# Santa cruz juliana - should i get one?



## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

Ok I've been obsessively looking at santa cruz juliana. Overall it sounds like a great bike setup however i am not 100% sure it's the best fit for me. I am 5'2 and do have a shorter inseam. Since there are no places where i can test out the bike, should i go ahead and order one? I like just about everything else with the bike...... Are there other juliana owners out there and what was your experience buying or riding? Also, any experiences with any reputable bike shops out there that'll sell julianas? - thanks!


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## aliensporebomb (Feb 2, 2004)

I think the best bet for you is to find a dealer where you can try one out. 

You say there are no places to try one out which must mean your nearest dealer
is a considerable distance away.

But what I recommend is finding a bike you want to reach for and ride all of the 
time because I've had people try to talk me into this or that but the one that 
makes you smile or laugh out loud riding is the one to get. 

But most important is fit - if you get the wrong size you're sunk so you definetely
want to be able to try one out - you sure there's not a dealer within half a days
drive?

Good luck!


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## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

No, what i meant was all the dealers i've called in my area are unwilling to order one without having me put down a 20% down payment. I am very uncomfortable doing that because the 20% is not refundable. I have found good shops around me that are willing to size me and order it for me but i am not sure if they are just selling me on the bike or not being that i have never tried one out myself.


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## Scubee (Apr 11, 2004)

Not sure if this will help you or not but here goes.....2 options:

Option 1 - Take a vacation. Near a metro area/mountain bike destination where there are dealers with bikes in stock. That's how I ended up on a Juliana. I wasn't looking for one but I was looking at every full suspension bike in a small size I could throw a leg over. Happened to be in the Austin, TX area where there are many, many bike shops carrying large selections. One shop there had Julianas in their rental fleet - Bicycle Sport Shop I think. Great place! I would have bought mine there but they didn't have a new one built up and we were leaving the next day. Came home and ordered one without hesitation.

Option 2 - Post a question on the regional forums. See if anyone in your region (or close enough for you to drive to) has a Juliana you can try out. I know if someone posted up that they wanted to test ride one in my area, I would meet them and take them out on my local trail for a test ride. When I was in N.C. last year I noticed a Juliana hanging in the back of a bike shop and it was tricked out with THE nicest components. I inquired about it and was told that one of their local riders had left it at the shop so that someone who was interested in one could demo it. Sounded like a cool arrangement to me!

So, do some legwork, post some inquiries (like this one), send some emails and see if you can lay your hands on one. If you happen to visit Central Illinois (or within a couple hours drive) and want to test a medium, let me know 

Good Luck!


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## CycleMainiac (Jan 12, 2004)

Scubee said:


> Not sure if this will help you or not but here goes.....2 options:
> 
> Option 1 - Take a vacation. Near a metro area/mountain bike destination where there are dealers with bikes in stock. That's how I ended up on a Juliana. I wasn't looking for one but I was looking at every full suspension bike in a small size I could throw a leg over. Happened to be in the Austin, TX area where there are many, many bike shops carrying large selections. One shop there had Julianas in their rental fleet - Bicycle Sport Shop I think. Great place! I would have bought mine there but they didn't have a new one built up and we were leaving the next day. Came home and ordered one without hesitation.
> 
> ...


DING! DING! DING!

I think these are great ideas!

I've loaned my bike out several times to help others make a decision. Sometimes it's a friend and I just let them take it. Sometimes it's an almost complete stranger and I arrange to show up to ride with them and bring two of my bikes.

I met a lady from San Francisco this way and she was sooo thrilled she offered me a weekend at her home sometime in the future.

Scubee, I wish I had known you were in Austin, I would have let you try my Titus RacerX too. Which I would recomend over a Julieanna any day.

The Julieanna is better priced for a lot of people but I've known a lot of people who have broken them, including several women. All were replaced, but it was still weeks with no bike. Maybe Santa Cruz worked out their issues, it was several yeas ago. Nearly everyone of the former Santa Cruz riders are now on a Titus or HammerHead. Also the RacerX used to come in more sizes including SM, XSM (my size) and XXSM. The other deciding factor for me was the bottombracket height. I think at was a 1/2 inch or more. That may not seem like much, but here in Central Texas there are way too many rocks to go over and 1/2 inch was important for NOT hitting your pedals or big ring or having to ratchet pedal.

So, I too highly recommend trying everything you can and that a proper fit is of ultimate importance.

It could just be me, but if a shop is unwilling to get you a bike your size to try, they are a shop also unworthy of your $$$$. You might try bluffing them against each other by telling them the other shop is willing.

