Competitive Cyclist

SANTA CRUZ JULIANA SUPERLIGHT COMPLETE BIKE

We hope people know that the Santa Cruz Juliana Superlight was named for one Juli(ana) Furtado, the first women’s MTB world champ, a woman who won on the road and off, and kicked butt in downhill, too. She won like no one since. At least a little of her is in this bike; she worked with Santa Cruz on this design.

The Juliana is a great bike to honor this pioneer. It’s highly-refined cross-country geometry and single-pivot design blows Furtado's world championship-winning Yeti out of the water. Back in the day, high-end cross country bikes weighed more than this full-suspension rig, and that was with a rigid fork and a hard tail. Yet for all its improvements and refinement, it's priced not as a cutting-edge machine, but as an everyday bike.

Women are just like men in certain respects; when they are hell-bent on performance they examine every component carefully. One of the reasons straight out of the box race bikes don't really fly with the high-end crowd is the "tinker" sensibility of serious riders. It's because when we had to buy bikes complete or not at all, we removed the parts that didn't work well or couldn't handle the abuse or were boat anchors. After all that swapping, you were a few hundred bucks poorer and were left wondering why couldn’t a bike company put together a bike we'd ride right off the showroom floor?

Santa Cruz is that rare company. They offer three cross-country builds. Each is a great performer, great bargain and light for its class. If there are differences between the sexes, the smaller size of the typical woman makes bike weight a proportionally bigger deal. Santa Cruz makes all their bikes light without sacrificing durability. The Juliana is no exception.

The SPX XC build features a full Shimano XT drivetrain and Avid Elixir CR brakes with 160mm rotors. Here, the wheels get downgraded slightly from the two top of the line kits to DT Swiss XR 4.2d rims laced with alloy nipples and DT Swiss Competition 14/15 double-butted spokes to DT Swiss 340 hubs. Sealed, long-running, hassle-free, and great pawl engagement. The fork is the Fox 32 F120 RLC, which is not only a great fork, but easy to fine-tune.

The R XC build tips the scales around 27.22lbs according to Santa Cruz. The fork is the lightweight and air sprung Fox 32 F100 R which sheds nearly 3/4 of a pound alone. The shifters and crankset have been upgraded to Shimano SLX. The brakes get a nice step up to the Avid Juicy 5 with 160mm rotors. Wheels are possibly the biggest upgrade -- now built at Santa Cruz, with Mavic XM 117 rims laced with DT 14g Champion spokes and brass nipples, to Shimano XT hubs. These are lighter hoops, which make for better climbing and accelerations.

The D XC build uses high performance components, but was chosen with an eye on keeping costs down. The fork is the air sprung Rock Shox Tora 318. The drivetrain is a careful Shimano mix -- an XT rear derailleur, SLX front, Deore shifters and crankset. Like us, Santa Cruz thinks that the rear derailleur is important enough to put the best you can afford, and the front derailleur doesn’t offer enough performance differences to justify a fancy one. The brakes are the Avid Juicy 3 with 160mm rotors. The wheels are the rock-solid Mavic Crossride Disc, with renowned well-sealed and smooth running bearings from Mavic that can go for years before they need servicing.

If you'd prefer to customize your Juliana Superlight, please click here.

The Santa Cruz Juliana Superlight Complete Bike is available in your choice of Black, Lime, Sea Bright Blue, Red, White, or Yellow powder coats with a Fox Float R shock. It uses a 30.9 seat post and a 34.9 dual pull front derailleur. The right dropout has a replaceable derailleur hanger. The maximum-width tire that fits in the rear is 2.35". There are braze-ons for an under the down tube water bottle cage permitting you to fuel up for an epic adventure. The frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the bearings are guaranteed for life.

Please note -- complete bike specifications are subject to change without notice.

US Santa Cruz dealers are prohibited from shipping Santa Cruz bicycles outside of the United States.

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2010 Santa Cruz Juliana Superlight Complete Bike Pricing

	D XC	R XC	SPX XC
Juliana Superlight Complete Bike	1699	3499	2199