What have I got here ... Santa Cruz Clone?

[netgio]

Hey all, I picked this up as the only bidder on eBay as a bit of a punt. The shock, if original dates it to around 2000. The paint seems to be a half-hearted rattle can job - there is no other obvious overspray so not much of a clue.

It was listed as a Superlight, but it's not - but it was cheap enough that I don't mind. Seller used to run a bike shop and said he took this as a PX at some point in the distant past. The layout IS very similar to my 2002 Superlight, but there are some key differences:
1) the welding is not as good - not horrible, but it shows up how good the SC welders were.
2) the CNC on the swing arm is "holey," more like an early Bullit than a Superlight but the pivot mount is place similar to the Superlight
3) the top shock mount is one piece CNC'd rather than two plates on my Superlight
4) the swing arm bridge is welded in place rather than bolder in like a Superlight (or early Heckler)
5) it has a removable derailleur hanger (missing)
6) the head tube is machined
7) the frame number format is quite different to my Superlight
8 ) the downtime is formed (squashed to be wider at the bottom bracket
9) the headset gussets are a different shape
10) the cable stops look cast with a rounded profile.

Does anyone remember a Superlight-a-like from around 2000?

And if anyone recognises the shape of the missing hanger, let me know - a hour surfing the best match I could find is https://derailleurhanger.com/product/derailleur-hanger-98/

 

[Fatguyonabike]

Could that be an old Weyless frame?

 

[netgio]

Bingo!!

WEYLESS full suspension mt bike frame | #172605943

purchased this WEYLESS full suspension frame w ROCK SHOX dual chamber shock n 2002 for $450. it is a taiwanese knock off of the SANTA CRUZ SUPERLITE frame. n perhaps a little lighter as well. the size

www.worthpoint.com

Thanks mate...I'd never heard of them until now. Time to do some digging.

 

[Fatguyonabike]

A company called "SuperGo" used to sell them back in the day. I know SugerGo shut down their online store a while back (not sure if they have a brick and mortar in California), but I have no idea what happened to Weyless bikes. I used to love the day when the SuperGo paper catalog would arrive.

 

[ishaw]

Love how in the world of knock off naming, superlight becomes weyless (weigh less).

 

[Imlach]

Love how in the world of knock off naming, superlight becomes weyless (weigh less).

In all honesty that's solid branding compared to the usual counterfeit naming game. I'd say its borderline genius

 

[ishaw]

I'm agreeing, not your usual terrible name.

 

[Imlach]

I'm agreeing, not your usual terrible name.

That said, there is a certain charm to a component or frameset with the branding equivalent of drooling twice into a dictionary and going with whatever the driplets struck

 

[wesmamyke]

Santa Cruz resisted the replaceable hanger for a long time. I had a 2002-ish bullit and it did not have a replaceable hanger. Later I think they did an entirely bolt on dropout of some sort.

Santa Cruz was at that point made by Kinesis USA if I recall. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing was a non-US Kinesis frame.

I always thought the Weyless thing was cheesy, but it was actually an older brand name they bought. They made road stuff in the same vein as HI-E back when.