Is this a good deal? 2nd-hand Bullit question :-)

£600 for this complete build, seems like a bloody good deal, or am I missing something? Obviously need to check it all out in the flesh, (plus confirm proof of ownership etc), but thought I'd see if the STW massive agrees with my initial impression of bargain-a-licious-ness:

07 santa cruz,bullit
marzocchi 66r bomber world cup forks in white
5th element rear shock
saint running gear
saint hub
xt cassette
deore shifter
mavic rims
easton bars
hussefelt stem
charge spoon saddle
superstar front hub
maxxis rear tyre
dmr digger front tyre

sounds like a scam

It does sound a bit 'too good to be true', I guess I'll wait and see… trying to arrange a time to meet up with the seller to check it out, hopefully it is legit and a proper bargain 🙂

You might get hit over the head and be £600 lighter and a week in hospital, or worse, Liverpool

nah you wouldnt try and scam someone by saying its got a superstar hub, arent they the work of the devil?

5th element rear shock

5th element don't exist anymore and parts are like rocking horse poo, so if it's knackered it's new shock time…

Nothing that posh there, its 2 years old aswell if the forks are that age aswell then its about right I'd say jus remember its a DH bike so if its been ridden alot….

how to check if the shock is struggling?

also, with the frame being a simple single pivot, I just need to check for play in this right?

What are the main differences between the newer Bullit (from '07 right?) and the older style? If it's running a 5th Element, wouldn't it be an older frame most likely?

cheers chaps 🙂

less travel, better handling (allegedly)

5th shocks can be serviced by TF, most get re-valved with shims meaning they'r fairly bombproof, if your sensible and own an adjustable spanner you can usualy service (and fiddle with the shims) yourself.

cheers tinas, any visual differences that will help me differentiate between the two frames (pre '07 vs post '07)?

Older frames (made up to 05, then it took a 2 year hiatus I think before being re-introduced in 07?) have a few visual and physical differences.

Here's a few I can think of…

Non replacable dropouts (you knacker the mech hanger, you have to replace the swingarm)
28.6mm Seatpost not 30.9 as per the newer one
1 1/8 headtube not 1.5
Much less gusseting round the headtube than the new one
No ISCG chainguide mounts
MUCH smaller main pivot that doesn't bulge the downtube (unlike the newer bike)
Most older Bullits came with a 5th Element shock, even older a Fox Vanilla RC. New ones tend to come with either a DHX Coil or DHX Air.

That's all I can think of for the moment, hope that helps…

FWIW, I actually prefer the look of the older Bullit. I had one for a while, it was a great do it all bike. Used to ride DH tracks on it, then take it on an XC ride too. The new one just looks too industrial IMO.

MaverickBoy, right upto a point but i think the 02+ versions actually had a 30.0mm seatpost. I had an 01 and it deffinatley changed from 28.6mm to something else in 02+.

psychle- my guess is its not an 07 unless he has changed the shock as 5th ellement were specced on 02-05 bikes. Without pics we cant tell you, but you can easilly tell apart the '07 and '05, differences between pre'02 and '02 on are harder to spot.

Just had a pic through from the seller ('tis pretty ordinary quality, blurry camera phone I guess!)

Is that a mahoosive dent in the rear chainstay?? 😯

Thats the left hand side crank arm, not the chainstay. Might be an idea to take someone with you to have a look at this bike…..

Ok, thats a '02.5 model, could be as new as an '05 but id think it might be more like 03/04 as they stopped speccing 5th Element shocks near the end of production (i know they did some with somthing else, possibly DHX's?)

Thats not a dent either, its there to allow the cranks to clearthe swingarm as its made from quite fat tubes.

Interesting lack of brake cable routing…

I would say thats an 04/05, nout wrong with it and around £500 seems on the money if it is legit, tbh you can pick cheap ones up from ebay around that money as it is a tad older now. I saw one on ebay the other day, same age and similar spec only went for £375………

whoops… didn't mean chainstay (got me terminology mixed up 😳 ) Either way, it's not a dent then, it's meant to be there?

Might be an idea to take someone with you to have a look at this bike…..

You think it's bait to set someone up for a mugging? Or just to get a second opinion / set of eyes to check it over?

cheers chaps 🙂

Also, hone cranks? No front brake and an OLD Hayes Mag rear?

