What You Need to Know | Santa Cruz Heckler SL

[@jaydub308]

Might be kind of late. I appreciate you doing this. I wasn't excited about the motor not being water proof. But this really changes my mind. Also really really good advice. If you want to know about something you are thinking about buying, ask the guy that has one. You are awesome thank you

[@paulmaag6958]

I've been riding my Heckler SL for 2 months now. Absolutely no problem's with the bike. I've done lots of long hard climbs and use only River and Rocket modes. For my riding in the Colorado Rockies, the breeze mode is worthless. Just no power. In fact, it feels slower in Breeze mode than a light weight traditional analog bike. My guess is that Fazua developed that mode for installations on road bikes. I have a full power Bosch CX4 bike and an Orbea Rise SL bike So I can make some comparisons. The Heckler SL is much better on downhills and technical rock climbing than the Orbea Rise. Its just much more planted with the stiffer frame and stays. I would say that the Heckler SL in Rocket mode is about the same power as the Orbea rise in Trail mode. When in the 10 second boost mode, the Heckler SL power matches the Orbea Rise in boost. This works pretty well, as most of the time. I find I work about 20% more on the Heckler SL. The Heckler SL has a much better range than the small battery Orbea Rise, due the Hecckler SL battery. I think the motor is very efficient. My Heckler SL is still as silent as it was new. I probably have about 90 hours on the bike.

[@MILTONATOR]

Thanks for chiming in. Looking forward to a quieter motor.

[@pippinrush1520]

90 hours.. impressive in two months! I’ve had my sc sl for about a month and and prob have about 200-250 miles. My motor did make the grinding noise one day, but the next morning, no noise.. so weird

[@jeffp5418]

Do you enjoy riding these low powered bikes as much as your full power ebike?

[@pippinrush1520]

@@jeffp5418 it’s definitely different as I am lucky, and have both Heckers. They do complement each other similar to having two types of muscle bikes. At first I thought I’d sell my big heckler, but I’m glad I kept it. The full fat Hackler is much faster a pill which I love and the SL is faster downhill you’ll definitely get a work out, riding the SL.

[@pippinrush1520]

@@jeffp5418 do i enjoy it as much??.. yeah, i do. possibly even more. they both have their places. Full power for exploring and adventuring, and the SL for rides where i know where i'm going. hope that helps

[@AHappyZeebra]

Great perspective here. Buying new does help you in that you will have that warrantee. And with this motor the warrantee starts over with the motor replacement. Nearly all of the other manufacturers have motor issues. I do think this one is getting plagued by a bit too many. So far my Heckler motor has been stellar and the downhill ride has been amazing. Hope FAZUA with all the claims gets it figured out. Can’t imagine as a company wanting to do so many warrantee claims across multiple bike brands.

[@MILTONATOR]

The bike is an absolute joy to ride. Both up and down. Fingers crossed they sent me “figured out” replacement motor. Thanks

[@AHappyZeebra]

@@MILTONATOR 🤞🏼

[@estimateparagon]

I have a Pivot Shuttle SL with the Fazua motor. Had to update my software/firmware a few times but it’s been a great motor for me.

[@MILTONATOR]

That's good to hear. Weird how it's a hit and miss. Hoping for a similar experience going forarward.

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Ah nah... So glad to hear a real review of what you have encountered so far. I actually thought of this bike because it doesn't look like an Ebike and looks amazing. Hope that everything works out and you can give a review on it soon.

[@MILTONATOR]

Good news is the replacement drive unit has arrived at the shop and just dropped off my bike a couple of hours ago. From the brief conversation we had, sounds like it’s gonna be a good one 🤞 Thanks, can’t wait to share the outcome

[@zacdavenport1476]

Hope all goes well with the new unit. Look forward to your updates. Winter is here, but come spring I'll pick up this bike or the Levo SL. Following the FB groups and see who has less issues to report.

[@MILTONATOR]

Keep a close eye for sure. Thanks

[@Schnabulation]

I also have the Heckler SL and I had no issue whatsoever. I migrated from a "regular" Heckler and love the SL already - it's so different to my old bike and so much better! Go try it out!

