[jeffro2215]

I am thinking of buying a sc heckler. i have ridden hard tails till now and think this would be a sweet bike to upgrade to. i want a 6" bike for xc/am and this seems to be one of the best. not sure on sizing thought. i am 5.9.5 180lbs. cant decide between M and L frame. both feel good to test ride, and the sc sizing puts me on the cusp of both sizes. i plan to do wide array of am riding on it. if anyone is a similar size and has any beta on which size, or anyone has any beta in general on this one it would be much appreciated. i am trending towards a large frame and make up for any fine tuning by shortening the stem.
Also not sure if i want to get the air or coil rear shock, any tips from those of you that know??
thanks
Jeff

 

[BigLarry]

Depends on your needs.

The larger frame will provide more stability. The smaller frame will be more nimble and more maneuverable on switchbacks. Your choice.

Try to find a bike shop with some built up that you can test ride. You may need to call a lot of shops for the Santa Cruz line to find some with stock.

I'm 6' even and between the L and XL on the Heckler. With my long arms and legs (for my height), and after getting thrown almost every ride on my Fuel, I went with the XL for more stability. Haven't regretted it. But I have a short 90 mm stem to compensate.

I love my DHX 5.0 Coil, but never tried the Air. I saw several air shocks with blown seals and was suspicious of them for that reason, especially at my large size (well over 200 lbs).

 

[kapusta]

I am thinking of buying a sc heckler. i have ridden hard tails till now and think this would be a sweet bike to upgrade to. i want a 6" bike for xc/am and this seems to be one of the best. not sure on sizing thought. i am 5.9.5 180lbs. cant decide between M and L frame. both feel good to test ride, and the sc sizing puts me on the cusp of both sizes. i plan to do wide array of am riding on it. if anyone is a similar size and has any beta on which size, or anyone has any beta in general on this one it would be much appreciated. i am trending towards a large frame and make up for any fine tuning by shortening the stem.
Also not sure if i want to get the air or coil rear shock, any tips from those of you that know??
thanks
Jeff

I am just barely 5'10" and I rode a large Heckler for two years. It felt perfect. Hecklers are a little short in the top tube, so you don't need to downsize to achieve a nimble or huckable feel.

 

[m0ngy]

at almost 5.10 i'd get a medium

go the heckler, wise choice my son.

i'm dead-on 6 foot, weigh about 210, and have a large with a 75mm shorty headstem. absolutely fits like a glove. awesome, do-it-all pushy, i'd have none other. i grew up riding cruisers, so i prefer to sit fairly upright. maybe i'm just getting old, but i reckon it's better for epic rides where you can look around and shoot the sh!t with your mates.

i remember riding my stumpy years ago on xc rides. i guess it was ok then, but now i hate being all splayed-out, having to crane my neck up to see the trail ahead. it's like the difference between a harley and a jap superbike. superbike goes faster but you're all hunched over 'locked-in', impossible to tour on. sitting upright on a harley is so much more comfortable generally and made for touring. i dunno, maybe someone'll dis me for this analogy, but i reckon it's quite relevent.

cheers :thumbsup:

 

[m0ngy]

nah, get a large

haha, i f*cked up man. not that i didn't mean what i just said. wasn't really thinking our respective height difference, which is negligable.

yeah, get a large.

 

[Strafer]

I wouldn't pick Harleys (or any cruiser copies) to compare with any mtbs.
Unless you have a fairing, sitting bolt upright at steady 75 mph is very tiring.
Sportbikes would be more comfortable for that. (BTW, sportbikes come from other countries too, so drop the jap reference).

 

[m0ngy]

haha smart ass

 

[rb_daniel]

I'm 5'10" and I actually ride a medium. I just like how it feels better than the large. Mine came with a float RP3 shock and it was nice, but I recently swapped to a DHX 5.0 and it feels way more plush to me.