2024 Santa Cruz Heckler SL

[RxBike]

The range extender port on the relay and the heckler sl (maybe all fazua 60 systems) is located below the water bottle cage. There is a rubber plug there on both bikes. Transition has a spare part for it labeled as "relay range extender plug".

Transition Bikes

Transition Bikes is a rider owned and operated mountain bike manufacturer from Bellingham Washington

www.transitionbikes.com

 

[squeegee]

The range extender port on the relay and the heckler sl (maybe all fazua 60 systems) is located below the water bottle cage. There is a rubber plug there on both bikes. Transition has a spare part for it labeled as "relay range extender plug".

Transition Bikes

Transition Bikes is a rider owned and operated mountain bike manufacturer from Bellingham Washington

www.transitionbikes.com

Ah okay, didn't not realize that, so then what is the hold up on the release of the range extenders?

 

[cykelk]

Ah okay, didn't not realize that, so then what is the hold up on the release of the range extenders?

There’s actually a dedicated thread for this: Ride 60 Range Extender/Spare battery

Looks like Fazua claimed supply chain issues. Haibike and Focus are advertising that it’ll be 210Wh.

 

[Harold]

Also the SL2 skews more toward trail bike and the Heckler SL skews toward enduro bike.

SL2 is def more all mountain than trail, did you try it?
But yes heckler SL leans a bit more toward enduro territory because of VPP, longer chainstay and being 1.4kg heavier (comp vs R models).

 

[squeegee]

There’s actually a dedicated thread for this: Ride 60 Range Extender/Spare battery

Looks like Fazua claimed supply chain issues. Haibike and Focus are advertising that it’ll be 210Wh.

It's pretty lame when new motor system is released without a needed accessory, RE not needed every ride but the day you need it and don't have it...would be disappointing, would prevent me from doing certain big rides at all with friends.

Reminds me of YT's promise to release 700W battery, it took almost 3 years to happen. Or Forestal's missing RE. Pretty lame that only the big brands seem to bring this all together at once when new bikes come to market.

 

[cykelk]

It's pretty lame when new motor system is released without a needed accessory, RE not needed every ride but the day you need it and don't have it...would be disappointing, would prevent me from doing certain big rides at all with friends.

Not ideal, sure, but it's product development and things happen. The bike brands that are advertising it as if the RE already exists perhaps is a bit lame but Fazua is decidedly not advertising it as far as I can tell. I'm happy to be riding the system every day while I wait for them to bring the range extender to market.

 

[Suns_PSD]

What about the elephant in the room: F60 reliability issues. This is a young, less mature system so it is more subjected to engineering issues, but I have heard sooo many stories about motor bugs, this is alarming. Some of my Santa dealers simply refused to order the heckler SL because of that.

I guess you personally did not encounter issues so far, good for you, but still comparing both platform should imply mentioning reliability.

Seems to me all e-bike motors break, but I agree that the F60 might have below average reliability. Most of the issues seem to be on Pivots and I was told it was software related.

That said, my own F60 got louder after 2-3 rides, rode 100% fine but was replaced under warranty. Truthfully I wish I would have waited to warranty it until right before the 2 years ran out so I could have had the freshest and most updated motor in place.

I swap bikes often but I enjoy this bike so much that I intend to keep it for years and hope I can continue to obtain replacement motors as needed.

 

[squeegee]

Not ideal, sure, but it's product development and things happen. The bike brands that are advertising it as if the RE already exists perhaps is a bit lame but Fazua is decidedly not advertising it as far as I can tell. I'm happy to be riding the system every day while I wait for them to bring the range extender to market.

Advertised or not is still lame. Good you are happy but nonetheless a lot of $$ for an incomplete package IMO.

 

[cykelk]

Advertised or not is still lame. Good you are happy but nonetheless a lot of $$ for an incomplete package IMO.

We just disagree here, luckily the market has plenty of other options for you.

 

[squeegee]

We just disagree here, luckily the market has plenty of other options for you.

Understood, and yes there are several complete systems in the SL category (range extender actually available). I only mention these thoughts here because people that buy these bikes with certain expectations may not realize there may not be enough capacity in the frame battery to complete long rides with their buddies on FF bikes or SL bikes that do have range extenders...if you are new to the SL ebike category or new to ebikes in general, full disclosure of inherent limitations may not always be put on the table by the seller either.

 

[deksawyer]

What tool do I need to remove the cranks from the Ride 60?

 

[cykelk]

What tool do I need to remove the cranks from the Ride 60?

Just an 8mm Allen: MANUAL E-CRANK - Praxis Works

 

[deksawyer]

Just an 8mm Allen: MANUAL E-CRANK - Praxis Works

Excellent!

 

[cykelk]

A photo from the PNW wild...

heckler-sl-slabs.jpg

• cykelk
• Oct 28, 2023

 

[Bluedirtz]

Such a great photo! Which trai?