[@kingrat738]

Been riding a GT Force Amp+ for roughly 800km's now... Eeb has changed riding for me. Rode yesterday and will ride again today & weather blessing, I'll be riding Monday too. Could never do this on my Amish rig (w/o feeling like I'd done 12 rounds w/ Tyson 🤕)

[@MILTONATOR]

Haha! Nice

[@phx4669]

Same sound on mine brother! Glad they are doing something about it. The bike is awesome.

[@MILTONATOR]

Oh man, bummer! But yea, bike is awesome and fingers crossed on the new motor 🤞

[@sampep]

@@MILTONATORdid the replacement last?

[@MILTONATOR]

@@sampep it was solid up until I sold the bike, which was 5 months later. Haven’t heard of any issues from the buyer, who is somewhat local

[@freezer4230]

I demo'd the Heckler SL twice- once at the Santa Cruz factory and once through Mike's Bikes. The SC demo motor made the same noise you show in your video, especially at the top of long climbs. The SC factory demo guys couldn't replicate the noise in the parking lot, and basically didn't want to talk about it. Not confidence inspiring. The demo from Mikes Bikes was brand new and the motor didn't make the grinding noise. Ulitmately I decided not to get the bike because I wasn't convinced of the motor quality/longevity. Too bad, because I was impressed by the handling, suspension, motor power and battery life. Hope you get the motor sorted out and it's trouble free going forward.

[@MILTONATOR]

Terrible experience. New drive unit and so far so good. Fingers crossed

[@soliranje]

I have cube stereo 140 from 2021, I have 5300km driven and drive unit works great.

[@MILTONATOR]

Nice man!

[@xxKLFxx]

Just ordered my heckler sl | R. Cannot wait to rip it.

[@xxKLFxx]

You may have mentioned in a different video but what are your stats and what size bike did you go with? I’m 5’9 and ride an ibis ripmo medium, but moving to the heckler sl in large.

[@bikemad]

Good vid question why did you contact fazua instead of taking bike back to jenson to let them deal with problem??

[@MILTONATOR]

I did. Jensons is about an hour away and therefore decided to contact Fazua first to include uploading the video where the noise can be heard. I was pleasantly surprised with the response and being able to have my “preferred shop” handle the claim - in this case, that shop is down the street from my house

[@map4ca]

My Pivot Shuttle SL had similar sound but worse. Started after 70 miles. Developed into a loud grinding clunky sound. Actually broke. Motor stopped assisting. Dealer is handling the warranty claim. Also had defective ring controller. Warranty claim replaced the ring controller plus the LED head unit. I was super happy with the bike before the motor broke. It was super quiet with good power and range.

[@MILTONATOR]

Bummer man. Fingers crossed on the replacements 🤞

[@lostman65]

it’s part of the process… as long as the manufacturer knows they f’d up. ps i am not an ebike fan, but i am a fan of the channel

[@MILTONATOR]

Thanks for chiming in and for the support

[@OliverMalinao]

Man that is a bummer. I hope everything will be resolved. See you on the trails.

[@MILTONATOR]

🤞 see you on the trails

[@pauljam4122]

Would be disappointing to have a major issue so early on Milton. Glad you're getting it sorted out through warranty. PS, did you steel the suspension off your Fluid to put on the Heckler?

[@MILTONATOR]

Ha! I did swap the suspension to test it out. The coil is going back to my fluid and will be running a Fox float X elite on the heckler. Thinking of buying an upgraded damper for the Lyrik (that came with the heckler) and running it on the Fluid

[@pippinrush1520]

@@MILTONATOR i thought about upgrading the fork too, until fox dropped their prices on the performance elite 36. that stock base fork is meh..

[@MILTONATOR]

@@pippinrush1520 i also considered a damper upgrade for the Lyrik. Didn’t get too far on that tho being that I had the 36 on my other bike. Some good deals going on though as you mention

[@waynephilbert]

That's unfortunate to hear but it seems to happen with new motors. The TQ motor had some new owners needing new / replacement motors early on in their ownership. The Heckler SL looks so good, looking forward to hearing how you get on with it once it's fixed.

[@MILTONATOR]

Seems to be a hit and miss. I’m optimistic about the outcome. Because apart from that issue, the bike is turning out to be everything I hope for and more

[@svenball5384]

I went out for a test ride on the SL and had that sound about halfway. Coming back the dealer told me that this is the Porsche (sound) experience. He was a bit frustrated as well as the quality spread seems to be significant and over here the dealer is the contact for warranty issues. Lots of work with no winners left at the end. Great bike though, but cant imagine what happens if warranty runs out and you are on your own. I tend to keep my stuff for 3-5 years minimum, so I do care about aftersales support.

