Originally Posted by cyccommute

Jeeze! Lighten up! The “SL” designation has been used for decades on all kinds of different frames. The Trek 1000 aluminum bike from the 1980s had an “SL” designation because it was “super light” compared to what had gone before. I have a Dean El Diente SL that was lighter than Dean’s regular El Diente frame. Bicycle manufacturers have even been using the SL designation on other parts like derailers, tires, handlebars, saddles, etc. No one has a claim on the designation because it has been used for so long. BikePedia only goes back to 1993 but it lists several different makes and models of bicycles with the SL designation. I suspect that it didn’t really appear until the “super” craze of the 1930s