By The Takeaway: From suspension to geometry, to assist system, the new Heckler is a masterpiece of an e-trail bike.
- Larger 720Wh battery
- Shimano EP8 motor.
- 29/27.5” or 29/29” wheels for most sizes, with dedicated chainstay lengths.
- Smallest size rolls on two 27.5-inch wheels
- Lower-grade C carbon frame was added to the offerings and used on all but the highest-end build.
Price: $13,300 (Heckler MX CC AXS RSV)
Weight: 48.3lb. (Medium, MX CC AXS RSV)
Pros
- Long range battery
- MX (29" front, 27.5" rear) wheels
- Updated geometry
Cons
Update: On May 5, 2022, Santa Cruz and the CPSC announced a recall of this Heckler e-bike model to address an issue with the 720 Wh battery's latch mechanism. This issue can lead to the battery falling out of the frame and potentially leading the rider to crash. To remedy this problem Santa Cruz is replacing the battery latch spring mechanism and installing a battery wear plate for affected bikes at no cost to owners.
In addition to the risk of the battery dislodging from the frame, riding recalled bikes with the defective latch spring mechanism poses a fire hazard. Lithium-ion battery fires (like those used for e-bikes) have recently raised concerns with fire department officials in New York City.
Owners can have the new latch spring and wear plate attached through Santa Cruz dealers where they purchased the bike. Head to Santa Cruz's website for more detailed information on this recall.
Would you believe there’s another new e-bike? While the pandemic has slowed things down somewhat, the flood of e-bikes hitting the market is still going strong. Today’s new e-bike is the Santa Cruz Heckler. Wait, didn’t Santa Cruz launch a new Heckler, like, somewhat recently? Yes, in February 2020, in fact. But as e-bikes are part bicycle and part connected device—and a somewhat new category in general—the development schedule is quicker, pandemics be damned. So, meet the new V2 Santa Cruz e-Heckler.
Santa Cruz’s New E-Heckler V2 versus Heckler V1
While the motor and overall positioning of the new Heckler are the same as the V1 e-Heckler, there are several updates.
The biggest (literally) is the new 720Wh battery, which offers a significant ride time bump from the V1’s 504Wh battery. For comparison, the Specialized Levo has a 700Wh battery, Trek’s Rail has a 750Wh battery, Yeti’s 160E has a 630Wh battery, and Pivot’s Shuttle runs a 726Wh battery, so the Heckler is in there with its competition. (Norco’s VLT e-bikes with the optional 900Wh battery remain the range champion.) The Heckler’s battery drops out with the twist of a hex wrench, so you can purchase additional batteries and swap them out for extended playtime. I predict a hefty price for spare batteries though: Between $750 to $1000.
Larger too are the wheels. V1 was either 27.5” front and rear, or a mixed bike (29” front, 27.5” rear). A note to shorter riders, the size small rolls on matched 27.5” wheels. The mixed option remains, but now alongside a 29/29 option. A 29” rear wheel rolls faster but the rear ends are size-specific, with the 29er rear end carrying an additional 15mm of chainstay length (460mm vs 445mm). The MX option with the shorter rear end and slightly lighter rear wheel should provide a snappier feeling, but slower rolling, bike.
Another larger thing is the travel. The V2 has 150mm rear travel, 10mm more than before, although 160mm forks still hang off the front. Harder to see is the addition of a cartridge-bearing rear eyelet to the shock (replacing the standard DU bushing) which might slightly improve suspension reactivity.
Santa Cruz Heckler—Geometry Updates
The most significant geometry change is the addition of a flip-chip to the V2 Heckler. But as you’ll see, the chip makes small changes to the geometry, while also influencing the suspension.
