Our Superlight single pivot suspension design has been tweaked and refined throughout its evolution, upholding a longstanding reputation for lively performance and stone reliability. With 100mm rear travel on tap and a lightweight aluminum frame, you get a sharp handling, snappy accelerating cross country fiend that might just be the best bang for the buck out there.
Submitted by
Filipe Oliveira
a Cross Country Rider
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2012
Strengths: Just bought the frame and moved my previous setup to the new one. After more a thousand miles on it I can say a few things about the frame and the riding experience:
1. It was the cheapest FS frame available and the lightest aluminium frame I found (of the more than 15 I put in a personal database, exception made to large retailers self-brands).
2. This is not the first thing you think about when buying a Superlight, but it is a most comfortable ride! I used to get lower back pain after 45-50km and now, even after 90km, there is no discomfort (only the legs....).
3. I ride with a lot of hard-core cross country riders that participate in XC meetings bi-monthly and they do a lot of road to get the legs spinning at high-speed: I never had any problem accompanying them and they let me know that the rear Fox rp23 doesn´t move, except if you go over small bumps or holes in the tarmac.
4. It climbs all types of ground even in gravel or rocky grounds. In some occasions you can feel the chain straining a little bit (single pivot suspension...) but I got used to it ant you can actually used as an advantage after a while. The extra weight of the FS frame never seemed a problem so far...
5. Finally, I had lots of problems riding down trails or steeper descents or even simply not to loose contact with the other riders with my previous, non FS frame. Now, I am nearly always at the front of the pack when going down! Sometimes I have to brake simply because everyone is going too slow (or so it seems), not because I could not go faster.
Weaknesses: ?
Bottom Line:
The way it behaves in descents, the comfort and the benefit/price are unbeatable. Fantastic ride in all types of terrain, ideal for long rides.
Bike Setup: Superlight 2010 red frame with RP23 Fox rear shock. Fork Rock Shox Reba Team. Handbuilt wheels (XT M756 hubs, RODI blackjack rims, DT Swiss Revolution spokes and Al nipples). Avid Elixir 5 disc brakes.
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Submitted by
JORGEDEBASSO
a Cross Country Rider
from WALNUT CREEK, CA USA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2011
Strengths: VERY NIMBLE! I find my self throwing the bike into tight single track sections and having no problem negotiating the s-turns. Also accelerates nicely on climbs. I've put this bike in a lot of pretty rough patches in the short 3 months I've owned it( TAMARANCHO rock garden, WALL POINT, Mitchell canyon) and have had no problem. The biggest straight drop I've hit was about a 1 1/2 feet and did not bottom out( I weigh 195lbs) on the FOX package front and back 100mm. Don't even waste your time with the lesser package, the extra 400 bux upgrade is worth far more in the long run. It's rare that you buy something in your hobby that truly makes you better at the task. If I buy a new 2000$ guitar, it's not going to make me a better player. This bike made me a better rider within two weeks.
Weaknesses: Havent been riding the bike long enough to find it...
Bottom Line:
Is it wrong that I still go and look at pictures of my bike at the SANTA CRUZ webstie 3 months after buying it? I'm in a torrid love affair with my bike right now...am hitting the Confluence Trail in Auburn next week...
I spent 2 months researching my next bike. In the end, this was the most bike for the $$$. My co-rider just dropped 3k on a Specialized EPIC and it's not 1000$ more bike than I have...
I'll ride this for the next 5-7 years then upgrade to a carbon BLUR...
Bike Setup: Fox float 100mm FOX 32 shock, avid 7 brakes, SHIMANO XT component set...
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Submitted by
santacruzer
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend Oregon USA
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2011
Strengths: Do anything XC trail bike. Low maintenance. Built like a tank.
Weaknesses: Low bottom bracket.
Bottom Line:
It took a while but I finally dialed in this bike and couldn't be happier. Initially very disappointed with the lower bottom bracket as I was constantly hitting pedals and bb on everything. Finally went to 2.35 contis. which eliminated the issue. I feel that this bike is a faster and more stable descender than the old Superlite. The larger volume tires also make a huge difference and I will never go back to 1.95 or 2.0 tires again on any bike. This bike now rocks! climbing, hucking drops, trials. This bike simply rocks!!! The anno blue frame looks great and is holding up well.
Similar Products Used: Old Superlite, Truth, Racer X
Bike Setup: XT/XTR/Vuelta XRP
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Submitted by
FatOldGoat
a Cross Country Rider
from Olney, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2011
Strengths: Simplicity. Simplicity. Simplicity. Mechanical simplicity of a single pivot that gives performance equal to many complex suspension bikes that cost twice (or more!) as much. Minimal wrenching required.
