Strengths: Tough as nails frame. 8.5inches of super plush travel. Burly as heck swingarm. Great build quality.
Weaknesses: Its heavey but its a bombproof dh bike what do you expect??
Bottom Line:
Screams to be ridden hard and fast. Im only 5ft 7/8 so have a small which is great for racing and also throwing about moto stylee on big kickers and trails. A great all round dh/play bike!
Similar Products Used: First dh bike, rode a hardtail for a year prior to this
Bike Setup: Boxxer WC's, MRP WC, 321s on hadley and hope bulb, Hope m4's, x-lite bar/stem, dmr cheiftans, etc
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Submitted by
Gordon
a Downhiller
from Whitehorse,Yukon,Canada
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2002
Strengths: It's just the best so smooth, strong ass frame, looks sweet in black and all colors and the rear hub is so string i think it willl never brake lol and if you have the right shock (manitou darado 2003 ) I love that to its the best DH bike you can have.
Strengths: burly, not too much bob so it climbs okay (for a DH) fits both 24 and 26 inch tire
Weaknesses: lots of break jack ( fix that next year with the floating break kit that you can buy)
Bottom Line:
This is just a post of my first impressions of the bike after having it for a week. I bought it used with just the frame rear shock and back wheelset. All I can say is that the bike performs much better then the joshua f3 that I got on warrenty from fisher and Ill give ya some more when I have ridden it some more. but so far no complaints
Submitted by
Hi, Loki Again
a Downhiller
from The Holy Province of Oregon
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2002
Strengths: (This is an update on my review below) All that and a bag of chips, once I fixed the rear wheel dish. Which allows me to run a 3.0 x 26 tire, as advertised. Yay!
Weaknesses: Me as a wheelbuilder (see below). Still has the brake jack issue. No one makes a floating brake kit for the Super-8 yet, and here is a bike that could really use it.
Bottom Line:
In my previous review, I noted that while the Super-8 is an excellent ride, it couldn't fit 3.0 rubber on the rear.
Well, I went to General Discussion here at mtbr.com and brought my tire clearance issue to light. I was told that the rear wheel may have too much dish since it only rubbed on the non-drive stay. I checked and I couldn't believe it; it was 4 mm off! Just enough to make a 3.0 rub.
So I spent last Saturday rebuilding the wheel and correcting the problem. Now my spare set of Nokians can go back on the bike. The Super-8 was a great bike with 2.7 rubber, but it's a fantastic bike with 3.0 at both ends. It corners and handles obstacles even better than before. And the extra weight only slightly impedes acceleration, but reparations can be made by going even faster in the corners.
Bike Setup: Scarlet beast with the same setup as before, sans the addition of 3.0 x 26 Nokian Gazzoloddi tires fore and aft.
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Submitted by
Loki
a Downhiller
from The MTB Paradise of Oregon
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2002
Strengths: One of only two frames I have never broken. And I am a 255 pound monster that shatters frames and parts like glass sculptures. I have put this bike through some ugly riding and it simply won't die. It also pedals very well. Bone-simple, plush, and tough. I like it.
Weaknesses: Well, the rear shock mounts developed play after two rides. A few aftermarket bolts and Locktite fixed this problem and it's been tight and slop-free ever since. Not enough clearance to run a 3.0 x 26 tire. Mild brake jack under hard braking. I wish someone made a floating brake kit that would remedy this.
Bottom Line:
My Santa Cruz Bullit was one of the favorites in my stable. Plush, simplistic and tough, it lasted through a full year of no-holds-barred abuse before the rear triangle and Fox Vanilla blew out. Even after all that, Santa Cruz gave me a new rear triangle at 1/2 off.
I was impressed. Most companies these days would charge you full price, especially considering the abusive riding I did. You see, I am, unapologetically, a tank-ass. A tank-ass that loves to ride in an insane manner. My list of broken frames speaks for itself. Even longer is the list of parts I have broken. I could devote a whole paragraph to that topic, but I figure that you, the reader, would be better-served through a review of my Super-8. So, here goes.
One look at this frame tells you that it means business. There is no frippery in the suspension design, just a single pivot and one of the burliest swingarms I've ever seen on a downhill frame. There is 8" of plush, bump-leveling travel in back. BTW, (shameless product plug) if you're going to get ANY fork for this bike, buy a Monster-T. It's a fantastic match to this frame. Screw the weight. You'll be riding a 43-pound bike anyway, what's an extra pound or two? This bike pedals suprisingly well for a single-pivot design. It sucks up hits just as well as most four-bar pivot designs and is much easier to service. Win-win. It doesn't climb nearly as well as my Bullit but it's a bat outta hell on the way back down the mountain. I've landed 13-foot drops onto uneven rocks and this frame will take it, while the wheels almost fold in half. Cornering is excellent. Stand over the front end and just rail through any bends you may encounter. Few small quibbles: There is the pivot slop problem which is not an issue on the later frames. On this frame I want to run 3.0 x 26-in tires like on my hardtail, and I can't do it without rubbing the rear non-drive stay. Argh. Also there is some brake jack. It's only pronounced when you really get on the binders, but it does happen. As excellent as the bike is right now, a floating rear brake and a bigger tire footprint would make the Super-8 exemplary.
