Eyeballing a frame and determining its purpose can be hard. The Santa Cruz Heckler looks like a brawnier, longer-travel version of the Superlight. It is, and has a few more differences. It has a geometry that is better for bigger hits, gnarlier terrain and faster downhill riding. Generous 2.5" tire clearance and a maximum rotor size of 203mm make the Heckler a versatile machine. While it can be built up as a cross-country or freeride bike, the Santa Cruz Heckler might be best realized as an all-mountain bike. As an all-mountain ride, it will be prepared for the widest possible variety of riding. With this in mind, Santa Cruz includes braze-ons under the down tube for a water bottle cage. We're usually of the mind that selecting each component one at a time is the best way to build a bike. It takes the longest time but yields an intimate knowledge of the resulting bike and pride in every little bolt. So, with simplicity in mind, we're offering three complete bike builds of the Heckler. As always, Santa Cruz eschews the group mentality and does a clever job picking parts one-by-one. And a not-inconsiderable benefit is that when the bike comes as a unit, there is impressive cost savings. The X9 AM build adds a little flash and a lot of performance. The front derailleur has been upgraded to the Shimano XT, and the shifters to SRAM X-9. The Shimano SLX crank makes an appearance, too, but that’s the last of Shimano on this bike. Brakes go up to the Avid Elixir CR Carbon, again with the 185mm front and160mm rear rotors. The cockpit has been upgraded to Easton EA70. The little bit o' flash we love is the Crank Brothers directset. It's a brilliant design brilliantly executed, light, strong, the whole nine yards. It is of a piece with the DT 340 hubs that are laced to 14/15/14 double-butted spokes via alloy nipples to DT 5.1d rims. Completing the light hoop set are the Kenda Nevegal 2.35" folding tires. The rear suspension remains the Fox Float R, and the fork is Fox's sweet 32 Float RLC with the soon-to-be-everywhere 15mm thru-axle quick release. The R AM build features a SRAM X-9 long cage rear derailleur, and mates it with SRAM X-9 trigger shifters. A TruVativ Stylo 3.3 crank completes the SRAM drivetrain. They've also selected Avid Juicy 5 brakes with 185mm front and 160mm rear rotors. We’re fans of Mavic rims and DT spokes, so we’re happy to see those two threaded to Shimano LX hubs. Finishing off the rolling rubber are Kenda Nevegal 2.35” tires with Kenda Freeride tubes. The rear suspension remains the Fox Float R, but the fork has been upgraded to the Rock Shox Revelation 426 dual air sprung quick release fork. The D AM build is the most cost-conscious of the groups. It's a mix of Shimano XT, SLX, and Deore for the drivetrain, and careful picks from several manufacturers for the rest. The Avid Juicy 3 brakes have a 185mm front rotor and 160mm rear. The Syncros AM Hardcore headset is overkill in terms of durability, but still plenty light. While they stuck with the same spokes and rims as those on the R AM package, the hubs are downgraded to LX. For suspension, the rear features the ever-reliable and lightweight Fox Float R, and the front Rock Shox Recon 351 quick release fork. If you'd prefer to customize your Heckler, please click here. The Santa Cruz Heckler complete bike is powder coated in your choice of Black, Lime, Liquid Blue, Red, White, or Yellow. It uses a 30.9 seat post, and a 34.9 top swing front derailleur. The bottom bracket shell is 73mm wide. And, best-of-all, the right dropout has a replaceable derailleur hanger with an integrated bottle-opener. It's nice to know Santa Cruz pays attention to the little things now, isn't it? The Heckler frame has a two year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the bearings are guaranteed for life. US Santa Cruz dealers are prohibited from shipping Santa Cruz bicycles outside of the United States.
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configure/buy Heckler Complete Bike
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