Vala 2027
How current the bike is — newer chassis, motor and battery score higher. 10 = brand-new, 0 = legacy.
The MY27 carbon Vala keeps the formula that made the platform popular: 150mm of four-bar rear travel with a 160mm fork, MX wheels, and Bosch's Gen 5 Performance CX (BDU38) Smart System drive unit paired with a 600Wh PowerTube that Santa Cruz designs to be charged in the frame, with a 250Wh PowerMore extender for bigger days. All three 2027 builds use the top-tier CC carbon frame, come in five sizes from S to XXL, and carry Reserve 30|HD carbon wheels with lifetime warranty.
The news for 2027 is the Lite pair. The XT Di2 Lite RSV (£9,499, claimed 20.87kg) and XX AXS Lite RSV (claimed 20.64kg) swap the Fox 38 for a Fox 36 Factory and run a lighter EXO+ rear tyre in place of the DoubleDown, trading outright smash resistance for a claimed weight saving. The XT Di2 RSV (£9,999, claimed 21.37kg) remains the heavy-duty option with the 38, DoubleDown rear casing and SRAM Maven Silver brakes; all builds run 200mm rotors front and rear.
Spec-wise the XX AXS Lite RSV is the flagship: SRAM XX Eagle AXS T-Type, Maven Ultimate Carbon brakes, DT Swiss 240 hubs and a Chris King DropSet 3 headset, though no UK price has been published yet ($13,999 in the US). Between the two XT Di2 builds, £500 separates a burlier bike from a lighter one with otherwise identical drivetrain, shock, wheels and cockpit, so the choice is largely about terrain rather than value.
Geometry is shared with the existing carbon Vala: 64.2 or 63.9 degree head angle via the HI/LO geo chip (which also moves the BB 4mm), a separate progression chip (26-29%), and reach from 435mm (S) to 525mm (XXL) in HI. These 2027 builds are newly released, so there is no owner feedback on them yet; the underlying frame and motor platform carries over from the well-received 2025-26 Vala.
Geometry · hover a row to highlight the measurement on the bike
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 432 mm | 456 mm | 477 mm | 497 mm | 522 mm |
| Stack | 625 mm | 635 mm | 643 mm | 657 mm | 670 mm |
| Seattube | 380 mm | 400 mm | 420 mm | 460 mm | 500 mm |
| Chainstay | 439 mm | 440 mm | 443 mm | 446 mm | 450 mm |
| Headtube Angle | 63.9° | 63.9° | 63.9° | 63.9° | 63.9° |
| Seattube Angle (eff) | 77.2° | 77.2° | 77.2° | 77.2° | 77.2° |
| Wheelbase | 1210 mm | 1240 mm | 1268 mm | 1297 mm | 1333 mm |
| Headtube | 110 mm | 120 mm | 130 mm | 145 mm | 160 mm |
| BB Height | 340 mm | 340 mm | 340 mm | 340 mm | 340 mm |
| Standover | 741 mm | 735 mm | 734 mm | 734 mm | 728 mm |
| Front Centre | 771 mm* | 800 mm* | 825 mm* | 851 mm* | 883 mm* |
Trims · 3
XT Di2 Lite RSV £9,499 | XT Di2 RSV £9,999 | XX AXS Lite RSV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 · 120 Nm · all trims | ||
| Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600 · 600 Wh · all trims | ||
| Travel F/R | 160/150 mm · all trims | ||
| Frame | Carbon CC · all trims | ||
| Fork | FOX 36 Float Factory, Grip X2, 160mm | FOX 38 Factory, Grip X2, 160mm | FOX 36 Float Factory, Grip X2, 160mm |
