Hey everyone, so I've only ever owned one bike, a KTM Ultra Fun from 201x, and nothing else.
Lately, I decided to get that KTM serviced so my girlfriend could use it. That also got me thinking about getting a used full-suspension bike for myself. The plan is to ride with her and also hit up more technical trails on my own.
(Might be a bit off-topic, but I do a lot of off-roading with my motorcycle.)
Funnily enough, a friend of mine is selling his old Santa Cruz Superlight from 2010. The bike looks pretty well looked after, but I'm definitely on the fence about buying it.
He's asking for 500€, but I'm pretty sure I can get it for around 350€.
I've checked around online, and it's tough to find "good" full-suspension bikes in that price range.
What would you guys do if you were me? I'm going to check out the bike in person this week. Is there anything super important I should be looking for?
I'd normally check the same things I do on motorcycles, but the biggest question mark here is the suspension.
He mentioned the rear suspension needs air because the bike hasn't been ridden in years.
I'm really stumped right now.
Any general advice or super specific tips about this bike or other bikes I should consider would be really awesome.
Just so you know: I'm from Northwest Italy.
Thank you!
by olivataggiasca
6 Comments
Old skool cool. Just needs a few hours of fettle by the sounds of it
I had a Heckler which uses similar suspension design. I rode it for a long time, but once I got a newer bike about 6 years ago, I realized how far suspension design had come. It’s a fine bike for it’s time, but even in 2010 that suspension design was outdated and it was a bit of a budget bike in the SC line. I will say, I had updated mine with new XT brakes, and a new XT 1 x 11 drivetrain. I sold it for less than what the parts were worth. It’ll get you around but don’t look for it to be great. And for God’s sake don’t ride a new full suspension bike if you do buy it, you’ll realize what you are missing. 🙂
Nice bike. Keep an eye on all the linkage points, find out what bearings or bushings they take and get a second set. That way you can strip the bike every so often and pull the old ones and put new ones in , you can then clean the old bearings at your leisure and reuse them if they aren’t damaged. Other than that just get out there and enjoy yourself
The Superlight is a XC bike. If you’re planning on doing parks or really gnarly riding on it…don’t. Don’t get me wrong, as lightweight XC bikes go, it’s a banger. I rode them in the 2000’s.
My main worries would be replacement parts. It’s a 16 year old bike. Does Santa Cruz still make pivot bearings for those bikes? Can you still get a service kit for the fork and shock? Parts availability for older bicycles aren’t the same as in the motorcycle world.
While the bike looks super clean, I’d avoid it. Just too many unknowns.
Suspension will be difficult to service. Either save up for a newer full sus or get a much newer hard tail
Bottle protects against cases is a brilliant idea.