|   SC Superlight | theKid
Mar 10, 2003 4:29 PM | | After a good deal of research and many reviews, I'm strongly considering buying a Superlight and was trying to keep the price around $2600-$2700. I wanted to go with the Super X disk kit but was unsure what fork to go with. Any recommendations? Also, I'm 5'10 and weigh about 180. Should I go with a medium or large frame. Any insight is appreciated. |
| What's your inseam? Try to find one to test ride first | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 4:37 PM | | possibly at a shop with a Medium and a large so you can compare.....then I'd highly recommend contacting the guys at hilltop ski and bike to see what kind of package they could put together for you on a Superlight.
They are great guys. http://www.hilltopskibike.net
Also, the guys at Santa Cruz are always quick to respond with sizing questions.
Good luck!!
Mark |
| What's your inseam? Try to find one to test ride first | theKid
Mar 10, 2003 4:47 PM | | Thanks for the quick response! My inseam is 33 1/2. I did have a chance to test ride a medium but the bike shop didn't have a large to compare with. Where is hilltop ski and bike located? I'm on the east coast so if it's in California, I'm out of luck. |
| They are in Maine! | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 5:04 PM | | Visit their site..........utilize their bike builder program and you'll hear from them quickly.
Where on the east coast are you? New England by any chance? If so, are you a NEMBA member? http://www.nemba.org
If so, you might be eligible for a small Hilltop discount if memory serves me correctly.
How did the Medium feel in terms of the top tube length? Perhaps you can locate a different local shop that would have a large for you to compare to the Medium. It probably would be worthwhile to compare the two if at all possible.
Good luck!
Mark |
| They are in Maine! | theKid
Mar 10, 2003 5:15 PM | | I'm in Massachusetts. I'm not a member of NEMBA but will definitely look into. I'll also take a look at the hilltop web site and check out their bike builder program. I previously rode an 18" Specialized SJ so in terms of the top tube, the SC felt a little small. I thought this was due to the dip in the top tube. Unfortunately, there are no close bike shops around my area that carry the SC....the closest shop was over an hour drive. If hilltop is reasonable, maybe it would be worth the 3 hour drive. Do you have any recommendations on a front fork. This would be my first high end bike so I'm a little uncertain on what fork to go with. |
| I think a complete SC build kit is the way to go if you | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 5:25 PM | | go Santa Cruz.........the Hilltop guys will definitely help you out with fork selection etc.........but in terms of bang for the buck the complete SC rigs are the way to go in my opinion.
Whereabout specifcally in MA? If you are anywhere near Boston you should be able to find a shop with a Large Superlight.
Good luck! |
| I think a complete SC build kit is the way to go if you | theKid
Mar 10, 2003 6:26 PM | | I recently moved closer to Boston so I'll have to check some of the shops in town. Typically, how much would the complete SC build kit go for? Thanks again for your help. This has been very helpful. |
| Sizing.... | Innocent Bystander
Mar 10, 2003 7:00 PM | | Hey there,
This is Don from Hilltop and I see you have sizing questions. The sizing from SC seems to be on the border for your most "common" sized people. I think they have done that for a reason, but maybe not. It seems to me that they like to give those guys on the border a bit of leeway in terms of 2 different sizes to choose from. A large sounds like it may be the way to go for you considering you not liking the "cramped" feel of a shorter cockpit. Some guys will tell you to just lengthen the stem, but IMO,it is better to shorten is a bit on a larger bike to get the "perfect" fit. Too long a stem will make a bike handle too different from what was originally intended. If you are to err, err on the side of larger. Especially if you like epic XC rides. Nonetheless, the guys at SC can really zero in on this if you give them a quick call, or just drop them an email. They respond very quickly as Mark has said.
We do offer NEMBA discounts. If nothing else, the discount is larger than your membership, and we feel it is a good motivator to get people signed up for a VERY VERY active MTB group. We are NEMBA members, both in terms of the shop, and the guys here are all as well. great origanization that is looking out for NE MTBers.
Thanks for your time,
Don
Thanks for the kind words Mark. We're still waiting to see what you end up riding. I can hear the snow melting on Sunday River, and a few cold ones at Brian's place just waiting for us. Get a ride.. and I don't care from who.. just get one. I want to ride with you and JT this summer (gotta get a shot at that Bullit). |
| Don, Look down below this thread to see what I'll be riding | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 7:06 PM | | and sales repping for.....and email me if the bike boutique is interested in adding a fine Quebec-based bike company to it's lineup! :-)
And thanks again for the invite up to the great state of Maine...You are on! And of course you guys are more than welcome to come down for some fine CT riding!!
Take care,
Mark |
| Well... spank my... | Innocent Bystander
Mar 10, 2003 7:23 PM | | ass and call me silly. It's about time.
Congrats on the ride, and congrats on the rep position. I may take you up on your offer, as a matter of fact, the Belair is a bike I looked at and thought "Hmmm.. I should give them a call."
I guess when you come up, we don't have to provide you with the NE Bike Boutique beer stein, with endless refills. Ahh, what the hell, bring the stein anyway. We have to celebrate ;)
Now... who had March 10th in the pool? |
| LMAO! When I come up I'll bring some Harpoon with me! | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 7:46 PM | | Since they are a NEMBA supporter and all...and they make some mighty fine brews too!
And I'll most certainly bring the Belair and the Demo rig for all you to and your Maine-iac ride buddies to try out! :-)
Oh yeah, and I'll bring that Bullit riding guy from Tolland with me too! I saw his Trans red rig last Friday night! Friggin sweet!! That pain is incredible and the frame ain't so bad either!!!
