2022 Santa Cruz Heckler

luna87824

E*POWAH Master
Jan 19, 2019
434
1,169
Just South of The Grand Canyon
I definitely need a few of those new & improved charger port covers!

As luck would have it I managed to find myself a X01 AXS RSV bike so if anybody in SOCAL wants a great deal on an S Build 29er version with 50-60 miles please let me know. I'm going to put all the stock stuff back on. There is 0 use on the stock drivetrain, wheels, dropper and suspension. Its a Medium in gloss avocado green. Its registered to me and I have all the purchase documentation.
How much and what color and size?
 

Desert_Turtle

Active member
Mar 1, 2022
136
175
Palmdale, CA
Hi all. There’s another thread about a sales pause and recall on the new Heckler. Is that fake news? My local retailer doesn’t know anything about it and I haven’t seen any info other than the thread. The recall has to do with batteries falling out. I could definitely see that happening if you don’t snap in the battery properly but I haven’t experienced it on either of my bikes.
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
I live here in Santa Cruz and was just at their factory last week. When I asked them no one there knew anything but our shop was made aware of the issue a week before. Yes there is a hold on sales for 2022 Hecklers, I have one and have experienced no issues. If you are worried about you can run some 100mph tape of electrical tape around the top of the battery/frame. They are going to identify which serial numbers are an issue and will let customers know. In the meantime I am not going to stop riding mine but I guess thats a personal call. I don't take my battery out to charge so don't see any issues.
 

Crrichmo

Member
Feb 22, 2021
45
25
San Diego, CA
Hi all. There’s another thread about a sales pause and recall on the new Heckler. Is that fake news? My local retailer doesn’t know anything about it and I haven’t seen any info other than the thread. The recall has to do with batteries falling out. I could definitely see that happening if you don’t snap in the battery properly but I haven’t experienced it on either of my bikes.
Hey there, it's not fake news. It may not affect all Hecklers, but as I wrote in the other thread you mention, Competitive Cyclist informed me of the issue after I purchased the bike. I was told a fix had been identified but was pending approval. Sounds like a minor fix in their email below (estimated at 20 mins). The battery did fall out on me on my first ride. Afterward, I made a small adjustment to the distance of the battery connectors/latch (the distance between the connections was such that the secondary metal catch wasn't properly catching the battery) and put a strap around it. No issues since. Still waiting to hear back from Competitive Cyclist about next steps, but thinking that I may have corrected the issue when I closed the gap between connections in the battery compartment.

Here is the email from CC that was sent on 3/24:

Hannah from Competitive Cyclist here. I am reaching out to inform you that an investigation has revealed that a small number of bicycles from the initial production run of Heckler 9s were delivered with a battery compartment latch that’s out-of-spec, and could result in the battery falling out. No injuries have been reported. The company advises that the bicycles should not be ridden, nor should they be transported with the battery installed unless a strap is used to ensure the battery is secured to the downtube. Engineers have already devised corrective measures to remedy the issue and are awaiting approval before deploying the rework, which is expected to take place at the retail level. The rework should take approximately 20 minutes. We will reach out with next steps as soon as possible.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions in the meantime.
Best,

CUFOnYgIhJPT3MR4a9f0oAh77hP7Sfg0M_Ycmpjcf1TZufI00nMNnYz3bNZeJpmHC9ftad6IOd2ke4XqzVnRl3u5QhrOXrtJypfCyrk8LIxegKE0SmBSIDM3YEq8m-LjeQ5Kq_Yp
 

Crrichmo

Member
Feb 22, 2021
45
25
San Diego, CA
Anyone running a coil shock on your Heckler and if so what brand, spring and any feedback?
Yep, I'm running a Fox DHX2 with a fox SLS spring at 550lbs (i'm 195lbs). Haven't had a enough rides to confirm the coil spring weight is correct yet, though. Went coil thinking it may help with the square edge hits some of the reviews talk about (Loam Wolf being one). I have 3 rides on it so far and really like it, but I also don't have anything to compare it to on the Heckler since I purchased the R build with the plan always being to swap out the RS Select suspension with a Fox Factory DHX2 and a Fox 38. I have not noticed any hanging up on square edge hits and the bike is surprisingly poppy for its weight. Very happy with the set up so far and with the bike. Have not put the 38 on it yet because it was a regular 38 tune (not an ebike tune) and is currently at Fluid Focus for a tune that will be similar to Fox's emtb tune. Expect to switch out the Lyrik Select with the 38 in the next couple weeks as soon as it is back with me. Keeping the air spring at 160 for now.
 

Desert_Turtle

Active member
Mar 1, 2022
136
175
Palmdale, CA
One of things that I like about my Hecklers is how poppy they are. A coil would mute that. Wouldn’t you want a longer slacker bike for a coil? This is just a discussion topic. I’m in no way saying it’s right, wrong, good, or bad.
I run a 38/X2 on my better one. I’m not sure the 38 is an improvement over the 36 unless you’re hitting really big stuff.
 
