Press Release
The Heckler is the most agile e-bike on the market—one that sports equal parts capability and playfulness. It’s fun uphill, it’s fun downhill, and it rides more like the aggressive trail bike it was based on than whatever your notion of an e-bike may be.
HECKLER CC 27.5 X01 RSV ‘Yellowacket’
Using Bronson–our all-around thrill seeker–as a starting point, we tuned the suspension kinematics, and integrated the drive unit to arrive at a bike that delivers the ultimate blend of pedal bike-like performance on the descents with hybrid human/electric powered ascending.
Heckler delivers best-in-class performance by pairing a legendary Santa Cruz CC carbon chassis with the proven Shimano electric drive system to expand your riding possibilities while amplifying the fun.
Key Features:
- 150mm VPP® rear travel
- 160mm e-specific fork
- 27.5-inch wheels
- 504wh battery capacity
- 65.5-degree head angle
- Full CC carbon frame
- Shimano E8000 250w motor
- SRAM Eagle Drivetrain
- Reserve DH 27.5 / 30 carbon wheelset option
- Lifetime warranty
Made for: Aggressive trail riding
At home on: Uphill, downhill, just not over the hill
Sizes: S-XXL
Colours: Blackout, Yellowjacket
The New Heckler
In 1996 the original Heckler was created as a rude interruption to mountain bike designs of the time. Its solid, full suspension build and aggressive swagger proved that a well-proportioned trail bike could elevate rider’s on-trail experiences. Today’s Heckler carries all that attitude forward into a new era.
Creating an e-MTB demanded careful consideration. For us, the Heckler’s potential to loft riders up to new heights is what gets us most excited. Whether it’s opening inaccessible trails in the Lost Sierra and Savoie Alps, or turning unrideable lines into a playground, the Heckler is the tool for a new way of riding.
Trailblazers like Greg Williams and Danny MacAskill weren’t asking for a dumbed-down ride up. Or down. They wanted something to push their riding to new levels. And held maneuverability sacrosanct as the new tech was introduced.
The Heckler’s boundaries aren’t defined by distance, laps, or time. The boundaries in our head that say, “don’t bother”, “turn back”, “impossible.” Smashing these boundaries is what got us hooked on riding in the first place. Heckler’s not about taking things easy, it’s about making things possible.
Amplify the fun
Our bikes have always been about amplifying the fun. Our goal for this bike was to make something light and agile, and trying to get as close as we can to the experience of riding a bike like the Bronson. Weighing in at 46 pounds the Heckler is among the very lightest e-MTBs in its class. The 500wh integrated battery keeps the weight down and the 27.5-inch wheels keep the bike playful and maneuverable in order to make the most of the trail. The slack head angle (65.5-degree) and 445mm chainstay length provide a snappy and fun feel while still providing traction for when the trail gets steep and technical, both up and down.
E-MTB kinematics
The lower-link VPP design marries the needs for downhill kicks with efficient pedaling prowess. We tuned it to have lower anti-squat (to sag) than our regular pedal bikes allowing you to keep pedaling (while seated) where normally you’d start standing. The more active suspension while pedaling creates better traction on technical climbs. But once you start mobbing down the trail the lower-link VPP system provides more mid-stroke and bottom-out support than most other designs.
Like any other Santa Cruz
This bike is intended for truly progressive mountain biking. The full CC carbon frame (front and rear triangle) and battery cover are lightweight and bombproof. The geometry is perfect for all-round modern trail riding; and the 150mm-travel lower-link VPP system is the most refined suspension design on any e-MTB.
Like every Santa Cruz, the Heckler is built for the rigours of true mountain biking. With quality pivot hardware, radial bearings (with lifetime replacement support), simple internal cabling and wiring, clean lines, design and build kits. And like very other Santa Cruz it comes with our lifetime warranty.
