First Look: Santa Cruz's First eMTB, the 2020 Heckler
Hold onto your hate: Santa Cruz has entered the world of eMTBs with their all-new Heckler, a 150mm-travel all-mountain machine that's powered by Shimano's 250-watt Steps E-8000 motor and rolling on 27.5" wheels. Their first e-bike is modelled after like the non-motorized Bronson, which we loved when we tested it last year.
Santa Cruz will offer the Heckler in four different configurations, ranging from $7,399 to $12,599 USD, with all of them based on their top-tier CC carbon frames; there's no less expensive C or alloy Hecklers in the pipeline... Yet. There's also no frame-only option at this point.
Santa Cruz will offer the Heckler in four different configurations, ranging from $7,399 to $12,599 USD, with all of them based on their top-tier CC carbon frames; there's no less expensive C or alloy Hecklers in the pipeline... Yet. There's also no frame-only option at this point.
Heckler Details
• Intended use: All-mountain
• Wheel size: 27.5"
• Rear-wheel travel: 150mm
• Fork travel: 160mm
• Shimano Steps E-8000 drive system
• Head angle: 65.5-degrees
• Sizes: S - XXL
• Weight: 46lb (as pictured)
• MSRP: $7,399 - $12,599 USD (X01 RSV $10,899 pictured & ridden)
• More info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
• Intended use: All-mountain
• Wheel size: 27.5"
• Rear-wheel travel: 150mm
• Fork travel: 160mm
• Shimano Steps E-8000 drive system
• Head angle: 65.5-degrees
• Sizes: S - XXL
• Weight: 46lb (as pictured)
• MSRP: $7,399 - $12,599 USD (X01 RSV $10,899 pictured & ridden)
• More info: www.santacruzbicycles.com
The 150mm-travel Heckler uses Shimano's E-8000 Steps motor, a 160mm e-fork, and is on 27.5" wheels.
All of the complete bikes get four-piston brakes with big boy 200mm rotors, single-click Eagle drivetrains from SRAM, and a RockShox Super Deluxe shock. On the front, you'll find 160mm-travel e-ready forks from RockShox and Fox. Want more carbon? The X01 and XX1 versions come stock with Reserve carbon e-bike wheels (32h DH rear rim, 28h front), but you can also get them on less expensive models if you want to make them, you know, more expensive.
We also sat down with Rob Roskopp and Aaron Foley, the Heckler's lead engineer, to chat about its development and Santa Cruz's future with e-bikes.
The Heckler name
If you've been around for a while, the Heckler name might ring a bell. I was a smelly sixteen-year-old kid reading Mountain Bike Action magazines cover to cover when the original Heckler was released back in 1996 as a beefy (for the time) trail bike with 100mm of travel. The single-pivot Heckler was, much like the Tazmon when it debuted in 1994, seen as a relatively burly machine next to its NORBA-inspired competitors that weighed less but were also less capable.
The original Heckler took its name from a type of beer that Rob Roskopp, one of the three founders of Santa Cruz, was a fan of, and there have been a few different versions of the bike since. It also happens to be a fitting name for a bike that might see a bit of heckling. Or maybe it's those who're riding it that'll be doing the heckling?
The original Heckler took its name from a type of beer that Rob Roskopp, one of the three founders of Santa Cruz, was a fan of, and there have been a few different versions of the bike since. It also happens to be a fitting name for a bike that might see a bit of heckling. Or maybe it's those who're riding it that'll be doing the heckling?
The '97 Heckler had a 71-degree head angle, 100mm of travel from a 51mm stroke shock, and a 1.9:1 leverage ratio. Very different times.
A 12-speed Eagle drivetrain (with XT cranks, of course) is paired with a Shimano motor.
Shimano Steps E-8000 system
Shimano's 250-watt e-bike ecosystem is widely used, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Santa Cruz would go with the Japanese giant's motor, especially as they wanted to make a relatively light machine that rides like a normal bike but on the juice. So why not use something like Fazua's lightweight drive system? Or go with a less powerful drive unit to save weight like on Specialized's new 38lb Turbo Levo SL?
