Santa Cruz’s New Vala: Their First Horst Link Bike Ever
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- PB Tech Editor Dario goes for a first ride on the new Santa Cruz Vala, and gives his initial impressions.
Supported by 👉 Trailforks Pro: b.link/v63weq
Get unlimited access to all the best mountain biking trails by clicking the link above.
More Pinkbike videos:
The Wildest Downhill Season Finales From The Past Five Years: Racing Rewind
• The Wildest Downhill S...
Ben Cathro's Guide To Keeping Your Bike In Top Shape: Don't Let It Fall Apart!
• Ben Cathro's Guide To ...
Fox's New Electronic Live Valve NEO Suspension Compared to Rockshox Flight Attendant
• Fox's New Electronic L...
Pinkbike Merch - pinkbike.link/...
Subscribe for more content from the pulse of mountain biking.
Website - pinkbike.com
Podcast - pinkbike.link/...
Instagram - / pinkbike
Facebook - / pinkbikecom
That looks like a sweet bike, as far as specs. It's so cool to see all the new technologies and how many companies are getting into the EMTBs.
I bought a Turbo Levo about 1 year ago and haven't ridden my pedal bike once since then. 😅
I’m buying one 🤘
Great aplicable review. Been riding SC bikes for some time and I am pleased they went to a more “active” 4-bar system. Currently, my ebike is Levo3 w/CC link. Have Hightower and had Bronson and older Hightowers in past. I always got along with VPP for all trail riding/pedaling, ebike I prefer the more active, less anti-squat system for improved traction climbing tech and appreciate the feel on descents as well, especially on heavier ebike that sees it all (trail to DH). I would be all over the Vala now if didnt have my Levo3 dialed how I want. Be interesting to test both bikes to compare myself. With that said, looks like SC built a great “do all” trail/AM ebike! Love the parts and specs, all the same stuff on Levo with DH carbon rear wheel, Enduro front, DH cased tired rear, Enduro cased front, Mavens, XO/GX transmission, with Vivid and Zeb Ultimate, OneUp V3, bars, stem. Has 170/160 travel however that makes possibly a bit more versatile, especially in low/slack setting. She rips!
I appreciate Dario as a presenter.
Dahmer with crocs and a Mohawk. My man is killing it .
Santa cruz transition has a ring to it.
I fail to see how this is sufficiently better than a Repeater EP8 to justify the cost.
Edit: I'm comparing against the cost of buying a demo repeater from the Transition Outpost ($4.5k)
LMAO. Hey if they went with a Hors....crap they did go with a Horst link.
Did I miss something or is the ride review just a quick pedal up a fireroad?
you did not, that is exactly what this is
Is this is where the vitus frames went? 😂 im sure this bike is awesome I need to try that motor.
😂
It's OK, the horst link is the best alternative to VPP but resolves the problem of a motor being in the way. It was always a favourite before trying VPP.
Amflow! ✌
Unknown chinese carbon design that might snap in half in bike park. I would wait 1-2 years before risking my life on it.
for me the big mistake is a fixed battery, I don't think I'm the only one with no interest in a bike you need to plug to charge it's raining and cold here I want a battery I can take home and monitor/choose where to charge because large batteries are a fire hazard
Yes
Yep, I take the battery out of my Heckler during the winter as the bikes stored in a cold garage.
Woot! Are you leaving a 10k bike outside in the rain, waiting to be stolen?
100%. And for traveling especially.
If Santa Cruz was able to achieve their kinematic & ride goals, who cares what kind of suspension it has?
Besides the motor packaging, the 4-bar suspension frame allows for a longer seat tube and therefore a longer dropper post.
The change in suspension doesn't bother me if they got it to ride the way they wanted, what bothers me is the battery, especially if you're going to make it non-removable, give me the big battery. It's not like it can't be done Crestline just did it, not only can you get it with either battery and still use the range extender if you want but the battery is removable and the bike has VPP.
Can you put a 205x65 rear shock in (instead of the stock 205x60) to get 12.5mm~ more rear travel?
Ya you can ditch pedaling kinematics and prioritize grip when you add a motor. Frankly the Horst link works best for me anyway
Just one simple question, why it is so hard to get 10 lines instead of 5 light lines?
There’s two colours per line so the 5 lines can show the percentage in 10% increments.
@ one of the best firmware friendly are specialized, but now it is dji
Looks like a Decathalon only 7000 dollars more expensive
eMTBs seem to be turning in to a commodity market. Price, range, and to a lesser degree power and reliability are all that seem to matter. Brand, build material, suspension performance, geo, weight and even spec don’t seem to be part of the purchasing decisions of most eMTB’ers.
The geometry and suspension kinematics have gotten so good lately. I want this e-bike or a similar one, but I want to be able to update the motor in 3-5 years and keep the bike. It’s entirely wasteful that most of these e-bikes will be antiquated and basically trashed in a few years because the battery and motor systems fail, are unsupported and under warrantied, and brands design a new bike around a new system. This also makes the resale value plummet and I’m not sure how these price points will be sustainable…
@@mikes.8305 good points…the rate at which new drive systems are being launched is also an issue, newest and hottest always sells first and I don’t see the reputable bicycle brands being able to keep up with the more budget focused brands. The “special sauce” that makes a TR Sentinel, SC Hightower, Yeti SB140, Spec Stumpy, etc differ just doesn’t translate to most eMTB customers.
If you coupled this with Fox's new shock with auto lockout, it would likely be great. It doesn't come with that though and typically, Horst link bikes are great downhill and aren't great or even good pedalers.
@@Cinnabuns2009 maybe, but who’s interested in an auto-lockout when you’ve got 400watts from a motor on tap?…it just seems like so many features that distinguish a great mtb from a good mtb just don’t matter when you’ve got a motor.