| Shock | FOX Float X Factory, 205x60 · all trims | ||
| Headset | Cane Creek 50 IS Integrated Headset | Cane Creek 50 IS Integrated Headset | Chris King DropSet 3 Integrated Headset |
| Stem | Santa Cruz CNC, 40mm (all sizes) | Santa Cruz CNC, 40mm (all sizes) | Industry Nine A35, 40mm (all sizes) |
| Handlebar | OneUp Carbon Bar, 35mm (S: 760mm, 20mm rise; M-XXL: 800mm, 35mm rise) · all trims | ||
| Grips | Santa Cruz Bicycles House Grips · all trims | ||
| Saddle | WTB Silverado Medium Fusion, CroMo SL | WTB Silverado Medium Fusion, CroMo SL | WTB Silverado Medium Fusion, Stainless |
| Seatpost | OneUp Dropper Post, 31.6 (S: 120mm, M: 180mm, L: 210mm, XL-XXL: 240mm) · all trims | ||
| Brakes | Shimano XT M8220, Shimano RT750 6-Bolt 200mm rotors front and rear | SRAM Maven Silver, SRAM HS2 200mm rotors front and rear | SRAM Maven Ultimate Carbon, SRAM HS2 200mm rotors front and rear |
| Rear derailleur | Shimano Deore XT Di2 M8260, SGS, 12spd | Shimano Deore XT Di2 M8260, SGS, 12spd | SRAM XX Eagle AXS T-Type, 12spd |
| Crank | e13 Helix Race Alloy e*spec, 160mm (all sizes) | e13 Helix Race Alloy e*spec, 160mm (all sizes) | e13 Helix Race Carbon e*spec, 160mm (all sizes) |
| Shifters | Shimano Deore XT M8250 Shift Switch | Shimano Deore XT M8250 Shift Switch w/ Wolf Tooth Shiftmount Adapter for MM | SRAM AXS Pod Controller Rocker |
| Cassette | Shimano XT M8200, 10-51t | Shimano XT M8200, 10-51t | SRAM XX 1297 Eagle T-Type, 10-52t |
| Chain | Shimano XT M8100, 12spd | Shimano XT M8100, 12spd | SRAM XX Eagle T-Type, Flattop, 12spd |
| Drivetrain | Shimano Deore XT Di2 M8260, SGS, 12spd; e13 Helix Race Alloy e*spec, 160mm (all sizes); Shimano Deore XT M8250 Shift Switch; Shimano XT M8200, 10-51t; Shimano XT M8100, 12spd | Shimano Deore XT Di2 M8260, SGS, 12spd; e13 Helix Race Alloy e*spec, 160mm (all sizes); Shimano Deore XT M8250 Shift Switch w/ Wolf Tooth Shiftmount Adapter for MM; Shimano XT M8200, 10-51t; Shimano XT M8100, 12spd | SRAM XX Eagle AXS T-Type, 12spd; e13 Helix Race Carbon e*spec, 160mm (all sizes); SRAM AXS Pod Controller Rocker; SRAM XX 1297 Eagle T-Type, 10-52t; SRAM XX Eagle T-Type, Flattop, 12spd |
| Wheels | Reserve 30|HD Carbon (DT Swiss 350 front hub; DT Swiss 350 DEG DF anti-pedal-kickback rear hub, MicroSpline, 28h) | Reserve 30|HD Carbon (DT Swiss 350 front hub; DT Swiss 350 DEG DF anti-pedal-kickback rear hub, MicroSpline, 28h) | Reserve 30|HD Carbon (DT Swiss 240 front hub; DT Swiss 240 DEG DF rear hub, XD, 28h) |
| Tyres | Maxxis Assegai 29"x2.5", 3C MaxxGrip, EXO+ (front) / Maxxis Minion DHRII 27.5"x2.5", 3C MaxxTerra, EXO+ (rear) | Maxxis Assegai 29"x2.5", 3C MaxxGrip, EXO+ (front) / Maxxis Minion DHRII 27.5"x2.5", 3C MaxxTerra, DoubleDown (rear) | Maxxis Assegai 29"x2.5", 3C MaxxGrip, EXO+ (front) / Maxxis Minion DHRII 27.5"x2.5", 3C MaxxTerra, EXO+ (rear) |
| Weight | 20.87 kg | 21.37 kg | 20.64 kg |
| Price | £9,499 | £9,999 | — |
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