Performance, reliability, fully supported
Our bikes are legendary for these three traits, so when we build a complete bike, we always pair our frames with components that are regarded similarly. For the all-important drive unit we used Shimano Steps components exclusively–battery, drive unit, display, charge port, power button, and controllers. This means all parts, service and warranty is available through both Shimano and Santa Cruz. In addition to supporting the Steps system through the E-tube app, Shimano stocks e-parts through distributors and retailers worldwide. Technical training is also available on Shimano’s S-Tec support site as well as on The Manual, Santa Cruz’s retailer training portal.
E-8000 motor
The 250-watt Shimano Steps E-8000 motor is compact and light (6.34lbs/2.88kg), meaning it helps us build one of the lightest e-MTBs out there.
E-8035 Integrated Battery
The E-8035 battery is Shimano’s latest integrated battery. It provides 504 watt-hours of power, is lightweight (6.4lbs/2.9kg), is fully removable/replaceable using just a keyless 4mm hex latch and is protected by a Santa Cruz CC carbon battery cover.
Full integration, smart spec
The Shimano Steps system is also devoid of any large, distracting displays, allowing the rider to keep his or her attention on the ride. There’s also less to go wrong or break in the event of a crash.
We spec’d Shimano’s compact E-8000 (colour) and E-7000 (B&W) displays paired with their E-7000 mode switch to create a simple, integrated cockpit. The switch is unobtrusive, intuitive, and has the best dropper lever compatibility. The Shimano Steps app can be connected via Bluetooth or plug-in to adjust the power settings of the drive unit. It also allows for powerful management of the Eco, Trail, Boost and walk modes. Finally, it provides diagnostic capabilities to troubleshoot any issues within the system.
Di2 handlebar
Because we wanted the rider experience to be clean and seamless, we designed our own internally-wired Di2-specific Santa Cruz carbon handlebar. Using it results in clutter-free cockpit with wires managed via a pair of internal routing holes and an under-grip wire groove on each end of the bar. The 800mm wide bar has a 35mm clamp diameter, 5-degrees of upsweep and 8-degrees of backsweep. This bar comes stock on complete bikes S-level and up, and is available aftermarket.
Reserve DH 27.5 rim
Our Reserve rims are already renowned as the strongest, most trusted carbon MTB hoops on the market. But because e-biking puts greater stress on the rear wheel, we spec’d Heckler with our new, 32-hole Reserve DH 27.5 rim with a 31mm inner width, and a profile based on our Syndicate-proven DH 29 rim. It’s paired with a standard, 28-spoke Reserve 30 up front, and hubs are the reliable DT Swiss and Industry Nine spec you know and love. Both brands feature quick engagement and are e-rated for the added torque the motor brings to the drivetrain. Like all Reserve wheels these have a lifetime warranty.
The Reserve e-bike wheelset is standard on the X01 and XX1 builds, and available aftermarket as well.
SRAM Eagle
Since SRAM Eagle cassettes, chainrings and chains are e-bike rated, we ported the 12-speed goodness from our pedal bike line to this new, electric frontier, keeping the build kits consistent across our entire range. One small spec difference is the use of SRAMs Eagle Single Click shifters, which keeps your derailleur safe from potentially damaging high-torque multi-shifts.
Four build kits
All four build kits come with SRAM four-piston brakes, 200mm rotors, Eagle drivetrains, RockShox Super Deluxe piggyback rear shocks, and e-bike rated, burly suspension forks, like the Fox 36.
Colour
As always there are two colours to choose from – one mild and one wild. Blackout is a classy mix of gloss black and matte copper decals, while the bold Yellowjacket mixes gloss yellow with matte black logos.
HECKLER CC 27.5 XX1 AXS RSV Black
Weights
- HECKLER CC 27.5 R-Kit || 21.61kg
- HECKLER CC 27.5 S-Kit || 21.67kg
- HECKLER CC 27.5 X01 RSV-Kit || 21.09kg
- HECKLER CC 27.5 XX1 RSV-Kit || 20.99kg
South African Availability
Limited quantities will be in-store 20th February 2020. Pricing is available from Santa Cruz dealers nationwide.
I guess I'll spend my spare bazillion Rands on this steed.