Good Luck!!!


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## Scubee (Apr 11, 2004)

CycleMainiac said:


> Scubee, I wish I had known you were in Austin, I would have let you try my Titus RacerX too.


Well, it was 5 years ago so you probably didn't have the Titus then.....

I've been fortunate in that I've had no trouble with the Juliana. I've put 6000 miles on it since I bought it in April of 2002. I ride a lot but I'm pretty easy on my gear. In general both tires stay on the ground for me  Most of the time if they're in the air it was an accident - literally! Although the last couple of years I've been riding with a bunch of freeriding/downhillers that think they can teach me how to jump 

For me, this bike handles the kind of riding I do - technical XC.


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## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

Thanks for all the good advice! i am definitely going to try and figure out a way to get one on hand and try it out. I've been so obsessed with this bike and looking more at it only makes me want to buy it without trying. i think i am going to try and get a local dealer to maybe talk him/her into sending one to a local shop for me to try. Chances of me buying it is pretty high but i can't guarantee. 

I do mostly technical XC as well and will probably need a small frame. I've also heard of people having issues with their crank length. That's apparently important to know when ordering. Anyone else had any other issues? 

Thanks again!


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

I am 5'2" with a short inseam. When I decided to get a FS bike I wanted a Juliana as well. I was fortunate enough to know someone who had one, so at least I got to roll around on one. I went to my LBS, plunked down my money and ordered it, sometime around July. They told me 6 weeks or something. 6 weeks later, I call, told it was in paint or something, and that they batch them, so I'd have to wait a couple more weeks. Well to make a long story short, over 3 months later I am still waiting, and at one point I was told that it actually wasn't in paint yet, yadda yadda. 

In the meantime I was reading more and more about racer x, and wishing I could get one of those one day. One day my boyfriend calls and says he has found a really great deal on an XS racer x frame from a bike shop owner in oregon who often sells his overflow stock at a great discount. I called up my LBS, and cancelled my order for the juliana. They were actually understanding about it and refunded my $. My racer x frame arrived from portland a week later. I built it up under the guidance of my bf, and absolutely loved it.

I know that doesn't help you decide which bike you want, but whether it was the ineptitude of the LBS or santa cruz, that is how I ended up with a racer x, and in the long run, I am very happy about it.


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## BShow (Jun 15, 2006)

I thought that I had replied to this thread. I guess I didnt. Anyway, there are a few shops in Philly that carry Santa Cruz. Maybe you can find what you need at one of them so that you can try it out. There are some nice trails in the area as well, so maybe you can make it a day trip if you find a bike that you need to try out. 

Coming from a retail background, I can kind of understand where the shops are coming from with the down payment. Maybe if you make it clear to them that you are going to buy a bike from them, they will me more likely to order one in for you. See if they would be willing to transfer your deposit to another bike, or frame if the first one doesnt feel right. While I understand the shops being reluctant to order a $3000 bike for a random customer, they also have to realize that there is no way that you can or should buy a bike without trying it out first. Its bad enough that most of the time you cant ride trails on a test ride, but expecting you to buy without riding at all, thats just plain rediculous.


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## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

BShow - do you happen to know what shops out there in Philly? 

I can't believe how hard it is to get a juliana in the east coast. I mean i have heard of how the east coast gets nothing when it comes to quality bikes from the west coast but i didn't think it was really this bad. I just called the santa cruz office and apparently the guy who can help me out with east coast sales reps is out of the office and won't be back till tomorrow. So i guess i'll have to wait for one more day to get info. The first thing i am going to ask him is if i were to purchase one, how long, realistically speaking, is going to take for me to get it. I guess i just like the bike too much to give up at this point......


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## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

I found a medium juliana in one of those places upstate and i am trying to decide if i should go 2 hours + 20 minutes out of my way to go try it or not. Will it be a good fit? Am i wasting my time in the end? I really just want to go and see the bike and get a general feel on how it is - worst comes, i'll come back to the jersey area and order a small one from a LBS. Any of you girls out there want to let me know whether me, a 5'2 with short inseam will fit or not? 

Thanks!


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## rr (Dec 28, 2003)

vtalum2001 said:


> I found a medium juliana in one of those places upstate and i am trying to decide if i should go 2 hours + 20 minutes out of my way to go try it or not. Will it be a good fit? Am i wasting my time in the end? I really just want to go and see the bike and get a general feel on how it is - worst comes, i'll come back to the jersey area and order a small one from a LBS. Any of you girls out there want to let me know whether me, a 5'2 with short inseam will fit or not?
> 
> Thanks!


