Santa Cruz has nailed almost everything on the Heckler SL, and we were smitten with the ride quality, but at 7.6k it's just too expensive, and the Fazua Ride 60 system isn't as reliable as it should be.
The Santa Cruz Heckler SL stole my heart with its standout ride quality and impressive range, but one big concern stopped it from walking away with our 2024 SL E-bike of the Year award
Everyone says that SL e-bikes are supposed to offer a more analogue-like ride experience. So what better way to make a great SL e-bike than taking a great analogue bike and bolting a Fazua Ride 60 motor and 430Wh battery into it?
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Okay, so it’s not quite that simple. But that’s pretty much what Santa Cruz has done with the Heckler SL. Based on the ultra-capable Bronson platform, the Heckler SL gets 160/150mm travel, MX wheels, and a total party vibe. And pound-for-pound it also has the best range in our MBR SL E-Bike of the Year test, so you’ll be able to party until the lights come on. Or, in this case, go out.
Frame and geometry
But just how similar is the Heckler SL to the Bronson? If we take a closer look at both bikes in size L, and both in the low geometry setting, the 478mm reach numbers are identical and there’s only 0.1º difference in the 64º head angle. Both bikes also have the same 341mm BB height, which makes total sense, as both frames have 150mm travel.
The geometry is not identical though. Yes, both have proportional chainstay lengths, but the Bronson has genuinely proportional rear centre lengths for all five frame sizes. Contrast that with the Heckler SL, which shares the same 444mm rear centre measurement on the XS, S and M, then grows to 447mm on the XL and 451mm on the XXL. And that’s probably a direct result of the constraints introduced by fitting a battery and motor, rather than anything to do with weight distribution or handling.
One other subtle, but important difference, is that the Bronson gets a 180mm direct mount for the rear brake, while the Heckler SL goes straight to 200mm, as you’re never going to want anything less on an e-bike. Even a sub 20kg one.
Which leads me nicely to arguably the biggest difference between the Bronson and Heckler SL… weight. With comparable build kits and the same level carbon C frame, (Santa Cruz has C and lighter CC options) the weight difference is approximately 4.25kg. Remarkably, the Heckler SL only costs £1,600 more than the Bronson, which to me seems like pretty good value, especially given how much riding I could get in on the Heckler SL.
Santa Cruz Heckler SL Need to know
- E-bike version of the Bronson
- C and CC carbon frame options
- 160/150mm travel
- Semi size-specific chainstays
- MX wheels
- Fazua Ride 60 motor
- Integrated Fazua 430Wh battery
- Three key power modes River, Breeze and Rocket
- Boost gives 450 watts for 12 seconds
- SRAM GX mechanical drivetrain
- Burgtec finishing kit
- Range: 1,202m vertical
- Sizes S to XXL
Motor and battery
So most of the extra weight is directly related to the 4.2kg Fazua e-bike system. The Ride 60 motor weighs 1.96kg, so marginally heavier than the TQ HPR50 motor on the Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 that’s also in our 2024 SL E-bike of the Year test. The big difference here though, is that the Fazua motor has 60Nm torque and 450 watts peak power. Now, I should make it clear that you only get 450 watts in boost mode, which is only available in 12 second bursts. The usable modes are Breeze, River and Rocket, where Rocket mode consistently gives 350 watts of assistance. So well below the test-winning, Bosch SX-equipped Whyte E-Lyte 150 RSX. And like most other systems, there’s a Fazua app, so we could adjust the preset riding modes to our liking.
The remaining weight is concentrated in the 2.3kg integrated 430Wh battery. And while that doesn’t sound like a very big battery, it offers insanely good range. In my dedicated range test, the Santa Cruz managed 1,202m of vertical, and was only narrowly beaten by the Cannondale Moterra SL with its 600Wh battery. For context, the Fazua system delivers 50% more range than any of the 400Wh equipped Bosch SX bikes in the test.
Fazua’s handlebar mounted Ring Controller makes it easy to toggle between the power modes, or long press it to access Boost mode. It does feel flimsy though, especially compared to the regular push-button remotes on all of the other bikes in this test. Also, the LED display on the top tube is very basic and very bright, so it’s distracting when riding in low light. Which is pretty much most of the time here in the UK.
Suspension
All of the talk recently has been about Santa Cruz ditching its longstanding VPP suspension and switching to a classic four-bar design on the new Bosch CX equipped Vala. And while that makes perfect sense on a full power e-bike with a bigger motor, the VPP layout on the Heckler SL isn’t subject to the same constraints, because the Fazua Ride 60 motor is so much more compact.
As such, the RockShox Super Deluxe Select + shock still sits low in the frame and there’s actually a small window in the side of the frame so I could see where the red O-ring sits on the sag gradients of the shock body. This one small detail makes setting up the suspension so much easier. There’s also an asymmetric flip chip, where the shock bolts into the lower link, which is fiddly to reach but does provide high/low geometry settings. One other neat feature is the bearing – rather than a bushing – in the rear shock eyelet to help reduce breakaway friction and increase traction.
Travel on the rear is 150mm and the only real drawback of the VPP layout is that it drives the bottle cage, and ultimately the range extender, further up the down tube. Actually, hold on a minute, Fazua still doesn’t have a range extender available to buy, so where it goes, really isn’t a problem. At least not yet.