The Santa Cruz gets a perfect score by virtue of not breaking for over a year. It's not a perfect bike, mind you, but it's close. Damn close. Oh yes, and it looks great in red. :^)
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Bullit Kona Stinky D'Lux Rocky Mountain Pipeline Azonic DS1 Cove Stiffee SL Kona Chute Balfa Minuteman Other than the Balfa and both S.C's, none of these bikes lasted more than six months when subjected to my ham-fisted urban assault and hard downhill riding. The Bullit broke down after a year. Hence, the Super-8.
Bike Setup: Medium in red, Marzocchi Monster-T with heavy springs, Profile SS crankset, XT 8-speed rear derailleur, XT 12-32 rear cogset, Hayes Hydraulic discs, Maxxis Highroller 2.7 tires, Mavic 321's on Hadley 20mm thruaxle hubs, Azonic Pyramid bar, Azonic Shorty stem, Thompson seatpost, Titec Bezerkyr saddle, Profile GASS pedals, MRP World Cup chainguide.
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Submitted by
IKE PANTONE
a Downhiller
from HUNTSVILLE, UTAH USA
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2002
Strengths: FAT IS WHERE ITS AT!! ITS TUFF AS HELL. I HIT CAR AT 30MPH AND ONLY BENT SWINGARM. RIDES VERY WELL. VERY PLUSH. GREAT FOR FREERIDING AND DOWHILLING. JUMPS NICELY AND IS WAY FUN TO STREET RIDE WITH
Weaknesses: SHOCK IF LOOSENED WILL NEVER STAY TIGHT AGAIN NO MATTER HOW MUCH LOCKTITE YOU PUT ON IT
Bottom Line:
This bike is good for everything but uphill. way good deal if looking for dh rig. cheap compared to others. plusher then any other bikes ridden. take everything thrown at it. great for stair gaps. dont buy this if you're a little weasel poser!! go buy a huffy hardcore.
Similar Products Used: BULLIT DH, RM6, KONA STAB D-LUX,RM9
Bike Setup: SUPER 8 FRAME, MONSTER T, HAYES 8", DOUBLEWIDES 26" 24", NOKIAN GAZZ 3", RACEFACE CRANK, BLACKSPIRE CG, XT
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Submitted by
Dan Bain
a Downhiller
from Columbus, Ohio
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2001
Strengths: Huge, bombproof, unbreakable, heavy frame
Weaknesses: fox shock was blown within 2 months and the "shock shuttle" system sucks. The pin that holds the shock in there keeps rattling loose. Red loctite will fix it but then you cant do maintenance.
Bottom Line:
This think is just plain brutal, its the Dodge Viper of DH. The strength of this frame is apparent the first time you look at it, your guaranteed to break before it does. The handling is top notch, much stiffer than those multilink suspensions. It is also the best looking bike I've ever seen, especially the red.
Strengths: rock solid, thru axle, zero dish wheel. simple design, pedals well, low maintenance (santa cruz reccomends a 44 ring to keep the suspension active). nice paint job. nice price. very plush, feels balanced when airborne. this bike will take anything you dish out!
Weaknesses: the lower shock mount bolt is a bit sloppy.. no big deal, though. i got a bolt with the perfect diameter from the hardware store ..no more slop, end of story.
Similar Products Used: RM6, GT team Idrive,Intense,
Bike Setup: Shiver,Raceface everything,Mavic D321's, Hayes
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Submitted by
Drew Whitehead
a Downhiller
from N. Ogden UT
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2001
Strengths: Everything. This bike is the nicest feeling downhill bike i've ever ridden. Stiffest and strongest. Plus its sweet looking.
Weaknesses: I had to wait a couple of weeks for it but who cares it was worth the wait
Bottom Line:
Get it over any other dh bike out there. So it suffers a little brake jack i've heard i sure can't tell becuase i went from a snapped hardtail to this so its like moving from a lowrider to a monster truck
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Bullit, Intense m1, Rocky Mountain RM6 and 9, Kona Stab DeeLux
Bike Setup: Medium black frame, Monster T, Hayes 8", Race Face North Shore, Doublewides, Azonic Shorty Deluxe and doublewall riser, Azonic Lounge seat, You know
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Submitted by
Springfish
a Downhiller
from Philadelphia
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2001
Strengths: STRONG! F A S T! Capable of riding over or through just about anything. The only place to go from here is to motocross.
