California-based bicycle brand Santa Cruz is popular for its capable mountain bikes, and has been a staple in the industry for decades now. Like all major bike brands, Santa Cruz has hopped in full force on the e-bike bandwagon. We previously talked about the brand’s lightweight and practical electric gravel bike, and this time around, the brand is taking a well-loved MTB platform, and launching an e-bike version of it, too.
Introducing the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, a capable all-mountain e-bike that’s touted as a versatile and lightweight electric mountain bike. Mountain bikers among you would certainly be familiar with the non-electric Heckler, a capable all-mountain bike with a full-suspension frame. The electric version retains all those features, while offering extra boost thanks to an electric motor. On top of all that, it’s impressively lightweight, tipping the scales at under 19 kilograms.
The new Fazua Ride 60 motor lies at the heart of the Santa Cruz Heckler SL’s technology. The compact, lightweight electric motor dishes out 60 Newton-meters of torque and 450-watts of peak power. While not as punchy as systems from Bosch and Shimano, the Ride 60 is renowned for its lightness and natural pedal feel. Meanwhile, the Heckler SL relies on a 430-watt-hour battery pack for juice, which is integrated seamlessly into the downtube.
The Santa Cruz Heckler SL rolls on a full-suspension frame with 160 millimeters of suspension travel up front, and 150 millimeters of rear wheel travel. It receives a low-lying VPP rear shock further keeping the bike’s center of gravity low. For extra nimbleness on the trails, Santa Cruz has opted for a mullet configuration, running 29-inch and 27.5-inch wheels at the front and rear respectively.
In total, Santa Cruz is offering the Heckler SL in five build configurations, all of which are built around full carbon-fiber frames. As such, it should come as no surprise to you that the bike costs quite a pretty penny. The base model starts at $7,299 USD, while a step up to the Carbon S will set you back $8,699 USD. The GX AXS model bumps the price up to $9,699 USD, while the X0 AXS RSV variant will fetch $11,699 USD. Last but not least, if you want the ultimate best that Santa Cruz has to offer, be ready to shell out $12,999 for the XX AXS RSV.