they'd rather optimize each wheel size in a dedicated chassis than compromise both with a flip chip.

Both run 150 mm of rear travel and a 160 mm fork, but the kinematics are different platforms. The Ripmo AF uses Ibis's V5 DW-Link — a dual-short-link design tuned to be plush off the top, supportive in the mid-stroke, and ramped at the end. Reviewers describe it as "plush, gooey, soft" while still pedaling well.

The Hightower V4 uses Santa Cruz's revised lower-link VPP layout, with the shock moved lower and forward to deliberately reduce anti-squat. The result is more active suspension with less pedal kickback — reviewers note it feels noticeably plusher than the V3, at the cost of a small amount of pedal-bob efficiency under power. The Hightower is also coil-shock compatible; the Ripmo AF is air-only as stocked.

Both have it, and both are well-executed. The Ripmo AF's storage is genuinely impressive given it's an aluminum frame — a feature that's still rare on alloy and adds real practical value.

The Hightower's Glovebox is widely regarded as one of the best-executed in the industry, with high-quality latches and dedicated internal pouches. One quirk worth knowing: reviewers report that small unsecured items can slip past the upper shock bolts into a dead zone near the bottom bracket, where they rattle and become hard to retrieve. Use the included pouches.

Ibis: Standard frame warranty against manufacturing defects (7 years on the frame, per Ibis's published policy at the time of writing).

Santa Cruz: Lifetime warranty on the frame, on every pivot bearing, and on Reserve carbon rims — to the original owner. This is one of the strongest support packages in mountain biking and is consistently cited by reviewers as a meaningful chunk of the Hightower's value proposition over its multi-year ownership horizon.

The Ripmo AF. It's the more conventional all-mountain bike of the two — playful, balanced, and willing to be pushed or coasted. It rewards active riding but doesn't punish you for being neutral on the bike.

The Hightower V4 has explicitly moved toward enduro this generation. It demands a more committed riding style: it's at its best when you're charging hard and using the long wheelbase and slack front end to hold lines through chunk. Less aggressive riders may find it feels long, vague, and "like too much bike" in mellower terrain. If you're not sure which kind of rider you are, the Ripmo AF is the safer first guess.