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2022 Santa Cruz Heckler e-mtb video review - 150mm travel trail bike with Shimano EP8

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francois

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
What is the new Heckler?
The new Heckler is a 150mm travel VPP suspension tuned for ebike use. Mated with a 160mm travel fork, it is ideal for the kind of riding adventures many aggressive trail riders want to tackle.


Enabling these rides are two versions, an MX mullet 27/29 and a 29er version, each with its rear triangle to keep geometry consistent. The MX excels in tight, steep, high-flying terrain, while the 29er maximizes traction for loose terrain and rolling speed for big adventures.

And not lost in all these developments is the use of a 720wh battery, 90 wh more than the 630wh Bullit, and 216wh more than the outgoing Santa Cruz Heckler with 504wh. The Shimano smooth EP8 is still the motor used with its 85nm of torque. It still has the 'knock' while coasting, but it's noticeably quieter than the previous versions.

Image



The following are the significant areas in this new Heckler that is different from the old.
  1. The outgoing 504wh battery increased to 720wh
  2. Geometry modernized - seat angle from 75 to 77 on Mullet, reach about 20mm longer.
  3. Available in Mullet and 29er and optimized for both using different swingarms. The mullet is now 150/160mm instead of 140/140mm
  4. Now available in CC and lower-cost C carbon versions
  5. Flip chip is now available. 4mm bb drop, but the main effect is a more progressive leverage rate
  6. Assegai front tire now instead of DHR, Fillmore tubeless valves used
  7. Small bump compliance seems much improved. Any rear shock should fit now, and they’ve switched to Rockshox Super Deluxe.
  8. The small size MX is 27.5/27.5, but they were able to fit the 720wh battery
  9. Now about 2-3 lbs heavier, the 29er wheel adds .5 lb.
  10. The low price with EP8 is now $8200, S kit is now $400 more than last year at $9700 instead of $9300

Image

The mighty new battery
The Heckler 29/MX will have the largest battery Santa Cruz offers They went with a third-party battery supplier called Dafron to make this size and configuration possible with the Shimano EP8 motor. The interchangeable 720wh battery is still one of the quickest batteries to replace with just the twist of an Allen key.

“The 720Wh battery is marginally heavier than a current 630Wh battery (used in the Bullit), so we were able to maintain great ride characteristics while also giving the rider enough power to get out and really explore. Going any bigger would start to diminish both ride quality and geo.”
- Todd Ford

The new battery weighs 9.1 lbs compared to the outgoing 504wh at 6.1 lbs. It does weigh quite a bit more, as a top-spec Heckler weighs 39 lbs without a battery and 48 lbs with a battery. These weights leave us longing for a five lb. 'weekday SL battery' that might put this bike under 45 lbs for those weekdays or 'light-assist' rides where one has little chance of consuming all the power of a 720wh battery.

KEY FEATURES:
  • Boost 148mm spacing
  • Direct mount brakes w/ 200mm rotors
  • Santa Cruz UDH
  • IS headset
  • Flip chip lowers bb by 4mm and makes it more progressive
Geometry Discussion
Image


EP8 Motor Features
  • Lighter: 310g than E8000 (2.57kg)
  • More efficient: 36% less drag
  • More power: 85 Nm torque
  • Smaller volume, more clearance
  • More tuning via E-TUBE app
  • Quieter at all levels of output
  • More responsive and realistic riding feel

PROS:
  • It is the bike, travel, and geometry most progressive trail riders need
  • Agile, nimble, and capable
  • pops up and catches air with enthusiasm, gets the rider out of trouble on awkward landings
  • It's quiet when climbing, much more than the E8000
  • The motor is responsive to torque inputs with a natural riding feel
  • Motor torque and low-end grunt are excellent, with great tuneability and profiles
  • Grips and motor control switch surfaces are excellent
  • The tires are perfect. Grippy upfront and agile out back
  • Brakes are very capable with the latest Guides with 200mm rotors
  • The range is excellent and excellent, especially in Trail mode.
  • Battery swaps are best in class in terms of speed
  • 29er and Mx options with no compromises are most welcome
  • USB port available
Image

