First Ride: Santa Cruz Heckler SL eMTB
Hot on the wheels of their new electric gravel bike (no, that's not a joke – check out the Skitch here) Santa Cruz have added a lightweight eMTB to their lineup. The Heckler SL is powered by Fazua's Ride 60 motor and a 430 Wh battery, a relatively light system that keeps the bike's weight in the low 40-pound range.
The frame has a much slimmer look than the full-powered Heckler, and from a distance it doesn't immediately stand out as an eMTB. All models roll on mixed wheels, with a 160mm fork and 150mm of rear travel. Santa Cruz bills it as being "great for quick escapes, and squeezing the most out of a ride."
The frame has a much slimmer look than the full-powered Heckler, and from a distance it doesn't immediately stand out as an eMTB. All models roll on mixed wheels, with a 160mm fork and 150mm of rear travel. Santa Cruz bills it as being "great for quick escapes, and squeezing the most out of a ride."
Heckler SL Details
• Carbon frame
• Wheel size: Mixed
• 150mm travel, 160mm fork
• Fazua Ride 60 motor / 60 Nm torque, 430 Wh battery
• 64.0° or 64.3° head angle
• 444mm chainstay length (size L)
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Claimed weight: 41.2 lb / 18.7 kg
• MSRP: $7,200 - $12,299 USD
• santacruzbicycles.com
• Carbon frame
• Wheel size: Mixed
• 150mm travel, 160mm fork
• Fazua Ride 60 motor / 60 Nm torque, 430 Wh battery
• 64.0° or 64.3° head angle
• 444mm chainstay length (size L)
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Claimed weight: 41.2 lb / 18.7 kg
• MSRP: $7,200 - $12,299 USD
• santacruzbicycles.com
Frame Details
Like most of Santa Cruz's carbon bikes, the Heckler SL is available with a C or CC level frame. The stiffness and strength of both frames are said to be the same, but the more expensive CC frames are lighter due to the use of a different grade of carbon. The Fazua Ride 60's display is integrated into the toptube, where it displays the ride mode and the battery level via a series of LED dots. Fazua's ring-style controller sits on the left side of the handlebar, and it's connected to the motor by a wire that runs through a port in the side of the head tube.
The charging port for the 430 Wh battery is located partway up the downtube, hidden under a small plastic flap. The battery itself isn't easily removable – the lack of a downtube hatch helps increase the frame stiffness and saves the weight of a latching mechanism.
There's plenty of room for a full size water bottle inside the front triangle (or possibly a range extending battery if rumors of Fazua offering one sometime next year ever come true). Other details include very well executed chainslap protection, downtube protection, and a teeny tiny fender to protect the shock.
A small window in the shock tunnel helps with checking sag.
Generous chainslap protection.
Geometry
The Heckler is available in five sizes, from S to XXL, with reach numbers ranging from 432 – 523mm. The head angle measures 64- or 64.3-degrees depending on the position of the flip chip at the rear of the shock. The chainstays are 444mm on sizes M-L, and then bump up to 447mm on the XL and 451 on the XXL in order to help preserve the bike's balance. The seat angle hovers around 77-degrees depending on the size, steepening slightly for the larger sizes.
Prices range from $7,299 to $12,999 USD. The $9,699 GX AXS that I spend time on comes with a RockShox Lyrik Select+ fork, Super Deluxe Select+ shock, Code Bronze brakes, and Reserve 30 alloy wheels. Mine had an AXS wireless dropper post, but the actual retail version will have a cable-actuated OneUp post.
All the models in the lineup have a Maxxis DHF / DHR II tire combo, with an EXO casing front and EXO+ casing rear. I get that the goal is to keep the weight down, but I would have liked to see a DoubleDown rear tire at the very least – we're still talking about a 40+ pound bike here, and a tougher casing tire would help provide more support and reduce the likelihood of flats.
Eliot Jackson making the Heckler SL look good.
Ride Impressions
Climbing on the Heckler SL is a calm and quiet affair, especially in the lower two motor modes. The noise increases slightly with the highest level of assistance, but it's still pretty subdued. The maximum level of assistance is similar to the middle 'Trail' mode of a full-powered eMTB, which gives it a less frantic feeling on singletrack, and means there's less chance of inadvertently pedaling yourself off the trail. It also means that if you ride with a buddy on a full-power eMTB they'll be able to absolutely smoke you up the hill if they're so inclined - the power difference between the two emerging eMTB styles is significant.