Weaknesses: 2005 model did not have a replaceable derailleur hanger.
Bottom Line:
My SL is a 2005 model; they've since done a redesign of the swingarm, and the redesign included a replaceable derailler hanger. That would have been nice to have when a stick got sucked up into my drivetrain and blew up my derailleur, shredding the hanger threads. Santa Cruz said the only fix was to replace the rear swingarm for $400(or so). I elected to go a cheaper route, and retapped the hole, but I lost the ability to use the smallest rear cog. Not a big deal, but mildly annoying.
Otherwise I can not say enough good things about this bike. I am a Clyedsdale (215 LBS.) and I'm rather punishing on most bikes. I have ridden the living hell out of this bike, and it still goes like stink. It is a great rig - very forgiving and not much to go wrong because of the simple single pivot design. The Fox RP3 with propedal WORKS! I ride with guys on $3-4 thousand dollar rigs, and I keep up with them. The only reason I'm not at the front of the pack is because they are in better shape and weigh 30 pounds less than I. This bike will outhandle nearly anything out there in the technical stuff. Grin factor is maximum when I come upon tight, rooted, twisty singletrack or when I come upon a rock garden.
If you are looking for a XC FS bike get a Santa Cruz Superlight. You're welcome.
Favorite Trail: Avalon section of Patapsco State Park
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1650.00
Purchased At: Avalon Cycles (R.I.P
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR XC; Trek Fuel; Ellsworth Truth.
Bike Setup: Fox Float RP3; RockShox Tora 318 U-Turn; SRAM X-7 mix; Avid Juicy 7 mechanical discs; Mavic Crossride wheels.
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Submitted by
Randy Fried
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, US
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2011
Strengths: Handling and durability
Weaknesses: I will let you know when I find one.
Bottom Line:
Club sponsor shop ordered the Anthracite grey anodized frame for me in 1999. No one in SD had ever seen one yet. Was racing a Klien team issue ht. Took a few weeks to transition to the fs Superlight. Knocked 7 minutes off my time for the Sagebrush Classic in 2000, won my cat in 2001. Raced it hard, trained it long, wiped out 3 front forks and 2 sets of wheels and one rear shock due to 180lbs and a somewhat aggressive descending style. It tended to draw a crowd of hardtail folks after races. By the 3rd year there were 5 or 6 more of them in the field. The 4th or 5th year I spent $25 bucks to replace the pivot bearing and the frame is once again like new. 11 years down the road the gray ano still looks good, the bike still handles better than any of my other bikes. Factory guys can ride the lightest stuff if they have a box van full of parts and mechanics; age group racers and privateers on a budget would be hard pressed to beat this thing with a big hammer.
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR, & StumpJumper, Klien Team Issue hardtail, Fisher ProCalibre & Procalibre 29er
Bike Setup: Sweetwings steel cranks (lighter than XTR), Spingergy kevlar spoke SPOKS, XTR reverse pull derailers w/Sachs Extreme twist shifers, XTR V-brakes w/Sachs resin levers, Easton carbon flat bar, Serfas Cantina seat, Thompson post & stem.
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Submitted by
tyrks
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL, US
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2011
Strengths: Bullet proof
Weaknesses: Neither the front or rear suspension locks out on the stock 2006 model I got. Not cheap to upgrade, still hardly a weakness for such a strong bike.
Bottom Line:
Bought it from a chick off of Craigs List for $600. Never really even got a chance to ride it since she took the pedals off when we met up to check the bike out, it was a bit of a inpulse buy but it turned out awesome. The rear shock, a Float R, had something going on when I first took it out for a ride, but after a quick trip to REI their mechanic fixed it for free and its been amazing ever since. The frame size is Medium witch is a lil small since im nearly 6 feet tall but I like it because I can really throw this bike around the tight and technical trails I usually ride. Simple design, plush ride, and great components, for the model. Iv been stunned by this ride! If and when im ready to purchase a new bike its going to most likely be a new Santa Cruz Superlight! Dont hesitate!!
Similar Products Used: Nothing long enough to compare.
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
MartinC
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2011
Strengths: Simple, stiff frame
Price
Performance
Weaknesses: Frame no longer made in the USA
Bottom Line:
Feels far stiffer than my previous Superlight (2001 frame with 2004 rear triangle). The new Float RL works as well or better than my older Pushed RL. No discernable bob. I bought the frame only and built up from there. Great value at the new price, but I miss the old anodized made in the US frame, that said, the new frame was $950, my old frame was $1490 in 2001!
No reservations recommending the 2011 superlight to any XC/Trail riders.
Bike Setup: Fox Float RL, Fox 120RL, XTCrankset, XTR Shifters, Thomson stem and seatpost, Avid Elixir 5 brakes, Truvativ low rise bars.