Weaknesses: It's heavy! (not that in a world full of gravity does this really matter) Adjustments on the rear shock can be difficult to get your fingers into. (Just have your girlfriend do it for ya) ;)
Bottom Line:
The only way to describe riding this bike downhill would be to try and imagine piloting a Hummer through singletrack. This bike is a monster, it just loves the tough and steep stuff. Jump it, drop it, whatever. Aside from having to replace rims from flat spots (if this even happens) it's bomb proof. I've launched this beast down the Philadelphia Art Museum stairs as fast as I could and could barely feel the concrete beneith my tires...yes, the same stairs that Rocky ran up in the movie. If he would of been in my way, the movie would of been a lot shorter, not to mention the stairs would have a grease stain from his filthy little flattened body.
Bike Setup: Shiver fork, size large, 8" front and rear hayes hydrolics, xtr drivetrain, hadley hubs, sun double wide rims, race face turbine LP 165mm DH cranks, chris king head set, azonic shorty deluxe stem, nokian 3.0 front and rear.
Strengths: Ummm, where to begin, 8.5" of ultra plush travel, 160mm spacing builds dishless rear wheel, laterally stiff, color selection, quality, simplicity of single pivot designs, oh ya, price, $1750 with rear hub.
Weaknesses: Kinda heavy, the Santa Cruz website says that the frame weighs 11 pounds, they really weigh about 12.5. Who cares though, it's confidence inspiring, and ultra strong.
Bottom Line:
Alot of people don't like this frame simply because of the draw backs of this type of supension, stiffening under power, and brake jack. Well, there are cures that really work. Running a larger chainring (52-54) as opposed to a 44-46 will provide a more active rear supension because the pivot and the top of the chain ring are closer, so the amount of chain stretch is lessened. In order to get your gear ratios back, run an XTR cassete with like a 12-34 range. As for the brake jack, don't run 8" rotors on the rear of this bike. 6" rotors provide more than enough stopping power, and don't have as much leverage on the swing arm. Hopefully someone will make a floating brake kit for this frame, then all of our problems will be cured. As for the rest of the bike, I have never felt anything like this bike before. It feels like you sitting in it, instead of on top of it, like most DH bikes, it is way more comftorable than an M1, and much more confidence inspiring.
Similar Products Used: Intense M1, Specialized S-works DH (sweet!!!), Foes, Bombshell Da bomb, Mountain cycle
Bike Setup: Hanebrink 01' LT 9, XTR cranks, sun double wides, proshift rear derailluer, azonic bar, stem, Hayes, 2.6/3.0 Nokians, Nice, weighs in at 45.1 pounds
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Submitted by
juan luis martinez
a Downhiller
from tuxtla gtz, chiapas, mexico.
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Strengths: dud............ITS A SANTA CRUZ.
Weaknesses: AGAIN.....ITS A SANTA CRUZ
Bottom Line:
YOU FEEL LIKE FLOTING IN THE LAND, SO YOU CAN NAVIGATE IN THE TORMENTE OF THE TRACK, ROCKS, TREES, MUD AND SWEAT, THATS WHY,AR I LOVE DOWNHILL............PLAY TO LIVE!
Strengths: The Burlyness Of The Frame And The Details In The Work Are Excelent
Weaknesses: The Ass End Is All Over The Place During Heavy Braking But Thats Just A Single Piovt Thing I'm Guessing And The Extra Cost For The Bright Color Paints Is Kinda Weird Too
Bottom Line:
I Love It It's Strong Fast And Built To Last Don't Knock It Til You Try It It's A Sweet Frame Only Deal You Can't Complain About It's Price I Can Hadly Wait Until The 10" Travel Frame Is Available
Strengths: Very strong, very nice, it's a Santa Cruz... Handles great. You feel like you can drop anything and you can.
Weaknesses: nothing yet
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a DH rig and have the money, get this frame!! It's awesome! you won't regret it at all!!!! Put a big fork on it and man your ready to win!! Compares to a M1.
Bike Setup: Black 2001 Frame, Shiver, MRP, XTR, Azonic bars, Titec stem, Arrow racing tires, Double wide rims, race face cranks, 44t ring DH, Fizik Atlas DH saddle, Thomson Elite seatpost, Ame America grips, rapid fire shifters DX flat pedals, Hayes 8" Dh hydrolic discs.
