RIDE KANUGA - BEST E-BIKE AVAILABLE? SANTA CRUZ HECKLER SL

To start this off... wow. The performance from this bike with actually bad parts on it is amazing. This thing is not only one of the best E-Bikes I have ridden but it is one of the best bikes overall that I have ridden. Ill start with the only bad thing I think there is about this bike...

The Bad: $7,300 for a bike that has an NX drivetrain, Rockshox Lyric BASE and a Performance Fox DPS shock. The DB8 Brakes left much to be desired as well. Not too bad on the brake front but there are definitely WAY better brakes for barely more money.

The Powertrain: For such a lightweight package, this Fazua motor and battery packs a huge punch. In turbo mode, it feels even more effortless than the full power Turbo Levo. The battery has a way shorter lifespan than the Levo or Shimano batteries but you really don't ever need to pedal this bike in turbo. I found that I could get almost as many laps at Kanuga as I would want, in eco mode. I would quit riding before the bike ran out of juice if I only used Eco. Trail is pretty much effortless already. Turbo is out of this world. The power transfer is so smooth as well. It doesn't really feel like you're using a motor. It feels more like you are stepping onto a rolling sidewalk at the airport. You, but faster. There was also no drag from the motor when coasting downhill. The levo would actually slow down on downhills that are not that steep but the Heckler SL coasts exactly like a normal bike. Feels so smooth and natural A+

The Ride: This bike was immediately easy to get on and ride. Very easy to get along with immediately. The geometry feels dialed, didnt get much wheel flop from the heat tube angle and the bike felt very composed in the steeps and chunk. The Suspension that came on the bike definitely holds it back though. The Rockshox BASE dives in corners and steep compressions pretty bad. When it was not steep, it was okay but not great. The fox DPS also blew through travel super quickly and would hit a very uncomfortable wall of ramp up right at the end which would add a bad characteristic when jumping or pumping though compressions. When you are not running the suspension at the max of its abilities, the bike feels amazing which has me super excited for when we put the upgrades on. The biggest thing to me though is that it is only a few pounds heavier than a normal bike and you really don't notice the weight on the downhills. Huge win in my book.

Santa Cruz absolutely NAILED this bike. A little motor that rides like a big motor without all of the weight. It also looks amazing. Most E Bikes are big bulky and really quite ugly. Not this one though. Looks amazing, rides even better. I strongly recommend this bike to anyone who is on the fence. Amazing ride that will no disappoint.

[andrewrivera]

K, your buddy had the Heckler and he was towing you up at the end what were you riding? Kinda got confused you commenting on his bike or yours? At the end you said your bike was sick but you said you were blasting through the travel and did your battery die? I’m just trying to figure out from the title what your definition of “best e-bike” is?

IMO I do not give a hoot about light weight cuz it’s an e-bike (and maybe because I have a DH bike so weight doesn’t bother me and I’m 210 lb) and I don’t care whether you can see the motor. The “best” e-bike is one that has the biggest (most power) motor and the biggest battery with the requisite suspension (minimum Fox 38 equivalent) the drive train is irrelevant as long as it works cuz the motor is doing the work. I was at Kanuga last year and rented the Specilized Levo XL and the battery died! Terrible. This past summer I bought the Canyon Torque ON mullet with 180 travel front and rear, 900 Whr battery (upgraded from the standard 720) and I’ve ridden everything with it from DH laps, bike park, big XC days (30+ miles) and the battery NEVER DIED. I’ll look up the specs on the Heckler.

[gavinsimmons]

The db8’s surprised me. With a good set of pad I bet they work good for a $60 brake set.

[KngJame-mtb]

@MTBNC what is that thudding sound when you’re descending? Is that the motor rattling? Doesnt sound as bad as the shimano ep8 or Bosch cx motor but I do hear a thud

[chipaway]

could you give some info on your height and bike size?

[OverTheHillMTB]

Sounds like there will be a "new bike" reveal coming soon to the channel! 🔌

[topchoice]

It’s hard to like a bike when you’re already thinking negatively about the suspension of it