CONS:
  • The coasting rattle is more muted now than in previous versions but still present
  • The motor had great 85nm torque at low rpm, but it seems to taper off at higher rpm
  • The saddle is small and painful, considering how much-seated climbing will be performed
  • The motor switch is far from reach
  • The charging port cover seems flimsy and won't stay closed
  • Still no integrated motor display and still only a 5-bar battery level
  • The price of the top spec at $14250 is too pricey and not competitive in this market
  • The downtube is very big and is not ideal for those that prefer a stealthy, less-moto look


Bottom Line:
It's a great bike, but the high-end pricing seems to have gotten away from them at $14250. The $8700 model is competitive, and the XT model is tops.
 
#4 ·
Buy an analog bike that weights almost half as much and cost almost 50% less and go out and ride. I've ridden some very nice eBikes in real life situations and know that for a little sweat, analog is all you need. For me, eBikes are just not "there" yet wherever "there" is. Maybe 35 lbs. and costing not much more then $6000. Maybe...

I'll wait while technology gets to where I want them to be which shouldn't take more than a few years.
 
#6 ·
ballisticexchris said:
Nice ride. But wow the cost of entry into a e-mtb sure has reached new levels. When I was shopping for my bike the equivalent spec'd e-mtb is 3K-5k more.
Click to expand...
Santa Cruz are out of their mind with their pricing and they will now have issues selling their bikes now that the boosted demand from the pandemic is over.

They rob you with cheap components on entry level builds and still rob their best customers with GX shifters on top builds and you don't even get an AXS dropper or XX1 stuff on their 19K$CAD ''AXS'' builds.

They also cheap out on suspensions even if you're spending 12-15K$, it's getting ridiculous...
 
#7 ·
Yeah, pricing does seem a little nuts.
The Heckler XT build is $11,149.
The Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT is $8,699.
Component specs are pretty similar, except the Fuel EXe comes with carbon wheels and carbon cranks. The Heckler has a bigger battery, but that doesn't account for that price difference.

The Canyon Spectral ON: CF 8 is their XT-level build, and it is $6649, and it has a big 900Wh battery. It does have SLX brakes.
Or the Spectral ON: CFR is $10,150 (less than the Heckler XT), and has XTR, Fox Factory suspension, and carbon wheels.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
ballisticexchris said:
Nice ride. But wow the cost of entry into a e-mtb sure has reached new levels. When I was shopping for my bike the equivalent spec'd e-mtb is 3K-5k more.
Click to expand...
Yes, very true. Emtbs really make the most sense with full suspension (due to the beating of unsprung weight on hardtails). And the entry point seems to be $5k. Very steep for most.

The good news is there's not much reason to go light or bling and go over $10k. Just got to clue in the manufacturers to that. Stop making XTR and AXS ebikes.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Flyer said:
A good attempt by SC. Will be interesting to see how it rides compared to the Levo and the Ibis Oso.
Click to expand...
Yes, we'll have a shootout between the three. $11k price point on all three bikes seems to be the meeting place since that's where they're all dialed. And since Ibis only lives at that price for the moment.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Rev Bubba said:
Buy an analog bike that weights almost half as much and cost almost 50% less and go out and ride. I've ridden some very nice eBikes in real life situations and know that for a little sweat, analog is all you need. For me, eBikes are just not "there" yet wherever "there" is. Maybe 35 lbs. and costing not much more then $6000. Maybe...

I'll wait while technology gets to where I want them to be which shouldn't take more than a few years.
Click to expand...
That's not a bad call for sure and will work for many folks for years to come.

But when body limitations, time constraints, trail options get in the way, ebikes create a good solution and people ride more. They allow more people to ride too and experience the benefits of our great sport.

In my case, ebikes have been a good tool for the last 7 years. But I've turned the corner perhaps. Some of the greatest rides of my 30-year mtb life have have happened on ebike. The experience went from meh, to good, to mind-blowing lately.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
mlloyd007 said:
Nice review Francis, thanks. Still looks like it lags the Turbo Levo in geo adjustability, integration and interface.
Click to expand...
That's for sure. Something about Version 3 of a bike (Levo) that gets it to a dialed/custom state.