We just bought a small for my wife, she's 5'1" and has a shorter torso and it fits her perfect. The medium they had in the shop seemed to have the same standover but it had a noticably longer top tube so it sounds like the medium would work for you, I think a small *might* have too short of a TT for you. She loves the ride of the bike and is doing more trail riding now, it pedals very nice with the RP23 shock which has a lever to turn the propedal on/off depending on the ride.

We did wait 3 months and were told 4 weeks originally, if you have to order one.


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## vtalum2001 (Aug 29, 2006)

rroeder - Do you happen to know the crank length and the stem on the small frame?


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## Evel Knievel (Mar 28, 2004)

I would recomend the Julianna (Furtado model) to anyone. A rock soild durale , reliable bike with great handling . A few minor drawbacks that the Horst-link Titus does not have.

If you are climbing root strewn trails in grannygear often , and $$$$ were no problem , I would lean toward the Titus .


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## rr (Dec 28, 2003)

vtalum2001 said:


> rroeder - Do you happen to know the crank length and the stem on the small frame?


She's running a 90mm stem and standard 175 cranks, she was running 170 on her old bike but she hasn't noticed any difference.


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## PAMATRAIL (May 14, 2005)

My girlfriend just order a med juliana....first we checked the sizing chart at sc site, and she had an overlaping between the M and the S, more M really...then yesterday we went to our lbs (he never had a juliana stock before) but he has a 2 years old customer juliana in M. My GF tried that bike and was perfect, at that moment the original owner was getting to the shop, so my gf decided to pay for a dxc kit orange with rp23, now she is training alot in her hardtail, waiting to be in fit once the new bike arrives (1 month my lbs said).

bottom line, in my case c sizing chart is right, but to pay a new bike means a lot of $$$$, soif you want to be completly sure try it.

good luck.:thumbsup:


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## rufusk (Sep 11, 2004)

I'm just short of 5'2" and bought a Juliana. My inseam is 29". I ended up buying a medium rather than a small sized frame and was very glad I did. I too bought mine online without trying it out. Specs on the Santa Cruz Website will help you with size. I have a friend that is 5' and she has a small frame. Hers was definitely too small for me.

Bottom line, you're gonna love the Juliana! I sold mine for an Intense Spyder XVP (my Juliana was 3 yrs old and it was time to buy a new one). I miss my Juliana!!


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

My decision for the Blur was so much more impulsive, mainly b/c I heard nothing but praise about it, and I was about to go to Colorado. I had the rigid for over a decade and the HT for a couple of years, so figured it was a no-brainer. Besides, I hadn't ridden many bikes, and wasn't so sure I'd be able to notice much of a difference among the higher-end ones even if I did.

I tried the Racer-X in a parking lot just days after getting the Blur, and immediately began lusting after it......but it was merely cold feet  I knew my bike would be more than fine.

That was a couple of years ago. Now I've got serious upgradeitis since I'm riding more technical stuff and the new LT is made for that......and I demo'ed a Scalpel recently that made me feel faster......but the grass is always greener, and whether I'm on the Blur or the Trek or the Specialized, I'm still giddy by the end of the ride.


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## Ms Mustard (Jul 28, 2006)

Rufusk - thanks for posting your height and inseem measurements, I too was leaning toward the M Juliana, so I appreciate your comments.

On Saturday I took a train ride out to the suburbs to see a Santa Cruz dealer and like most lbs, none around Philly are willing to order one in without being obliged to buy it. But they did have a 2006 complete M Superlight still in box that they built up for me in 1.5 hours while we went to have lunch, to try out.

Well I am 164cm (a little over 5'4") with 30.5" inseam (measured at lbs) so was worried about stand-over. I had an inch clearance, but thought perhaps the S Superlight would give me more - well it doesn't. It does, however, have an inch less in top tube length. The M Juliana also has 1 inch shorter TT length, but with 1.5 inch less standover.

So with Senor Ernesto leaving the tap on outside, all I could do was ride the bike inside the store!!! The reach felt good, and the guys held the bike as I tried to go back over the saddle, simulate a climb, check angle of arm, position of knee etc. But I couldn't take it outside for a strap. Now I have to get back out there sometime this week after work (its raining again today and tomorrow) or even the weekend for the car park test. I am wishing time away so I can hurry up and ride it!!!

