Tunin’ Up the Heckler: Part 1

The past couple of months I’d finally come to a point where I couldn’t ignore the many needs my Santa Cruz Heckler had. On trail rides I noticed how much slower it was and I always felt like there were mechanical problems but just didn’t want to take the time to fix it. The problems were: 1) Main pivot would come loose and required tightening after every ride, 2) Rear derailleur could only be shifted with a hug amount of force and ghost-shifted often, 3) Rear brake pistons were stuck in the compressed position(caused pads to rub the rotor) , 4) Front brake pads were shredded(ugly). Well, recently at work I found out I had to take about 2 weeks of vacation(or lose it by the end of the year) so I finally had some time to give the Heckler the attention she needed.

Heckler pivot replacements below and old ones above

First off, I’m not the original owner of this frame. I got an amazing trade with a guy who swapped me for my black anodized Mountain Cycle Rumble hardtail and fork. The Heckler’s derailleur hanger had to be replaced but that was it. So, in an attempt to breath new life into my Heckler I picked up these bearing and pivot replacements from Santa Cruz for $45.

Removing the pivot axle and bearings

Removing the pivot assembly was really straight forward and simple. I just had to remove the rear linkage then unscrew the bolts holding on the bearings and the axle(shown above).

Old axle and washer/bolt with new bearings

As you see here the old washer was pretty thick and covers up most of the new bearing. The new, black washers were almost flat and actually left open space in between the washer and the bearing. Not sure what that was all about but I felt safer leaving the original washer and bolt on to protect my new bearings. I also had to use the old axle since the bolts were threaded specifically for each axle. I then greased up the axle and slapped everything back on.

New bearings…so pretty

The pack actually included replacement bolts and washers for the rear shock too, so I figured what the hey and replaced those also.

Shiny new bearings and pivot parts

Riding around the alley, I didn’t notice any immediate difference in the pivot’s smoothness but I’m eager to see if I will when I’m on the trail. I’m heading out for a 30 mile, pure singletrack, epic this Saturday so I’m looking forward to riding my self-installed upgrades. I fell like a proud father! As you can see here I also replaced my rear derailleur cable and even have my rear brake working perfect too. As for the fourth problem I’m going to pick up new brake pads at the bike shop.

I’ll cover the replacement of the rear derailleur, front brake pads, and how I fixed the rear brake in the near future. Realizing I can fix my own bike is incredibly enlightening and is saving me lots of labor costs. Besides that It’s incredibly rewarding! It’s taken me 8 years but I’m finally figuring this stuff out. Stay tuned for more updates on the Heckler makeover!