Comparing the V2 Heckler MX in low mode to the V1 Heckler MX, the reach measurement grows by a good chunk (a medium is now 452mm; a medium V1 was 436mm), the seat angle is steeper (76.6mm vs 75mm), and the wheelbase stretches about two centimeters (size medium: 1227mm vs 1208mm), the bottom bracket drops about six millimeters, and the head angle gets just 0.1 degrees slacker (now 64.5 degrees). The MX’s rear center remains the same at 445mm. With matched 29-inch wheels the chainstays (and wheelbase) grow by 15mm, but all other numbers remain the same.
Flip to high mode and the angles get about 0.25 degrees steeper, the BB goes up four millimeters, and there are some small (like a millimeter or two) changes in reach, stack, top tube length, and wheelbase.
Santa Cruz Heckler—Flip Chip Suspension Changes
While the flip chip doesn’t massively alter the geometry, it also adjusts the leverage ratio: It’s more progressive in the low position. However, when I tried to get the progression percentages for low and high mode Santa Cruz refused to answer, “That’s in the ‘things we don't share’ file. Sorry.” The best I have is an only-somewhat-helpful image taken from Santa Cruz’s launch deck (see below).
I’d wager it’s around 10 percent more progressive in low mode than it is in high mode. A 10-percent progression change, like the geometry change, isn't huge but combine the two and there is a just noticeable difference in the overall character of the Heckler. In the low position, the Heckler is a bit more suited to downhill laps while in the high position it's better for all-around trail riding. For what it is worth, I tried both and preferred the high position because it offers just a bit more ground clearance: A benefit on an e-bike when you're trying to keep the cranks turning as much as possible. However, the more progressive position makes the V2 Heckler play better with coil-over shocks if that’s your preference.
Santa Cruz Heckler—Two Levels of Carbon Frame
While the V1 e-Heckler came only in Santa Cruz’s most-premium CC-grade carbon, V2 gets a C-grade carbon frame as well. According to Santa Cruz brand manager Garen Backer, the difference is the cost and weight of the frame, “They're built in the same factory, by the same people, in the same molds, and they're tested to the same standards in strength and stiffness. Same hardware, same warranty. [The C frame is] just a little [329 grams] heavier.”
V1 Heckler CC’s opening price point was $7,699. If you’re expecting the V2 Heckler in a lower grade C frame to come in lower, you’re about to be disappointed. V2 Hecklers with the C frame start at $8,199 (“R” build with either 29” or MX wheels). You can pin some of that on everything bike-related going up in price recently, but remember the V2 also gets that significantly larger 720Wh battery (up from 504Wh).
There are five total Heckler builds. All use Shimano’s excellent EP8 motor and the 720Wh battery, and all come with Maxxis Assegai (front) and Minion DHRII (rear) tires with medium-duty EXO+ casing. Four of the builds use the C frame and are priced at $8,199 (SRAM NX Eagle, RockShox Lyrik Select), $9,699 (SRAM GX Eagle, Fox 36 Performance), $10,399 (Shimano XT, Fox 36 Performance Elite), and $10,999 (SRAM GX AXS, Fox 36 Performance Elite). The final build comes in at $13,299 and gets the lighter CC frame as well as Reserve DH30 carbon rims, SRAM X01 AXS wireless shifting, RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, with a Fox Factory 36 fork and Transfer dropper.
All frames fit a water bottle in the front triangle, up to a 2.6” tire (with either the 27.5 or 29 rear ends), use Boost 148 rear spacing, a SRAM UDH, IS headsets, and run 200mm rotors front and rear (no adapter needed for the rear which means you can’t run anything smaller than a 200mm on the rear).
Santa Cruz Heckler—How it Rides
With snow on my trails, I packed up the car with my MX-wheeled review bike and headed to one of the best places to ride an e-trail-bike, Moab. With rough surfaces, steep climbs, and challenging tech everywhere, it’s a great place to put a new bike to the test.