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Crrichmo

Member
Feb 22, 2021
45
25
San Diego, CA
One of things that I like about my Hecklers is how poppy they are. A coil would mute that. Wouldn’t you want a longer slacker bike for a coil? This is just a discussion topic. I’m in no way saying it’s right, wrong, good, or bad.
I run a 38/X2 on my better one. I’m not sure the 38 is an improvement over the 36 unless you’re hitting really big stuff.
I find the DHX2 to be a poppy coil shock. I've run it on my SB165 for couple years and it jumps really well. Not saying all coils would behave like that, but that has been my experience with the DHX2. More travel would likely mute the poppiness, though. That's one of the reasons I didn't go that route.
I also run a 38 on my SB165 and it isn't a huge jump, but definitely keeps a line better with less effort. I think it will all depend on the rider and what you want from the bike. Lots of rock gardens and high speed chunk, 38. Some rocks with flow trails, 36/Lyrik. At 195/200lbs, I definitely notice a difference. Also, I am new to emtbs (was one of the hold outs for a while, mainly because of my riding crew), so not sure if I will feel the extra weight or not. If not, then it is an easy choice for me. Fortunately, if I don't like it, there is a solution for that.
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
Yep, I'm running a Fox DHX2 with a fox SLS spring at 550lbs (i'm 195lbs). Haven't had a enough rides to confirm the coil spring weight is correct yet, though. Went coil thinking it may help with the square edge hits some of the reviews talk about (Loam Wolf being one). I have 3 rides on it so far and really like it, but I also don't have anything to compare it to on the Heckler since I purchased the R build with the plan always being to swap out the RS Select suspension with a Fox Factory DHX2 and a Fox 38. I have not noticed any hanging up on square edge hits and the bike is surprisingly poppy for its weight. Very happy with the set up so far and with the bike. Have not put the 38 on it yet because it was a regular 38 tune (not an ebike tune) and is currently at Fluid Focus for a tune that will be similar to Fox's emtb tune. Expect to switch out the Lyrik Select with the 38 in the next couple weeks as soon as it is back with me. Keeping the air spring at 160 for now.
Thats great info, I raced DH in the 80's, 90's and into early 2000. I bought one of the first Hecklers Santa Cruz sent our shop in 96 and that coilover with a Marzocchi bomber on the front was a total game changer at the time. I have always ridden coils, my intent was the same to swap the shocks out. I am also 195, do you know what your sag is right now with the 550 SLS spring? I will go 38 on the front later but the 36 that came with it is fine for now. I am bottoming out the rear shock on almost every ride so the DHX2 is high on the list. Thanks for the info and keep us posted after you get some more rides.
 

Desert_Turtle

Active member
Mar 1, 2022
136
175
Palmdale, CA
I have a new Norco Range Vlt and it’s got the DHX2 on it. That bike has a lot of travel , it’s long, and it’s really slack. I’m 200 ish myself and I run a 600lb coil….25-30% sag. Be careful as Santa Cruz has specified that you’ll damage the frame by increasing the shock travel so if you’re throwing a coil on make sure it’s the same exact size.
 

Crrichmo

Member
Feb 22, 2021
45
25
San Diego, CA
Thats great info, I raced DH in the 80's, 90's and into early 2000. I bought one of the first Hecklers Santa Cruz sent our shop in 96 and that coilover with a Marzocchi bomber on the front was a total game changer at the time. I have always ridden coils, my intent was the same to swap the shocks out. I am also 195, do you know what your sag is right now with the 550 SLS spring? I will go 38 on the front later but the 36 that came with it is fine for now. I am bottoming out the rear shock on almost every ride so the DHX2 is high on the list. Thanks for the info and keep us posted after you get some more rides.
That's awesome, man! Some old school racing right there and it's cool you are back on a heckler. I don't know the exact sag yet since it is pretty hard to get in there and measure with SC's design around the shock, but it seems to be around 30 percent when I briefly tried measuring using the bumper. I have always been around a 550lbs shock on bikes with fairly progressive curve and it feels about right to me, but more time on the bike will tell. I'll definitely post an update as I get more riding time. Assuming the bottoming out is an issue for you, have you tried a bigger volume spacer in the meantime? That would likely help.
 

Crrichmo

Member
Feb 22, 2021
45
25
San Diego, CA
I have a new Norco Range Vlt and it’s got the DHX2 on it. That bike has a lot of travel , it’s long, and it’s really slack. I’m 200 ish myself and I run a 600lb coil….25-30% sag. Be careful as Santa Cruz has specified that you’ll damage the frame by increasing the shock travel so if you’re throwing a coil on make sure it’s the same exact size.
Good call. Yeah, it is the same stroke as stock. My buddy has the older Norco Range VLT with the Shimano E8000 and he loves it. He is actually the main reason I decided to get an emtb.
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
That's awesome, man! Some old school racing right there and it's cool you are back on a heckler. I don't know the exact sag yet since it is pretty hard to get in there and measure with SC's design around the shock, but it seems to be around 30 percent when I briefly tried measuring using the bumper. I have always been around a 550lbs shock on bikes with fairly progressive curve and it feels about right to me, but more time on the bike will tell. I'll definitely post an update as I get more riding time. Assuming the bottoming out is an issue for you, have you tried a bigger volume spacer in the meantime? That would likely help.
I have not but that is the next step, I have increased the pressure but the small bump compliancy is noticeable. Most likely have the DHX2 next month so not sure I will mess with the stock shock. I just got the bike running again, if you have not seen the thread check it out below.

