Looking to maybe replace my Heckler and might be able to get a decent deal on a new Blur LT frame. This bike is mainly used for lite DH, places like Laggan black, longer natural stuff like Cairngorms etc. The main thing I am concerned about is I really like the Heckler on the descents, anyone know how the Blur measures up against it? I know its a little bit less travel and not bothered about that, more the geometry for going down. I previously had a Rocky Mountain ETSX and find the Heckler much more confidence inspiring for the downs.

Any help with this appreciated.

Both great bikes the blur will feel more plush on the rough stuff

I wouldn’t bother. I’ve got a Blur and I’ve recently been testing a Ragley Piglet and I reckon I’m faster downhill on that!

Is the Blur the only option (this particular deal must be pretty good if so…)!
Another Santa Cruz option would be the Butcher, love mine and cheaper than the Blur generally. As well as the geo, I guess some of it might come down to the dampers. What fork/shock do you have on the Heckler? would the Blur come with worse/ less tuned options?

Oh Jonathan there’s always one .

Why seek to replace something you love so much?

I’ve been riding a Blur LT2 for a few years, including several trips to Spain, France, Switzerland etc – I always take it with me.

I’ve now beefed it up a bit in preparation for this years trip, mostly lift assisted. I’ve reckon the headtube angle is a little steep with 140mm forks. After thinking about a slackset or offset bushings, I’ve gone for a set of coil 160mm Lyriks. That, with some wider bars and shorter stem, make it feel more suitable for DH-lite and steep techie stuff. There’s never been an issue with the rear suspension as far as I’m concerned, but I’m only 11st or so with kit and not particularly jumpy.

I’ve also stuck on an M4 front brake and 203mm rotor.

i was a bit worried I might be creating some sort of Frankenstein bike, but it feels really good and climbs as well or better. I reckon the heavier forks hold down the front a bit (and they’re u-turn, but not bothered much).

Not sure whether to keep this build for the UK, or put back on the 150mm Revs and original Hope brake to save a couple of pounds. Quite liking the big bike feel to be honest, and the fork is really plush on tame stuff too which seems to be helping with some hand pain I was getting.

Having said all that, if I was buying the bike from scratch, I would probably get a Nomad, the wheelbase on the BTL is still a little short I reckon (good for switchback / footpath type stuff, not so much so for pistes).

The Heckler is really nice but I just want something a bit newer, currently have it with a ti coil DHX shock but have been offered a brand new 2012 frame for £950, inc RP23 custom shock. I would be putting a set of FOX 140mm forks on it.

I had thought about getting an IBIS HD 140 but just cant justify the £2k+ price tag and when this came up I kind of cant resist.

I am also not jumpy but do like hammering the Heckler down very steep stuff and also places like Innerleithen DH, especially the twisty rooty stuff.

One thing I dont like about the Heckler is how it climbs, I want something a bit more efficient which I think the Blur is meant to be.

Butcher is a great Heckler replacement, I found the blur to be a bit noodly and not much better than the Heckler, but for £950 it is a bragain, I have a new Butcher climbs very well and is slack enough to be more stable than the heckler I am running 36’s, I have owned heckler , Nomad etc and the Butcher is a good contender.

Just bought the Blur, now to sell the Heckler. For the price I thought it was pretty much unbeatable and they are also doing a deal on a headset so not too shabby really.

Thanks all

As for the Butcher, have heard its a great bike, really nice on the ups and downs, just didnt get offered a deal on that one.

Will maybe buy some 150mm Revs for it but they will need to wait for now.

Sounds like a bit of a bargain, any catch?!

VPP bikes accelerate well, i’ve ridden a few and always liked that about them. So that will be a plus. Going from coil to air shock on the back will probably take some careful adjustment of shock settings to feel right for you and may be a drawback initially on descents, but you will save weight. If you worry about the geometry, maybe offset bushings could be the answer, once you have tried it stock. If its the amount of travel thats the concern, tune it carefully and make every millimeter count.

If its not the right bike for you though, £950 is still a fair bit of cash. Oh, and hopefully they have your size!

EDIT: Congratulations, new bike on a Friday, happy days…!

Was it the red one in Alpine Bikes at Glentress?

yup, its my size and its the only one they have, brand new and unmarked with full warranty etc. I think they have stopped stocking SC and this is the only frame they have left so putting it out cheap.

I think it will be perfect, now trying to work out if it will take Fox 36 160mm forks (drop to 120mm for the climbs) or if I should just stick with the 140mm forks I have, decisions decisions 🙂

daveb – see my post above. You can buy off the peg BLTs with 160mm 36 forks, so not an issue.

I went from 140mm Pikes to 150mm Revs – didnt really notice much difference (but 1lb lighter), then to 160mm coil Lyriks with a definite diffence in head angle, bar height and stiffness (and weight).

Sorry to jump in on the thread but daveb if you want to sell the ti coil from your Heckler please let me know as I ahve a DHX5.0 on mine….

steviesorefingers – Member
Oh Jonathan there’s always one .

Eh? What do you mean?

Nacho – yup will be selling it separately as still have the other spring. Drop me an email to discuss (checked your profile and cant see an email address).

Just to be clear, it will be the spring only, not the whole shock.

thanks daveb, ygm

Turns out the forks I was offered are tapered, ah well stick with the perfectly good forks I already have 🙂

Tweaking my rp23 shock on my heckler, I can happily eliminate most of the bob and find it climbs beautifully