First Ride: Santa Cruz Vala
Opening a lot of eyes when it launched, the Santa Cruz Vala showcased a number of firsts for the iconic brand and has created quite a buzz with riders keen to see how the new design works in real life.
Featuring both a new motor system in the recently launched Bosch CX, and also a completely new suspension design with a switch away from their iconic VPP platform onto a 4-Bar linkage for the first time there’s a lot to dig into, even before getting into the detail on the ride of the bike.
Using a 160mm fork paired with 150mm of rear travel, the Vala is a bike looking to hit the travel sweet spot with enough suspension to go and ride pretty much any trail without pigeonholing itself as a DH / gravity only bike. All sizes use a mixed wheel setup, while geometry closely follows the other recently launched Santa Cruz bikes that we’ve been liking so much. Lighter than the previous Santa Cruz full power bikes, it joins a tiny group of super lightweight and rideable full fat bikes which can rival the SL models downhill but without any compromise to climbing power.
Compared directly to the Heckler 9, the new Vala is considerably longer and slacker with a head angle that has been raked out to 63.9’ in the low setting and a lengthened wheelbase to increase stability at speed or in the steeps. Add to that the Fox 38s and Maven brakes specced throughout the range and the initial impression is of a bike that is going to be able to be ridden hard and fast through technical terrain. Chainstays are also now size specific, lengthening by 11m through the size range from 440mm on the Small to 451mm in XL.
Powering the Bosch CX motor is a 600W integrated battery (Bosch also produces an 800W version) chosen in order to keep the bike's weight and centre of gravity as low as possible, with Santa Cruz prioritising ride and handling over maximum possible range. With an impressive stock weight of just 21.6kg and a burly build kit including a Fox 38, Maven brakes and tough tires, our CC XO AXS test bike is as light as any full power bike we’ve ridden to date. For those looking to take on longer rides than the integrated battery will allow, there is also the option to add a 250W range extender taking total capacity to 850W.
Ordinarily, overhauled geometry a new motor would be the big news but for many long term Santa Cruz fans, the even bigger change is the move away from VPP suspension and onto a 4-Bar layout for the first time. The obvious first question is simply, why did they make the switch?
If you’ve been following Santa Cruz bike launches, you’ll already know that the current wave of new bikes from the Californian company have seen them reducing both anti-squat and anti rise to give a more active and neutral ride feel, but the pivot positions forced by the Bosch motor mounting were making those changes difficult to build into a new E-Bike, as well as severely hampering seat post insertion when combined with the VPP shock tunnel, so rather than compromise on the outcomes, they switched linkage design entirely.
Compared to the Heckler 9, that change to the 4-Bar design results in some significantly different suspension traits. Anti Squat (how much the chain tension firms the shock up when pedalling) drops from almost 140% to 100% at sag which should result in a more active bike when climbing technical ground. Anti Rise is dramatically reduced earlier in the travel, with the shock more free to move than before while braking through chatter. Leverage ratios remain quite close to the older bikes, with either 26% or 29% progression in the High and Low settings, striking a familiar balance between support, plushness and bottom out resistance. Seat post insertion also improved so much as a result of the change that each size now comes with a longer post than before (210mm in size Large).
Overall, everything about the frame looks to be of the usual high quality we’d expect from Santa Cruz. Pivot bearing sizes are large throughout, and everything is well aligned and thought out. As with all their bikes, the Vala carries a lifetime warranty and bearing kits are supplied free of charge for lifetime to the 1st owner.
Riding the Vala
Some riders have fed back to us that they’ve found the Vala sizes to come up slightly small but at 5,9’ Neil took his normal Medium out on test and found it a perfect fit, with it feeling very similar in size to the new V5 Bronson.
Spinning it up the road out of town and on fire roads, it actually doesn’t feel too different to the established models. In size Medium, the seated position is fairly upright and comfortable with the slightly steepened seat angle keeping the rider nicely above the cranks. The new Bosch motor is very quiet under all but the highest torques and the stock modes seem to strike a good range all being usable for Neil (at a little over 70kg).
Eco needs decent input from the rider, but is going to deliver massive ranges while at the other end, Turbo now feels far more useful than it was on older Bosch systems. No longer restricted to fire road shuttling, traction can now be controlled much more easily by varying pressure at the pedals, meaning that it’s possible to climb some crazy sections and angles without accidentally spinning out. Between those two extremes, the middle two modes of Tour+ and EMTB both self-adjust seamlessly with rider effort to create a relatively natural (for a full power E-Bike) feel and are likely where most people will spend much of their time.
The new 4-Bar linkage can also be felt when climbing over rougher ground. Neil ended up sprinting a lap of the Golfie moor climb during our test day which has several super rough bouldery sections and the ability to keep the power and pedals moving smoothly while climbing over rough ground is quite noticeable.
Full power E-Bikes have a ride that’s distinctly different from a regular mountain bike. With more weight and inertia, they carry speed incredibly well and exhibit enviable grip and stability over chop and chatter but those traits do also have a downside. In steeper terrain, they can feel a little like being aboard a runaway train with the extra heft harder to stop, while quick direction changes, corrections and unweights become noticeably harder work to execute.
At a mere 21.6kg, the Vala is not just light on the scales, but also noticeably so on the trail with those differences far less apparent than normal. Direction changes happen easily and quickly and (for a full power bike) it’s especially easy to pump the terrain for speed, hop over root sections and manipulate. It’s also completely silent, with no motor, chain or cable noise at all, leaving nothing audible but the thud of tires on dirt. If you’ve never ridden a really quite bike then the lack of distraction it creates is hard to overstate.
Neil rode our test bike in the slacker Low setting that the bike ships in and in that setting, the geometry seems well balanced. There’s enough wheelbase to keep the bike settled when up to speed or bashing through rough sections without tighter corners becoming a chore or weighting the front tire starting to become an issue. While we only had a single day to ride, we managed to squeeze in everything from fresh cut loam to fast hardpack trails along with some steeper ground and the bike felt perfectly at home throughout. First impressions are of a well rounded platform that will be able to take on a very wide variety of trails without feeling either over or under biked.
Despite being a completely new linkage, the suspension still has the supported firm feeling we normally associate with Santa Cruz. Having recently ridden and really liked the Bronson V5, weight aside, the Vala actually doesn’t feel a million miles away in handling and as we’ve come to expect from Santa Cruz has a very balanced feel, easily turning its hand to a wide variety of terrain.
High speed sections and open corners are a real highlight, with the bike skimming over rough ground incredibly well and providing massive grip when it’s up to pace. Braking performance is also good, with the suspension staying decently active when scrubbing speed without the forward pitching that can be produced when anti-rise goes too low.
In terms of where it fits into their range, the Vala seems almost like a hybrid of the Bullit and Heckler SL. Burlier feeling and more stable than the SL, but lighter and more responsive than the Bullit it's an impressive compromise that strikes an excellent balance between weight, power and capability. People looking for the closest thing to a mountain bike possible in an E-Bike are still going to prefer the Heckler SL, as it rides the descents with a quickness of handling and lightness than even the Vala can’t match but for those who don’t want to give up the range and torque of a full power system then the Vala sets a very high bar in ride quality.
Keen to see or try a Santa Cruz Vala for yourself? Get in touch and we’ll see what we can do for you.
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