After announcing their first bike last year, Heller is at it again with an affordable carbon mountain bike. This time they have turned their attention towards the rapidly expanding world of plus bikes. While Heller was created to offer QBP dealers affordable carbon bikes to compete with a flood of inexpensive carbon frames, the new Shagamaw is not only relatively affordable, it’s also fairly unique in that it is one of the first full carbon plus hard tails.
Named for a mythical creature that was said to have the hind legs of a moose and the front paws of a bear, the beast would walk for a distance on its hind legs then switch to its front legs. For brand manager Bobby Dalhberg, the name is a fun way of alluding to the fast, agile nature of a hardtail with 130mm of trail clawing front suspension that the Shagamaw offers. You could also draw parallels to the fact that the Shagamaw can run either 27 x 3.0 or 29 x 2.5″ wheels and tires…
Like many in the industry, Bobby says Heller is really exited about the plus platform and sees it as a something that will just continue to grow. Building a carbon hardtail with 130mm travel offers a bike that is fun, fast, and confidence inspiring, while the Heller build keeps it in reach of many consumers.
The carbon frame uses a standard 73mm threaded bottom bracket but goes with fully internal cable routing that includes the option for a dropper post or a Sideswing front derailleur. Housing ports use removable alloy inserts for regular housing, Di2, or blanks, with full housing routed all the way through the frame. Other frame features include a tapered head tube, 12x148mm Boost spacing, and a max chainring size of 32t for 1x or 38/24 for 2x.
To be sold complete in either a GX1 1×11 or Deore mix builds, the frame will also be available of $1250 (in grey). The GX1 spec will include a TranzX 120mm dropper, RockShox Yari 130mm fork, an S1000 crank, WTB plus wheels and tubeless ready Bridger tires, lock on grips, and TRP slate 4 brakes. This build will sell for $2599 in white and comes in around 29.14 lbs.
The other build will include a Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain with a 36t micro shift cassette, a 30t ring on a Samox crank, no dropper, wire bead tires, and Tektro m285 hydro brakes for $1999. Sold in blue, the complete bike comes in at 29.16lbs thanks to the lack of a dropper.
While the GX build sees the RockShox Yari, the lower end build gets an entirely new fork from Manitou. We haven’t gotten the official launch specs yet, but the 130mm travel fork uses an air spring and Absolute+ damping. It also features the new Hex Lock SL 110 axle which does away with the quick release lever in favor of a 6mm bolt on axle. We’re sure to hear more about this fork in the coming days.
Like other Heller builds, the Shagamaw will be available through stocking QBP dealers and will be shipping in late spring/early summer.