[@MILTONATOR]

It’s a 24 month warranty on the drive unit. Definitely something worth taking into consideration

[@trailpimp6369]

Sorry to hear about the new bike Milton. I am still on my pedal enduro bike. I am considering a Decoy core 4 or a canyon Torque E. I also like the Polygon N8 E. I hope it all works out my dude🔥🙏

[@MILTONATOR]

Solid bike list you’ve got there! Thanks as always man. In the shop now getting fixed up 🤞

[@trailpimp6369]

@@MILTONATOR 🔥🔥🙏

[@Ace-cf6tf]

Hey man what happened to the Norco Fluid?, I got one like yours cuz you gave it good reviews so I pull the plug

[@MILTONATOR]

Congratulations! How do you like it? Still have mine.

[@Dempsey222]

Jenson USA is a great shop. I shop there a lot. Milton can you go to Intense Factory and do a test ride of their bikes one day. Intense is in Temecula so it is not a far ride to go to their shop for a test ride.

[@MILTONATOR]

They sure are (Intense) Just need to make the time for it 🙂 🫡

[@Dempsey222]

@@MILTONATOR They make great bikes and the owner Jeff is always in the shop and picks up the phone sometimes if you call. They make a great enduro bike Tracer. Primer is great for trails.

[@timc4258]

I also had to warranty the entire drive unit in my new heckler Sl. Started having issues on the 2nd ride. So bummed. i feel like Santa Cruz / Fazua really screwed up on this motor. Lots of Pivot Shuttle sl owners reporting the same issue.

[@MILTONATOR]

Not a good experience at all. Really hoping Fazua figures it out and replaces with long lasting drive units. Weird that SC risked their reputation like this

[@raxman80]

That's a bummer man. I have the pivot shuttle sl and I just killed the third motor. It sounded quiet but the silver shim fell out and the whole motor lost its torque. Hopefully the latest batch of motors are fixed of any problems.

[@MILTONATOR]

That’s right, the Shuttle SL uses the same Fazua motor. That sucks man. Fingers crossed on the latest batch of motors for sure

[@raxman80]

@@MILTONATOR ya for sure. I would hate to sell it just because of the motor. Good luck 👍🏻👍🏻

[@jeremys4705]

Agreed hit and miss. I have over 400 miles on Heckler SL it's super quiet and more powerful than expected. I have ridden my full power Levo only once since the purchase and it feels like a tank in comparison. I am generally not in love with SC bikes, I have had 4 but they have traditionally not been my favorite. I put 1500 miles on my Levo since since June. It's great for long rides but anything under 30 miles and 4000 I would take the Heckler Sl everytime. The one up dropper has given me a little grief. I am starting to like the transmission more but not really in love with having to charge one more thing. It's pretty poppy, stable at speed and very playful. I can ride with full power bikes as long as they are in trail mode or micro tuned up to 60%. Lots of complaints about the ring controller but it's been working perfectly. I did change all the stock ride modes. Acceleration I turned down to 15% in all modes, I bumped river up to 200 watts of power at 155 of my power. Breeze I turned up to 282 watts (approx the same as my levo on trail mode. Rocket I really only use once or twice for a minute or two at most per ride. In short bike rips, Happy to be back on rockshox. My Fox suspension x2 has had many issues and was finally replaced. My Fox dropper was also replaced. Anyway enjoy the ride. I do have some long term concerns about Fazua but hopefully they will get it sorted and be good on warranty. Oh the display is a total joke but I use a Garmin watch so it hasn't bothered me. But the display is embarrassing. My wife has a gen2 levo and motor was locked up right from the shop, it happens. Sorry way too long a response.

[@MILTONATOR]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading thorough all that you said. I’m a noob and e-bikes and still learning about the ride profiles. If you know of any videos or sites that dumb it down for someone like me to understand, please point me there. Most of my rides don’t exceed 25 miles so the range of the SL is spot on. Thanks for chiming in man. My replacement drive unit will be installed this week and ready for riding this coming weekend. Wish me luck 🤞

[@AHappyZeebra]

This is really good info. I’m new to e-bikes too. Played around with the app a little bit you have given me some good ideas to tweak. Thank you for sharing!

