This is my Santa Cruz Heckler. It has 100mm of travel from a Rock Shox Super Deluxe coil shock and it's rim brake only. It's a medium, which is typically smaller than I'd ride, but I had a Superlight way back when in a medium, and it was fine with a longer seatpost. It's designed to run anything from an XC racing 63mm fork, to freeride style 100mm forks.
This is the bike I wanted to build a couple years ago, but ended up buying the Astrix instead. Last spring though, I got my hands on a Rock Shox DHO, and I had an idea for a new project.
This is the bike I wanted to build a couple years ago, but ended up buying the Astrix instead. Last spring though, I got my hands on a Rock Shox DHO, and I had an idea for a new project.
There is a thing that happens with vintage builders when we finally get that rare part we always wanted. That part we've become obsessed with. We concoct an entire bike in our heads to go around that part. Avid Arch Supreme brakes, Ringle Trail stem, Syncros Revolution cranks - these are parts rare and iconic enough to inspire someone to look for just the right Rocky Mountain, or Yeti, or Schwinn Homegrown, and create the prefect bike.
But just how far do we take it? Would you built a bike around a headset? A set of hubs? That little cable guide for the rear brake that clamps onto the seattube of a Kona?
Frame decals??
I don't think it's a competition to see who can be the most esoteric, but it feels that way sometimes.
Maybe years ago, not long after TeamCow was formed, a friend of the Team was loaned a Heckler from a local shop he did some work for. It was orange with a polished rear end, and a Rock Shox Judy XL double-crown fork. One cold October day, I took it out for a ride. It was one of my favourite days on a bike. I was out there just killing trails I loved as it started to snow. It was a great day on a great bike, and I really felt like a good rider.
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this? I'm not building a bike around the fork, or that crazy hub, or a set of frame decals even - I'm building a bike around a feeling.
But just how far do we take it? Would you built a bike around a headset? A set of hubs? That little cable guide for the rear brake that clamps onto the seattube of a Kona?
Frame decals??
I don't think it's a competition to see who can be the most esoteric, but it feels that way sometimes.
Maybe years ago, not long after TeamCow was formed, a friend of the Team was loaned a Heckler from a local shop he did some work for. It was orange with a polished rear end, and a Rock Shox Judy XL double-crown fork. One cold October day, I took it out for a ride. It was one of my favourite days on a bike. I was out there just killing trails I loved as it started to snow. It was a great day on a great bike, and I really felt like a good rider.
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this? I'm not building a bike around the fork, or that crazy hub, or a set of frame decals even - I'm building a bike around a feeling.
More about the bike; Santa Cruz's website says the Heckler.2 (1997 and '98) use 26.8 seatposts, which is what my frame wants. However, the swingarm on my bike looks like a Heckler.1 model (1996 and '97). So maybe it's a Heckler.1 rear end, and a Heckler.2 front?
I threw this together in about 30 minutes just to see if it fit well. On one brake and one derailleur I rode it to the end of the driveway, and it felt good, so I can finally get serious about it.
First, I bought an air shock for it. The Super Deluxe feels pretty good, but it's missing the upper plate for the spring. I'll find one eventually, but an air shock is just easier to tune anyway.
I'll be running those RaceFace Turbine cranks, in a 2x10 with an XT derailleur and XTR shifters. Then we have the SRAM 9.0 composite brake levers, and they'll be pulling XTR V-brakes. We have a Chromag bar and grips, an On-One stem, RaceFace Thermo headset and some fat Continental Hans Dampf tires.
I threw this together in about 30 minutes just to see if it fit well. On one brake and one derailleur I rode it to the end of the driveway, and it felt good, so I can finally get serious about it.
First, I bought an air shock for it. The Super Deluxe feels pretty good, but it's missing the upper plate for the spring. I'll find one eventually, but an air shock is just easier to tune anyway.
I'll be running those RaceFace Turbine cranks, in a 2x10 with an XT derailleur and XTR shifters. Then we have the SRAM 9.0 composite brake levers, and they'll be pulling XTR V-brakes. We have a Chromag bar and grips, an On-One stem, RaceFace Thermo headset and some fat Continental Hans Dampf tires.
Also, I have that sweet Rock Shox Judy DHO fork, with a 20mm axle. It's kinda ugly, but seems to work well enough. Incredibly, just weeks after finding that fork, I scored the White Industries hub made specifically for it (and the Boxxer) with it's goofy three-bolt disc rotor setup. It's a major score because I have a set of Araya 36H rims I want to use, and this hub is 36H. I have black spokes coming for a front wheel, but I don't know how I'm going to true it because I have no way to true a wheel with a 20mm axle.
I just need a 36H rear hub now - but this has been hard to find so far. Then I'm going to repaint and new decals. I think it'll be far better than that bike I rode on that cold October day, so hopefully I'll get an even better feel from it.
I just need a 36H rear hub now - but this has been hard to find so far. Then I'm going to repaint and new decals. I think it'll be far better than that bike I rode on that cold October day, so hopefully I'll get an even better feel from it.
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