Submitted by
Frederic
a Downhiller
from rocklin,ca
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2002
Strengths: Light. fairly strong. good low speed handling. Good freeride frame but do not confuse it with a full world cup level Dh frame
Weaknesses: no removable derailer hanger. Poor design execution. they went back and dippled the swing arm on the inside for wider tires, 8" brake rotor and on the outside for the xtr cranks. Did they not test it in the real world first?? Crash replacement program on frame and swingarm you pay $200 for either the swing arm or the front end. bad paint. poor cable routing. I don't know why they still design frames to use exposed cable housings instead of full run cable housings front to back. Must be a road bike design thing. Brake jacking. OH I Did Cracked the frame at the head tube. and cracked the body of the fox shock...
Bottom Line:
Good bike for freeride, and local race courses. not to stable at higher speeds, due to its short wheel base. Brake jacking, real noticable on steep rocky decents. After two years of hard riding did crack the frame and destroyed the shock.. Its a good bike for the money, but don't fall for the hype that it is indestrutable. Its not true. I feel the designing could have been better. What other highend bike maker goes back and puts dents into there frame to fit standard parts on there bikes? you don't see Cannondale or Intense, or Foes doing it. As a Master Automotve Tech only thing I can say is, Go back and fix it later, huh Santa Cruz? How about do it right the first time!
Similar Products Used: Many. Now ride Giant ATX Team DH
Bike Setup: Tripple and single rings. Xtr hayes brakes. white bros dh2
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Submitted by
Gim Mehead
a Downhiller
from los angleos
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2002
Strengths: the ball barings, rotator splint, and great COCKpit!!!!!
Weaknesses: the muffler, windshield wipers, air conditioning
Bottom Line:
goes a steady 80 miles an hour . 50 miles to the gallon. the line iZ iz actually at the top neer the wind shield wipers next to the old spice. sorry guyz but i have to take a poo poo now excuse me for my sloppy review but i gotta take a poopy
(NEEDS BETTER ROTATOR SPLINT!!!!!) LOOK FOR THE RICH GUY
Strengths: Seemingly unbreakable construction, plush rear end, very flickable in the air, CONFIDENCE INSPIRING, Santa Cruz's customer service.
Weaknesses: Head angle adjustment can slip, but a little locktite on the inside of the bracket cured that. Paint a little thin. I'm nitpicking though, this bike performs great!
Bottom Line:
I picked this bike up on MTBR Classifieds for a steal- $1800.00 and it was brand new. I changed the wheels and brakes to better accomodate DH racing. This bike will make you feel like superman. I used it to race downhill last year and it is more than capable- it can go faster than I'm capable of. Pedals like a cross country bike and handles great. When I took this bike to my yearly Northstar at Tahoe ride, that's when I found out what this bike is all about. By the end of the day I was doing things I would have never attempted before, i.e. clearing doubles, taking 5-6 foot drops. Even when I cased the doubles the rear end would save my a$$ every time. It was like a whole new dimension of riding was opened up to me that day. Set up with the triple chainrings it is a capable climber too unlike many full-on DH bikes, which makes it nice at DH races without a shuttle. This bike will let you ride DH at speeds you my not be ready for so watch it. I guess I should mention that is my first long travel suspesion bike. Set up as mine is, it's a great DH racer and an even better free rider. A great alternative to and much cheaper than a full-on 50 pound DH racer and much more versatile.
Bike Setup: Monster T's, Race Face North Shore, Shimano XTR drivetrain, Titec DH bars and stem, Fsa Pig DH headset, Hadly/Santa Cruz 20mm fr and Shimano XT rr disk hubs laced to Sun Double wides, Nokian Gazzalodis 2.6 and 2.4 x 3", SDG big boy DH saddle on a Tompson Seatpost, SNAFU pedals, Mr. Dirt/ Ringle chain thing Gizmo, and Purple Hayes 8" hydros.
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Submitted by
Mike
a Downhiller
from Boulder, Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2001
Strengths: Strong Frame, Short Wheel Base (Good for tight corners, Fork raked out well
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
This is an awesome bike. I'm trying to sell it!!! Please e-mail me if interested!!! $1600 OBO
Strengths: Strong, confidence inspiring, durable, John @ Santa Cruz warranty, dream bike ride
Weaknesses: Bad angle adjuster plate, it slips on every jump. Ghost shifts when you land, powder coat rubs off easily
Bottom Line:
Bike weighs 36lb and goes up almost anything as long as your not in a hurry. I have a 3 other bikes but only ride this one. Fun everywhere especially in town. Buy one. Be careful not to run your chain too short or you will break the derailleur hanger. Also the shock adjustment plate sucks as it always slips to the slack position. I put a cut off 5mm bolt behind the rear bolt to cure this but you shouldn't have to. Warranty for my rear triangle was taken care of without question,(thankyou Jon)Service rocks. They sent it by air the day after receiving my old one. Free of charge and upgraded to the 2001. I don't think I'll buy another bike for a long time.
Similar Products Used: Rotwild RDH03, Scott downhill,Patriot and Si's dark angle beast.
Bike Setup: Six inch junior t's, fsa cranks, middleburn chainring, dmr chain device, dmr v12's, hope hubs on D521 cd's front and back and Azonic bars.
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Submitted by
chris gordon
a Weekend Warrior
from saskatoon, sk, canada
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Strengths: strength relative light weight (for a big hit bike frame) durability of single pivot design function/plushness of design cool colours (no, my carpet does not match my couch and lamp shades...)
