Santa Cruz Bicycles

Heckler D Complete Mountain Bike - 2016

Dropping the term "entry level" in the mountain biking world usually evokes compromise at every aspect of the build itself. Not here. The Santa Cruz Heckler D Complete Mountain Bike fulfills your riding ambitions of dropping into steep, rock-strewn terrain, bursting out of berms, and sending hits with equal parts brute strength and confidence-inspiring geometry. In fact, the Heckler shares much of its geometry with the legendary Bronson, meaning it's highly adept at riding just about anything you throw its way. The relatively slack 67 degree head tube angle and 6 inches of terrain-gobbling travel won't leave you wanting more when the going gets rough.

Instead of the pricey carbon lay-ups employed on the Bronson, the Heckler retains a tried-and-true aluminum frame for dependability when you're chucking the bike into formidable downhill stretches. Of course, this allows Santa Cruz to drop the price to a more affordable realm, so you can still enter that mid-week race series or upgrade components in the future. As with the previous version, the 2016 Heckler features a single-pivot suspension, with a pivot location that's slightly above and forward of the chainrings. Single-pivot suspension platforms are much easier to service or work on yourself, lending the Heckler years of reliability without creaking or suspension issues.

The latest Heckler features a RockShox Monarch Plus shock for improved pedaling efficiency without compromising its ability to soak up bigger hits. It comes with a surprisingly capable RockShox Sektor Gold RL Solo Air fork with 150mm of travel. The fork's TurnKey lockout adjusts the compression damping, so you can firm up the front end from wandering on steep climbs, then open it up fully for the wicked descent that follows. The Shimano 2x10 drivetrain offers a large gear range for attacking long climbs, descending, and pedaling across flats. Differing from the R model, the Heckler D features SRAM DB1 hydraulic disc brakes and 180mm Avid rotors for reliable stopping power in a wide variety of trail conditions.