Cheers,
Mark |
| Mmmmmm, Harpoon.......(nm) | esquire
Mar 11, 2003 8:35 AM | | |
| Work with Don and he'll provide you with great customer service | CTRider
Mar 10, 2003 7:55 PM | | and a highly competitive price! And join NEMBA....$20 bucks gets you a membership and a year's subscription to Singletracks and lots of other little perks...it is a great mountain bike organization.
That and you'll get the Hilltop NEMBA discount!!
http://www.nemba.org
http://www.hilltopskibike.net
Good luck Kid! :-)
Cheers,
Mark |
| Work with Don and he'll provide you with great customer service | theKid
Mar 11, 2003 3:48 PM | | Mark,
I will definitely look into Hilltop. It's one hell of a drive but I would certainly consider it if their price is competitive and the customer service is as good as you say it is. I have yet to find a bike shop that serves the interest of the consumer.....they all just want to make the sale and will feed you a bunch of crap! In any event, your postings have been very helpful. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
-Matt |
| Matt, no need to drive...find a large, compare it to a Medium | CTRider
Mar 11, 2003 3:54 PM | | and if you order from Hilltop they'll ship the bike to your door!
Good luck!!
Mark |
| Matt, no need to drive...find a large, compare it to a Medium | theKid
Mar 11, 2003 3:59 PM | | Good to know Mark. I'll keep this in mind and see what Hilltop comes back with for a quote. I'll be happy when this snow melts so I can gear up for some riding! |
| re: SC Superlight | Darrell
Mar 10, 2003 8:05 PM | | I had a Superlight that got stolen in January and replaced with a Racer X. I loved it. I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam. My superlight was a medium (22.5" effective top tube) and I ran a 100mm stem. There is no way that I would normally recommend the medium to a 5'10" rider but your inseam measurement tells me that you have longer legs and a shorter torso. If that's the case the medium superlight would probably suit you fine. Also, my wife just got a new Superlight (1 week ago) with the Fox F100 RL and the Super X kit (no discs). It's great and weighs the same as the Superlight with the XTR/Disc package (within a tenth of a pound). She payed just under $2600 for it. We weighed every component and if you want I'll email you the results. The Fox F100RL is the best fork for the bike unless you're a serious racer and then it still might work. For racing, I'd recommend the Manitou Skareb Super. That's what I ordered on my Racer X and I'm 195lbs. It weighs 3.1 lbs. but is a lot stiffer than the Sid and very plush. Anyhow, with you being 5'10" with a 33" inseam, your upper body is shorter than mine which means that you would be stretched out further than I am to reach the 100mm stem. If that's the case, I don't think you would be comfortable on the large at all. Hope this helps. |
| Superlight vs Racer X | jaco
Mar 11, 2003 1:15 PM | | Just wondering what youre take is on both these bikes,Superlight vs Racer X. I was thinking of getting either of these frames and setting it up with 100mm up front. the racer x is fully active but apparently somewhat stiff in the rear and isnt set up for 100mm fork. the superlight is not fully active but is supposed to be more plush and is setup for 100mm fork. what is your choice frame? |
| re: SC Superlight | theKid
Mar 11, 2003 3:37 PM | | Darrell,
If you wouldn't mind emailing the specs you had mentioned, I would greatly appreciate it. Yes I do have longer legs and a shorter torso so you are probably correct in your assumption about the medium being more suitable. I have been trying to track down a large to test ride but have had no luck. How does the Racer X compare with the Superlight? Thanks again for your insight. Everyone on this message board has been very helpful!
m_naylor@attbi.com
-Matt |
| Matt, try the two Wheelworks stores in MA.....Belmont and Ace | CTRider
Mar 11, 2003 3:42 PM | | They might have a large Superlight to try. Did you visit the bike builder site at Hilltop to get a good quote?
Good luck!
Mark |
| Matt, try the two Wheelworks stores in MA.....Belmont and Ace | theKid
Mar 11, 2003 3:54 PM | | I did visit the bike builder site at Hilltop but haven't checked my email yet to see if they have sent a quote. I'll check out Wheelworks to see if they have a large Superlight. Thanks again. |
| Cool....see my post above about shipping the bike to you | CTRider
Mar 11, 2003 3:57 PM | | and visit the Santa Cruz web site to see if there are other dealers nearby that might have a large Superlight for you to test. I'm sure someone's got one as they aren't as hard to come by as a Blur or a Heckler these days.
Once you compare and if Hilltop gives you the best price, then they would ship the bike directly to your door.
Good luck on that search for a large to try out, but it does sound like a Medium may be right for your long legs/short torso.
Cheers,
Mark |
| 5'9", 165lbs, 32.5" inseam, '03 ano grey med SL, 110mm stem | FritzMan
Mar 11, 2003 6:09 AM | | I previously rode an '00 Superlight with a 100 stem but I wanted a little more room. I really like the tight cockpit as I feel it compliments the nimble nature of the bike. Last fall I upgraded to a 110 stem and it was a perfect size for me. I've never ridden a large SantaCruz frame, but I do ride a large HT Oryx for gravel training (1" longer top tube) and do I find the longer cockpit does slow things down somewhat (something I don't really want on the trail).
I run an '02 Marathon 80mm which currently weighes 3.25lbs (cut steerer without canti studs). *VERY* nice fork. Stiff and plush. I especially like the ECC feature which helps keep the nose down, something the shorter wheelbased SL can have issues with on steeper climbs. It's plushness compliments the '03 falling rate swingarm much better than the previous generation swingarm which tended to ramp up pretty hard. |
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