@@Cinnabuns2009all of specialized bikes are Horst link and none of the reviews ever mention poor pedalling so I think you’re off the mark on that one
Ciao Dario, do you already test battery life with XL size? we always got measurement from "thin/small" bikers...
Yeah! Everybody jumpin on that BS Train. Until you've ridden the bike... then you sell your ass to have one.
So where in the product line does this fit? Does this replace the Heckler?
I'm guessing SC will discontinue Heckler. That's prob why it's on sale now.
they're discontinuing the normal heckler and the heckler sl will take up the name. This will be their mid travel full power ebike
I think what sells Santa Cruz is the expectation or excellent customer service and let's not BS here the "Brohood", not sure a suspension design will piss off anyone but keyboard warriors.
And people who buy bikes. Whatevs, new designer at SC. New parent company. Marketing will always be well done. But idk about this Pon Cruz bike.
VPP matters on mtbs, not as much on an emtb. Motor solves the issues antisquat solves on mtbs. It simply doesn’t really matter on emtbs.
Did they rush so they can compete with the Amflow e-bike? Not sure.
I think brands signed on contract with Bosch to release new bikes right after Bosch releases new gen motor. Santa Cruz, Orbea, Focus they all released a new emtb at the same time.
@@YongPark-g3h okay cheers for the info.
Bye bye santa
Buy Buy? lol
I am so sick of hearing about weight in an emtb. If the suspension, shock tune, weight distribution and geo are right, the weight difference of emtbs between about 45 lbs to 58 lbs DOES NOT MATTER. Except for loading it on top of your car- maybe then. Lol
Just the same as everything else now
Sanrta Cruz error 404 !!
Look at just about any review of any product ever & it'll include the price, not this one though. Are we supposed to guess, if we want a Vala?
For me the vpp really is what makes santa cruz stand out. And this really makes this just another generic high priced bike. So now if it isnt priced to compete... it wont
Then might as well buy the canyon and trek then hehehe
This is what im talking about why gearboxes (I know this is a ebike video) change suspension and geometry it reflects also in ebikes. Gearbox and Motors are anti VPP or any suspension design that is located near the lower part of the bike and also they are forced to use a lower BB to keep a low pivot (axle path). Idk how gearboxes will go for the designs we going since high bottom brackets are going back again, remember you already have sag you dont need bb drop at all you just gof fooled of "Low COG" it didn't end well
nice, smaller lighter battery, that's good, but NOT interchangeable ?? what a bummer !!!!!!! :/
trailforks link does not work
Would it be so difficult to weight the bike and say the number?
He did rewatch initial intro. He said he weighted it on his scale
@@johnbrimer6254 oh ok will check it again. Thx
Thats not a light bike for a 600w battery. My altitude powerplay isnt so much heavier. Its a tank. I only use it on rest days but it just makes a completely different ride experience and not necessarily more fun but fun enough to ride when your legs are dead but you still want to hit the trail
So much BS here..the Blur lost vpp a few years ago to achieve the best performance as possible on xc races and nobody said a thing.. yeti's ebike also lost switch infinity and again..silence. wait until you ride this bike..than you can talk about it.
The blur lost VPP to save weight similarly to most XC bikes not exactly to achieve the best suspension performance. Weight is a higher priority than suspension performance on XC race bikes that all feature lockouts to overcome less-than-ideal designs.
The Yeti ebike went to a 6-bar linkage to help tune the anti-rise to improve braking traction and help account for the motor's added weight. If weight were no concern on enduro bikes the more complex suspension layout from the Yeti ebike would likely be included as an upgrade on their analog bikes as well...
SantaCruz seems to describe this suspension design as what they could fit, not necessarily about what they thought performed the best. I'm sure it rides great... perhaps even better than a VPP layout, but it's easy to see how this could be received as a downgrade to many who have bought into the VPP hype for decades.
Anyone wanting a nice vpp ebike just get an Unno Mith.
No more VPP ? No more Santa Cruz 🤷
So many 4 bars out there, small battery only, why bother. SC making a mistake. Would wait for brands to get DJI motors and the Fox Neo (maybe a connector into the big battery) combo with more plush kinematics.
600Wh battery makes it possible to have a light bike and slim downtube. This bike is a game changer in full power category!
This description sounds like a eulogy. Is this a bike review or a funeral?
looks like a rail
No more value in the brand. Its almost as if they are admitting vpp sucks. Going to buy pivot
Revolting , but if you like paying lots for a name go on.
I want the old Pinkbike presenters back.
I think Dario does a pretty good job. But I'm curious what you want to achieve with this comment. The old presenters aren't coming back, but Dario probably read this and feels bad now. Basically you expressed your opinion to make the world worse. If you're longing for the past you should probably talk to your therapist about that.
@@MrKerbywilkes hahaha. What the?
I like Dario's reviews and commentary.
Packaging concerns? Wtf
What he means is they could not put the lower linkage in the position they wanted, like they did on the new Bronson and Hightower, due to the motor position and mounting hardware. They couldn't "Package" the motor and suspension components in the space available and achieve the kinematics they wanted.
Dead content, proper boring.
what a disappointing video...
Just another expensive moped
There you go, dropping sophisticated solutions and go for cheaper solutions. Lame
Proof that VPP was never really all that good
*compared to other suspension designs
It is on mtbs, but on emtbs the real benefit of VPP doesn’t matter. On etmbs the motor solves the issue of squat by making it immaterial because of the help of the motor, whereas dealing with squat on a mtb through a system like VPP is very helpful. Unless you like to bob around like a buoy in a storm when pedaling.
Also, see what the winningest DH bike of all time is and what suspension layout it has.