Weaknesses: having a little trouble with ghost shifting and the 'angle adjustment' bracket slipped foward in the frame on the first bigger hit, but one phone call to Santa Cruz and the problem was solved.... Santa Cruz are being very helpful
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. It has a flawlessly built frame, plush design, and bombproof feel. My balls are now significantly bigger. Eight foot wheelie drops to flat are no longer of concern. Obviously this is in part due to the wheels, crank, and fork but the frame hasn't buckled, flexed, or even given me a moments concern....I simply forget about it and ride. I started with the Super T before going to the SHIVER and the bike felt awesome then....it's amazing now. Though, by some standards, the bike is heavy (45lbs)I have never ridden a bike that inspires such confidence. I urge anyone with a Bullit and freeriding in mind to go with the SHIVER. Though it does make the front end drop a little quicker than with the Super T this can be overcome with a few hours practice. ONE COOL F*&%ING BIKE
Strengths: Very strong and can take a beating.Not to heavy. Great urban assault bike.
Weaknesses: I think the rear swing arm has some latteral flex but it could be me.
Bottom Line:
This bike is crazy it wants me to do 8' and 10' drops all the time.You can pedal this thing uphill but not all hills. Great for urban riding, steps,gaps and big wall drops. Easy on the wallet!Buy it!!
Bike Setup: Jr. T 6" of travel,xtr cranks,derailers,sram halfpipe,pro taper bars,mavic 223 disc,magura clara disk brakes,maxxis mofo rubbers,oury grips.
Strengths: it's strong enough for downhill your preferit trail for a very long time and it's beautifol too....
Weaknesses: not enough tire clearance in the rear.
Bottom Line:
this bike it's a joy to ride,with 300mm of travel I can do anythings,dh,climb,jump,urbanriding.... I like to ride in a technical trail mixed with faster section and the bike is perfect in every situation.
Similar Products Used: specialized fsr,turro pathfinder.
Bike Setup: marzocchi super t pro,mavic321 dh,sram9.0sl,easton pro taper bar,amoeba50mm stem,tioga xl saddle,panaracer dh tires,grimeca sistem 8 brakes.
Strengths: Super plush, responsive, strong, awesome sprinter, looks
Weaknesses: non-replacable der hanger but doubt I'll ever bend it
Bottom Line:
This bike truly rocks. The rear end is incredably stiff side-to-side and very responsive. Bombproof frame, perfect for heavy DH and even xc rides. Risse makes an 8" kit for it which I'm thinking about getting in the future but I race DH and DS so I don't want to much travel in the rear. I work at a shop so I got a great deal on the bike and the aftermarket parts I bought but would buy it at regular price because it handels so well.I was going to get the Super 8 but the Bullit frame is 7.5lbs and the Super 8 frame is 12.5lbs. and a lighter bike pedals easier then a heavy bike. I would highly recomend this bike to anyone looking for a great DH DS or freeride bike.
Similar Products Used: none really just borrowed my friends KHS FXT
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z1CR with soon to be RISSE Trixxxy 6" fork, HED DH wheels, Kooka cranks and stem, FSA Pig headset,Kore Strictly-d bar, XT drivetrain, AC Ring and MR. Dirt chainguide, Thomson post SNAFU BMX platforms,and Tioga DH seat
Strengths: This is the best downhill/freeride bike you can buy, super plush, very fast threw turns, not a tank, and wont have to sell an organ on the blackmarket to afford it
Weaknesses: Ummmmmm, nothin
Bottom Line:
Great bike anyone who wants a get downhill/freeride bike and doesn't want to spend a pretty penny this is the bike for you, can also tear up your urban trails, stairs, roof drops you point the bike towards an obstical and it can handle it
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz '99 Super 8 Foes DHS Tube, Foes Weasle, Schwinn 4 Banger, Cheetah
Bike Setup: Azonic Double Wall Bars, Hayes 6" Disc, Marzocchi Jr.T Fork 6", Atomic Laboratories Rims, Tioga Factory DH Pro tires, XT Deraileurs, LX Cranks...Will be selling shortly, if you want them, e-mail me with a bid Bikerpunk241@hotmail.com
Strengths: Pedals great for a DH beast, super plush rear end, cool custom color combos, beautiful American-made frame (which is rare these days), versatile
Weaknesses: Say What?!??!
Bottom Line:
The Bullit is a great bike for everyone; downhillers and freeriders both. You can totally DH it out and it'll take anything you throw at it (remember, this is the bike Kathy Pruitt rode to a podium finish at the Jr World's in '99 and the same bike she spanked most all the senior pro women at Deer Valley the same year). And if you get tired of doing downhill (as if you ever would), you can pull the triple clamp fork off and replace it with a 5" or so single crown fork, put on a lighter wheelset, and put on a regular triple ring crankset and there you have it...the ultimate freerider that will actually pedal up a hill. I have friends on this bike who have actually got it to weigh around the 30-32 lbs marker. I totally dig my Bullit; for a DH rig, it pedals WAY better than my old M1 ever did and is a ton lighter, too. While other big-hit bikes perform as well as a wet sponge, the Bullit is lively and responsive. Do yourself a huge favor and go get one if you are considering it; you can't go wrong.
Similar Products Used: Intense M1, Specialized FSR, Santa Cruz Heckler, Santa Cruz Superlight
Bike Setup: Bombshell Bad Betty 6", Proshift shifter/rear derailleur, Hayes disks, Maxxis Mobster/High Roller, Bombshell DH wheelset
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Submitted by
Chris
a Downhiller
from Granite Bay California
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2000
Strengths: Everything . So plush so perfecct. Love the discs and the boxxer. able to get triple chainring if needed. able to change bikes BB hieght
Weaknesses: Well the cheap tires that come on it!! Non replaceable derailer hanger but its not a big deal
Bottom Line:
Basically a do everything bike. great climber IF you dont have a BoxXxer. Everything is very well made on the bike. It has a very active rear suspension and the boxxxer sucks up everything. great jumper and dowhill machine.