We discussed putting a longer stem on a M Juliana (if I ordered without trying), which would mean 110 or 120mm (the M Superlight had 100mm), but the sales guy told me this may make stearing trickier downhill. *Has anyone had experience with this?*
On a M superlight, I could always change the stem to 90mm I suppose

All else I can say is I have ridden on 14" WSD and 15.5" frames - I couln't tell you the TT length, but I felt like I was sitting too upright. Bottom line, I know I have to get out there and throw a leg on it before committing to buying it. But so far it felt good.


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## rufusk (Sep 11, 2004)

I had a 100mm stem on my M Juliana with no problem. It fit very well (I wasn't too stretched out). It is true, that the longer in length you go with the stem, the less you have that control. If you're having to go to a 110 or 120, I'm thinking the M Juliana isn't right for you...perhaps the L Juliana? The key with the Juliana versus the Superlight is the standover (less room between you and the bike for the Superlight).


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## cmh (Jan 30, 2004)

*Juliana is a GREAT bike!*

My wife has a Juliana she's been riding and racing for a couple years now, and she absolutely loves it. Five minutes into her first ride she said it was a "night and day" difference over the other bike she had... a full suspension Jamis.

She's 5'3", with a 28.5" floor-to-crotch inseam, and rides a small Juliana, which comes out with very similar numbers as the XS Blur XC. (We've been trying to get a demo on the Blur lately but no luck.) Grace runs a 105mm stem on her bike and has never had fit issues. BTW, we're in PA, as well, don't think you mentioned where you are.

Her sister, about an inch taller, has a medium Juliana but she doesn't ride as much and never races.

We just had her rear shock upgraded by Push and she's really thrilled with the difference. The ProPedal upgrade over the Fox RL shock was very, very nice. If you're getting a new Juliana, odds are you'd be looking at the Fox RP3 or RP23 shock so you'd be getting that.

Got no experience with the Racer-X or the Blur (not for lack of trying) but hard to go wrong with the wickedly simple design of the Juliana Superlight frame. Only one pivot with sealed bearings. Grace did a nasty, muddy 12 hour race in the beginning of the year and raced all last year and she's still on her original shock bushings and pivot bearings. Hard to imagine a bike with a complex linkage claiming the same. The simpler suspension design also keeps the frame light. A Superlight is about a half pound lighter than a comparable Blur XC, I think.

Finding one was a bit tough, and we did have to get it sight unseen, but she's never regretted it. This bike has been so solid, I can't think of any reason _not_ to get one. I wound up getting a Superlight (as did many of our friends) after seeing how much she loved hers!

Hope this helps!

This is me chasing after her in Arizona: (notice her huge smile!)

<IMG SRC=https://db94.net/albums/JimsSonoranPics/IMG_2321.jpg>


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## Ms Mustard (Jul 28, 2006)

Well, Mr E Mustard and I took off work early last Friday to catch a local train to Guys Bicycles (am I allowed to name drop in here?) outside of Philadelphia. With the sun shining brightly I was able to take the SC Medium Superlight for a strap around the carpark and up around the surrounding streets (with strict instructions to "stay out of the mud" - what mud???). 

OH MY GOODNESS! Does it sound stupid to say I didn't feel like I was riding? Compared to what I have ridden, I could equate the superlight to relaxing on the lounge. And there was plenty of stand-over room, despite me looking like a [email protected] with my 30.5" inseam. So, considering this is a 2006 RXC complete, and the company has updated its price (significantly) with the 2007 stock, I have decided to spend that little bit extra for the better components rather than get the 2007 DXC complete Large Juliana.

Now I gotta wait to for the financing to come through (it's harder being an Aussie in the US), or lay-by and wait until Septembers paycheck


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## cmh (Jan 30, 2004)

Ms Mustard said:


> Well, Mr E Mustard and I took off work early last Friday to catch a local train to Guys Bicycles (am I allowed to name drop in here?) outside of Philadelphia. With the sun shining brightly I was able to take the SC Medium Superlight for a strap around the carpark and up around the surrounding streets (with strict instructions to "stay out of the mud" - what mud???).


Guy's is a great shop, we go there often!



> OH MY GOODNESS! Does it sound stupid to say I didn't feel like I was riding? Compared to what I have ridden, I could equate the superlight to relaxing on the lounge. And there was plenty of stand-over room, despite me looking like a [email protected] with my 30.5" inseam. So, considering this is a 2006 RXC complete, and the company has updated its price (significantly) with the 2007 stock, I have decided to spend that little bit extra for the better components rather than get the 2007 DXC complete Large Juliana.


Cool! I think you'll be really happy with it. Does it have the Fox RP3 rear shock? I think for that year and parts package it should.


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## rufusk (Sep 11, 2004)

Awesome! Congrats on the new bike. I know you'll enjoy it!


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