"We looked across the board,'' Aaron Foley, the lead engineer on the Heckler project told me. ''We had competitor's bikes, and we obviously talked to a number of motor manufacturers. At the end of the day, the Steps system is very seamless and gave it a ride characteristic much closer to a pedal bike as far as the reward for what you put in.''
When considering the motor, they also had to take into account how it'd mount and if it'd play nice with the bike's lower-link driven VPP suspension layout: ''We looked at the full package and how we could do kinematics. We looked at other motors and what the kinematics would be.'' After all, what if one of the motor mounts was where a pivot needed to be? Shimano's Steps was deemed to be the most compatible.
When considering the motor, they also had to take into account how it'd mount and if it'd play nice with the bike's lower-link driven VPP suspension layout: ''We looked at the full package and how we could do kinematics. We looked at other motors and what the kinematics would be.'' After all, what if one of the motor mounts was where a pivot needed to be? Shimano's Steps was deemed to be the most compatible.
The NOS button is down at the motor.
Another checkmark in Shimano's favor is how wide their support coverage extends. Forget to pack your charger? Maybe you were juicing too hard, crashed, and broke the remote or display? You can probably get some support and bits sent to you just about anywhere in the world.
The battery is protected by a carbon cover (left), and the whole thing pops off with a half-turn of a 4mm hex key. The display unit (right) tells you which of the three modes you're in, battery life, and cadence.
Foley also said that integration was a big part of the Heckler's development, with their goal being to offer an e-bike that still looks like a mountain bike. Sure, the downtube has that 'I'm carrying triplets' thing going on, but the whole package is sleeker than a lot of other rolling disasters out there.
Santa Cruz employed some tricks to do it, including a carbon shield over the 504wh battery, a battery that can be removed with just a half-turn of a single 4mm hex key.
Nope, this ain't SWAT. The Shimano battery clips into place inside of the downtube, and cables are zip-tied in place.
Cables run internally and are still easy to deal with.
Also in the name of integration, the 800mm wide house-brand handlebar has channels and ports molded into it for cables (it'll work well with Di2, too), and the E-8000 display is small and easy to read. They've also used the smaller E-7000 remote rather than the larger E-8000 unit because the former won't get in the way of your dropper post lever. The two-button remote isn't exactly invisible or that nice looking, but it does tuck right up against the grip.
The Heckler's VPP system delivers 150mm of travel and is tailored to work with the Shimano motor.
Revised lower-link VPP suspension
The 150mm-travel e-bike was always going to use the VPP system that you'll also see on most of their traditional rigs, but that was easier said than done with a motor included in the design. Foley needed to keep the same basic silhouette as the Bronson, including the low-mounted shock that passes through a carbon tunnel at the bottom of the seat tube and the lower link that compresses it, while also not adding too much length to the back of the bike.
''I was allowed a ton of time and got a ton of help from other engineers here on how to situate everything, fit the links over the motor and, at the end of the day, maintaining the same seatpost insertion on this bike as the Bronson,'' he said of the challenge.
In fact, the Bronson showed up in 2018, a year after Santa Cruz's e-bike project had begun in secrecy, and the two bikes share the same shock size, stroke, and essentially the same tune. The non-motorized bike gets a sealed bearing in the rearward shock eyelet that the Heckler skips for clearance reasons, and the Heckler's shock tunnel is a bit lower, but they appear to be closely related brothers otherwise.
In fact, the Bronson showed up in 2018, a year after Santa Cruz's e-bike project had begun in secrecy, and the two bikes share the same shock size, stroke, and essentially the same tune. The non-motorized bike gets a sealed bearing in the rearward shock eyelet that the Heckler skips for clearance reasons, and the Heckler's shock tunnel is a bit lower, but they appear to be closely related brothers otherwise.
Santa Cruz says they can use less anti-squat because the motor is helping your cause as well.
Brothers or not, suspension kinematics is a game of millimeters and Foley knew that a motor-assist would require less anti-squat than the Bronson uses: "You have added load on the chain because the motor's driving it as well as you, so we didn't need as much anti-squat because it gets amplified by the motor to still keep it riding like our pedal bikes.'' What's the number? I don't know - Santa Cruz didn't want to share that - but I was told that the Heckler delivers a more active, forgiving ride that's intended to work well with the electric assistance.
