Looking at a second hand Hecker. It's black but a bit tatty (and in Oz so no grimy mud to wear the bearings).

Chap is selling it with a choice of shock. A recently serviced 5th element coil shock, or a Manitou swinger (no mention of a service so assume it was removed and replaced with the 5th element).

Will be giving it a damn good look over before even considering purchasing, so with regard to frame bearings/bushings should I look at smoothness and play? If I did need a new set, what sort of cost is involved and is it a fairly simple process to do myself? I'm fairly competant so would do this myself.

Any particular areas to look at on the frame that are susceptible to wear/cracks/weak spots?

hi aphex

depends. weight wise get a swinger, plushness get the 5th element (as it's a coil and would be my choice)

best option for the frame is to check for movement in the swingarm but being as it will have no parts on in when you see it it's a lot harder.
normally you pick the frame up from the saddle and drop it listen/feel for movement in the bearings and bushes, then ride over a small item say a piece of wood a 3-4cm high sat in the saddle this will show up any bearing/axle play.
try and move the rear triangle side to side too to check the same area.
bearings cost £4 each from SCUK as they are MAX compliment bearings and not easy to find in the right size. a new axle costs £8 from SCUK.
any info u need give me a shout between me and the missus we have had 3 older shape hecklers and 2 new ones.

Older model Im guessing as it has a 5th?

Never had a problem with my 5th, no eye deer about manitous.
Shockbushings last me about 6 months, the older models bearings lasted me a year, havent had to change my new model bearings yet. Easy bearing change on old model, a bit more complicated on new ones I believe.

They generally seem pretty tough- I play at the local mini DH on mine with 150mm Z1 forks.

Dont know of any cracking / failing. I had a new front end on my new one (BB came loose and ripped out), didnt have any issues with my old one but the BB was a bit low and I clipped pedals often. Rear mech hangers are expensive but I've never bent one.
The lacquer used on painted finishes seems rubbish, wished I had got the Anodised one.

I think they are great frames. SC geometry suits me.

I had a 2nd hand 5th element on my heckler. it was from a mate so no issues, but it just didn't seem like it was going to last long. The tiny bolts were popping out of their holders in particular and they're complicated buggers to adjust. Might have been mainly aesthetic but I got shot pretty soon. Couldn't comment on the swinger.

How about buying it without a shock and pick up an RP2 on the cheap?

another point is that tftuned can't get the parts to fix 5th element shocks any more too.
forgot to mention that.

Cheers Foz et al

Bit more info.

It's a 2004 frame and had the bearings/bushings replaced about 18 months ago. It's the guys second bike and he's moved to a 29er so this is being sold. Manitou shock service 10 months ago. Air Revelations serviced 12 months ago. Has XT kit, Thomson stem/seatpin. Hope M4's with floating rotors. Chris King headset. Plenty of life in drivetrain. 717's with Hope hubs which he says could do with retensioning and tweaking if I'm planning to do huge drops (which I'm not!).

Oh, and we're in Oz right now so it's not spent weekend after weekend in grimy UK mud. The frame is war scarred but no dents or dings. He's asking $1800 for it which equates to £900. Obviously this is asking price but he seems a really nice chap (via email anyway) and I'm sure there's room to negotiate.

Only slight concern is do the older Hecklers come up small or large per se? I'm 6'2" and the bike's a medium – I much prefer a smaller bike to chuck around tbh, and with the Thomson post I reckon I'll be able to XC it up a bit when needed – perhaps a slightly longer stem? Really need to see it I guess, but I'm basing it on my 18" Pipedream which feels a little big (when compared to the medium Pace RC303 which for me felt spot on).

re: shock. Well I can cope with the Swinger I'm sure. I'll more than likely upgrade to an RP2 in the future if really needed (or would an 04 benefit with an RP23?).

It's gonna be a long-termer so I reckon there will be muchos tweaking!

1st choice: 5th element
2nd choice: 5th element

Medium may be a bit small, I'm 6ft 1in and my large was of chuckable size.

IMO aphex med is to small.. sorry

Hmm… Well, the Swinger is only 10 months old, and from what I can Google, the 5th Ele is a bugger to dial in? Also, I'd prefer to build this up as light as I can. I do prefer coil forks/shocks feel wise but with air forks up front I'll more than likely upgrade the Swinger if/when it pops it's clogs.

re: sizing. Well…I'll just have to see. Worst case scenario if it does feel short I can get a slightly longer stem and a layback seatpost.

Still gotta go look at it first. On paper, it makes me smile. It might be a whole new ball-game in the flesh.

We shall see. What this space!

Its too small for you. I'm about your height and a large heckler will suit you better.

6 feet here on a large. You should be able to determine bushing play easily on frame only. Not shock bushings tho

Swingers are great shocks.Have one on my 5-Spot since 2004 and stiil working well.Did get it serviced by TF Tuned last year.No major problems in there!
Thanx Max

Yeah guys you're right and I'm trying to convince myself I'll squeeze onto a medium. As I've previously thought, if I'm resorting to a longer stem and layback post then the bike's probably not right for me. Must let my head make the decision, not my heart.

Oh well… Back to the drawing board.

Have had on my heckler so far: – 5th Element (way to active on pedaling), DHX5 Air, DHX5 Coil and now a Float R. For mental stuff you will not beat the DHX5 Coil, for general riding and trail centre stuff the Float R is a fantastic lightweight option. You dont really need to go for any of the Propedal stuff other than what is built into the Float R, I went for the minimal damped shock as it was reccomended by Mojo. The DHX5 Air whilst very active and had good pedaling efficency, blew through it's travel too easy.

Marks out of 10 on the Heckler

DHX5 Coil – 9/10
Float R – 8/10
5th Element – 6/10
DHX5 Air – 5/10