2023 Santa Cruz Heckler
Wheel Size:
- Size Small: 27.5’’
- Sizes Medium – XXL: 29’’ and MX 29’’ / 27.5’’ versions available
Travel: 150 mm rear / 160 mm front
Material: Carbon fiber; C and CC versions available
Price:
- Complete bikes: $8,199 – $13,299
Intro
The Heckler name has a long legacy with Santa Cruz, dating all the way back to 1996. The first seven generations of the Heckler were single-pivot Trail bikes, up until the name took a hiatus in 2017. The Hecker re-emerged in 2020 as a VPP-equipped e-bike, and today that new incarnation of the Heckler gets a big update.
The Frame
The Heckler is Santa Cruz’s shorter-travel e-bike, slotting in below the 170mm-travel Bullit as the more versatile, all-rounder option. As with the outgoing model, the new 2023 Heckler comes in two versions with different wheel sizes, but they’re now MX (29’’ front, 27.5’’ rear) and full 29’’ (apart from the size Small, which is 27.5’’ only), while the outgoing model had options for full 27.5’’ and MX configurations. And now both versions get 150 mm of rear-wheel travel, paired with a 160 mm fork — the same as the outgoing 27.5’’ bike, but up from 140 / 140 mm on the old MX version.
The Shimano EP8 motor carries over from the last generation Heckler (and it’s now featured on all build levels — the R build got an EP7 motor on the old bike), but it’s now paired with a 720Wh battery, up from 504Wh. That battery is removable with a single fastener for quick swaps if you’re so inclined.
Most of the other features of the Heckler frame will be familiar to anyone who’s kept up with Santa Cruz’s recent offerings. As per usual, there are two different versions of the carbon frame on offer — Carbon C and Carbon CC — with the latter being a higher-end layup which Santa Cruz says trims a little weight with no loss in strength or stiffness. And there’s now a flip-chip at the rear shock mount that toggles between two different geometry settings, which we’ll describe in more detail below. Cable routing is fully internal, the derailleur hanger is a SRAM UDH, and there’s room for a full-size water bottle inside the front triangle on all sizes.
Despite the flip-chip, the Heckler frames are wheel size-specific; there’s no option to convert back and forth between the two. The low setting on the flip-chip does increase the amount of progression in the leverage curve very slightly, from about 25% to 29%. Both frame versions have stated clearance for a 2.6’’ wide tire, and come with post mount tabs for a 200 mm brake rotor.
Fit & Geometry
As we’ve come to expect for updates of existing models, the new Heckler is a bit longer, lower, and slacker than the outgoing model, but the differences aren’t totally night-and-day on paper. Apart from chainstay length, the Heckler’s geometry is the same for all three wheel size configurations. The headtube angle now sits at 64.5°, and the effective seat tube angle is about 76.5° (varies slightly by size; low geometry setting for both). Reach ranges from 427 mm on the size Small through 517 mm on the XXL, with 20 mm jumps between the three middle sizes, and 25 mm steps at the ends of the bell curve. The high geometry setting steepens the headtube by 0.3°, the seat tube by about the same, raises the bottom bracket by 4 mm, and adds 3 mm to the reach. You can see the full geometry charts here:
That’s all pretty typical stuff for a modern Trail e-bike. Compared to conventional bikes, the chainstay lengths are notably long (especially on the 29’’ model), but that’s standard fare for pedal-assisted bikes, to help keep the front wheel planted when climbing.
Santa Cruz’s decision to tweak wheel sizes by frame size is also an increasingly common one, and as we’ve said before, it makes a lot of sense — even for bikes that offer multiple options for wheel sizes. Smaller riders often have more trouble with tire-to-butt clearance, especially with 29’’ rear wheels, and the taller front end that results from a 29’’ front wheel (and the longer fork needed to clear it) can make it harder for shorter folks to adequately weight the front wheel, too. Making the Small Heckler full 27.5’’ is a sensible way to mitigate those issues.
The Builds
Santa Cruz offers five different builds on the new Heckler, which are shared for both the MX and 29’’ versions. Only the X01 AXS RSV build gets the top-spec Carbon CC frame, while the other four all feature the slightly heavier Carbon C option.
For reference, the complete build options are as follows:
- Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM G2 RE, 200 mm Centerline Rotors
- Fork: RockShox Lyrik Select
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select
- Wheels: SRAM MTH Hubs / WTB i30 TCS Rims
- Dropper Post: SDG Tellis (S: 125 mm; M: 150 mm; L–XXL 170 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code R, 200 mm Centerline Rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Wheels: DT Swiss 370 Hubs / RaceFace ARC30 Rims
- Dropper Post: SDG Tellis (S: 125 mm; M: 150 mm; L–XXL 170 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4-piston, 203 mm Rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Wheels: DT Swiss 350 Hubs / RaceFace ARC30 Rims
- Dropper Post: Fox Transfer Performance Elite (S: 125 mm; M: 150 mm; L: 175 mm; XL–XXL 200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX AXS Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code R, 200 mm Centerline Rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Wheels: Industry Nine 1/1 Hubs / RaceFace ARC30 Rims
- Dropper Post: Fox Transfer Performance Elite (S: 125 mm; M: 150 mm; L: 175 mm; XL–XXL 200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 AXS Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC, 200 mm HS2 Rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Wheels: Industry Nine 1/1 Hubs / Reserve 30 Front / DH Rear Rims
- Dropper Post: Fox Transfer Factory (S: 125 mm; M: 150 mm; L: 175 mm; XL–XXL 200 mm)
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Just how different do the Hecker MX and 29 feel on the trail, and who should be opting for which wheel size?
(2) And how much does the Heckler — especially in MX guise — feel like an electrified Bronson (review coming soon) as opposed to something different entirely?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Santa Cruz has given the Heckler a major update, with more suspension travel, bigger wheels, and modernized geometry. Danny MacAskill sure seems to be excited about the new bike, and we’re curious to see how it stacks up, too.
I forgot to register my carbon rims wheel. Can you still consider. The warranty of my wheelset.
Can the Reserve 30 HD be used as a rear rim or only front?