Bronson-ish geometry
With Santa Cruz's goal of making it ride like the Bronson, it's no surprise to see that the Heckler's geometry is close to its more traditional brother.
The head angle sits a 65.5-degrees (the Bronson's is 65.4 in the 'Hi' setting), while a size-large gets a 465mm reach (6mm longer than the Hi Bronson). The new bike's 135mm headtube is 5mm longer and, because of that pesky motor, the 445mm chainstay length is 15mm longer. That adds up to a 1,237mm wheelbase for a large.
So, why didn't they add more length and subtract more head angle to make their first e-bike even more of a speed machine, as some other brands are doing? Again, that wouldn't be very Bronson-y, of course. "The big thing was making this bike ultra-playful,'' Foley reiterated.
''We wanted it to be nimble like a Bronson and just super fun to ride," which meant 27.5" rather than 29" wheels and the longer rear-end that would have come along with them.
It ain't pretty, but it got the job done. The aluminum Heckler mule was a big factor in the bike's development.
The Heckler prototype
Back in early 2018, before anyone had even seen the Bronson outside of the company, lead engineer Aaron Foley and other Santa Cruz employees traveled to Scotland with a very important bike box. Inside was the original Heckler e-bike mule, aluminum front to back and not looking much like the relatively sleek carbon production version shown here.
The idea was to put time on it without needing to worry about who might snap a photo (I suggested they do future prototype testing in Squamish, BC, close to my house), and that trip also convinced any doubters left in the team.
Packaging the lower-link VPP system with a motor in the frame wasn't easy.
The blacked-out prototype had its Shimano battery bolted to the top of the downtube (pictured below in a photo supplied by Santa Cruz), and it was so early in the bike's development that they hadn't locked down the exact amount of travel yet. Different shock sizes were being tested, too, hence the bolt-on forward mount.
What's it like to ride?
I was all too happy to get a break from the Pacific Northwest's non-stop winter rains and head south to Santa Cruz HQ to spend a day learning about the new Heckler and a day riding it on their local trails while wondering what poison oak looks like. I didn't find any, but I did find that the Heckler feels a lot like a normal, albeit chubby mountain bike that's powered by a bottle of electric NOS.
Santa Cruz isn't quite as out-there with their geometry as some brands, but their numbers do tend to suit me, especially the 465mm reach that feels oh so right. If they had decided to add more length to the bike, I suspect that its size would, in combination with the 46lb weight, result in the Heckler feeling like a bit of a land yacht. The weight isn't invisible, of course, but the handling is very much Santa Cruz in that it's not going to be too floppy or too pointy; they do well when it comes to middle-of-the-road steering that simply works well in a lot of places for a lot of people. The Heckler seems to be no different.
Onto the e-stuff. Shimano's Steps system has very little lag and gets spinning quickly when you load the pedals, but it isn't exactly quiet. You can hear the motor's whine over everything else that's happening, but that's the case with every e-bike. A silent drive system would be nice, but it's probably a way off still. A few tech details to note about the cockpit: The smaller E-7000 remote uses two buttons to toggle between Eco, Trail, and Boost, and it's easy to reach while not interfering with the dropper post lever. Also, the view from the driver's seat looks relatively normal thanks to the small display and no rat's nest of wires.
One thing's for sure: It feels like a very capable e-bike, and I'm not talking about the climbs. The 46lb weight, with most of it low between the axles, makes for a 150mm-travel bike that holds a line like it has an extra 20mm and the stickiest of rubber. Edges from roots and rocks that might make a traditional bike shimmy a bit do next to nothing to the Heckler, and the suspension delivers a relatively deep feeling ride that helps that cause. As with any e-bike, staying seating and spinning will get you farther than big out-of-the-saddle efforts. Instead, save those efforts and let the motor do more of the work for you.
A single, two-hour test ride on foreign trails doesn't cut it, though, so we'll be getting a Heckler in for a long-term review.