 
Dec 18, 2019
115
53
UK
any uk buyers got a delivery date for the new bike yet?
ordered mine on release day but still no news.

I spoke with my LBS a couple of weeks ago about availability on my Bullit and/or a Heckler and it was pretty much a case of it'll turn up when it turns up. His personal viewpoint was that the lack of any real concrete commitment to supply dates from SC and their Distributor left him with the impression that SC are focusing on their Domestic Market and we'll be extremely lucky if anything comes to the UK. The latest dates of June for a Heckler and August for the Bullit have been taken with a very large and literal pinch of salt.
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
I spoke with my LBS a couple of weeks ago about availability on my Bullit and/or a Heckler and it was pretty much a case of it'll turn up when it turns up. His personal viewpoint was that the lack of any real concrete commitment to supply dates from SC and their Distributor left him with the impression that SC are focusing on their Domestic Market and we'll be extremely lucky if anything comes to the UK. The latest dates of June for a Heckler and August for the Bullit have been taken with a very large and literal pinch of salt.

Heckler V9's are around here in the states there are a couple shops here locally that have them on the floor but Bullits are done in the US. You might luck out and find one from a large warehouse like Jenson but its going to be purple and a small or XL. Santa Cruz will not say anything online but there is a new Bullit launching in July. I did not want to wait and to be honest am happy I could not find a Bullit as I love my Heckler for the style of riding and battery size.
 

Edward

New Member
Feb 20, 2022
23
24
8000ft, Colorado
I will keep you posted, need to take some measurements and will make a couple and post pics. Once I have put some hours on it I am happy to build some.

Awesome! My last 3 rides I've finished and found the cover open (started the ride with it closed).
Please keep us up to date on your progress mate. 🍻
 

leroy

Member
Jul 10, 2021
95
35
milton keynes
Heckler V9's are around here in the states there are a couple shops here locally that have them on the floor but Bullits are done in the US. You might luck out and find one from a large warehouse like Jenson but its going to be purple and a small or XL. Santa Cruz will not say anything online but there is a new Bullit launching in July. I did not want to wait and to be honest am happy I could not find a Bullit as I love my Heckler for the style of riding and battery size.
a new bullet would be interesting but s/c need to sort out the supply of hecklers to the rest of the world before they release another bike that's only available in america.

starting to think it will be the end of summer before we see our new bikes.
 

Flips

New Member
Apr 15, 2022
5
11
UK
a new bullet would be interesting but s/c need to sort out the supply of hecklers to the rest of the world before they release another bike that's only available in america.

starting to think it will be the end of summer before we see our new bikes.


I was told 2 weeks ago that the UK deliveries are delayed to around late April/May due to shipping issues out of the US.
I know from work that there are terrible shipping delays in and out of the US just now on all items.
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
Awesome! My last 3 rides I've finished and found the cover open (started the ride with it closed).
Please keep us up to date on your progress mate. 🍻


Printed some covers today, The grey one sticks out too far. The second one has an o-ring and pushes in and seals, should be totally waterproof but the material is a little thin where the o ring goes and could be a potential failure point if someone was not careful when removing and twisted the head. The one on the far right with no o ring pushes and seals very snugly yet is easy to remove. I think its probably water tight, not sure if you were to submerge it in a river and if thats a concern then the o ring would be the better option. Going to make another version with thicker material and an o ring.

IMG_7316.jpg


IMG_7317.jpg


IMG_7318.jpg


IMG_7320.jpg
 

Rusty762

Member
Apr 7, 2022
86
58
Monterey, CA
This might be a winner, added a small nub you can put an allen wrench through but its easy enough to pull it out without it. Also thicker where the o ring is and seals tightly.

IMG_7321.jpg


IMG_7322.jpg
 

Edward

New Member
Feb 20, 2022
23
24
8000ft, Colorado
This might be a winner, added a small nub you can put an allen wrench through but its easy enough to pull it out without it. Also thicker where the o ring is and seals tightly.

View attachment 86100

View attachment 86101

Awesome!
I'd definitely want water tight. I live in the mountains of Colorado and do stream crossings often.
Happy to compensate you for your time and for shipping mate (paypal?)

thinking out loud: Could it be made "round head" instead of cone head?

Random internet photo of round head plug to show what I mean :) :
1650114778974.png



I'm thinking about worse case situations where you catch branches or what not in the pickies; worried about catching that protrusion and potentially breaking the charge port?

The last few rides we got into canyons full of tumbleweeds and I suspect a protrusion could snag things.
20220313_100517-X2.jpg


Cheers!
Ed
 
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