When someone like Greg Williams tells you that you should really hurry up and make an e-bike you pay attention.

Greg was the visionary that put Downieville on the map for mountain bikers. Santa Cruz Bicycles have been supporting Greg Williams since 1993, first by supplying him with first generations Tazmons and then Heckler bikes for his shuttle business, then supporting the Downieville Classic for many years, helping seed fund the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and then donating and fundraising every year to keep the dream of creating sustainable communities through recreational trail development alive. 

Yuba Expeditions has the first Heckler demo fleet in the nation.  

Let the Heckling Begin

Heckler shares more than a few things in common with our current range of full-suspension trail bikes: lower-link VPP rear suspension, a full carbon frame, and smart component spec (along with a lifetime warranty on the frame). What sets it apart is pedal-assist merged with VPP to create a platform that's light and agile with enough power on tap to turn rare rides toward the norm.

Performance, reliability, and full support have made our bikes legendary, and we continued the theme with our first ebike. Shimano Steps components from the battery through the controller to the 250-watt motor — which is coupled with a 504wh battery. This is one of the lightest bikes of its kind out there and as Danny MacAskill found it, also one of the most fun.

The guys in the composites lab couldn't help but go beyond the frame design to get involved in the details, too. We created our own Di2 carbon handlebar to keep the cockpit tidy and a new 27.5 DH-focused Reserve Carbon wheel specifically designed for strength. 

What started as a way to interrupt mountain bike designs back in '96 has carried its way through to today, borrowed some aggressive swagger from our 100% self-powered bikes (*cough* Bronson *cough*), and all the while held maneuverability sacrosanct while introducing new tech.