My first rides were on Slickrock, a ride I haven’t done in over a decade. From the parking lot, the ride (without the practice loop) is about nine and a half miles, with a bit more than 900 feet of climbing. Starting with a fully charged battery, I dialed up Trail mode and did one loop (counterclockwise on the main loop) arriving back at the trailhead with 70 percent battery remaining (you can access more detailed battery information if you pair a Garmin Edge to a Shimano EP8-equipped bike). Seeing all that battery, I turned around and busted out another loop (still using Trail mode), this time riding the loop counterclockwise. Back at the trailhead, my Garmin read 38 percent battery remaining; easily enough for one more loop. Now, battery life can vary wildly based on many factors, but based on my Slickrock loops, the Heckler’s 720Wh battery is, in Trail mode, potentially good for an impressive 30-ish miles with 3000 feet of climbing (my riding weight was about 195 lbs. due, in part, to a loaded hydration pack). Your mileage may vary.
Moab’s riding has a lot of abrupt changes in speed and direction, as well as sudden changes in traction (from the amazing grip of slickrock to various kinds of sand and kitty-litter over hardpack)—The only thing consistent about the trails are their inconsistency. The Heckler handled all this gracefully; a word I don’t think I’ve ever used in a mountain bike review. But it’s the word that rose to the top as I banged my way around Moab’s trails. In the face of chaos the terrain can wreak, the Heckler was predictable; surefooted when it was rowdy and my vision blurred from the sustained impacts; quick enough to respond in kind when the trail suddenly made an awkward turn; precise enough that I could confidently line up and nail fins and ridges barely wider than a Maxxis tire.
The Fox 36 GRIP2 on the front was, as ever, fantastic. Once I dialed in my preferred settings (I usually need more damping on all four circuits and one more volume spacer compared to my unpowered bike setup), the fork’s action is beautiful. There is plenty of support for hard braking and driving through corners with excellent small bump sensitivity, big hit control, and little harshness anywhere. Sometime, somehow, Fox will try to make this fork better, but it won’t be easy. I was initially concerned that the Fox 36 on the front wouldn’t be enough fork for the Heckler—the Turbo Levo and Yeti 160E both run the stouter 38—but it turned out not to be an issue. It smashed through Moab’s Slickrock and chunder without deflecting and offered good fore/aft support when hauling on the big front rotor with all the traction Slickrock offers (a lot).
The rear end, controlled by a RockShox damper, was very good as well. Much like the Heckler, it is a model of almost understated consistency. When all attributes perform at such a high level as they do here—with no low points nor zeniths to grab your attention—you can take for granted how well this rear suspension works. And it wasn’t hard to get it to work well. Hit 30% sag on the shock—easy, thanks to the sag gradients etched on the shock shaft—add a few clicks of low-speed compression, set the rebound to the slower end of the spectrum and you’re there. Sensitivity, traction, control, and an even progression from start to finish. Just brilliant all around.
As e-trail bikes evolve, they get better. And as they get better, the performance gap between competing bikes narrows. Is the Heckler a better bike than the Turbo Levo? Is the Levo a better bike than the Heckler? What about the Trek Rail; the Yeti 160E? Will Evil’s e-bike reshuffle the order? These are tough questions to answer. I’m paid to answer them and I struggle. What I do know is that when you’re comparing the best e-bikes, you have to dig into some murky territory to declare “the best” because they’re all, on the trail, really good.
I think Specialized has the best, by a small margin, motor, interface, and connected app. But I also think the suspension performance and handling of the Santa Cruz are slightly preferable for all-around trail riding. The Yeti’s more of a purebred race bike that, I find, less preferable when I’m not riding at 10/10ths. The Rail is super good on the trail, but some of the features are frustrating. They’re all good, but I think the Heckler is the one to own at this moment.
The Heckler is the first e-mountain bike I’ve been on that came somewhat close to the bike reviewer’s “it disappeared underneath me” trope. It is a tricky bike for me to write about because I got so comfortable on it so quickly I had to force myself to pay attention to what it was doing. This bike just works.
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