On the descents, the Heckler SL delivers a very impressive level of grip, especially when it comes to maintaining traction on slippery, off camber sections of trail. It sticks to the ground incredibly well when necessary, but it's also a good jumper. It's noticeably easier to bunnyhop or pop off natural lips compared to a heavier, full-powered eMTB, and its composed nature in the air is reminiscent of how a DH bike feels. Compared to the Specialized Levo SL, the Heckler SL has a plusher, more stable feel; it manages to feel more downhill oriented than the Levo SL (in a good way), despite both bikes having the same amount of travel.
The Ride 60 display indicates the motor mode and the battery level.
The ring controller that's used to switch between modes can be finicky at times.
As far as the function of the Ride 60 system goes, the main gripe I have has to do with the ring controller. On paper it seems like a clever way to switch modes without taking up too much handlebar space, but in the real world it feels plasticy and cheap, and there were several occasions when it required more than one push to get it to switch modes. In addition, walk mode is accessed by pushing sideways on the remote, a position that's not as easy to maintain when you're also trying to get a bike up a ridiculously steep slope. I'd much rather have a two button remote, something closer to what Shimano, Specialized, or Bosch use on their systems.
The Ride 60 has three ride modes called Breeze, River, and Rocket, indicated by green, blue, or pink LEDs on the top tube. Most of my ride time was spend in the River and Rocket modes, since Breeze essentially feels like riding a regular bike, and if that was the experience I was looking for I wouldn't be riding a bike with a motor. There's also a 'Boost' function that provides additional power for up to 12 seconds, which can be accessed by holding the remote up for 2 seconds.
Santa Cruz claim that the Heckler's 430 Wh battery gives you the same range as a full-power bike with a 630 Wh battery, but I'd say that's not entirely accurate. Sure, that might be possible in the lowest power mode, but in the River and Rocket modes the range is less than a full-power option. The range will depend on rider weight and terrain, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 vertical feet of climbing, a distance of 20+ miles, and a ride time of around two hours ended up being a typical route for me, with just enough battery left to prevent the bike from turning into a heavy 'regular' bike. Again, there are a lot of factors at play here, and it's possible to stretch the range much further by using the Breeze mode.
Who's It For?
Choosing between a mid-power eMTB and a full-power option really comes down to what sort of ride experience you're looking for. The handling of a bike like the Heckler SL feels much closer to a non-motorized mountain bike, and it could be the ticket for riders looking to squeeze more miles during a lunch or after-work ride. The smaller battery and lack of a range extender means that massive epics aren't really feasible, at least not without sticking the bike in the lowest power mode for the bulk of a ride, but for some riders that's not going to be an issue.
As much as I enjoyed the overall ride characteristics of the Heckler SL, especially while descending, I still prefer the increased speed and range of a full-power eMTB, weight penalty be damned. The Heckler SL is like an ice cream cone with one scoop – it's great while it lasts, but once it's gone some riders might be left wanting more. For riders that are into sundaes over single scoops, those who want to binge on all the trails, a full-power eMTB is going to be the way to go. Still, the Heckler SL would be a pretty sweet hot lap machine for riders who aren't sold on the bigger, heavier options but also want a motorized boost.
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What are you, a poor?
There's a fairly hard limit on what a skateboard costs. For bikes the sky is the limit and suckers eat it up. That's their choice. It's just a case of second-hand embarrassment for the rest of us watching.
And once again they are paying for the bike to do the work so they don't have to...
Is anyone who is not sponsored by the company really going to risk sending it and scratching this thing?
It's quite a dynamic they are selling... like gold plated Crocs for the trail
Are JNCO jeans coming back?
I found these too, and I just love the pics, this person looks so miserable!
www.ssense.com/en-ca/women/product/vetements/blue-graphic-jeans/13506441?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmICoBhDxARIsABXkXlIRMBZqWiIFYgSXvXMZc4yLucrz6g0j-uqFSFOaox_Csl5qq0Qm8kgaAmieEALw_wcB
My Irish father used to call people pheasants, brought me right back to my teenage years
I'm riding a 2020 Commencal Meta Power 29 and it absolutely rips. Modern geometry too
If we are comparing to 10 years ago, sure. But honestly ebikes havent come very far in the last 4-5.
