Bike Check: Dirt School Head Coach Andy Barlow's Hightower CC V4

Dirt School’s Head Coach Andy Barlow is something of a local legend here in the Tweed Valley. A full time mountain bike coach ever since 2008 he’s positively impacted the life and riding of thousands of riders, working with everything from complete beginners to world class DH athletes and grand tour road pros over the years. 

He’s also a pretty useful rider himself, having raced both XC, Enduro and DH to a solid standard in the past and is currently trying his hand at the National Series Gravel events with some very solid results already in the bag this year. If there’s one bike that sees the most riding from him week in and out though, it’s his regular full suspension mountain bike. His go to for everything from performance coaching sessions, to guiding days and personal riding Andy’s bike always needs to be one that can cover just about every kind of riding there is here in Scotland and in recent years he’s switched between a few different models in search of the perfect balance. He’s spent time aboard the Tallboy, Bronson and Megatower and most recently rode all of last year aboard a burly coil shock equipped Nomad 6. 

This time round he’s gone back to a full 29er for the first time in a few years picking the new and super capable Hightower V4 for his main bike at 160mm / 150mm travel. 

Why the Hightower this time round - what were you hoping for from it by making the switch?

The Nomad was a brilliant bike to spend time on. It’s the most DH focused bike I’ve ridden in years and the big travel, mixed wheel platform was great when it came to ploughing through rough descents with gravity behind you. For pushing your limits, or riding fatigued it’s an amazing safety blanket and it does encourage you to take on lines you might otherwise back away from.  

By the end though I felt like it was too much bike when away from the steeper trails and I was missing having a big rear wheel just for the way it rolls and pumps. I went with the Hightower because I was looking for something a bit lighter and more balanced that could still take on everything but with some extra pop and speed on the mellower trails and climbs. 

How is it going so far? Is it what you expected?

I'm loving it! The Hightower has built up 1.5kg lighter despite being a very similar build kit. It's composed, nimble, and the 29er rear wheel gives me a larger target to generate momentum from when pumping the bike.

Strengths and weaknesses of going back to 29 compared to your recent Mx bikes?

I think that mixed wheels definitely make the ride feel more lively. They're a lot of fun, but perhaps lack the precision and stability that a 29er offers. The downside of a 29er though is that it can feel a little slow in comparison because the feedback from the trail and the bike movements are a little more muted. I don’t think it actually is slower, it just gives that impression aboard the bike sometimes. It’s also a little bit slower to manipulate when airborne. Off the brakes, it obviously rolls better, so there is some free speed there both up and downhill and the full 29er probably hangs onto traction just a little bit better.

Lots of new bits on your build kit along with some old favourites? 

I'm really enjoying the switch to Hope components. I’m now on a 165mm crank for the first time on my Enduro bike. I can’t feel any drawback at all to the shorter size and they are also now matched to my road and gravel bikes which is great when swapping between bikes with no adjustment required. The extra pedal clearance is especially good on the mountain bike and the smaller circle is just comfy to pedal.  

I'm loving the V4 brakes as well. The levers have an odd feel just sitting on the bike, almost spongy, but then when you are actually riding it they are amazing. There’s loads of power, but plenty of control and a massive range of adjustment so you can get the lever just where you want it. 200mm floating rotors are plenty with this brake, no need for bigger and it’s easier to get them up to temperature. I’m using the Red ‘standard’ pads so far which seem perfect, they're quiet and work well in the wet. 

I’ve been on Reserve HD Carbon rims for years now and they’re just the best thing you can put on a bike. They are stiff enough to ride hard without being harsh, easy to install tires on and incredibly tough. I must have done close to 10,000km or more on them without ever breaking a rim, but even if I did, knowing the backup is there for them is great too. The set on this bike are custom built onto Hope Pro 5 hubs and unsurprisingly they are working flawlessly so far. 

For tires, I use a Maxxis Assegai 2.5 Maxxgrip DD out front at 24.5psi (1.7bar). It’s just a super grippy and predictable tire that gets a lot of rubber down. I might switch it for a High Roller for the winter once the mud returns, it bites and clears even better once the ground is soft. The rear tire is the reliable 2.4 Minion DHR, and it just works everywhere. It’s also a DD casing, but this time in the Maxxterra compound to roll faster and last a little longer. I run it at a slightly higher pressure of 26psi (1.8bar).

Pedals are currently Burgtec Penthouse V5’s which are a great flat pedal. I have also been trying their larger B-Rage version too and might possibly end up back on that later. 

Always a Mudhugger on every bike, why anyone wouldn’t fit one beats me. Shorty Evo Bolt on for the Hightower, big enough and nice and quiet through bigger hits and compressions.

Give us some of your individual settings and measurements.

The bars are Burgtec Carbon Enduro (20mm rise) cut to 740mm, so a smidge over 750mm at its widest point with grips on. The stem is a 50mm Burgtec Enduro which opens up the Medium frame to a perfect size for me, and I run 10mm of spacers under the stem. The suspension flip chip is set to the low setting to get the shock as plush as possible in the first half of the stroke, now I’m on a shorter travel bike. 

I’ve set my suspension up to ride at its best without my leader’s pack on, so about 78kg with shoes, helmet and clothing. I'm running 85psi in the fork, and 190psi in the rear shock. The forks have 5 clicks of LSC, and 5 clicks of LSR. The rear shock has 3 clicks of LSC, and 4 clicks of rebound. Everything else is wide open. I like that both ends rebound quickly and have support under slower movements like braking and cornering. It means that the bike rides high in its travel where it’s the most supple and feels great. I often see that I’ve used full travel but I’ve never noticed it bottoming out on the trail front or rear.