REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Santa Cruz Juliana????

3557 Views 21 Replies 13 Participants Last post by blackcat29, Aug 24, 2006

FatOldGoat

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2006

I'm thinking of getting a SC Juliana for my wifey. Any of the ladies in here have one and care to share your opinions?

TIA:thumbsup:

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

tomk96

· #2 · Jul 6, 2006

I absolutely love my Juliana's!!!

(You'll have to forgive me posting under my husband's login. I'm too lazy to get my own!)

I got a hardtail (which I don't think they make anymore) Juliana many moons ago now. The very first ride my husband and I both noticed an improvement in my riding. I'm just under 5'2" and had a hard time find a bike that fit me.

A couple of summers ago, I decided to upgrade and get a full-suspension Juliana frame. Again, my riding improved -- with being able to ride over some roots uphill that had previously given me trouble. Since I knew the Juliana fit me and was very happy with it, I did not look at any other full-suspension bikes when I decided to upgrade.

I love, love, love the Juliana. I like the smaller handlebars, everything. My husband has since built back up my hardtail so I can ride both (don't want either to feel neglected!).

Gina

Shannon-UT

· #3 · Jul 6, 2006

I asked about Juliana a long time ago. Someone made a good point that stuck with me. If I ever wanted to sell it, I've already cut out half the market! No guy is going to buy a women's bike. Well except a guy who's buying if for a woman.

I am looking at the Santa Cruz Superlight though. Still.

Velo_Pixie

· #4 · Jul 7, 2006

Why would anyone ever want to sell a Juliana? I tried for years to find a Mtn bike that would fit my 4' 11" 98 lb body........I tried many bikes to no avail. I considered the fact that maybe I should just "stick to the road". Then, Voila!.....my husband bought me a Santa Cruz Juliana and not only is it a fine looking bike, it improved my riding by 150% to say the least!

What I am trying to say is that: this bike rocks!!!!:thumbsup:

SprocketHead

· #5 · Jul 7, 2006

Funny thing is, I know a couple of guys who fit my g/f's Juliana to a T. Whenever they get a chance to hop on it, they take advantage of it. If you take the Juliana stickers off, nobody would ever know it's a J and not a Superlight.

MTBmoose

· #6 · Jul 7, 2006 (Edited)

RE: Juliana

Well, my wife has been through a progression of bikes in the 5 years she has been riding. Started with a Rockhopper hardtail that was a great starter bike. She then graduated to a Women's Trek Fuel 90 that worked reasonably well once we replaced the crappy Bontrager cranks (would drop the chain no matter what) with the new Shimano LX. Then some greedy basturd stole it off the car.

Bike number 3 came along then: a Santa Cruz Juliana. Loves everything about it (well, except the wait; took forever to get in), including the Duke Blue color. It's light, very easy to maintain, and came with a nice parts kit. She is just 5'1", so finding something that fits is a real challenge. One thing to note on the Juliana, the rear travel is only 3" on the small and medium size. Didn't realize that when we bought her the small. Still does a great job eating up the bumps on the trail.

This past Christmas, a new XS Blur XC showed up under the tree. "But I already have a nice bike!?" Well, not exactly the reaction I was looking for. Took several rides to dial it in, and she wasn't sure she was going to like it. But once she started doing some long climbs, where the Blur really shines, she was hooked. Big grin factor. And the extra inch of travel in the rear doesn't hurt either when the trail gets technical. She still has the Juliana, but it has now been relegated to backup bike status.

Don't get me wrong, the Juliana is a great bike, especially for the money. Compare the Juliana complete bike option with the "R" kit against just about any big brand like Specialized and Trek and I think the Juliana wins hands down. No house-brand parts like Trek is littered with and the parts kit is a little better than what is on the entry-level Womens Stumpy. Bikes like the Superlight/Juliana and the SC Heckler have been around forever for a good reason: outstanding performance for the money. But if you have another grand burning a hole in your wallet, and don't mind slightly more maintenance, then go for the Blur XC.

If your wife has a short inseam, pay close attention to the geometry specs, especially standover height, of some of the FS bikes out there. With travel going up to 4" and 5" for XC bikes, it's getting tougher and tougher to keep that standover height low. Short riders will likely tell you that standover height *does* matter, especially when in a dicey trail situation. We probably would have purchased a Blur instead of the Juliana the first time around, but version 1.0 of the Blur did not have an XS size. The new Blur XC does. I think it made a 2" difference in standover height along with a slightly shorter top tube.

At any rate, good luck in your search. There are a lot of great choices out there these days, much more so than in the past.

MTBmoose
spokane, wa

FatOldGoat said:
I'm thinking of getting a SC Juliana for my wifey. Any of the ladies in here have one and care to share your opinions?