Up front, the Heckler SL gets a 160mm travel RockShox Lyrik Select + fork. So it’s the exact same specification level as the shock, where the extra 10mm travel really helps the bike hit that do-it-all sweet spot in terms of travel. In fact, the Heckler SL is clearly more enduro-leaning, than a straight up trail e-bike. Torque caps on the 15mm front hub increase torsional stiffness and tracking with the 35mm chassis, so steering precision from the Lyrik fork is more than adequate for all but the heaviest riders. The torque caps also make it way easier to locate the axle when fitting the front wheel.
Components
While it’s easy to think of the kit on the Carbon C S build as a sensible specification, compared to some of the other bikes in this test, it feels a bit low rent given the asking price.
The basic SRAM Code R brakes lack bite, even with the 200mm rotors front and rear, and they have too much dead lever travel for my linking. Also, after a couple of month’s abuse, the bushings in the lever pivots are starting to feel baggy and have begun to rattle. Which is super-annoying, as there’s zero rattle from the Fazua motor, or the rest of the bike.
SRAM’s 12-speed GX mechanical drivetrain worked flawlessly, bit I’d have preferred the wider 520% gear range of the bigger 10-52t cassette, rather then the 10-50t, just to keep the pedals spinning and the motor running on steeper gradients. Also the SRAM drivetrain proved to be more robust and precise than the Shimano XT kit on the Orbea Rise LT in this test. It’s not as solid as SRAM GX AXS though, and when you’re spending this much cash on a bike, you’d expect to have AXS T-type fitted as standard.
One area where Santa Cruz clearly hasn’t cut any corners, just so you can, is on the tyre specification. Yes, the 2.5in Maxx Grip Minion DHF isn’t as versatile as the Assegai, but the super soft compound lets me get away with lines that would be impossible without it. The Minion DHF is paired with arguably the best rear tyre Maxxis makes, the Minion DHR II, in a harder wearing Maxx Terra compound. And because the Heckler SL is a lightweight e-bike, the front tyre uses the lighter EXO casing and the rear gets the tougher EXO+. So, if you mostly ride rocky terrain, you’re going to want tougher casings front and rear, and just take a hit on the weight.
Performance
If I had to describe the Santa Cruz Heckler SL in one word, I’d pick rowdy. Because, from the very first ride, the Heckler SL had me slashing turns, sending jumps and doing dumb sh*t that I’m way too old and sensible for. Which is probably why I loved riding this bike so much. The Fazua Ride 60 motor gives it just enough juice to make me feel 20 years younger on the climbs, but the ride quality had me tapping into my BMX roots on every descent. Better than testosterone replacement therapy? You bet! And if the outcome of this 2024 SL E-bike of the Year test was down to pure fun alone, Santa Cruz would probably have won. It didn’t, so let me explain why.
Climbing
This isn’t the first Fazua Ride 60-equipped bike that I’ve tested and hopefully it’s not the last, because I really like the system. It’s light, compact, has best-in-class range, and it’s normally really quiet when pedalling or coasting. Well, the Santa Cruz was anything but quiet when pedalling, and probably needed the motor replacing after just a few months of use. If you want to hear exactly how bad the motor sounded, then check out the range test video.
Also, I know this problem isn’t unique to Santa Cruz. Pivot had issues with the Shuttle SL that won our last SL E-bike test, and the Lapierre E-Zesty AM 9.4 that Mick Kirkman reviewed also had fatal motor problems. So, I find it increasingly hard to recommend the system, even though all of these issues would be covered under warranty. When it’s working properly however, the pedalling dynamics of the Ride 60 motor are great, even if the 350 watts of assistance feels inadequate in the modern era of higher power SL bikes that are designed to do-it-all. In fact, even with the 450 watts of assistance in Boost mode, the Santa Cruz isn’t that punchy compared with the Shimano EP801-equipped Cannondale Moterra SL
Descending
With the climbing dispatched, the Santa Cruz Heckler SL will have you quickly elbowing your way to the front of the line. With the higher Burgtec cockpit and soft Burgtec grips I always felt like I have a handle on things, even if this bike will had me hitting lines that tested my skills to the very limit.
The full carbon frame and VPP rear suspension combine to give the Heckler SL a taut, reassuringly solid feel. So there’s plenty of support in the rear of the bike, both structurally via the frame, and mechanically, through the suspension. So I could lean against this support mid-turn without the tyre rubbing the frame, like on the Orbea Rise LT. Fast in, fast out, seems to be the motto here, where I could simply crank the Heckler SL over as far as it would go, and hope the tyres held. Cornering on this bike feels amazing.
And it’s not a one-trick pony. The suspension isn’t so stable that I couldn’t preload it and easily get both wheels off the ground. In fact, it felt like I spent way more time on the back wheel than any other bike in this test. The Santa Cruz isn’t as ruthlessly fast and composed as the Whyte E-Lyte 150, and on choppier trails that support in the suspension can translate in to a harsher ride. But if going as fast as humanly possible isn’t the only way you get your thrills, then the Santa Cruz Heckler SL is going to be more exciting. It’s no fun having an e-bike that doesn’t work though, so Fazua really needs to improve reliability, and probably offer more power, if it wants to remain competitive in the modern lightweight e-bike arena.
Verdict
E-bikes are rapidly becoming just like any other digital tech. Where the pace of development is so fast that what’s hot now, can be well past its best before 12 months later. So while there’s simply no disputing the incredible ride quality of the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, the Fazua Ride 60 drive unit hasn’t got the oomph to compete with the new breed of full power SL e-bikes, even if it clearly has the range. There are also question marks surrounding the reliability of the Fazua system that make my head overrule my heart when it comes to the outcome of this test. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved riding the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, but it needs better brakes and improved motor reliability before I’d throw caution to the wind and throw my own money at it.