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@qirill - how about Yeahboi - 26" for kids. Would be damn awesome. Come on SC you can do it! 24" and 26" bikes for kids, call them Yeahboi!
You had it right with just Bullsh**.
#32weeks #selfietime
This is just sad. Progressive punk mtb company now making behind-the-curve bikes for rich boomers. Not that being a brand loyalist is a good thing, but I was a SC loyalist. 5 of their bikes in a row, and the first was a Heckler. Now they name this boomer scooter the HECKLER?
I'm walking away in the rain with a sad face.
“Boomer scooter” genius dude.
Comparing to big S rest does not look for 10k
How are you going to ship that bike from NA to Europe? Take the motor out and get a battery refitted on the other side of the pond?
There's just so many reasons to have a removable battery and the fact they aren't allowed on planes is in the top 5
www.fazua.com/en
www.pinkbike.com/news/pinkbike-update-were-testing-filters-for-emtb-content-and-racing-disciplines.html
Saying that I'm still not convinced of ebikes making a good long term ownership prospect - on top of normal running costs the idea of having to replace a not inexpensive battery in a few years (or your bike listing a large chunk of its second hand value) does not appeal...
Only get 2hrs to ride between work and family life so prefer to double the miles and triple the feet of vertical each ride.
Owning a Kenevo since end 2017, sold the Enduro and DH rig and ended up fitter, stronger and with more skills riding an ebike. Simple reasons, more gravity per ride, more distance per ride, the motor only helps your legs - core and upper body gets hammered on the much longer rides and handling a 24kg bike.
Once kids get older I may get an enduro again as well.
@norona Agreed, Specialized is gonna make more money selling aftermarket batteries for the new Levo than they will off the bikes. Only after the owners buy their 3rd battery will they realize they are tired of buying and changing batteries and they will want a heavier e bike.
www.instagram.com/p/BV5cPqdhjEh/?igshid=k1ntput9wphb
It’s windy as hell outside, I’ll be designing a frame for myself and my daughter. Enjoy your ride. I hate all day rides.
So does my 60 year old grandma.
That's okay, I'm sure Pivot will announce some new build they won't be able to afford. That'll keep them busy!
Cave and start buying bikes from companies that sell e-bikes, or...
Keep it real and buy a Yeti, but look like a dentist in the process.
What's a dude-bro to do, bro?
Now i have a fake account to log into games and comment sometimes.
The Kenevo just simplified my bike quiver, sold the Enduro and DH rig and now self shuttle. And XC nothingness is now enjoyable at speed while on the way to fun descents.
Ebikes are one of our key advocacy tools we use to get National Parks managers out on the trails to see first hand what needs to be done to solve issues. On these we can cover more ground and it evens out the fitness equation on these shorter rides.
I have to say...our nightrides often includes e-bikes and normal bikes in one mix..at the end everyone enjoys the beer and pizza and some argue about something else..
However, the new Levo SL looks amazing for a EMTB. 36-37lbs for a full suspension EMTB with this sleek of lines deserves a lot of credit and is impressive. Making a motor lighter than the Fazua and more powerful is another great accomplishment by Specialized. With all the other bike manufacturers now making EMTB's, you wondered if Specialized would get knocked off the top of the hill, but not now. The Turbo SL has changed the EMTB market and I definitely like how quickly it is now moving. If not for the high prices, even the non-sayers probably want to try this bike (although they may not admit it...)
Too bad Santa Cruz, as I see why everyone is laughing and "HECKLING" at you. Shimano really needs to step up and make a lighter motor and especially a sleeker battery, as that downtube look awfully "porky"...
While that motor may be lighter I'd question it's potential longevity with that noise. That's concerning. Electric motors should be quiet. There's something wrong there.
also never realised they overheated, that may explain why so many fail.
The Levo SL on „Turbo“ feels like the Heckler on „Eco“. Reality is People with Shimano, Brose or Bosch usually ride „Tour/Trail„ Mode all Day, just switching to „Boost/Turbo“ only on very steep sections, or if you ride a long steep technical climb uphill.
