Santa Cruz might have an extensive range of new-fangled linkagetastic VPP bikes, but it's remaining committed to the rugged simplicity of the good old single pivot too. The venerable Superlight design, far from being pensioned off, has had a substantial makeover for 2007.

Actually, "makeover" isn't quite right. Although the front half of the new Superlight looks like the old, this is actually an all-new bike. The most visible difference is the swingarm, though. Gone is the old angular item and in comes a new, slightly curvy unit that takes design cues from the Blur and Nomad. Rather than a pair of uprights between pivot and shock mount, there's a swoopy Y-shaped forging with a yoke at the bottom of it for the pivot. Square-section stays curve in to meet it and there's a minimalist shock mount at the top.

The new 'arm has a number of benefits over the old. That it's stiffer and lighter almost goes without saying - it's rare that a new frame comes out that doesn't promise to be stiffer and lighter than its predecessor - but you also get a replaceable dropout at the back end. There's also no longer a bolt-on brace across the seatstays, so tyre clearance on top is considerably improved.

And how does it ride? Reassuringly, just like a Superlight, only without the gentle flexing that some riders never really bothered about but some found offputting. It's easy to forget how good a single pivot bike can be, but you only have to get on a Superlight to be reminded. It's light (the frame and shock come in at a whisker over 5lb), agile and bursting with get-up-and-go. Yes, the pedals kick back under certain circumstances, but the long-for-the-travel RP23 shock keeps things impressively controlled. And there's very little to go wrong. We like.