I’m nothing special and don’t race etc, but the E is really awesome for preparing for bike park season or the odd race i enter.
It’s also amazing for 6-7 lap dh epics with my good buddy on the weekend.
I used to be a bit embarrassed of the E too…but when i noticed anyone who would give me a weird look or make a comment was complete trash compared to me on a bike, it mostly just makes me laugh at them.
Never ran into someone faster than me who talks shit. It’s always the gapers.
I think there's still an inbuilt sense of shame about not using your own power to get to the top while other people still are.
E-bikes ar rad!
Does an e-rider who weighs less than me tear up the trails any more than I do on my analog? If Daco is climbing whilst the park is operating, he's probably just climbing service roads so not tearing up any singletrack.
For sure it's another rider blasting down the trails though, and the park should charge every rider if they have an issue with "poaching".
Your concern for resort owners is very virtuous tho.
The funny thing is I get the same comments about my e-bike as I did about my Santa Cruz super 8. That’s cheating, you’re ruining our sport, ect ect.
Fact is bikes are fun! Whatever gets you out is a win!
And gretafapper: lol apologize for?? You’re a bit sensitive.
I like my chonky boy looks, but it was 100% to start normalizing the look of the e-bikes, and this one you can barely see the motor behind the cranks. They’re getting sneaky sneaky.
I wasn’t denigrating e-bikes, that’s your own insecurities, or professing that 145bpm was in the pursuit of some meaningless Strava KOM. I was literally recalling a personal incident.
So move along with your insufferable compensating comment.
@EricHarger: Would you prefer "acoustic bike"?
Where did I complain about the look of my bike? It looks great. Maybe it’s your reading comprehension that results in your comments being so insufferable.
Personally though a non removable battery is a killer for me, unless you have a heated room to keep your bike and charge it you will risk damaging the battery in the winter
I am running mine 160/160, Fox36, Ohlins Coil and DD tires. 41lbs. fantastic eDuro setup!
Not the Maiden, not the V10, not the TR11 maybe the XXL TUES but it has pressfit BB
I'll see myself out
Welcome to the not so distant future…
@owl-X
Honda has their works edition, kawasaki has their special race edition, KTM has their mid season redbull factory edition, Husqvarna has the Rockstar... Gas Gas etc, the list goes on. These motorcycles come equipped with a few upgrades primarily for performance. Your brembo setup is likely not the billet master and caliper works setup, all CNC parts are likely not forged, and your suspension (which is the major aftermarket cost) is not an A-kit.
When I mean Factory, I legitimately mean top of the line. Even the top production motorcycles don't come equipped with top of the line.
The range for suspension setups based on riding style and ability is much broader for a motorcycle than a mountainbike, as they are generally producing a few models that hit a broad spectrum. MTB is much more specific. You won't find a FOX 40 on every mountain bike, that would be insane, yet you would find WP uses pretty much the same variation with some changes in valving across the board. The same goes for KYB and Showa. Bikes all come in one size, this also streamlines production and cuts manufacturing costs. I'm sorry, but while the two industries share alot of simmilarities, they are inherently much different. Everybody is on the outside looking in, thinking "two wheels and a motor=same". Not even close. As a matter of fact, why don't we start comparing them to the automotive industry, price point isn't far off that either.
At the end of the day, this industry is full of businesses that are looking to make a profit.
I can tell you first hand, building a top spec motorcycle is hands down way more expensive than building a top spec mountainbike. Like I said, not the same.
Santa Cruz Barn-Ey
This genre of lightweight e bikes should actually be called wEak bikes. It feels like companies are making them simply to pacify the e bike haters and the complete lack of climbing speed defeats the whole purpose of an e bike when it comes to doing fast downhill loops.
At least this one's a motorcycle anyway!
For my needs, that is more than enough.
Owning a full fat ebike, I simplly dont get lightweight e-bikes. Part of the fun is the old school DH vibe of how the bike rides downhill and powering up the climbs for another run. IMO the EMTB mode on the bosch combined with the almost instant engagement is far superior for linking bits of trail together than other motors.