TIA:thumbsup:

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FatOldGoat

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 7, 2006

Velo_Pixie said:
Why would anyone ever want to sell a Juliana? I tried for years to find a Mtn bike that would fit my 4' 11" 98 lb body........I tried many bikes to no avail. I considered the fact that maybe I should just "stick to the road". Then, Voila!.....my husband bought me a Santa Cruz Juliana and not only is it a fine looking bike, it improved my riding by 150% to say the least!

What I am trying to say is that: this bike rocks!!!!:thumbsup:

Wow. You're tiny. My wife is 5'3, and it was a challenge finding a road bike that fit her right. Do you ride 650c wheels on your road bike? And what size Juliana did you get?

Velo_Pixie

· #8 · Jul 7, 2006

Small

FatOldGoat said:
Wow. You're tiny. My wife is 5'3, and it was a challenge finding a road bike that fit her right. Do you ride 650c wheels on your road bike? And what size Juliana did you get?

I ride the small Juliana. Fyi there is no xs Juliana as someone stated elsewhere on this page. Although the Blur xs is the same size as the small Juliana.

Yes, I ride 650c wheels on my road bike. Seems like nowadays there are lots of choices in that relm as well. When I started racing on the road years ago the only way you could go was custom. Must be girl power hehe!!!

tomk96

· #9 · Jul 7, 2006

I also got the small. Your wife may be a medium if she is 5'3" I had my husband measure my height, etc. and we looked at the specs on the website.

I also cannot imagine why anyone would consider selling their Juliana but I did have people ask me if I would sell my hardtail once I got the full suspension.

As for road bikes, I have normal wheels -- a Giant compact frame. I did have a horrible time when I was searching for a cylcocross bike though. Finally, chose the Scwhinn Super DBX which is not a true 'cross bike but comes in tiny sizes. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet though cause I'm currently 8 months pregnant.
Gina
(again, too lazy to get my own logon, so I'm using the hubby's)

FatOldGoat

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 7, 2006

MTBmoose said:
Well, my wife has been through a progression of bikes in the 5 years she has been riding. Started with a Rockhopper hardtail that was a great starter bike. She then graduated to a Women's Trek Fuel 90 that worked reasonably well once we replaced the crappy Bontrager cranks (would drop the chain no matter what) with the new Shimano LX. Then some greedy basturd stole it off the car.

Bike number 3 came along then: a Santa Cruz Juliana. Loves everything about it (well, except the wait; took forever to get in), including the Duke Blue color. It's light, very easy to maintain, and came with a nice parts kit. She is just 5'1", so finding something that fits is a real challenge. One thing to note on the Juliana, the rear travel is only 3" on the small and medium size. Didn't realize that when we bought her the small. Still does a great job eating up the bumps on the trail.

This past Christmas, a new XS Blur XC showed up under the tree. "But I already have a nice bike!?" Well, not exactly the reaction I was looking for. Took several rides to dial it in, and she wasn't sure she was going to like it. But once she started doing some long climbs, where the Blur really shines, she was hooked. Big grin factor. And the extra inch of travel in the rear doesn't hurt either when the trail gets technical. She still has the Juliana, but it has now been relegated to backup bike status.

Don't get me wrong, the Juliana is a great bike, especially for the money. Compare the Juliana complete bike option with the "R" kit against just about any big brand like Specialized and Trek and I think the Juliana wins hands down. No house-brand parts like Trek is littered with and the parts kit is a little better than what is on the entry-level Womens Stumpy. Bikes like the Superlight/Juliana and the SC Heckler have been around forever for a good reason: outstanding performance for the money. But if you have another grand burning a hole in your wallet, and don't mind slightly more maintenance, then go for the Blur XC.

If your wife has a short inseam, pay close attention to the geometry specs, especially standover height, of some of the FS bikes out there. With travel going up to 4" and 5" for XC bikes, it's getting tougher and tougher to keep that standover height low. Short riders will likely tell you that standover height *does* matter, especially when in a dicey trail situation. We probably would have purchased a Blur instead of the Juliana the first time around, but version 1.0 of the Blur did not have an XS size. The new Blur XC does. I think it made a 2" difference in standover height along with a slightly shorter top tube.

At any rate, good luck in your search. There are a lot of great choices out there these days, much more so than in the past.

MTBmoose
spokane, wa

Moose - Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning toward the Juliana b/c of the economy - she's gonna get angry at me just for spending the dough on the Juli, so she'd really get pissed if I bought her a Blur. She's riding a '96 Hard Rock with a Manitou SX on it now - she's really an animal on the bike, and I know she'd be even better (and have more fun) on a full zoot scooter.

I notice you live in Spokane - I went to grad school at Gonzaga back in the mid '90s. I used to ride Beacon Hill/Minnehaha almost every day (I had an apartment on Upriver Drive). Some of the best mt biking I've ever done is right there - and I've ridden all over the country. So where do you ride?

