[drunkle]

i decided the sl or the heckler will be my next bike based on the sus design and the claims of rear end stiffness. but i'm unsure which to get, my current bike (giant vt in 5 inch setting) pedals quite well with a cane creek ad-5 set stiff while also absorbing hits fairly bottomlessly. i only rarely hit the bricks with the pedals. i would keep the vt if it weren't for 1) having jammed the chain between cranks and sus pivot and 2) rear end flex.

i don't do big air, mainly as a result of talent (lack of) and balls (lack of). that might change; i been drinking milk. i would have liked a 5" bike as a replacement since that's what i'm familiar with. so will an sl be not as cush? not as compliant for the little air that i get? will a heckler be less of a pedaler? less responsive in tight single track? will the 6" travel be too much, too boat-like, too tall? can a shorter shock be swapped in to reduce travel, bb height and allow a shorter travel fork while still maintaining good suspension response?

 

[Pete-G]

A well setup decent shock (any of the current generation) should mean that either bike will pedal well. All depends on your usage I guess. I suppose if your purely a 'wheels on the deck' kinda guy, then Superlight might well be the bike. But with the correct build the Heckler could be an perfect do it all bike. Just choose your build carefully.
I'm a bit biased as I've just bought a heckler and in the process of getting all my bits together and building it up. I'm well into my descending and dont mind taking the more extreme route either, so I'm going for fairly heavy duty parts for a trail bike, but hopefully I cant keep it down to a decent fighting weight. With a shorter fork and a light duty build it'd easily build up into a sub 30lb bike with plenty quick enough turning. Oh and I've got this coming from an '04 Enduro.

 

[fat_weasel]

I've only done parking lot rides on VTs, so take this with a grain of salt, but I will say that both the SL and the Heckler will make your VT feel like a semi by comparison.

 

[velez3000]

good question, SL seems to be the answer

First off, I looooove my Heckler. But it's way too much bike for what I need. I've got a little over 1000 miles on my 05. It's built up light for a heckler. It weighs a little over 29lbs with crossmax enduros a vanilla 130 and a dhx air. I could save a pound maybe 2 if I switched to mavic SL's a Float and get a pushed RP23 for my heckler.

The bike is dead on tackling gnarly terrain and decending. The low BB gives the bike a mistake proof feel and it's bailed me out of many tight situations.

But.....

I've gotten fitter and want something a little livelier, lighter and quicker. Something that won't feel like an anchor when i'm climbing.

I put some miles on an epic this weekend and didn't like the feel. It was fast but a little twitchy. The shop owner suggested I look into the new SL.

I've read every review of the new SL and bought one without even trying it out:nono:

I know impulsive, but it sounds sooo like what i'm looking for. I built it up full XTR, with Juicy ultimates and Mavic SLR wheels and I'm guessing this baby will be light but tough. (disclaimer, I weigh 160 pounds)

Super balanced feel, killer price on the frame. less maintenance than VPP.

If you have to have 5 inches(what's the extra inch really gonna do?) I suggest looking at a Titus ML2. It weighs a pound less than the heckler. It has less travel and can't take a 170mm fork but 140mm up front is enough for this fella.

But it is about 500 bones more than an ano heckler.

Sounds to me like an SL is what your looking for. If you have to have more than 4 inches, check out the ML2.

If you get the SL or Heckler get an ano paint job. My silver is still darn pretty:thumbsup:

BTW I got my new 07 SL from Colorado Cyclist. Ask for Andy Michelin. great service and KILLER prices. I'll be posting pics when she comes in this Friday

 

[xcguy]

so you have a 2007 SL?

First off, I looooove my Heckler. But it's way too much bike for what I need. I've got a little over 1000 miles on my 05. It's built up light for a heckler. It weighs a little over 29lbs with crossmax enduros a vanilla 130 and a dhx air. I could save a pound maybe 2 if I switched to mavic SL's a Float and get a pushed RP23 for my heckler.

The bike is dead on tackling gnarly terrain and decending. The low BB gives the bike a mistake proof feel and it's bailed me out of many tight situations.

But.....

I've gotten fitter and want something a little livelier, lighter and quicker. Something that won't feel like an anchor when i'm climbing.

I put some miles on an epic this weekend and didn't like the feel. It was fast but a little twitchy. The shop owner suggested I look into the new SL.

I've read every review of the new SL and bought one without even trying it out:nono:

I know impulsive, but it sounds sooo like what i'm looking for. I built it up full XTR, with Juicy ultimates and Mavic SLR wheels and I'm guessing this baby will be light but tough. (disclaimer, I weigh 160 pounds)

Super balanced feel, killer price on the frame. less maintenance than VPP.