There you are, Im out the closet. If you know, you know.
As a FF Kenevo owner I can say without a doubt I'd rather have a Kenevo SL. To me my Kenevo is too much of a tank and it just plows through everything. I want a lighter more playful bike and I think most ppl that like the SL eBikes are ppl that honestly would rather ride a normal bike 65% of the time, but ride an SL eBike to allow them to ride a bit more. To me, I'd rather ride a few less downhills, but have more fun on the actual downhills than ride more downhills, but have less fun on them. Quality over quantity I guess is the point I'm trying to make.
Climbs that were pushing/walking speed on my meat bike are 4-5mph on my Trek Fuel, and were 8-9mph on my previous Norco Sight VLT. Correspondingly the effort went from 100% to 50% and 5%. These lightweights are sweet, you still get a workout but they descend & ride tech like a meat bike. My Norco felt like a snowmobile in comparison.
Really interesting, frame and suspension design seems not affected by battery and new engines, there are no more limits.
And this with old concept batteries, i'd like to see 5y from now 1500wh lbatteries weight half the actual
Technology is running so fast. I'm in.
With my ebike i can push myself over 160bpm with cardio... pedaling tracks where a standard bike stops, on the alps this is like have no limits and riding without cablecabs.
It's a different sport? Who cares?
here in Alberta with that.
My one complaint is I like to work on my bikes flipped upside down and the bike will rest right on the controller.
Now, you've read 1 positive review.
Also, I even like the 5 led light thing even though it's super basic. With a percent gauge I check it constantly but with the leds only going in 20% increments, I end up only noticing it 1x/ hour or so. I wish they had a small button that shut off the lights to the 5 led panel so I could go totally stealth.
Oh yea, it's still illegal to not let visitors opt-out of cookies even though you've made the banner smaller.Theres still no immediate way to opt-out without having to go into out settings. Which means when we do "Accept" it temporarily just to get the damned modal off our screens, you immediately scrape all of our cookie data without our consent.
All batteries on ebikes are removable with enough faff and tools. Doesn't mean you'll ever do it. It's like saying the batteries in your phone is removable. In practice, you can take it out and replace it, but it's not designed for the end user to do it on a daily basis.
The whole thing weighs 21 KG (46 lbs) With 250 W/h extender, optional, just in case.
Frankly, I don't see how I'm supposed to wear it
A decent mechanic, pretty certain that's not you, can drop the motor (pull cranks, chainring, then 4 bolts) then slide the battery out from the bottom.
Did you really think that they laided up and cooked a CF frame around a battery pack and it's cables? Cheese and rice man!
Is buying a used e bike worth it or not?
Specialized Turbo Levo Gen 2 Battery Pack = $1,299.99
Shimano Steps DU-E8000 = $1,010.49
You don't hold the turbo down, it's for quick boosts!
clip.cafe/galaxy-quest-1999/you-dont-hold-the-turbo-down/t/1
500g extra frame weight for the holder and anything additional needed for the battery seems excessive. Hopefully over time the designs will become more refined.
I would want an EEB that I could ride as a normal bike also without the battery and that I could travel with abroad.
I only by 2nd hand as I am not gentle on bikes, so will be waiting a good many years just now. Maybe have an EEB next year and thrash the life out of it for the short time until an EP8 motor dies.
In those places, driving to riding destinations is feasible, preferable, and/or the only way to access them
(e.g. Denver to Moab)
This is part of why "van life" culture is very strong in the US (a natural extension of our legendary car culture.)
It seems kinda silly to have a $150k built out sprinter,
but you can definitely properly utilize and enjoy it (even if most owners don't)
It seems like mainland Europe has a pretty developed camper van culture for the same reason?
So, this might be a miss with people who need to fly to where riding is, but I don't think that's
their target audience, so they'll gladly concede those sales to other brands, if they can pull competitors' market share from the aforementioned markets with a superior riding experience, at the expense of battery removal.
Interesting concept if that is what they have gone for.