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Submitted by
mbruemmer
a Cross Country Rider
from Rockford, IL
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2011
Strengths: Great components. Smooth Suspension. Handles everything I throw at it with relative ease.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Great bike for Cross Country and Trail Riding. Suspension is smooth with very little pedal bob with the addition of the RP23. This was a huge step up from my GF advance and of all of the bikes I tested this one was my favorite. Looking forward to lots of time and miles of use.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Advance, Test rode many bikes prior to purchase (trek, specialized, salsa, GT plus a few others)
Bike Setup: Rxc package w/ RP23 upgrade and Shimano 540 clipless and Race Face Sniper Grips.
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Submitted by
seemlessstate
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft. Collins Co/ Loxahatchee FL
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2011
Strengths: This is for a 2009 Superlight.
Reasonably light, looks really sexy. great ride, and feels more like a 5' travel bike.
Weaknesses: Decals are awful. paint is not very durable either. im not crazy about the yellow color that I have, so I might get it powdercoated eventually.
Bottom Line:
I really like this bike. I am a light rider. (130lbs no gear) so I am able to ride more aggresively with this frame than someone who actually weighs a normal amount.
so far it has taken some pretty large drops 4+ ft, but still rides great on technical trails and climbs. I came off of a very un-stock stumpjumper hardtail. This superlight felt very large for the first few rides. I couldn't flick it around as much as the Tiny wheelbase of the stumpy. After having it for a few months and putting 9-10 good rides on various terrain, I have gotten used to it, and am now much faster on this than I was on the hard tail. I like the simpleness of the single pivot. the whole bike is very "Set it and forget it" most of the time I just get on and ride. the suspension feels much more active than the Blur that I rode for a while. more plush by-far.
Im just a guy who likes to ride in the dirt. normal bikers should buy this. the weight weenie and the downhiller should obviously avoid this frame, but for the other 90% of us, this is a good choice. I bought my frame locally for $400. it was almost completely new. the owner was 6'4' and the frame was too small. I got it after a few rides. you can get a nice frame for cheap. Why NOT buy this?
Similar Products Used: Stumpjumper HT, intense spyder (breifly), gary fisher sugar. rockhopper with really nice build. blur XC
Bike Setup: 09 large frame. float shock 1x9 XT drivetrain with a truvativ stylo crank. Rockshox Sektor 100-140mm fork. Syncros wheels, XT hubs, Juicy 7 brakes.
(kind of a trail bike buildup)
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Submitted by
rayzer
a Cross Country Rider
from Hayward, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: Bombproof design. Worthy to upgrade with all the bling you desire. Can hang with the rest of the hyped up designs out there!
Weaknesses: Only available in two colors.
Bottom Line:
....ahhhhh. This bike rocks!
I've ridden everything from Ibis Mojo's, Pivots, Blur's, Niner's, plus more!
I always come back to this bike. This bike just feels good and puts a bigger smile on my face then the rest. The fun factor is what it's all about, right?
Weaknesses: Should come with instructions to Push-tune your shock sooner than later
Bottom Line:
I've been riding this bike for 3 years now. The bike is set up perfectly for flowing trails and is a great thing to ride in an enduro race.
I switched to this frame as I didn't like the handling of my old one, and this has been great in that regard. With the Push tune on the shock I am able to ride this bike very quickly through turns, the low BB height giving lots of stability and the suspension doing just what I want it to -- you don't really need multipivot bikes if you have this one set up right. 120mm on the front end makes the bike great for long rides when your concentration might be lacking.
It will be interesting to see what the next revised version of this frame will be like. I'm still enjoying the ride after 3 years and I don't really need anything improved on it for what it is intended for.
Oh yeah, I still haven't touched the pivot bearings and it is working nicely still.
Weaknesses: Although its called a Superlight, its not actually that light. Cornering
Bottom Line:
I love my Superlight because its been a great bike for the year I've had it. Im looking for a new bike thats a 29er and hopefully light. The bike is fast going downhill but the headtube is a little low for my liking. Going uphill i push it like a pro would push his, but this bike every time makes it everytime and never stops cranking. I would recomend this bike to any beginner or someone looking for theyre first full suspension bike, but now its becoming relevant that if your getting a new bike you should get a 29er. This bike works well in the east coast single track, but i feel would not do great in the rocky west. I don't know if my technique is off or not but ive never felt confident going around corners too fast, but this bike has not been reliable for me in that sense. But after I slow down, im glad that this bike is a 26er because this bike accelerates beautifully. Once i hop out of the saddle it takes off running with me.
Similar Products Used: Pivot Mach 49, Yeti 575, Santa Cruz Tallboy,
Bike Setup: 2008 Superlight with these awesome tires that im not sure what they are, and some great brakes.
