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Late last year saw the arrival of the brand new Santa Cruz Vala. Replacing the outgoing Heckler, the Vala is built around a more conventional four-bar suspension platform and the latest Bosch CX motor. As you may have already seen in our review, we were thoroughly impressed by its top-notch finish and brilliant ride quality. However, the full carbon frame meant that even the cheapest model was still $10,999 AUD.
For those who would prefer not to spend over five figures on a mountain bike, we have very good news. Today sees the arrival of the Vala AL, which is the first ever alloy e-MTB from Santa Cruz.
What’s new with the Santa Cruz Vala AL?
Aside from the obvious difference in frame material, the Santa Cruz Vala AL shares all the main features with its carbon counterpart. It’s built specifically around a mixed wheel setup and is equipped with a 160mm travel fork and 150mm of rear travel.
The four bar suspension layout carries over, and indeed the rocker linkage and pivot hardware are identical to the carbon Vala. You also still get a lifetime warranty on both the frame and the pivot bearings, which is awesome. However, Santa Cruz has removed the geometry flip chip in the seatstay and the progression flip chip at the lower shock mount to help reduce costs.
You’ll otherwise find the same Bosch CX Gen 5 motor and 600Wh PowerTube battery. The Vala AL is compatible with the Bosch 250Wh PowerMore range extender, which would give you a total capacity of 850Wh.
Santa Cruz Vala AL geometry & size chart
Another cost-saving move for the Santa Cruz Vala AL is the elimination of the XXL frame size. That means the tallest riders will need to look towards the carbon model for their e-MTB needs.
Geometry on the Vala AL otherwise splits the difference between the Hi/Low settings on the carbon frame. This sees a 64° head angle, a 76.9° effective seat tube angle and a 342mm BB height. The rear centre length comes in at 440mm on the Small and extends to 445mm on the larger sizes.
Santa Cruz Vala AL price & specs
There will be two models in the Santa Cruz Vala AL lineup, both of which feature the same alloy frame, Bosch CX motor and 600Wh battery.
The entry-level Deore bike will sell for $7,999 AUD, which is cheaper than both the base level Trek Rail+ and Specialized Levo 4. It comes with a decent spec too, making it a surprisingly good value package.
For an extra grand the Vala AL 70 upgrades you to a RockShox ZEB fork and Super Deluxe shock, plus you get a 3C MaxxGrip front tyre along with the latest SRAM Eagle 70 Transmission.
You can check out the full spec list below, and keep your eyes on the Flow website as we’ll be receiving a Santa Cruz Vala AL for testing soon.
Santa Cruz Vala AL 70
- Frame | Alloy, Four-Bar Suspension Design, 150mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox ZEB, Rush RC Damper, 160mm Travel
- Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe, 205x60mm
- Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, 85Nm
- Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
- Wheels | SRAM MTH Hubs & Reserve 30|HD Alloy Rims
- Tyres | Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip 2.5in Front & Minion DHR II DoubleDown 2.5in Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM Eagle 70 Transmission 1×12 w/e*13 Helix eSpec Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM DB8 4-Piston w/220mm Front & 200mm Rear Rotors
- Handlebar | Santa Cruz Alloy
- Stem | OneUp Forged Alloy, 42mm Length
- Seatpost | SDG Tellis, 31.6mm Diameter, Travel: 125mm (S), 170mm (M), 200mm (L-XXL)
- Claimed Weight | 24.35kg
- Price | $8,999 AUD
Santa Cruz Vala AL Deore
- Frame | Alloy, Four-Bar Suspension Design, 150mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox Psylo Gold, RC Damper, 160mm Travel
- Shock | RockShox Deluxe Select, 205x60mm
- Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, 85Nm
- Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
- Wheels | WTB Frequency Sport Hubs & ST Tough 30 Alloy Rims
- Tyres | Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 2.5in Front & Minion DHR II DoubleDown 2.5in Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano Deore 1×12 w/e*13 Helix eSpec Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano Deore 4-Piston w/220mm Front & 203mm Rear Rotors
- Handlebar | Santa Cruz Alloy
- Stem | OneUp Forged Alloy, 42mm Length
- Seatpost | SDG Tellis, 31.6mm Diameter, Travel: 125mm (S), 170mm (M), 200mm (L-XXL)
- Claimed Weight | 24.09kg
- Price | $7,999 AUD
The post First Look | The Santa Cruz Vala AL skips the carbon frame, dropping the price by a lot appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.
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[[{“value”:”Late last year saw the arrival of the brand new Santa Cruz Vala. Replacing the outgoing Heckler, the Vala is built around a more conventional four-bar suspension platform and the latest Bosch CX motor. As you may have already seen in our review, we were thoroughly impressed by its top-notch finish and brilliant ride quality.
The post First Look | The Santa Cruz Vala AL skips the carbon frame, dropping the price by a lot appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.”}]] Read More Flow Mountain Bike
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