 

[malvoize]

Hi

I am waiting for my heckler SL GX AXS. Does anybody feel the need to change the reserve SL AL wheels or the Lyric fork for a 38mm stanchions fork? I am riding alpine terrain but no bike parks and weight 95kg ready to ride. I am afraid that the stock build is too much trail / lightweight oriented.

Thanks

 

[Shjay]

I have just built up an Ally Reserve SL for rear of my Rise will run an insert but was curious to try & mine only 28h on industry nine 1&1 hub 92kg but local trails roots & ruts in woods with some rock gardens not tested rim yet as just built it but having built myself know it’s up to the task hopefully

 

[Shjay]

Forks should be good too am running an aftermarket Yari on my Rise at 160mm with DSD Runt & Novy Splug mates run Lyriks on ther Mega & Ripmo one is 100kg

 

[Harold]

Currently hesitating between Levo SL and Heckler SL. I would go for the heckler for sure if it hasn’t that Fazua motor. I’ve read through a lot of bad stories about that motor reliability (mainly on shuttle SL and Relay).
I know it is still early to debrief on Heckler SL as it just hit the market, but I’m wondering whether the last batches of Fazua DU (serving the heckler) might be more trustworthy.
For the owners any experience to share already?

 

[cykelk]

Hi

I am waiting for my heckler SL GX AXS. Does anybody feel the need to change the reserve SL AL wheels or the Lyric fork for a 38mm stanchions fork? I am riding alpine terrain but no bike parks and weight 95kg ready to ride. I am afraid that the stock build is too much trail / lightweight oriented.

Thanks

The equipment you’re used to will play a big role in the answer for your riding. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I felt the wheels were the weak link. I still feel that way, but I’m also accustomed to WeAreOne Unions and regularly ride high speed terrain where I notice the precision deficit. I weigh around 77kg riding weight and have ridden ZEB before…the Lyrik works fine for me.

 

[cykelk]

Currently hesitating between Levo SL and Heckler SL. I would go for the heckler for sure if it hasn’t that Fazua motor. I’ve read through a lot of bad stories about that motor reliability (mainly on shuttle SL and Relay).
I know it is still early to debrief on Heckler SL as it just hit the market, but I’m wondering whether the last batches of Fazua DU (serving the heckler) might be more trustworthy.
For the owners any experience to share already?

Noise is still the only issue I’ve had. I’m at about 25 hours, 330km 370km, and 14km elevation. Still waiting for new DU but in the meantime the noise hasn’t gotten better or worse and the assist works fine.

I’m sort of a broken record on this but, any system can have issues. A riding buddy is avoiding Specialized because of his personal experiences. IMO just buy the bike you want to ride, and use the warranty if you have to.

 

[Alan Yeung]

Hi

I am waiting for my heckler SL GX AXS. Does anybody feel the need to change the reserve SL AL wheels or the Lyric fork for a 38mm stanchions fork? I am riding alpine terrain but no bike parks and weight 95kg ready to ride. I am afraid that the stock build is too much trail / lightweight oriented.

Thanks

I have the SL GXS AXS and so far don't feel the need to upgrade anything. I'm 75kg and do mostly all-mountain riding. I also own a 2020 Levo with a Zeb fork, X2 shock with a cascade link. My reasons for getting the SL is I want a light weight playful emtb to contrast against the Levo and the Heckler SL fits the bill perfectly. For you it will depend on the riding you do. If you are used to enduro style bikes and smashing through the gnar vs jibbing then a bigger fork is the way to go.

 

[malvoize]

Thanks for your answers everybody!

As my riding style is smashing to the gnar in alpine terrain, I will upgrade the fork with an Öhlins rxf 38 that I already own and the wheels with a set of carbon reserve HD 30 The SL wheels was my main concern...

I will post my thoughts as soon as my bike arrive!

 

[Alan Yeung]

Thanks for your answers everybody!

As my riding style is smashing to the gnar in alpine terrain, I will upgrade the fork with an Öhlins rxf 38 that I already own and the wheels with a set of carbon reserve HD 30 The SL wheels was my main concern...

I will post my thoughts as soon as my bike arrive!

I have the carbon reserve rims on my Levo and now the AL reserve rims on the Heckler. I originally got the Reserve 27 for my 2016 Bronson. After a few years a hairline crack appeared and SC replaced that with a Reserve 30 which I run on my Levo. Just earlier this fall, I cracked that rim on a rock strike off a big drop. SC replaced that with a Reserve 30 HD. Reserve warranty is amazing. No questions asked. Just fill in a form and they send you a new rim. However, I'm curious to see how strong the AL rim is. Time will tell.

 

[Iron1927]

Seems to me all e-bike motors break, but I agree that the F60 might have below average reliability. Most of the issues seem to be on Pivots and I was told it was software related.

