Vala AL 2026

The Vala AL is Santa Cruz's first alloy-framed eMTB and brings the carbon Vala's 160mm front / 150mm rear four-bar platform, mullet wheels and Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor to a far lower price. The hydroformed alloy frame is claimed at 5.25kg bare and roughly 2kg heavier than carbon, but complete weights of around 24kg are competitive for an alloy ebike, and it keeps the same forged rocker link, motor skid plate and lifetime frame and bearing warranty.

Two builds are offered. The Deore at £4,899 runs a RockShox Psylo Gold RC fork, Deluxe Select shock, a full Shimano Deore M6100 12-speed groupset, Shimano Deore brakes and WTB ST Tough 30 rims. The £5,599 70 adds meaningful hardware for the extra £700: a stiffer RockShox ZEB fork and Super Deluxe shock, SRAM Eagle 70 T-Type Transmission, SRAM DB8 brakes and Reserve 30|HD alloy wheels with crash-replacement support. Both share the same frame, Bosch CX Gen 5 motor, 600Wh battery and the well-regarded Maxxis Assegai EXO+ front / Minion DHR II DoubleDown rear tyre pairing, so the 70 is the stronger value pick for harder riding while the Deore covers the essentials.

Geometry is fixed and aimed at all-round trail use, with a 64.1 degree head angle, roughly 76.8 to 76.9 degree effective seat angle and a 342mm BB height across all four sizes. Unlike the carbon Vala there are no flip chips, so the AL sits in a single position chosen to split the carbon frame's high and low settings. The range runs S to XL with reach from 433mm to 498mm; there is no XXL, so the tallest riders will need the carbon bike. The 600Wh battery is bolted in and not quick-release, with a 250Wh PowerMore range extender available for longer days.