The other point where EEB's are developing is motors that can be pedalled off, makes sense for both efficiency with the motor on as transmission losses are reduced. Having borrowed an EEB at the weekend and risked the last climb on red, pedalling a Vitus with an EP8 off up a steep fire road for a couple of miles was not fun (the descent was worth it though to get an additional lap in), when the battery died the guy on the Trek said this was one reason he bought his EEB, less power and travel but only 5W of efficiency loss for pedalling back up the hill.
EEB's are nearly there as a complete alternative to an Analogue, some standardization, efficiency tweaking, dynamic control still to go.
Trying to achieve this could result in some pretty cool new designs, though there certainly will be some duds!
The closest we have for now is the likes of the Trek fuel exe (works fine with a 160mm air fork, so would work with a 170mm coil then).
It uses the TQ-HPR50 www.tq-ebike.com/en
www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/mountain-bikes/electric-mountain-bikes/fuel-exe/fuel-exe-9-5/p/36361
Nice review
flowmountainbike.com/tests/trek-fuel-exe-review-long-term
If I had to have 1 bike right now, this might be the one... although I have 8 Amish bikes in reality because everyone needs a... BMX, Jump Bike, 4x bike, Road Bike, Cx Bike, XC bike, Enduro bike and DHBike! Zero EEB's, just borrow one.
TQ motor is a great example of what I'm talking about, re: technology evolving over time.
I think the BB junction will be the epicenter of innovation, e.g. a BB junction that is completely replaceable/swappable between a TQ style motor and standard 73mm BSA BB threaded junction.
During and before COVID, brands probably would have preferred to release two different bikes, and capitalize on dealers/users needing to buy both to get both. But after the nuclear winter brands are about to have, they might be inclined to actually operate in ways that translate to efficiency at the retail level, i.e. make products which appeal to multiple markets.
There is going to be a few different outcomes as there are with normal mountain bikes.
1. The mass market brawler, 85+NM and 50+lb.
2. The versatile bike, maybe a light motor at the BB is a given due to manufacturing constraints and cost scaling
3. The boutique rider who buys an under engineered and under tested bike that is different, tells the world its be best thing ever but is forever going to be last down the hill (slight exaggeration but folk did buy geometrons, I owned an Orange once too...bad... so bad... terrible ).
Where the issue arises is.
The Amish rider cant keep up on the climbs with 1,2 or 3 so an Amish riding with an oil tanker is always going to compromise the lap count of the tanker driver.
The lower powered EEB guy is gonna have to rinse his battery to keep up with the oil tanker and will have compromised the descending capability of the bike by riding slower or with lighter tyres, shock etc and have less travel.
The boutique guy just wants to take Instagram photos and not thrash his oil tanker, its more a cruise liner than oil tanker and he just wants to show how pretty it is and tell everyone that its amazing, when we all know its not, but humour him, he probably drives a range rover, owns a sports car, goes to 5 start hotels for his holidays, plays golf.
As ideal as the 140mm travel sub 20kg EEB is, when your at the top you will always want that 170mm oil tanker with Dh tyres on and go full hammer. Vitus hit the home run with the Sommet, its an affordable oil tanker that can descend like a rocket. Will be interesting to see what their budget oil tanker is like, its got more climbing power! They just need to sort out the motor drag so when your over 15mph or in the wrong mode out of a corner going down, you can dont feel like your trying to pedal though a bog up hill to get any pedal input speed.
This comes back to my original point.
1. Oil tanker, basically a DH bike with an engine.
2. The middle man between a trail bike and Amish, the bike for the 1 bike rider, so that battery has to be removable to make it a normal bike, especially for when the battery is flat and you want to keep riding.
3. Nobody cares, they are on the golf course boasting about their new driver.... haha (thats a joke pinkbikers, dont take it too seriously)
I take my Keno SL to the bike park quite regularly and run it without the motor and even pedal it turned off up some road climbs (fitness/ intervals etc) but having the option to drop a bunch of weight and have a almost regular enduro bike would be awesome.
Friends of mine have 38s/zebs on their non E trail bikes ffs
Your constant bitterness in the comments makes me think you’re overdue for a long ride away from the computer. I hope it happens soon.
-xc
-downcountry
-trail
-all mountain
-enduro
-super enduro
-park
-freeride
-downhill
-light moped
-full power moped
#sarcasm