Santa Cruz Heckler

spacehopper

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not the best of pics of the current build... but you get the idea! will get some better ones at some point!

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Frame: Santa Cruz Heckler - Small

Shock: X Fusion 02 RL
Fork: Rockshox Judy DH with customised internals

Headset: FSA
Stem: no - name 60mm
Handlebar: Sunline V2 2" rise
Grips: Club Roost

Brakes: DX V-Brakes
Brake Levers: DX V-Brakes

Shifters: Deore 9 Spd
Front Derailleur: N/A
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT
Cassette: Deore 9Spd
Chain: SRam
Cranks: Deore LX HT2 170mm
Chainrings: Deore LX 32 / 22
Pedals: Wellgo V8 copy

Hub Skewers: Deore LX
Rims: Mavic 517
Front Hub: Deore LX
Rear Hub: Specialized / DT
Tyres: Maxxis high roller 2.1

Saddle: Charge Ladle
Seatpost: Uno
Seatpost Binder: PZ Racing

Weight: 26.5 Lb
 
heres how it started... (not my pic)

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the picture really doesnt do how bad a condition the paint work was in... it was AWFUL! really flaky and shoddy stickers peeling off..

and the second i unwrapped it.. the shock leaked oil EVERYWHERE!

I had the frame soda blasted.. but due to the AWFUL blue paint on the rear triangle it was going to be too many £££ to get that blasted off too.. so i did that myself with some paint stripper..

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took soooooooo long to fully clean up..

Then i hand polished the rear... and got the front triangle powder coated in satin black..

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Brand new bearing / axle kit as they where shot too..

the seat stay brace was pretty knackered as well... so i made a new one of those out of a sheet of Aluminium i had..

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i originally built up the bike for me to ride... with some Z1's an 80mm stem and triple chainrings up front (and it had an RP23 on it at that time)

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blurriest picture ever!

but after my other half rode it... it quickly became her bike..! as it was like.. 'riding on a cloud' compared to her old Stumpjumper Hardtail!

i rode it a couple more times..

Test ride with a Marzocchi Roco Shock.. (didnt work.. damping all wrong!)

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Test ride in the snow with the 80mm Bombers from my Rockhopper.. (works really well with 80mm forks!)

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and here it is being ridden in its current guise..

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headtube badge...!

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The fork is an 80mm 1996 Judy DH.. but only has internals in one leg.. a Medium Kronos spring and a New Judy Damping cartridge ..
the other leg is empty apart from a cutdown dummy leg (to save weight) that just acts as a top out bumper on that side

works really well for the light rider!

The X-Fusion shock works really well with the frame too as it has a quite light compression damping tune, which is essential on this frame due to its low leverage ratio.. and the air spring is great too as it allows the low spring weight required for a lighter rider.. as well as being adjustable should i ever want to put the Z1's and longer stem back on and ride it myself!
 
Good work. I'm a fan of Santa Cruz bikes but their paint is rubbish...as far as am aware, it still is today. I like these original Hecklers, I remember team MBUK using them as DH bikes.

The issue of lighter riders is a pain; I want to put my 03 Z1's on my other half's bike it you can't buy replacement springs any more so I'm going to have to see how they work with a spring taken out.
 
You've done a good job! Sounds like it had been pretty neglected.. That green must have looked terrible :facepalm:
is this the finished article? Looks like it had the original rock shox (deluxe maybe) shock on it. You should have that serviced and put it back on the bike:)

I've thought of having my front triangle powedercoated red with some repro graphics. Think some graphics would finish off your frame nicely. I can always get you some pics and dimensions if you wanted?

I've just bought some 100mm travel z1s for mine so am interested how they ride. I've had 80/90mm the last 2 years and I just feel like my bike is too low at the front and would suit a longer fork:?

By the way you wouldn't know where I could get new bushings made would you? Mine are the originals, doubt there's much wrong with them but have wanted to get em replaced for good measure

Sean
 
it does actually have frame graphics..

theyre just a bit stealth and dont show up in the photos as theyre gloss black! looks quite nice in person.. but tricky to photograph..

the original shock was too far gone to repair in my opinion.. the shock shaft was really worn.. and the bushing inside the shock head was gone.. and i dont think id have been able to get the right seals either! :LOL: and on top of all that i wouldnt have been able to get a light enough weight spring for my partner without spending mega bucks on something titanium! :LOL:

the Z1's i had on it rode really nice on the bike.. felt just right to me..!
the only reason its got 80mm forks on it now really is to give a lower standover height (and softer forks) at the front
when i ride i next it'll be getting the Z1's put back on! ive even seen pictures of people using 130mm forks on them too and they don't look too choppery..


by bushings.. do you mean the shock mount kit?

if so... i got mine made at http://j-techsuspension.co.uk

but be careful.. the front mount on mine had an ID of 8mm and the rear 6mm (think it was that way round anyway..!)

i got a new main axle too from stif from a Juliana pro pack.. and just happened to have some of the right sized bearings to fit from somewhere! as the juliana pro pack ones where too small a diameter..
 
I run 130 mm forks on my large heckler but i,m 6foot and 200 lbs might have problems with a smaller and lighter rider only changed head angle 1.5 deg
 

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