bullit or heckler

[bike187]

i'm looking into building up a new bike. i want an aggressive trailbike, that can take some big drops as well. right now i'm between the bullit and the heckler(with a 5th ele.). i'm going to be doing some considerable flat trail riding but for stuff that's really flat or more xc oriented i have an xc hardtail (jamis komodo). i had an i-drive 2.0 but that lasted about a month until i bent the linkage plate. (that's supposedly going to be warranty replaced, but that was 6 months ago, so that doesn't look too valid of an option) i weigh 230lbs if that goes into account. i will also use the bike for some freeriding up at gore mt. in NY. mostly i ride aggressive xc, like lynn type stuff, in search of fun stuff to ride down/off etc. would the bullit be a viable rig for what i'm looking for?
any advice for primary setup? such as wheels, cranks, or fork
any recomendations for other frames in a similiar pricerange?
any advice for a good retailer? i was think international in boston.

[Dawgee]

bullit thats all i can say

[NEMBA_bkr-dude]

ya I agree, the extra beefyness will feel good and you will still be able to pedal. I have tried almost every santa cruz bike and the bullit is one of my favorites. Personally, I am too light to take benefit from the extra strength and I would go with a heckler but for you I definitely suggest the bullit.

[AGENTGRAPE]

go with the bullitt its bigger,stronger and has more travel the 5th element is great you can build it to freeride do downhill or have an indestructible xc bike it is very versatile.the only thing they might become buttholes... you know everyone has one.

[MMcG]

i'm looking into building up a new bike. i want an aggressive trailbike, that can take some big drops as well. right now i'm between the bullit and the heckler(with a 5th ele.). i'm going to be doing some considerable flat trail riding but for stuff that's really flat or more xc oriented i have an xc hardtail (jamis komodo). i had an i-drive 2.0 but that lasted about a month until i bent the linkage plate. (that's supposedly going to be warranty replaced, but that was 6 months ago, so that doesn't look too valid of an option) i weigh 230lbs if that goes into account. i will also use the bike for some freeriding up at gore mt. in NY. mostly i ride aggressive xc, like lynn type stuff, in search of fun stuff to ride down/off etc. would the bullit be a viable rig for what i'm looking for?
any advice for primary setup? such as wheels, cranks, or fork
any recomendations for other frames in a similiar pricerange?
any advice for a good retailer? i was think international in boston.



Go Bullit and to be double sure check with Jolly Time (JT) who is awaiting a Trans Red Bullit. I think the Bullit is the bike for you and maybe JT has some ideas on how to set it up for agressive XC/light freeride duty.

As for where to buy, give the boys up in Maine at Hilltop Ski and Bike a call or email or better yet use their bike builder program to get a quote. http://www.hilltopskibike.net/index.htm

Make sure to tell them you are a NEMBA member and that Mark in CT sent you their way if you contact them.

They are great guys who are planning group rides up in Maine for their customers etc. etc.

Good luck on your quest for a shiny new rig!

[C.P.]

i want an aggressive trailbike, that can take some big drops as well.
........
i weigh 230lbs if that goes into account.

Big drops and 230lbs, both should be taken into account
Bottom line - no question = BULLIT

If you subract big from drops you can certainly consider the 03 Heckler, it is quite burley as well, and can likely handle 3 top 5 foot drops regularly - although that's a biased push. (I recieved my 03 Heckler in Oct 02, and weigh 220, BIG is not part of my "drops" vocab if you know what I mean. But I ride that type of terrain regularly. On a separate note: Take a looksee at my thread on 5th element shocks, mine just went in for warranty...)

[MMcG]

Bike187,

Here's a link to a great article on how versatile the Bullit can be.

Have a look: http://www.pinkbike.com/story.php3?id=1054

Mark

[Mt.A TODD]

I would buy neither! Everybody and their damn grandmother owns or is buying Santa Cruz. Sure, they build kick ass bikes, but come on, this is getting ridiculous. Buy something else!

Ellsworth -ID
Cannondale -Gemini 1000
Trek -Liquid 30
Intense -Uzzi SL
Rocky Mountain -Slayer
Foes -XFR
Titus -Swicthblade

[johnnyt]

You can take that crappy Cannondale right off the list there 187. Sounds to me like you want a quality bike, not a recall from a bankrupt company...

[mtbtom]

This is my 2001 bullit which I have used a lot for mostly xc / general mountain biking. This bike is a blast to ride and has been very reliable. Everything is stock except the saddle and the fork - I replaced the z3 that came on the bike which was damaged in a crash with a z1. Oh yeah the WTB hub gave up so I replaced the rear wheel with a mavic rim shimano xt hub. Later !

[knucklebuste]

I'm gonna have to step up here and defend Cannondale. Todd, where are you? Yeah, I'm pretty pissed at Cannondale. They are f*cking idiots. There I said it. But as far as the quality of their bikes, now in 2003; it's comparable or better than 90% of what's out there. They have some of the best welding out there as well as quality assurance. Yeah, they screwed up with the Gemeni frame, but like any reputable company, they stand behind their work and are rectifying the situation. I have ridden my bike around 20 times last summer with 0 problems. Yeah I fu*king actually rode it alright. The gemeni I have is an awesome bike. It pedals fine (although I have the suspension real STIFF) and have upgraded the spring for my 180lb ass, and I can ride the thing all day just like a nice XC bike. I maybee not as fast as a guy on a Titus ;D but I can ride the thing all day. It's a bike that is very well designed. Yeah Cannondale has had some problems, but they have come a long way and the quality now, or as of last week was almost unsurpassed. It sucks to see them go down, but someone will bail them out, our buy them out. It saddens me to see that once a company is doing well, they screw it up by getting greedy. The motorcycle venture was a bad move. Would I suggest buying a Cannondale right now. No. But if someone bails out the company, the Gemeni is an awesome bike. Everyone that has tried my bike can't believe a bike with 7" of travel in the back rides so well on the trails. It truely is a nice bike. But for now, stay away from Cannondale and buy a bullit.
BULLIT BULLIT BULLIT
BULLIT or any bike from Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Santa Cruz

[SloMoJo]

Hey, I heard that.

Dude, you can probably ride backwards faster than a guy on a Titus. Who buys a Titus anymore anyway? That company still around? ;)

Seriously tho....
Ya dam straight you won't keep up to the nimble XC rig, with that fricken boat anchor you got. ;D

[knucklebuste]

Boat anchor? The gemeni is a row boat anchor compared to the Kona I'm buying. That thing is like the anchor for the U.S.S Kennedy
Titus? I hear that the head tubes ovalize real easy on those.
The Loco-moto in particular. I also heard you should bring an extra back pack full of rear derailleur's and that also, the dropouts snap off like toothpics :-X

[Crash and Burn]

bullit or heckler? I asked my self the same question.
The answer.... for one lousy extra pound you get 2 extra inches of travel and a whole lot more strength. I got the numbers from SC, its true.
But agree with Todd also, there are too many people riding SC now (I know, myself included). Try to fund some other company so they can someday build something that will rival the quality and price of the bullit.

[narlus]

This is my 2001 bullit which I have used a lot for mostly xc / general mountain biking. This bike is a blast to ride and has been very reliable. Everything is stock except the saddle and the fork - I replaced the z3 that came on the bike which was damaged in a crash with a z1. Oh yeah the WTB hub gave up so I replaced the rear wheel with a mavic rim shimano xt hub. Later !


nice big ring and seat height, you xc poseur! ;)