Say hello to the Santa Cruz Heckler SL - an 18.5kg full-suspension e-MTB
Lightweight with plenty of power, could the Heckler SL be the best new e-MTB in its class?
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Dubbed as 'the lightest, most powerful, longest range e-MTB in its class,' the new Santa Cruz Heckler SL will appeal to a lot of riders but, with a starting price of £6,700, it may be just out of reach for those looking at obtaining their first electric mountain bike.
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Let's start with the details you'll undoubtedly want to know: It doesn't look all that much like an electric bike. This isn't exactly a new thing as brands have been doing their best to make electric mountain bikes not look so electric for a while now. It's also fairly light as a result with the Carbon C GX AXS model weighing in at 18.7kg.
It has 160mm travel up front and 150mm in the rear. The Heckler SL has a 430Wh battery, and the Fazua Ride 60 motor with 60Nm of torque. It also has mullet (or MX/Mixed) wheels and comes in sizes S-XXL in C or CC Carbon and either gloss magenta or matt silver.
The bike offers three modes of assistance; Breeze, River and Rocket. The LEDs on the top tube indicate your battery charge, and which mode you're in (the colours change to reflect the mode, Breeze is shown in green above). This is all controlled via a ring control on the handlebar and can be adjusted on the Fazua App. It also comes equipped with a USB-C port for the times you may want to give a bit of juice to your phone or another device.
With an integrated battery, Santa Cruz says the range on the Heckler SL is the same as 'a full-power eMTB with a 630Wh battery.' A full charge should take just 3.5 hours.
The Heckler features modern geometry numbers we've come to expect, with a 64-degree head tube angle (in the Lo setting, it's 64.3 in Hi) and 478mm reach (in L). On the Heckler SL, the seat tube angles and rear-centre numbers change depending on the Hi and Lo settings and the size of the bike. For example, the medium in a Hi setting has a 443mm rear-centre and a 77.1-degree seat tube angle, and the XL has a 446mm rear-centre and a 77.8-degree head tube angle.
Now for the pricing. There are five models to choose from: R, S, GX AXS, XO AXS and the XX AXS RSV. The first three models are C Carbon frames, and the last two are available in CC Carbon. As to be expected, there are different levels of spec for each. The base model retails at £6,700, while the top of the range will set you back £12,000.
As always, the frames and pivot bearings come with a lifetime warranty from Santa Cruz. And, for every Heckler SL sold, Santa Cruz has pledged to donate $20 to trails and $20 to an e-bike battery recycling program.