Gatorbike

· #11 · Jul 8, 2006

Juliana

I got my Juliana about a month ago. I built it up with my own choice of parts. I like it a lot. It weighs 25 pounds. It's a medium and I'm 5'3. I think it's way faster than my previous stumpjumper expert and it climbs really well.
Reba Team
Fox Rp3 shock
Sram XO shifters, rear d, cassette, chain
XTR front d and brakes with XT levers
Race face deus cranks and carbon seat post
monkey lite bars

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MTBmoose

· #12 · Jul 11, 2006

RE: Juliana

No problem on the info. Yep, Beacon is still a local favorite of mine, though it's being encroached on by development on at least 3 sides. I'm perfectly happy to ride anything within a few hours drive or longer. Lots of good riding close in with Riverside St. Park, Beacon Hill, High Drive Bluff, Mica Peak, Mt. Spokane, etc. And within 2-3 of hours is Lost Creek, Kettle Crest, Priest Lake...too many venues and not enough weekends!

She's going to love the Juliana. Get it for her and don't look back.

MTBmoose

FatOldGoat said:
Moose - Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning toward the Juliana b/c of the economy - she's gonna get angry at me just for spending the dough on the Juli, so she'd really get pissed if I bought her a Blur. She's riding a '96 Hard Rock with a Manitou SX on it now - she's really an animal on the bike, and I know she'd be even better (and have more fun) on a full zoot scooter.

I notice you live in Spokane - I went to grad school at Gonzaga back in the mid '90s. I used to ride Beacon Hill/Minnehaha almost every day (I had an apartment on Upriver Drive). Some of the best mt biking I've ever done is right there - and I've ridden all over the country. So where do you ride?

liger

· #13 · Jul 12, 2006

i have a juliana and i love it! Although i dont have much to compare it to. I am 5'2 and i got a small, the medium was too big for me.

lmarierun

· #14 · Jul 14, 2006

love my Juliana

FatOldGoat said:
Wow. You're tiny. My wife is 5'3, and it was a challenge finding a road bike that fit her right. Do you ride 650c wheels on your road bike? And what size Juliana did you get?

I just saw your post and I have to say that you can't go wrong with the Juliana. I am 5'3 like your wife and I ride a medium. I can pretty much ride it anywhere and I fit perfectly on it. I tried out a bunch of bikes but "Sol" was the best fit by far. I have really long legs ofr 5'3 so have your wife try a small too. Good luck!

mbmojo

· #15 · Jul 15, 2006

liger said:
i have a juliana and i love it! Although i dont have much to compare it to. I am 5'2 and i got a small, the medium was too big for me.

liger, I'm looking at a Juliana for my wife and she's 5' 2" as well. She's currently riding a Cannondale Jekyll, size Petite, which has about the same top tube length as the medium Juliana which has me leaning towards a medium but I'd appreciate it if you could elaborate about why the medium felt too big? Was it too long, too tall? Since it does make a difference, her Jekyll has a really short 75mm stem and I'm assuming we'd have to put something about the same size on the Juliana.

DerJaeger

· #16 · Jul 16, 2006

MTBmoose said:
She still has the Juliana, but it has now been relegated to backup bike status.

Moose -- any chance she would want to sell the Juliana? I'm looking for a small Juliana for my girlfriend.

Rob (rward [at] uberlogik.com)

MTBmoose

· #17 · Jul 17, 2006

DerJaeger said:
Moose -- any chance she would want to sell the Juliana? I'm looking for a small Juliana for my girlfriend.

Rob (rward [at] uberlogik.com)

DerJaeger,
Sorry, she's still pretty attached to it. I don't think she'll be selling it anytime soon unless there was maybe a Titus Racer X waiting in the wings. ;-)

MTBmoose
spokane, wa

liger

· #18 · Jul 18, 2006

I never actually got to try a juilana medium but I rode a gary fisher sugar small that was the same geometry roughly as the juilana medium. The fisher was too long and too tall for me. The juliana small fits well with a 110 stem. The only problem I have found with the small is that the water bottle bosses are on the underside of the downtube.

mbmojo

· #19 · Jul 19, 2006

liger said:
The juliana small fits well with a 110 stem. The only problem I have found with the small is that the water bottle bosses are on the underside of the downtube.

The stem, then is a good bit of the difference. The top tube length on my wife's petite Jekyll is the same as the Juliana medium but it has a 75mm stem and that's over an inch shorter than your stem.

Seems many, if not most, of the full suspension frames until you get about to a men's medium won't accomodate a water bottle.

Pizie

· #20 · Aug 24, 2006

Love that Juliana

I dont think anyone would have a problem selling their Juliana. I have a friend thats looking to buy one for his girlfriend but havent been able to find anyone that's selling theirs. Looks like he'll have to buy new.

I love my Juliana. I'm 5'3" and ride a medium.

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