[@jeremys4705]

Play with the settings for me the most important setting was reducing the acceleration to make it as smooth as the Levo. Stock it felt like a kid trying to learn how to drive a Manuel car, very jerky and surgy. Once I got it sorted to my liking I haven't changed it in 350 miles. The first 50 took some playing around. It's hard to believe the stock settings come as they came from the factory. I am just speculating but I suspect they were made for a road bike to get you up to speed quickly and then to maintain a constant speed which tends to be the opposite of mtn biking. Just a guess but it would be impossible to ride technical trails without some user changes. Approx 85 rpms seems to be the motors happy place.

[@luiseezy2]

I have Levo as well but I’m thinking of selling it to buy the Heckler SL. I’m still on the fence about it but hopefully I’ll get to demo the Heckler SL soon and make my choice. Thanks for the info!

[@michaelmann3636]

My question is why isn’t Santa Cruze doing something about it ❓They are the ones specking the pile.

[@MILTONATOR]

I’m sure they considered many factors and landed on an acceptable of defects based on the SL category of e-bikes being a hot one right now. And the truth is we don’t know how widespread it is. There’s some folks on here who’ve not had any issues with theirs. Keeping my fingers crossed

[@michaelmann3636]

@@MILTONATOR but you shouldn’t have to deal with the motor manufacturers, SC should be the only source to deal with. I have ran into the same issue with other bike manufacturers that spec parts, they want you to have warranty parts items done through the parts manufacturer not them. They only want to warranty the frame, but they are the ones that sold you the complete bike. IMO it’s kinda BS.

[@jeremywrightphoto]

I had a Kenevo SL. One month in and the motor died. Specialized replaced it under warranty and never had an issue again. I guess it's just hit and miss.

[@asd5738]

Holy shit bad luck man. I haven’t had any problems with my heckler sl. Already put 200 miles on it.

[@MILTONATOR]

Yea man. That’s good to hear you’ve had no issues. Hoping my new drive unit is one of the good ones 🤞

[@venacava_mtb]

Had no idea this was an issue with the Heckler. That really sucks, especially for such a high end bike. It’s great that they’re taking care of it for you but still it’s time you can’t enjoy it cause it’s in the shop and after paying so much money that’s a real disappointment. It is a sick looking bike though! Hope everything works out! I saw Fabian today on his new e-bike as well😮‍💨. My pool of analog riders I can silently nod to on the trail in a sea of e-bikes is dwindling.

[@MILTONATOR]

Thanks man. It’s a disappointment for sure. Appreciate you chiming in 🤘

[@jamiesteiger6140]

I think some of these issues are part on the infancy stage of ebikes.

[@emotioneering]

If a component is going to fail, it’ll usually do so at the beginning, or end of its life. I work in the automotive industry for a really reliable brand and occasionally an engine will fail a few days post-delivery. I guess the important thing is how you are treated when an issue occurs. As frustrating as the issue is, sounds like they’ve done the right thing and sorted it quickly. I’ve got a Ride60 equipped SC on order; although there are reported issues from some owners, it’s hard to know how widespread the problems are as it’s not KZbin-worthy to post when someone is enjoying trouble-free operation.

[@Live_Loam_Lap-po4qt]

Lots of issues with the Fazua motor. Batteries. Lack of support. Motor. I don't think it will be the preferred SL Motor. The Brose SRAM setup will take over.

[@MILTONATOR]

Seems to be a hit and miss. This being my first emtb, I'm not very familiar with other motors but do hear good things about Brose.

[@pippinrush1520]

brose sram is a way different motor/battery. muuuuch heavier. but yeah, if your going that direction.. hell yea!

[@patrickbarrett5790]

I really hope your issue is resolved. That is incredibly disappointing with a bike at that price point!

[@MILTONATOR]

Not a good experience at all. The warranty claim and replacement of drive unit is moving along rather smoothly. Optimistic 🤞 thanks

[@tonybailey89]

lol you be flexing on all the poors with all these brand new bikes haha

[@danielpatino81]

To me is Bosch or nothing!!!

[@alexlamy1271]

Sinceramente no me gusto por la pila es muy pequeña ..

[@MILTONATOR]

Para mí está bien fíjate. Me da 23-25 millas y 3400 pies de elevación y lo mejor de todo, se siente normal. Pero para todos ay! 😅🤘