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Submitted by
pasfaretta
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2010
Strengths: Light, responsive, easy to maintain, great on singletrack, looks simple - a classic design!
Weaknesses: None that I can think of
Bottom Line:
I originally started into mountain bikes on a gt avalanche that got stolen and replaced with a specialized rockhopper. Having only ridden hardtails for a couple of years I wanted a dual suspension bike to see what the fuss was all about. I scoured ebay for a while looking for a deal, not really knowing what I was looking for. All I knew was that I wanted a trail/xc bike with dual suss. I managed to pick up the superlight for a good deal and little did I know exactly what I was buying. I've now owned the bike just over 2 years and find it perfect to my needs. When I first bought the bike I just wanted dual suspension but what I got was a perfect xc race enduro bike that is great fun. It really is lively and springs out of corners and through singletrack. The lockout on the shock isn't working and I can only guess as to how it would accelerate if if was. There is a small amount of rear suss feedback when pedalling hard or out of the saddle sprints. If this bike were to break I would buy a new superlight frame, move the components over and keep riding.
Now that the frame is 4 years old it is showing some scratches but nothing more than superficial.
I can only highly recommend.
Favorite Trail: Peak districk, lake district, yorkshire dales, North Wales
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: Ebay
Similar Products Used: None - first dual suspension bike
Bike Setup: SID race, Float RL, hope mono M4's, xtr f&r deraillers, cassette & chain, race face evolve cranks, middleburn chainrings, thomson stem and post, EA70 bars, hope xc hubs and mavic 317 rims.
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Submitted by
XLE_BikeR
a Cross Country Rider
from Hyrum, Utah, US
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2010
Strengths: Comfort, strength, climbing and decent. Corners well with the right tires. The best all around, all terrain bike I have owned or tried. Cost verses life of product is terrific. So far nearly 4,000 mountain miles on this frame without issues.
Weaknesses: Have 120mm fork travel, might be more versatile with 140mm.... maybe.
Bottom Line:
This bike has been through the works over the last two years and the *only* place that it did not perform was on a knarly downhill track near Moab. Needed a V-10 there for sure! People knock this older single pivot design, but it really does so well, I may never buy another design. Almost zero pedal-bob on climbs, no lockout needed imho. When I looked for a new bike in 2008, I kept coming back to this bike for cost, value, design, and reviews. The reviews are right, this is a terrific all-around mountain bike and almost everyone I know / ride with has one here in Utah. It's really hard to do better for the price!
Similar Products Used: Haro VL120. Really bad rear triangle design!!!!!!!!!!! Eats chains, chainrings, and your sanity.
Bike Setup: SRAM X-9 derailuers, Mavic crossride wheelset, Raceface BB, cranks, bars, Juicy three brakes, WTB Prowler XT and SS tires, RockShock 318 forks.
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Submitted by
Dr.Preroll
a Cross Country Rider
from Comox Valley BC
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2010
Strengths: Light simple easy.
Weaknesses: low BB. Smacks my pedals on roots and rocks... not huge, but I'll adjust soon.
Bottom Line:
This is my second Superlight. My first was back in 2005, and was againfull XTR. I was in the hunt for a new ride and a buddy was going travelling and needed the cash. He works as a mechanic in a big shop that does heaps of Santa Cruz bikes. The SL may not be as plush as some other designs, but it's whippy pedals well and is light. I was in the bike industry for 15 years and I've ridden and owned so many bikes it' impossible to remember them all. Again, the SL is just an easy to ride, easy to like bike. I know several WC pros who, when in between contracts ALWAYS end up on a SL for the winter. It's a bit of a cult classic here on Vancouver Island. I'm happy with purchase, especially the price.
I've recently moved to San Antonio, TX. After much discussion both in the Beginner's Corner and local Texas forums I think I've narrowed my choice for bike down somewhat, and I rea Read More »
Hey guys,
I am about to pull the trigger on a bike upgrade. I am trying to decide between a Santa Cruz Superlight R AM and a Heckler R AM. I live in Florida so it is pretty flat, Read More »
Looking for some sizing help. At 5'-6" I'm right at the borderline on their chart, more so the bottom end of a med. I typically ride a 16".
-What size have you ended up similar Read More »
The past 11 years (minus a few long breaks in between) I've had only 2 bikes--a Specialized Hardrock coverted to SS with air fork, and recently a rigid Salsa Ala Carte/fork combo s Read More »
The past 11 years (minus a few long breaks in between) I've had only 2 bikes--a Specialized Hardrock coverted to SS with air fork, and recently a rigid Salsa Ala Carte/fork combo s Read More »
