The new Santa Cruz Heckler SL is out...

...and I haven't had a chance to ride it. The Santa Cruz Heckler always was light for a full power emtb. The new Heckler SL takes the weight down another notch. But Santa Cruz isn’t taking part in the chase towards 15 kg bike weight. They resisted the temptation to fit the bike with a shorter travel Fox 34 or Rockshox Pike fork and flimsy tyres. The Heckler SL is between 18.7 and 19.5 kg.

Specs and models​

All Heckler SLs get rugged Rockshox Lyric 160mm forks and proper mtb tyres. Fitted to the big 29er front wheel is the Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5″ MaxxGrip. The rear wheel is 27.5″ and fitted with Maxxis Minion DHR II 2,4″ MaxxTerra rubber. All 5 models have a carbon frame, the two most expensive ones get the lighter “carbon cc” frame.


Specs, click to enlarge

Fazua motor system​

The Heckler SL models all get the same motor and battery too. The Fazua Ride 60 and the 430 Wh Fazua battery hit the market barely a year ago. Now that Santa Cruz has gone Fazua, quite a few brands are using this system.



We tested the Ride 60 with the early firmware versions and things might have changed since late 2022. Our impression is the Ride 60 is the closest competitor to the TQ HPR50. They are both compact and silent. These are motors that require some rider effort to leash out all their power. Bikes using these motors both look and feel more like a non-assist bike while still offering good help when pedaling hard.



The 430 Wh battery is among the bigger “lightweight batteries”. We could easily cover 30 km and 800+ meters of elevation with frequent use of max assistance. One could easily go further by dropping the assistance. This battery is non-detachable, it’s fixed inside the downtube.

Santa Cruz Heckler SL geometry​

I find the Heckler SL geometry table interesting to read. It confirms a few trends. The head tube angle is adjustable between 64-64.3*, that’s just where a capable trailbike is these days. And Santa Cruz has stretched the chainstays a tad. The smallest frame is about 443 mm while the biggest frame is 450 mm.



Manufacturers used to constantly reduce chainstay length, but this has stopped. The last couple of years, we've seen a slight increase back up to ~445 mm. It’s also interesting to see the rear end length varies between frame sizes on the Heckler SL. This makes the handling more similar between frame sizes. The rest of the figures are looking good too, with about 1.260 mm wheelbase and 77.5* seat tube for size L. The geometry is adjustable with a chip on the shock.

Price and availability​

The Norwegian distributor expects bikes to be delivered by November. I assume markets closer to the factory will have the bikes earlier.

• Heckler SL C R U$ 7.299
• Heckler SL C S U$ 8.699
• Heckler SL C GX axs U$ 9.699
• Heckler SL CC X0 transmission axs RSV U$ 11.699
• Heckler SL CC XX transmission axs RSV U$ 12.999

My take​

The Heckler SL joins the ranks of SL bikes that aren’t Super Light. And that’s how it has to be. A bike with nice and slack frame geometry and 160/150 mm suspension travel needs burly and solid components. Such bikes can be ridden hard and they require components that are up for the job. 18.5-19 kg is where these bikes should be, especially with a slightly bigger 430 Wh battery. This is light enough to offer a completely different riding experience compared to a full-fat emtb. If you want lighter, check out the shorter travel SL emtbs with flimsier tyres.