Then: Say you are a Group of 5 Bosch/Brose/Shimano riders, and then comes your friend with the Levo SL.
He doesn‘t fit into that Group, performance wise, and why should they wait all day for him?
Finally: with a Bosch Dual Battery system (625 Wh plus 500 Wh) with a mix of Tour/eMTB Mode and rarely Turbo you can ride up to 5000 Vertical Meters and like 50 km Trails a day. After that you are wasted. We do these rides here in the European Alps. Takes us 5-6 hrs a Ride.
That‘s not possible with the small range of the Levo SL and you would need like 8 hrs or more.
I find the Levo SL interesting but it‘s just limiting. and BTW, the Mahle Motor has not the peak performance of the Fazua Motor.
Cheers
From what I've read so far, due to the less powerful motor, the Levo SL is getting approx 3-4 hrs run-time on the internal (downtube) battery and when you add the 160Wh optional (bottle holder) battery, they are getting the same run-time as the 700Wh Turbo Levo.
To have this amount of runtime and an EMTB that feels almost like a regular pedal bike weighing maybe 10+lbs lighter than most other EMTB's is a real game changer...
I do agree the motor sounds like it makes a lot of noise, and maybe could pose a problem with longevity? The other problem is if you want the "lightest" Levo SL (SWorks), it costs $17,000 CAD. Seriously...
Like I said earlier about the trade offs. The bikes not #10 lighter with that external battery on it. More like 6-7lbs. As that battery is going to weigh min. 2lbs as that's the weight I've found for 18650 cells in that configuration. So you either get a light bike, or a bike with the same range as other ebikes. It makes no sense to me.
Also that wall plug is the worst piece of bike design I've seen in a long while, it's walmart level. They could have made a new bottle cage and had flip up battery contacts for MAYBE $20 per bike... and it would look a brazillion times mo'betta
Try riding a 52lb+ EMTB bike and then ride the 37-38lb Levo SL and then tell me that there is not much difference. This would be noticeable right away when riding the bike, lifting the bike, pedaling over obstacles and especially when hitting jumps, etc. Many riders do not even need turbo boost so the power in the Levo SL would be sufficient for most riders and the weight difference is a "real game changer". I am less than 150lbs and do not need a 52lb bike and would prefer a 38lb EMTB any day. Due to Specialized breaking ground, you will see other bike manufacturers now try their attempt at a much lighter EMTB...
I do agree the wall plug is a terrible design and could be much better.
I am not an owner of any Specialized bikes, but just calling what I see...
2020: Ebikes are too heavy now, you'll definitely notice the weight difference on a bike with a motor.
2021: Ebikes have burnt down a major forrest and are banned because companies skimped on material to make the frames lighter making lithium ion powered vehicles inherently more dangerous for everyone.
If you look at the details, the SL's 35Nm Mahle motor is 800g lighter than E8000 and Bosch Gen 4 motors and the battery is smaller hence lighter. The rest of the weight savings come from 'undersized' components.
Pinkbike commenters bitch, and companies sometimes listen. The system works! Sorta.
This bike is ugly, heavy, f*cking expensive, already dated, and not a real mountain bike. Next
1. Late 50s to early 60s guys who have spent the last 10-15 years behind a desk and don't have the cardio to climb the hills anymore
2. Wives of those guys ^^^^
3. Self-shuttlers, often with young kids at home and almost no spare time - "...but with one of these I can get three laps done instead of one in the same time!"
4. Peeps that survived cancer, trauma [i.e. a car crash], lung disease, etc. and still want to ride
5. People that want to ride far but fast. One guy bought a spare battery so he could do 160km in a weekend, all offroad. Saw the map - middle of BF nowhere doesn't even begin to describe the route.
Nobody getting INTO mountain biking is getting ebikes, unless it's to lean against that jetski that they got 5 years ago and used once [but still have payments on]. Newbs buy mid-range hardtails or entry-level full-squish. Ebike customers are usually mid to late career people with disposable income and some free time who have been riding for quite a while. Retiring boomers sometimes buy TWO [2] ebikes - one for home, and one for their winter place in AZ [I shit you not]. Married couples will often buy ebikes together so they can climb at the same pace.
