Santa Cruz Vala Review

Just in time for the presentation of the new Bosch Performance CX Gen 5 motor, there’s a lot to see at Santa Cruz as well. The new VALA. New suspension system, new motor, new travel category. Enough reasons for us to take a closer look at the bike.

At the Vala, there’s so much new—and so much different, it’s making us a bit jittery. So, let’s take a deep breath and go through it step by step.

The name: Vala. Vala comes from Germanic and Norse mythology, and translates to: woman with a staff, with the staff being a symbol of power. Valas were women believed to possess prophetic powers and were understood as prophetesses in the Middle Ages. With the name of its latest bike, Santa Cruz is aiming high. We’ll reveal what prophecy the new Vala holds in our conclusion. So, stay tuned.

Based on the hard facts, we would classify the Vala as All Mountain. 160 mm of travel at the front, 150 mm at the rear, paired with an MX wheel combo. Or as many say: Mullet wheels. Although we still find that term incorrect, as “mullet” translates to “business in the front, party in the back” – meaning short front, long back. Yet, in terms of the bike, it’s exactly the opposite. Anyway, SantaCruz calls it MX, and that hits the mark.

The Vala is powered by a Bosch Performance Line CX motor of the 5th generation. This makes it clear: the Vala is a full-power E-bike. And that brings us to the essence. How much does the new Vala weigh?

In the top-of-the-line version we tested, priced at a modest 13,000 Euros, the bike weighs in at 21.6 kg (in size L). This is, in the best sense, a solid weight for a full-power e-bike in its class.

However, there’s a catch: The weight isn’t without reason, as Santa Cruz achieves this low weight with a small battery. Only 600 Wh are housed in the downtube of the Vala – permanently installed with no tool-free battery swap option. For a few quick party laps on the home trails, the 600 Wh should suffice – and that’s what we found during our test.

Santa Cruz has never been a company particularly known for lightweight bikes. The Heckler SL was also relatively heavy for a Light EMTB in our test. For those who prioritize low weight, here is all the information on the weight champions in the 600 Wh full power class.

We managed to pedal up the 260 m of elevation gain to the start of our club trail a total of 6 times – that’s 1,560 m of elevation. 4 times non-stop in turbo mode. That’s enough to really tire yourself out on the trail after work.

For those seeking all-day adventures and wanting to reach great heights in the mountains, you can invest in a Bosch PowerMore Range Extender for an additional 250 Wh. “Obendrauf” hits the mark here, as the Range Extender is mounted on the down tube. This brings the total battery capacity to 850 Wh. Enough to spend a day searching for epic trails in the mountains.

For the first time, Santa Cruz is using a Bosch motor. The Vala is powered by the new Bosch CX motor. Compared to its predecessor, it has a new form factor, which is barely noticeable to the naked eye. The weight advantage is also minimal, as the motor has shed 100 grams. Such differences aren’t noticeable during rides – but every little bit helps.

Honestly, if we hadn’t known that the new Bosch motor was pushing us up the hill, we wouldn’t have noticed any difference from its predecessor. The motor’s hum at full power is still unmistakable uphill. And the performance hasn’t noticeably changed either – as expected, since the new CX motor still delivers 600 W peak power and 85 Nm of torque according to the data sheet.

Bosch claims that the sensor technology has changed, making the motor respond even more sensitively to pedal input. To be honest, in terms of responsiveness and ride dynamics, the previous model was already the benchmark for us. A significant difference from the already excellent predecessor wasn’t noticeable. Given the high level of the predecessor, that’s forgivable, but considering the new class leader Avinnox from DJI, it’s surprising how much Bosch is letting the Chinese drone manufacturer steal the spotlight.

The big difference between the new and old CX motor? Finally, the reduction gear doesn’t rattle anymore. As soon as you let the cranks rest and hit the trail, there is silence. A relief for the ears. And while we’re at it: the Vala itself is also a remarkably quiet bike. Even under hard riding in rough terrain, the bike stays quiet – building confidence and sharpening focus on the trail.

When people think of Santa Cruz Bikes, they inevitably think of their iconic suspension design. The VPP suspension has been an unmistakable trademark of all Santa Cruz full-suspension bikes since 2001 (with a few single-pivot exceptions in the early 2000s). Few bike brands have managed to distinguish themselves so significantly through a technical USP. But with the new Vala, Santa Cruz is breaking with its own identity.

For the first time, the rear wheel on a Santa Cruz full-suspension hangs from a classic four-bar suspension with Horst Link. Just like many other competitors. It almost seems like a concession to the staunch four-bar advocates at Specialized and Canyon, who have always championed the classic four-bar design regardless of suspension trends.

Santa Cruz justifies this development step with lack of space between the motor and the suspension. The lower link of the VPP dual-link design simply had no room. The four-bar was the logical consequence—with the pleasant side effect that, compared to a VPP suspension, new possibilities for anti-rise characteristics suddenly became available.

The anti-rise describes the rear suspension’s behavior during braking. It refers to whether the rear suspension compresses, extends, or remains neutral when you hit the brakes. In other words, whether it stiffens up during braking – also known as “squat.” Due to the arrangement of the Horst Link, the pivot point between the chainstay and seatstay, this specific anti-rise can be precisely determined, favoring a fully active suspension even under braking loads. More on that later.