If you have to have 5 inches(what's the extra inch really gonna do?) I suggest looking at a Titus ML2. It weighs a pound less than the heckler. It has less travel and can't take a 170mm fork but 140mm up front is enough for this fella.

But it is about 500 bones more than an ano heckler.

Sounds to me like an SL is what your looking for. If you have to have more than 4 inches, check out the ML2.

If you get the SL or Heckler get an ano paint job. My silver is still darn pretty:thumbsup:

BTW I got my new 07 SL from Colorado Cyclist. Ask for Andy Michelin. great service and KILLER prices. I'll be posting pics when she comes in this Friday

Please give us all a full ride report (hopefully you're where the trails are actually rideable) when you test drive your new SL. I've got a frame on order and it's going to be awhile till I get it out on dry trail.

 

[velez3000]

07 it is

Yeah it's an 07. I thought i'd be waiting till March but the bike will be built up and delivered by this Friday

I went with strong/light parts and fitted out the cockpit a little on the AM side to get the front wheel up easier.

here's the build

Ano Slate SL w/ RP23
Full 07 XTR
Thomson X4 stem, 90mm 10 degree rise
race face next xc riser bar
thomson masterpiece post
Mavic SLR's
Avid Juicy ultimates
kenda small block 8's
black king HS
Fox 100RLC
ODI Ruffian lock on grips
and a WTB rocket V saddle

It's pretty dry here in Georgia so I'll be posting hopefully next week on the ride! I have a feeling that it will feel like I've been riding with an anchor!

 

[velez3000]

Hey Drunkle

Another thing to consider is that you can run up to a 125mm frok on the new SL. I asked SC about running a TALAS on a 100 and 120 settings and they said the fact that it can go up to 140mm voids the warranty.

The guys at fox recommended getting a float and reducing it down to whatever you like. I think 100mm will suit this bike well and therefore went with a F100RLC but maybe you'd like a little more.....

I guess it's obvious I'm a little excited about my new bike. Time to turn the PC off!

 

[drunkle]

any thoughts on using a 2.25 stroke shock on the sl? figure it'll give 4.5 inches of travel if the swingarm/tire clear...

and how much did you pay for your sl?

 

[velez3000]

Haven't thought about it....

I guess you could run a longer stroke shock as long as you get the right eye to eye. I'd call the fella's at push. I hear they can tweak RP23's all sorts of ways.....

Now that you mention it......I'm gonna call and see what they can do with it but it's gonna be tough waiting for the shock to come back. Don't know what the turn around is for custom work like that.

Don't know if this is bad form to talk price but I got it for almost $1000 less than my LBS, and an internet retailer with a goat in it's name was gonna charge me.

less than 4K and it's got all the stuff I wanted

Seriously, call Andy michelin at Colorado Cyclist. Tell him David in Atlanta sent you:thumbsup:

 

[drunkle]

I guess you could run a longer stroke shock as long as you get the right eye to eye. I'd call the fella's at push. I hear they can tweak RP23's all sorts of ways.....

Now that you mention it......I'm gonna call and see what they can do with it but it's gonna be tough waiting for the shock to come back. Don't know what the turn around is for custom work like that.

Don't know if this is bad form to talk price but I got it for almost $1000 less than my LBS, and an internet retailer with a goat in it's name was gonna charge me.

less than 4K and it's got all the stuff I wanted

Seriously, call Andy michelin at Colorado Cyclist. Tell him David in Atlanta sent you:thumbsup:

can you deflate your shock, compress the rear end and figure out how much clearance you have left over?

the same i2i shock is used on the heckler but with a 2.25 stroke vs the sl's 2.0. should be an easy swap...

as far as price, the best price i'm looking at for the d am build is cambriabike.com @ $1599. a local place has that price, but no stock yet. gotta wait for them so i can check fit.

 

[velez3000]

No SL yet....

Hey DRUNKLE. I don't have the SL yet. I was expecting it this Friday and now I'm being told mid to late Feb.:madman:

I'll look into the clearance once I get my hands on it.

Good luck....

 

[drunkle]

Hey DRUNKLE. I don't have the SL yet. I was expecting it this Friday and now I'm being told mid to late Feb.:madman:

I'll look into the clearance once I get my hands on it.

Good luck....

np. bummer on the wait.

anyone else out there with a current sl wanna check?