SRSLY, ebikes are pretty much the only growth area in bikes today, but maybe not where you think. When gravel ebikes [i.e. Spec. Creo] get a bit cheaper, then we'll maybe see a bit of an expansion. E-MTB is more about retention of existing consumers, as opposed to expanding markets.
$0.02, YMMV
youtu.be/r07cMjy09Is
youtu.be/IEiJrNHGJaU
youtu.be/8nUcNxIBVpE
youtu.be/dt5hxqfPNQw
Huge fan of these Vids. That‘s Alpine riding, and there is a Generation coming riding that stuff. BTW with a Levo SL as well but it will take double the time and have way less range. Cheers
There's so many negatives, the in house motor's crap you can hear it, the reduced battery life, the proprietary battery that will cost $1000 in labour to replace out of warranty. They are charging $450 USD for a 150Wh battery what do you think the whole internal battery replacement costs out of warranty?
The praise for the weight really gets me, it's an ebike, the weight doesn't matter. It also means a bike with all this extra heavy gear tacked onto it (motor/battery) has less material strength...You're paying more to use less carbon and make the bike weaker. The weight is negated by the motor anyways, so why spend a tonne more for a slimmed down package with a myriad of compromises to meet that criteria?
Then it's the giving this bike shit for it's aesthetics when there's reasons for that, it's a more versatile platform with more battery power, a better motor, and removable/swappable batteries for longer outtings, which is pretty much the #1 reason people buy ebikes.
The Santa Cruz also has a bottle holder the specialized has a battery holder. Think about it, if you're going for a long ride you need hydration, if you're going on a long ride on the specialized that's where your battery goes... the logic lol.
The Levo SL is a designers bike, it has very little practical aspects to it, it looks nice.
If you're looking for an ebike to actually ride it would be stupid to buy the Levo it's got so many negatives. If you want to look at it, well it can't be beat.
If you compare the SC to the regular Levo, the Levo still wins with weight, 40% more range because of the 700wH battery and cost. Not jumping on the band wagon but we all need to recognize that the SL is a different direction for E-bikes and it was not shooting for max power / torque.
My comment was in response to the general pinkbikery that's going on in the comments so i wanted to add to it , even in yours, nothing is obsolete because a bike with some serious limitations that can't be overcome hit the market. It's ridiculously hyperbolic. There's a pro's and con's list with the bike like with every bike.
They took 2lbs of battery off the bike and put it into a waterbottle. They got rid of the battery swap mechanisms, probably saved another elbo there. Put on a lighter weight motor. Compromises were made to achieve their goal.
I'm just saying by the comments here you'd swear this was a revolutionary ebike, it's not, it's barely a step forward, more of a step sideways. A way to give more customers what they want, a lighter ebike, but it was at a cost is all. Like everything in life. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
Not even a hater, just a realist, sitting back watching the bullshit unfold. Until 18650's come down in weight, which isn't going to happen, ebikes can't get lighter without these types of compromises, no matter what the marketing department tells you.
Sounds like you should work on fitness not on defending you $10,000+ investment that has already lost half it's resale value.
Most of my rides are on my Rift Zone because I don’t have the time to do the long ebike rides. Plus I do like riding the Rift Zone more because it’s lighter and more nimble.
I was thinking ebikes were going towards shuttle style bikes. But I really wanted one that can be fun for short rides and long ones and still get a good workout. Hard to get a good work on the levo without putting in the distance. That’s why I have the power turned way down.
That was long winded but my point is the SL is another option and there is a nitch for it. I just don’t like the noise for the motor. It’s gear driven instead of belt driven. The gears are not as silent as the belt system.
This might come as a shock to you, but many people are still seeking out 650b bikes.
My 2009 Heckler is still being ridden by my dad on original bearings. That thing is a beast, and I still would take a single pivot bike over any linkage design...because I hate bearing maintenance and I literally had zero issues with the suspension design. It still holds my "most successful tech climbs in a row" on a section of trail I ride every week.
Then I saw this abomination and vomited in my mouth.