Id say £600 is prob about right, seems in good condition and in one of the nicer paint jobs (think there was an upcharge on the Trans-Red colour at the time)

Forks aren't 66r (thats 05 and they were black and gold)

They look like RC2X (06) which are very good- but i'd confirm that.

"whoops… didn't mean chainstay (got me terminology mixed up ) Either way, it's not a dent then, it's meant to be there?

Might be an idea to take someone with you to have a look at this bike…..

You think it's bait to set someone up for a mugging? Or just to get a second opinion / set of eyes to check it over?

cheers chaps"

No, you were right- OP means swingarm/chainstay, where there is clearly an indentation. salad_dodger seems to be confused

Interesting lack of brake cable routing…

The 02+ versions actually have quite good cable routing compared to the 01's. That is just a generally badly set-up bike on the whole.

Thats an 02-05 one (AFAIK) the realy old ones are missing the gusset at the head tube, this was added because the original was for 5"-6" forks but people used it as a DH bike (the super 8, SC DH bike at the time, weighed a ton) and DH forks ripped it clean off.

Yes that dent is meant to be there.

Brakes aren't mentioned in the spec and theres no front one shown.

Budget for new tires at least

5th Shocks arent the most reliable, best to assume it will need a service/replacement. It can be a DIY job if you can find a shim supplier to replace the SPV cak they fit, google, theres a place in the states that can advise and supply them. But IIRC if you don't get it apart perfectly it requires specialist tools to finish the job (somethign to do with the way the damper screws into the body, its meant to be tight, but not quite as tight as they do it!

I had a slightly earlier one with vbrake bosses and disc mounts) it was great fun. Not a DH bike and realistically to heavy to use as an alternative to a modern "all mountain" type bike but wicked fun. Heavy enough to give you confidence and superb for dicking about down hills.

Loads around with Boxxers up front, mine had 66s and was pretty much spot on if a little short for me, regret selling it big time.

thanks for all the thoughts and advice chaps, appreciated 🙂 I think I'll give it a miss in the end… I don't really need it (I have a nice '07 Carbon Enduro that is my 'all-mountain'/'light DH' type ride), just thought this might be a proper bargain for around £600, TBH in the end it'd most likely end up getting split and sold as components (what'd the frame be worth on it's own, £300 odd I guess?)

thanks again, STW rocks 8)

Psychle

Yeah, at 600 quid it's quite possibly worth buying to split for parts. Decent 66's always sell fairly easily, Bullits are easy to shift bikes too…

Does look a nice colour that, and it's making me miss my old 04 one a bit… ANd yeah, that is an 03, 04, 05 bike, with the head tube gusset and the 5th element shock.

MaverickBoy, right upto a point but i think the 02+ versions actually had a 30.0mm seatpost. I had an 01 and it deffinatley changed from 28.6mm to something else in 02+.

Nope. My 04 Bullit, and my mate's 03, both needed a 28.6mm seatpost!

I had a slightly earlier one with vbrake bosses and disc mounts) it was great fun. Not a DH bike and realistically to heavy to use as an alternative to a modern "all mountain" type bike but wicked fun. Heavy enough to give you confidence and superb for dicking about down hills.

Loads around with Boxxers up front, mine had 66s and was pretty much spot on if a little short for me, regret selling it big time.

Not too heavy to use as an all mountain bike I'd say. I've ridden a couple that came in at under 30lb all in… Ok, you'd have to run lightweight single crown forks (like a Revelation, but Bullits are fine with anywhere from 125mm-180mm travel forks), fairly light wheels etc. But it's perfectly do-able. Frame is just over 9lb including 5th shock and steel spring, so not massive.

I had a set of 02 Boxxers on mine, and it was perfect IMO. The only thing that annoyed me was the lack of steering lock. A good set of 66's is probably a more modern ideal match as you get the performance and the steering lock.

Anyway, if you did buy it and split it… I'll take the Charge Spoon saddle! 😉

Nope. My 04 Bullit, and my mate's 03, both needed a 28.6mm seatpost!

Odd, my mates 03 was deffo bigger post than my 01. Thats santacruz for you tho LOL!