Santa Cruz Superlight a Top Mountain Bike Value

If you're a mountain bike enthusiast, you've probably heard the same question from non-cyclists over and over again: What's the best mountain bike?

Like just about any consumer good, there's no one answer that fits all - just like there's no one best guitar, car, hockey stick or backpack.

But there's a way to focus this question and make it relevant: What bicycle out there represents a solid pinnacle of quality, value and performance? As a rider based in the Southwest, I spend a lot of time bouncing off some rocky terrain, so I lean toward full-suspension bikes as a way to get all-around performance.

With that in mind, my answer is the Santa Cruz Superlight R XC.

At $1,899, it's hardly inexpensive. But its easy to find far more extravagantly priced bikes out there. And they will offer only incremental performance over the relatively working-class Superlight R XC. The Superlight is also made in a women's-specific model called the Juliana. Everything in this review applies well to the Juliana, also.

The frame is made overseas, and is a highly refined version of a single-pivot suspension design that Santa Cruz has offered for nearly 20 years. It comes with the very capable and precise-steering Fox 32 Alps suspension fork and a very decent mix of Shimano XT and SLX-level components. That Fox fork, by the way, is worth the extra $300 over the base Superlight model, the D XC.

The R XC is also equipped with hydraulic disc brakes and a Float R rear shock providing four inches of rear wheel travel. It's not a pure race bike, but it deftly maneuvers in tight turns. It's also not a full-out, big-hit downhill bikes, yet it provides enough control to sail over many obstacles you'll find on mountain bike trails.

Of course, the real test of a mountain bike has little to do with what components are hanging off it - it's on the trail. And this is where a Santa Cruz Superlight is not going to disappoint. It's a stable, confident bike that will transmit those qualities to the rider. It's all about excellent performance that won't break the bank.

I can't say for certain that it's the one bike to rule them all - the personal preference, aesthetic taste and body type of each rider is always a factor. But this is a mountain bike that no serious shopper dead-set on great value should overlook.

NOTE: The author has owned two Santa Cruz bikes (1997 Heckler, 2002 Superlight) previously, and is still kicking himself for picking a different bike in 2004 rather than making it three in a row for Santa Cruz.