I don't know where you are but in Canada E-bikes aren't allowed at most bike parks. Whistler for example they're prohited from much of the mountain.
I have test ridden the Creo gravel bike and my dad owns a Levo. The standard Levo has 3x the torque of the SL. While the Creo was fine for me (almost too easy), it was gutless and noisy for him.
Weight isn't as much of an issue as the pinkbike lot would lead you to believe, There is 30kgs between my dad and I and we both can ride the Levo and have a lot of fun.
The SL is the e-bike for someone who doesn't need an e-bike, they aren't going to sell well IMO, this Santa Cruz looks promising only because of the linkage design the rest seems pretty standard, but that price is just silly compared to what you can get Specialized wise.
I think we are only a few years from light, powerful, e-bikes with digital gears and 20k pricetags! lol.
My problem is giving shit people access to jewels like Porc Rim in Moab. There is a ton of tourists pissed when they cant rent an E-Bike and take the shuttle and ride it. One, its mostly down and still need bike handing skills to get to the bottom! 2, if they are allowed, SAR is going to be super busy getting these idiots out... for free! Also, I don't want to come across a bunch of spray painted rocks and empty beer cans in the backcountry and you know it will happen! People are shit!
That's why I ride Gold Bar/Portal and Rockstacker/Jacksons (and other places) more than Enchilada anymore.
Enchilada should have a gnarly, high consequence move right at every shuttle drop. And the shuttle drivers should park just below that move to pick up the gapers and take them straight to Mag 7 or Navajo Rocks.
Everyone would be happier.
So where are people riding these things???
WTF, sort out the bikes that people buy before producing one that They won’t.
I've never seen "I'd buy a KX450 before one of these!" or "Why not just buy a Husky FE???" comments...just the e-bike fighting Honda and KTM.
www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/Former-Trek-Executives-Open-Letter-to-Bike-Industry-About-E-Bikes,10793
What bike do you ride?
One thing though. Shimanos new 12 Speed Groups with those fancy Hyperglide PLus Chains and Cassettes make shifting under load a pleasure. Why go with sram there? It feels like shit to shift on eagle drivetrains under big loads. CHA-KLONK!
That's a big nay nay, poopie shifts no good.
This just hurts my heart.
For me currently top two is yt, S, C- price, spec, Overall look and feel
;
I still have some doubts rent or by emtb’s since they have very specific aplicació for lift less trails and evolving to fast
does santa cruz's ebike proposal carry an intrinsic value added element that puts it above other competitors? if so, what is it? geometry? warranty? weight? suspension?
When I pulled my Nomad apart and saw the laser-etched branding on the inside of the bearing bolts, where nobody but a mechanic would see, I was like yeah this is a great bike.
But yes, geo, warranty, spec, weight—this is right in the SC spot among other great (e)bikes.
I can’t borrow eMTBs any longer, I gotta have my own...this one’s in the mix, but it’ll take the IRS printing me an extra tax return for it to happen.
But yes this bike is great. I wish it were an eNomad but I get it.
It is the beginning of the end.
5 years 50% e bikes at Santa Cruz!
A 17kg Levo!!
Critical mass reached!
Only thing left to do is rally the true core riders and form ebike hate groups and block access.
Oh wait that is already happening but it is still not stopping.
Lolz
Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain etc is similar.
What the EMTB does is, attracting new people into our Sport. This will widen the Userbase and - at least in Europe - helps to get a broader Lobby for the niche MTB Sport.
And not only EMTB. EBikes (Commuting, Trekking) are considered a Gamechanger for local commuting. It is researched that the average distance travelled by Car in Cities is 7 km. This you can do by Bicycle.
What we see here, is that People discover the Multitool/Multiuse effect of EMTB. “Hey, why should I drive with my Car for this and that, I can do it with my EMTB as well and even better”.
So, also think about how we did Enduro/Freeriding in the past. Bikeparks, Shuttles, heavy Pickup Trucks to lug around 5 Bikes and People to the Trailheads.
With modern EMTBs that ride towards the Trails could be done per Bike. Protecting the Environment by not using those Gasoline heavy Trucks. With a 2nd 500Wh or 625 Wh Battery in the Backpack or on the Bike, you can do 50 km and up to 3500-4500 Vertical meters a Day.
