All-New Santa Cruz Vala

Designed with the ethos of Santa Cruz’s legendary VPP, just without the VPP, Santa Cruz debuts their first four-bar bike in the new full-power eMTB called the Vala. Featuring the latest from Bosch with their all new motor and battery system, the Santa Cruz Vala aims to tackle any trail with performance and power.

Using the newly refreshed CX Performance for enhanced power, the Bosch motor incorporates all the latest eMTB technology. As Bosch’s latest full-power system, it offers quieter operation, a lighter overall weight and better software.

Santa Cruz has opted to make the Vala exclusively a 600Wh bike even though the CX system does have a 800Wh option. Should you need a longer range the design is compatible with the Powermore accessory battery, which adds an extra 250Wh.

Even without the VPP, the Vala's geometry closely mirrors that of the newly released Bronson  providing superior descending performance. The high/low geometry adjustment alters the bottom bracket height by 4mm and modifies the head and seat tube angles by 0.3°. With a 63.9° head angle, the Vala is slack enough on the steepest of the steep trails, while the 77.2° seat tube angle helps keep you centered over the wheels. Reach measurements range from 432mm to 522mm, with stack heights varying from 626mm to 671mm. 

While the Vala is Santa Cruz's first four-bar bike, it utilizes many strategies from their VPP models to achieve the desired ride feel. Much like the Bronson, the Santa Cruz leans toward lower anti-squat figures. The Vala produces more linear curves when comparing anti-squat and anti-rise to VPP models.

The bike features a progression flip chip that lets you adjust the leverage rate of the rear suspension between 26% and 29%. The lower starting ratio provides a consistent feel with more support. With a more pronounced ramp-up as you approach bottom-out, the higher starting ratio offers a lively feel at the top of the stroke. 

While the Vala is designed as a dedicated mixed-wheel bike, regardless of size, it still offers adjustability thanks to two integrated flip-chips in the frame. The High/Low mode adjustment at the back of the rocker link allows you to tweak the frame geometry to match your riding style and terrain. Additionally, the lower shock mount flip-chip lets you switch between high and low progression, with all adjustments easily made trailside using a 5mm wrench. As a Santa Cruz staple, the Vala comes with two carbon options in both C and CC frame options, with the CC being a higher-modulus carbon.

With the Santa Cruz Vala starting to deliver in early November, we can't wait to get out on one and follow-up this tech review with a ride review! Contender Bicycles has chosen to stock both the Santa Cruz Vala C GX AXS Kit and the Santa Cruz Vala CC X0 AXS RSV Kit.