For all the tech nerds, here’s a brief technical excursion. Santa Cruz’s registered trademark “VPP” stands for nothing other than “Virtual Pivot Point” and describes the virtual pivot point around which the rear triangle rotates when compressing. Sounds fancy – and totally unique. But it’s not. Because even the classic four-bar link rotates around a virtual pivot point. Strictly speaking, a “VPP” system is a type of four-bar link, just without the “Horst Link” invented by Horst Leitner. The lower link of the “VPP” system works in the same way as the chainstay in a four-bar link – except that the lever is much shorter.

So, if the “Virtual Pivot Point” is important to you, you can still enjoy a virtual pivot point with the new Vala.

If you have the power of a full-power e-motor at your disposal, then uphill riding can be fun too. So, leave the monotonous gravel path behind and hit the trail. Although a lot has happened in e-MTB development in recent years, there are still many e-bikes that struggle with steep, technical climbs. The most common problems: front wheel lift and loss of traction at the rear wheel. This bike masters both with flying colors.

The front wheel practically sticks to the ground, allowing the bike to be precisely controlled even on steep uphills. The steep seat angle centers the rider in the middle of the bike, and the long mainframe pulls the upper body toward the front—putting significant pressure on the front wheel. Additionally, the rear suspension remains stable in the upper travel and does not sag. The Vala rides very precisely in every situation.

Even though the rear suspension feels firm, it takes hits responsively, allowing the rear wheel to perfectly follow the terrain. This means the rear tire maintains solid contact with the ground, converting the motor’s power into forward momentum with minimal loss.

The strong performance of the rear suspension is crowned by the exceptional grip of the new Schwalbe Magic Mary tires with radial carcass. The tires practically bite into the compact forest floor of the well-trodden uphill trail. Even wet roots leave the tires unimpressed. This allows you to pedal effortlessly, let the motor do its job powerfully, and enjoy how the Vala flows through the terrain towards the summit.

However, there is a downside to the grippy Schwalbe tires: if you do run out of the 600 Wh battery and have to pedal the bike home on gravel and asphalt roads without assistance, you’ll quickly curse the noticeably high rolling resistance of the tires.

When you get out of the saddle to adopt the downhill position, you immediately feel the length of the bike. The Vala feels long in size L – even though the 477 mm reach is now a common measurement and should feel familiar. Nevertheless, the bike feels longer than the data sheet would suggest.

In size L, the Vala fits a rider of 1.81 m quite perfectly – although the bike demands a central riding position during fast rides. Relaxing into the rear of the bike is not an option with the Vala – this results in understeer, causing the front wheel to give way.

Particularly noteworthy is the enormous freedom of movement over the bike. The down tube is particularly low for a size L bike. Combined with the long travel of the dropper post, this results in a tremendous amount of room for movement.

The Vala loves speed – the faster, the better. This is partly due to the 63.9° slack head angle. The deep bottom bracket provides the necessary confidence, giving you the feeling of being securely nestled behind the high cockpit in true motocross fashion.

The bike handles extremely precisely. The rear tire practically sticks to the ground because the rear end generates an insanely high amount of traction. This builds confidence, especially because the rear suspension effectively transfers braking maneuvers to the ground. Throwing out the anchor thus leads to exactly the deceleration you desire – at the right moment, in the right place. Those who brake later remain faster longer.

If the bike loses grip, it will be at the front wheel. The bike is long, so it wants to be ridden with a lot of pressure over the front. Those who have the strength and confidence to stand centrally over the bike and lean forward with their upper body will be rewarded with excellent grip on both wheels.

Tendenziell feels the suspension rather firm. The Vala is not a pillow, however. The suspension is very defined above all. It provides excellent feedback on what’s happening beneath you – without passing on unfiltered hits to the rider. Still, you don’t feel isolated from the ground, but rather, perfectly in tune with it.

The Fox 38 Factory fork and the rear triangle harmonize perfectly, making the bike glide down the trail as if on rails. You don’t notice that the rear only generates 150 mm of travel – the rear feels like more and pairs excellently with the fork’s 160 mm of travel.

The bike is stiff and, therefore, precise. And it feels robust, very robust. Even though, of course, this is a very subjective impression. Because only a testing stand or long-term experience can provide substantial insights into durability. But on the trail, the bike gives the impression that you can rely on it unconditionally. This allows you to keep the brakes open in sections where you might otherwise reach for the lever to slow down.

At the lower shock mount of the Vala, there’s a flip-chip that allows you to adjust the rear suspension’s progression. The geometry remains unaffected by this—because for geometry adjustments, the engineers at Santa Cruz have added a second flip-chip at the junction between the seat stay and the rocker arm.

Our favorite setting was the low geometry setting with the less progressive curve—referred to as Geo Lo and Pro Lo. While the bike feels a bit less lively with the less progressive curve, it sits more composed and stable on the trail—just right for hitting lines precisely and chasing seconds.

With more progression, the bike feels a bit more lively and encourages the rider to consciously pop off edges and play with the terrain.

Santa Cruz is not known for bargains. At €13,000, the bike is in the same league as the S-Works Turbo Levo SL. But there are cheaper options available. For €7,499, you get the budget version, but at least the same motor. The higher-quality CC frame is only available starting from €11,499. Enough about prices. You have to be willing to splurge on this bike. It’s not about practicality anymore. With the arrow symbol, you can compare all price ranges among themselves, and on the detail pages, you will find all the spec details.

The Vala is perfect for speed freaks and adrenaline junkies looking for a shuttle replacement with their e-bike, allowing them to unleash their inner downhill rider without compromise on the descents.