The Ibis Oso has incredible ride qualities, NO DOUBT. But electronics integration, and battery door is at Version 1 level. Kudos still!
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Redlemon said:
Santa Cruz are out of their mind with their pricing and they will now have issues selling their bikes now that the boosted demand from the pandemic is over.

They rob you with cheap components on entry level builds and still rob their best customers with GX shifters on top builds and you don't even get an AXS dropper or XX1 stuff on their 19K$CAD ''AXS'' builds.

They also cheap out on suspensions even if you're spending 12-15K$, it's getting ridiculous...
Click to expand...
Yeah, no AXS dropper at this price is not good. What's happening in many other industries is a price drop. 10-20% off is the new MSRP. I hope it happens in biking.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
jabrabu said:
Yeah, pricing does seem a little nuts.
The Heckler XT build is $11,149.
The Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT is $8,699.
Component specs are pretty similar, except the Fuel EXe comes with carbon wheels and carbon cranks. The Heckler has a bigger battery, but that doesn't account for that price difference.

The Canyon Spectral ON: CF 8 is their XT-level build, and it is $6649, and it has a big 900Wh battery. It does have SLX brakes.
Or the Spectral ON: CFR is $10,150 (less than the Heckler XT), and has XTR, Fox Factory suspension, and carbon wheels.
Click to expand...

Very, very good analysis. And the Trek Fuel EXe has a very advanced motor and integrated display in the frame. Plus modular battery design. Canyon is a tough act to follow since it's consumer-direct. They have the best brand and value IMHO.
 
#14 ·
Francis Cebedo said:
That's not a bad call for sure and will work for many folks for years to come.

But when body limitations, time constraints, trail options get in the way, ebikes create a good solution and people ride more. They allow more people to ride too and experience the benefits of our great sport.

In my case, ebikes have been a good tool for the last 7 years. But I've turned the corner perhaps. Some of the greatest rides of my 30-year mtb life have have happened on ebike. The experience went from meh, to good, to mind-blowing lately.
Click to expand...
I'm not against eBikes but I am loth to jump on the bandwagon with something that, to me, is not "there" yet. I'm a big time skier and over the decades have been burned too many times trying the latest and greatest that wasn't. Where I might really want one, I can rent for a day or two. Where I live, there is no rational need for me.
 
#18 ·
nuno.carrico said:
I was looking at the Heckler but I never tried a bike with Shimano motor and displays, only bosh based bikes. It the shimano electronic a disadvantage over the bosh?
Click to expand...
As with most things, it depends. I have ridden the Heckler MX C-S kit for a few days in technical terrain. I find the Shimano a good, smooth, natural feeling motor. Reliability and torque (power) are good, but when you are not actively pedaling, it makes a bit of noise just coasting—not as bad as other EP8 equipped bikes, but it is there (some Bosch motors make a clunking sound too). The Shimano mode selector (left side of the handle bars) works well, is minimalistic and intuitive; the display is good (if you have the color display), and the way the display is mounted looks more stealth than the Bosch systems. However, Bosch systems seem to use power a bit more efficiently, are more powerful feeling and may be more reliable. Both seem like good options. The only thing I didn’t like about the Shimano was the black and white display—too small and difficult to read with polarized sunglasses. The 720 battery in the Heckler is excellent—I rode 19.3 miles with 1700 feet of climbing and only used one bar of battery (out of 5) with a mix of Eco and Trail mode (~250 lbs with a loaded Camelbak).

I liked the Heckler enough to order a 29er C-S kit because the MTB part of it is excellent. I will upgrade the display and mode selector when they become available through my LBS.
 
#19 ·
I really like Shimano motors and batteries. The interface is not as cool as the others but I only want to know about battery level. I use my bike computer for everything else anyway. The motor is nice, in my opinion. It feels pretty natural in Eco and Trail modes. I was never about max power so those were the two modes I used 95% of the time. If I bought another one, I'd not hesitate to buy a Shimano-equipped bike.
 
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