And if you take a charger with you (instead or with a 2nd Battery) you can go somewhere have a Coffee and a Cake and recharge. 1 hr, and a Bosch 6A fast charger pushes 50% charge into a 625 Wh Battery.
I joined a Freeride Transalp with E-Enduros in 2018, and with a 2nd Battery plus Charger we went from Bavaria to Monte Grappa in 7 Days. Coming to the Start and riding back Home per Train.
EMTBs have so much potential to broaden our niche Community, and at the same time get People to ride less and less Car. And in times of Climate Change this is the best we can do.
Cheers ????
Mopeds (ebike is just marketing spin to make it sound less lame) are awesome for commuting around town, but otherwise they're pretty lame. If you want to get a workout but also be motorized, just buy a dirtbike. The national forests in the US have hundreds of miles of barely used trails where you can get after it on one of those.
To those people who'll berate me for this post-when you slip your back tire climbing a technical slab and a 50 pound moped shatters your leg when you fall....I told you so!!
no pictures @mikelevy ???
And SC, maybe you missed latest trends on the mtb market, but rolling out of the first ever SC e-bike made around 27.5 wheels in 29 epoch looks like a big, no, huge mistake.
Without going into the purist discussion, what pisses me off, is that SC is supposed to deliver high quality well thought out products. This one is already outdated.
But now I'm really totally indifferent about that. It's part of the evolution.
And man these bikes bring a lot of people to ride MTB. It bring a big potential for ski resort to make something of their resort in summer and to pay some crews to shape trails. Because there is always more people riding. And that is a good thing I think. It make our sport considerated.
Obviously they shape a lot of flowtrails (I'm not so fan of flowtrails, more unshaped steep natural thing) but yeah it bring opportunities to have available and official trails.
But I will surely not buy an e-bike! But will consider it when I'm 60 years old.
Stunning Alpine Riding at it’s best.
youtu.be/r07cMjy09Is
youtu.be/IEiJrNHGJaU
youtu.be/8nUcNxIBVpE
youtu.be/dt5hxqfPNQw
You want to wait until you are 60??
Cheers!
.
"In the 2017 fiscal year, Yamaha Motor sold some 5.4 million motorbikes worldwide, slightly down year-on-year."
"In 2016, some 32.8 million electric bikes were sold in the Asia-Pacific region." and " China has been the largest market for electric bicycles since 2000. Here, sales have skyrocketed from about 300,000 in 2000 to almost 33 million units in 2016."
From a numbers perspective it would be interesting to see a valid sales number report that would support the popular claim that more motos are sold and thus less cost. I know its not that simple and there are many variables but...would be interesting. There's a lot more going on in a moto from a mechanical point of view also.
2nd gen Levo for 1/4 the price unless you buy it in a a dark alley.
That is, if it was made by Yamaha, called the MT-10 and had 160 hp.
Fully committed e-bikes are a mistake imo and will continue to have limited usage.
You know what $16K buys you outside the bike industry insanity bubble? This -> powersports.honda.com/off-road/adventure/africa-twin
With $1,500 left over.
geometrygeeks.bike/bike/santa-cruz-heckler-2020
That's why it looks like it's from 2017 and comes with 27.5" wheels instead of now universally accepted 29".
It looks like I'll be buying my first Specialized.
I got to test ride a bike with new steps motor and it was very quite, but the motor brake when exceeding the speed limit was brutal like someone slamming the brakes.
Santa Cruz releases ebike
Same Ebike hater: “Oh well maybe ebikes are ok, cough, we should allow them trail access.”
Bad form Santa Cruz
Note : This summer I will continue to ride like a real man.
Frankly at an Enduro, only 1 e-bike (yes they had a class) walked me on the road transfer as I rode just fine with the main group of e-bikes on my Foxy analog pedal thing. Was probably working harder though.
Not that I think I'm a bad A or anything it just seems the weight of the E offsets a fair bit of the power increase.
I'm with you on this one. It's anther company betraying the sport.