That said, my own F60 got louder after 2-3 rides, rode 100% fine but was replaced under warranty. Truthfully I wish I would have waited to warranty it until right before the 2 years ran out so I could have had the freshest and most updated motor in place.

I swap bikes often but I enjoy this bike so much that I intend to keep it for years and hope I can continue to obtain replacement motors as needed.

Is the motor you replaced silent?

 

[tbones]

Time for a consolidated review now that I've got about a week on this bike (GX AXS kit) and have ridden a good circuit of local trails from mellow(ish) to, as seems to be a popular term lately, "steep and deep" enduro style trails. Total ~55 miles and 11,400 ft elevation.

Context​

I ordered this bike to replace a Transition Repeater (full-power EP8 bike) with some notion that it might also replace my Sentinel (leg-only). I've been running both of those bikes with coil suspension, WAO Union wheels, and burly tires: they are set up to charge and I want the same from the HSL. The Repeater got me hooked on eMTB but after a full season I just never got used to the weight.

Fazua R60 Impressions / vs EP8 (since that's the one I know)​

I really like the way this motor system delivers power, and the Fazua tuning controls in the app mean no trouble dialing it in to personal preferences or different riding scenarios. I've now climbed some of the steeper access roads in my area (grades exceeding 25%) and the bike handles it fine. I work a bit harder and move a bit slower than on the Repeater, but it's still plenty of power to eat up the otherwise brutal slogs. I was prepared for a larger gap, and maybe I'll feel it more once I do another group ride with FullEs. I can share climbing comparison numbers for some of my own rides, if anyone is interested.

I also like the clean cockpit without an integrated display. The top-tube LEDs are bright! I'd love to have a way to turn them off. Love having my input power data to the system on my ride computer, and if anyone knows how to add motor power let me know. A few little nits: I wish we could OTA firmware updates from the phone app (again someone correct me if I'm missing something here), and Fazua Toolbox doesn't have arm processor (Apple silicon) support so I had to dig up an old Windows computer and cross my fingers that it still worked (it did). I've talked enough about motor noise here so I'll leave that where it is.

Component Spec Thoughts​

Santa Cruz mostly nailed it with the GX kit. Suspension is excellent, wheels are good (would have preferred to take the weight hit and get the HD AL version), and Transmission drivetrain is what you'd expect. The "shifting under load" claims for T-Type are exaggerated IMO...shifting with reckless abandon still feels and sounds like it'll break a chain in short order.

The Downhills​

I'm inclined to agree with Biker's Edge that it's the most fun you can have on two wheels. I dunno what else to say really - it carves, rips, sends, etc... Descending character is quiet and supportive and the weight savings are really noticeable. The first few rides I had a little bit of trouble staying forward on the bike in heavy impacts or high-g scenarios, but I quickly adapted or got the fork rebound dialed in, or some combination of both.

Conclusion​

It's good fun everywhere, would buy again.

I'd be interested in checking out your climbing comparison numbers if you don't mind sharing them. I currently have a Heckler with the EP801 and I'm thinking of swapping it out for the SL. I never ride in full turbo and love the idea of a lighter bike.

 

[Alan Yeung]

I'd be interested in checking out your climbing comparison numbers if you don't mind sharing them. I currently have a Heckler with the EP801 and I'm thinking of swapping it out for the SL. I never ride in full turbo and love the idea of a lighter bike.

Here's stats from my biggest ride so far, 84% battery used, and I'm ~170lbs. For comparison, the same ride on my Levo with a 700Wh battery consumed 60% of the battery riding mostly in trail mode (average rider power 67W)

 

[cykelk]

I'd be interested in checking out your climbing comparison numbers if you don't mind sharing them. I currently have a Heckler with the EP801 and I'm thinking of swapping it out for the SL. I never ride in full turbo and love the idea of a lighter bike.

Here are a few of my regular climbs, just grabbed the fastest run from each bike for the previous month. In each case, especially steeper pitches, the perceived effort and HR are slightly higher on R60 (135-140bpm vs 145-150bpm) and the battery used slightly more (for the steep road, 19-20% vs 22-23%).

Local gravel climb 3.0 miles, 1275 feet (7.5% avg grade)
18:40 EP8 Boost, 20:38 R60 Rocket

Local mixed climb (road/gravel/singletrack) 1.33 miles, 1170 feet (16.7% avg grade)
13:30 EP8 Boost, 16:00 R60 Rocket

Local singletrack climb 1.28 miles, 520 feet (7.7% avg grade)
8:09 EP8 Boost (kinda - hard to truly Boost), 9:20 R60 Rocket

 

[Sebov]

Custom build with a stripped off R-Kit.
Really like it so far.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Is the motor you replaced silent?

Silent? No.
Quite quiet? Definitely.