Bike Check: Andy McKenna's Custom Santa Cruz Vala CC

For those who keep an eye on either the Tweed Valley or mountain bike media in general, Andy's name will quite possibly already be a familiar one, but for those yet to come across him he has one of the more interesting stories among Scottish riders. A real enthusiast who’s been mountain biking almost as long as the sport has existed, for a number of years he was Scotland's best known wilderness guide. Running his much loved tour business, Go Where Scotland, he and a small group of guides showed off the very best of Scotland's wild riding to customers from all round the world. 

All that was to begin to slowly change way back in 2007 with an unexpected diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative and lifelong autoimmune condition which causes the body to attack its own central nervous system, damaging the nerves that control everything from balance and coordination to vision and strength. As things stand, there is no cure for MS and it’s also a condition which generally only worsens with time. 

Many people might have just given up on the outdoors after that diagnosis but Andy is not one of those people. Instead his path since those initial years has seen him both refuse to give up on the things that make life special to him, while also finding ways to use his condition and story to shine a light on both MS and others going through their own difficulties. 

Now 17 years into the condition he continues to live without the use of pharmaceutical medication, while working to raise awareness both of MS and of other individuals fighting their own battles through his ‘Stoked on MS” instagram profile and a series of excellent films put together in partnership with Shimano and Santa Cruz. 

If you’ve never seen any of them then check out ‘This Way Up’, ‘Evolution’ and ‘MS Makes Me’, or the most recent Reborn for a window into Andy’s life and inspiration for your own. 

A long term Santa Cruz bikes fan, Andy finally leaned into their E-BIkes a few years ago as his ability to pedal a regular mountain bike began to decline and with them giving him back the ability to take on larger and wilder rides it’s fair to say they are a genuinely life changing tool for him. His latest steed is this custom built Santa Cruz Vala CC, tweaked with some very non standard parts to make it extra ‘Andy suitable” and having built the bike for him a few weeks ago, we wanted to check in and see how it’s working out. 

TVB: Tell us about the new bike Andy. It’s a bit of a grim reality that your physical condition has inevitably been slowly on the decline over the years, though your attitude doesn’t seem to be affected! Are the physical changes making their way into how you put the bikes together? 

Andy : This build isn’t just “new bike day.” It’s part of something I’ve been thinking of as The Stability Project — a personal challenge to build a bike that actively compensates for the balance and fatigue challenges of my MS, creating a ride for my life now that’s predictable and confidence inspiring, rather than chasing a ghost of how I used to ride. These days I need to accept that I’m not that rider anymore and so now my bikes are about engineering balance and predictability, and making a bike that behaves the way I want it to, even when my own body isn’t.

So far this Vala behaves better than I do (it’s a low bar, sorry Andy). I’ve ridden more Santa Cruz bikes than is strictly reasonable, but the Vala is different from all the others. It’s the first Santa Cruz suspension bike of mine to run a Horst link — and if that sounds retro, it isn’t. Every pivot, linkage, and bearing has been carefully thought through (the hardware alone could fill its own blog) to be easy to work on and tough. The clever bits are all tucked out of sight, quietly making the bike easier to ride and the overall result is a stiff, precise, and incredibly predictable bike. The quick handling isn’t about showmanship; it’s about a bike that’s responsive on demand and is forgiving when I need it most. It lets me focus on the ride rather than second-guessing the bike.

Talk us through the build kit. There are quite a few parts which while being good for anyone have extra impact for you, along with something very special going on up at the head tube?

The build is all about engineering confidence into the bike. Shimano XTR Di2 is giving me flawless, reliable shifting, with less dependence on getting just the right amount of pressure on a shifter paddle. With fatigue and my limbs occasionally not quite on cue, it’s one less thing to think about  and being able to simply hit the paddle and get a gear is great. Zero fuss. Ideal when hands are tired, brain is tired, or both. I’m actually making shifts I might have skipped before just because it's easier. 

The XTR brakes follow the same logic: a familiar, with a svelte lever shape and effortless stopping power. It’s all about consistency and trust.

Some fancy looking cranks you've gone with too.

Andy : The E13 Helix 155mm cranks are another unexpected discovery. I  switched down from 160mm cranks, and it’s made a massive difference. My pedal stroke is smoother, cadence more even, and the bike feels quicker underfoot.

On longer cranks I would struggle to do the top of the revolution on a day where my symptoms were showing up, stalling out and losing rhythm so these have made a way bigger difference than I expected. Shorter cranks don’t just reduce pedal strikes — they make it easier to spin circles and keep the ride flowing, even on technical terrain. Plus they’re gold!! Shimano Saint flat pedals to stand on, plenty of grip with no risk of getting stuck in them!

What on earth is going on up the headtube then?

The Pademelon Steering Damper we’ve installed is the absolute game changer for me. It’s a tuneable damper system designed to help the front wheel resist loads that want to turn it away from centre, helping to hold the bike in a straight line through bumps and cambers that would otherwise deflect the steering. 

A damper is potentially useful for any rider, calming down the front of a bike at speed and when things are rough, it just happens to shoulder a bit more of the workload for me. For myself, as a rider who can lack fine sensation in the hands at times at the same time as dealing with balance issues, it adds huge confidence. It mostly takes away the stress that a small wobble might escalate into an off trail or off bike disaster with the bike naturally self centering when the pilot can’t.

Over the last half-dozen rides, that removal of the nervousness I’ve been feeling lately has  helped my grip settle and loosen, lifted my gaze from obsessing over every tiny root and rock, and restored enough confidence that I’ve started riding trails I’d been avoiding. It’s genuinely changed my whole experience of riding in a good way.

Why It Matters

· Keeps the front end calm and predictable.

· Smooths out the small wobbles before they vote themselves into bigger ones.

· Makes technical lines feel like riding, not an epic negotiation.

In short: great for any rider — and a perfect match for what I want from this Vala. More riding, less second-guessing every twitch.

Most of the rest of the bike is a bit more normal - happy with  it all?

The Fox 38 and Float X are both proving to be solid performers and — unsurprisingly — a perfect match for each other and the bike. The quality and predictability are exactly what this project is about. I’m still in the final tuning phase, dialing in the compression to be supportive without being harsh, and the rebound to keep the bike settled and stable through chattery terrain. 

The Bosch Cx is a nice motor, refined and  unobtrusive. It just does the job and leaves the focus on riding rather than managing the bike. I’m mainly riding it in  EMTB (the Bosch self adjusting mode, tuned up in the app with a bit of extra punch for steeper hills or when the legs don’t feel like cooperating).

Tires are WTB, the Judge and Verdict are two longstanding favourites of mine with tons of grip in all conditions. Big shout out to DT Swiss as well for sorting a last minute freehub swap to get me riding! The 350's should be a good bulletproof UK hub so I'm looking forward to getting the miles on them. As for the Reserve HD 30 rims, there's almost no need to big them up anymore, they've an impeccable reputation, are near indestructible and ride perfectly. 

Anything else to add? What’s been going on lately outside of the bike?

Filming, home projects, riding where I can. Trying to keep moving forward and still have fun on two wheels.

Final Thoughts?

This bike isn’t about heroics. It’s about quieting the background noise enough to enjoy the ride, making climbs possible and making technical lines feel less like a gamble. At the same time, it’s a reminder of how far mountain bike technology has come — providing gains both small and massive, and for me, the chance to keep doing what I love, on my terms, for as long as it makes sense.

Thanks to Santa Cruz, Shimano, WTB, E13, Pademelon, FOX, and the absolute legends at Tweed Valley Bikes for making it all possible.

Everything’s ready. No excuses. Time to get on with it.

Cheers,

Andy