MTB Reviews > Mountain bikes > Full suspension > Santa Cruz Heckler

Santa Cruz Heckler Reviews

Description: (from santacruzmtb.com)
Peruse any bike magazine's pages or bike shops stable of technological wonderment and you can see the suspension bike evolving before your very eyes. The development of these technologies isn't always a good thing. We feel we've hit the nail squarely on the head with the Heckler on the first try and have only improved upon its performance since. The

Add a review (form opens in right column) reviewed by guest on February 28, 2010   Pros the geometry is good for my size, strong bike for trail and perfect for all xc track, trail or just fooling around. Cons non so far........the weight is not a big deal for a big guy like me. Verdict this is the FS for big boys like me im 6'4" 275lbs and no complain this big is a true do it all bike for trail, xc track and any thing else you can think off doing with it. reviewed by allen_moffat   on October 8, 2009   Pros bike does it all. Cons weight and continully hit calves on bottom triangle. Verdict awesome bike. heavy bike but if you can afford it, you probally are serious about biking and have the fitness to overcome bkes weight reviewed by kuala_tahan   on July 10, 2009   Pros Everything - handling, simplicity, downhill fun, durability, price, looks Cons Nothing Verdict An incredible bike. Just recently upgraded to this from a Fisher hardtail 29er, and it took me about 4 miles to get feeling comfortable on it (after never having owned a dualie). The 6" of travel are great, just smooths out the entire trail, floating over everything. Handles amazingly. I guess it's a little heavy, but my answer to people that ask that is "Quit being a p****y." Climbing sucks no matter what bike you're on, might as well have an awesome time on the downhill. Just point this hog downhill and let it fly, you hardly have to do anything. Confidence-inspiring, riding sections of trail I've never been able to (even climbing). Buy this bike!! Unreal bike at a great price reviewed by Joaquin_Hernandez   on December 26, 2008   Pros Handling,acceleration,cornering,bomb proof frame. Cons bottle cage do not fit in small frame Verdict very strong bike be carefull with paint you can apply a layer of clear to protect finish reviewed by element22   on September 29, 2008   Pros Well built simple suspension with very little to go wrong with it. Cons Tends to feel heavy when ridden and built up with longer travel components. Verdict A great bike but choose wisely the components you put on this rig, the weight can pack on quickly. The bike i rode had a mix of X.9, raceface atlas, fox float 36 and mavic crossmax st with 20mm up front...It was 30lb on the "fish scale"...It took hits great but a bit of effort on the climbs. reviewed by WunSpeedWonder   on July 14, 2007   Cons Are You Kidding!!! Verdict If you want a NO BS single pivot(read -hassle free!!) xc trail bike that can be raced-both xc and dh- or just for farting around on the trails,be they in your backyard or Whistler!! This is the bike to have!!! reviewed by sandm96   on March 28, 2007   Pros Almost Everything. Function, Price, durability, handling, build options, simplicity. It's all good Cons The closest thing I have to a complaint is the weight. But I knew this before I bought it. Mine weighs in at 31.8lbs. Verdict This is THE "one bike does everything" bike. I've had mine since Oct. '06. I call it a TRUE ALL-MOUNTAIN BUILD: Truvativ cockpit, WTB Saddle, Sram X.9 thumb shifters and RD, Shimano XT FD, Raceface Atlas Cranks/BB, SPD pedals, Avid Juicy 7 Disc brakes/levers--8" front disc, 6" Rear. XT hubs laced to NoTubes ZTR 355 rims, XT 11-34 cassette, Kenda Nevegal 2.1 with Stan's, Fox DHX 5.0 Air shock, Manitou Minute 3 fork with 130mm Infinite Travel adjustment (a must have for this kind of bike) and Oury Lock-on Grips. I agree with everything the guy said who previously reviewed this bike. It's oozes confidence. You learn not to get in a hurry climbing, but you will make up ALL the slow climbing time when you blow by all the other guys on the rest of the trail. This bike rails turns, absorbs any type of landing (once the DHX AIR 5.0 is dialed in). It's lighter than the Nomad, and for the money you'll spend on building a basic Nomad, you can build one Bad A$$ Heckler. It's a trade-off that I'm glad I made!! Do yourself a favor and get a Heckler reviewed by Rebus   on March 27, 2007   Pros Handling, strength, looks, performance, versatility, shock options (DHX 5.0 Air or Coil, or Float R). Cons It's a tad on the heavy side. Verdict This is a great bike. You can build this bike into a freeride beast or an XC sprinter. It handles all terrain with ease and is pretty much bomb-proof. It's affordable, works in any situation, has great geometry, and looks fantastic. The Heckler inspires confidence. It carves switchbacks like it's on rails. The single pivot suspension has almost no bob to it and brake-jack is unnoticeable in all but the most extreme situations. You notice the weight a bit when climbing, but you soon get used to it. This bike is the perfect full suspension bike for bike guys.