Would you buy an Amflow PL over a Santa Cruz Vala R

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leix_toffee

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I recently sold my Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 SL (2021) and can’t decide what to buy next. I have a back injury so not riding next few weeks. There are no Amflow for sale in Ireland but there is a dealer in NI so would have to pay STG bringing the price up towards a Vala. I can’t see any dealers in the south anytime soon. I was also considering a Gen 4 Levo but I had a poor buying experience with the Specialized dealer previously. The Cube was okay but was a bit heavy, a little harsh and always found it difficult to get the balance right front to back (Buzzed my rear a lot as well). Want a bit more plush feel that can handle the chatter. I don’t do jumps, mainly trail but like the steeps and rocky now and then.Getting old so comfort is getting important for me. Any useful thoughts welcome.
 
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It’s becoming subjective when it comes to the best emtb. There’s probably about 5-6 decent manufacturers and many more bike components included in your purchase that can help make your decision.

IMO, the most important is the service warranty from a local Bike Shop (or as close as possible). Developing a relationship with a local Bike Shop can be helpful for you in the future. After all, they are a business in your community and they’d like to keep you riding.

I still purchase some components on-line but most are available from your local Bike Shop for a few extra bucks.
 
If the pricing is equal it becomes tougher.

The Vala at £6.8k has a better/more burly build kit with the Float X Performance, Zeb and tyre selection, and a marginally more contemporary geometry if you're the type of person who agonises over having the slackest headtube on offer.

But the Amflow has the ultra modern screen and connectivity, which makes the Vala look positively pre-historic in execution. So it depends on how much you value cutting edge tech and having that totally integrated experience. The Amflow also has the 800wh battery which gives you a bit more juice to either turbo the whole day or eek out more miles in Auto.

Additionally I'd say the Vala is overforked for it's actual usage. I think the 38mm fork is probably too stiff and many get drawn in by the 'bigger is better' approach to buying/speccing bikes. A trail bike doesn't need a 38mm fork.
 
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Plyphon said:
But the Amflow has the ultra modern screen and connectivity, which makes the Vala look positively pre-historic in execution.
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None of which will matter if it’s sitting their broken with no support from the bike shop in another country that it was purchased from.

I’d have no issues buying an Amflow, they’re supported by dealers here in the UK so that bit is covered.

If I had to get the bike back to a dealer in another country then it becomes more of an issue. I had to get a new TCU coded on one of my bikes recently, would have been a complete pain in the harris if I’d had to ship it off somewhere rather than driving it to the bike shop 10 miles away.

It’s the one aspect of e-bikes I don’t like, having been spannering my own bikes for decades, that of having to rely on the dealer network for motor/battery coding/replacement when something goes wrong. Bike shops seem to switch dealer franchises frequently as well. Where I purchased my Focus Jam2 from 5 or so years ago is now a Specialized only store and won’t even touch the Focus.
 
Tooks said:
If I had to get the bike back to a dealer in another country then it becomes more of an issue. I had to get a new TCU coded on one of my bikes recently, would have been a complete pain in the harris if I’d had to ship it off somewhere rather than driving it to the bike shop 10 miles away.
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Agreed, for sure.

Though I will say Amflow support is great - not only are they active here, you can contact them directly for support.

I've had a small charging issue (detailed here) which I've been speaking to Amflows support team directly. I provided them my bike logs and they've traced the issue to a problem with the charger. They've gone ahead and contacted the UK support manager as well as the store I purchased from to arrange a new charger to be sent to me, all without me having to leave my home.

All sorted within a matter of days with a handfull of emails - 10/10 support. I may be wrong but I wouldn't suggest you'd get that level of support direct with Santz Cruz - you'd have to go through the shop you purchased it from.
 
Plyphon said:
Agreed, for sure.

Though I will say Amflow support is great - not only are they active here, you can contact them directly for support.

I've had a small charging issue (detailed here) which I've been speaking to Amflows support team directly. I provided them my bike logs and they've traced the issue to a problem with the charger. They've gone ahead and contacted the UK support manager as well as the store I purchased from to arrange a new charger to be sent to me, all without me having to leave my home.

All sorted within a matter of days with a handfull of emails - 10/10 support. I may be wrong but I wouldn't suggest you'd get that level of support direct with Santz Cruz - you'd have to go through the shop you purchased it from.
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Good to hear, I’ve had good experiences with DJI with regard to support over drones I’ve purchased from them over the years too.

I think expecting the same level of support in a country to which they don’t officially sell or have a distributor/support network might be different though, hence why I’d be cautious about buying one ‘out of area’ so to speak.

Maybe Amflow could clear that question up though?
 
Thanks for the input. I also worry about the Dealer for the Amflow being in Northern Ireland and how it could impact Warranty. The Santa Cruz dealer is in Dublin and about 40mins away but I don’t think they sell many Santa Cruz bikes. I will chat to them about warranty and how they deal with potential claims. I wonder do they rely on a distributer (likely UK based). I am binge watching YT reviews of both bikes trying to garner relevant (non biased) information.
 
I like both bikes, the Vala's fixed 600wh battery and slow charging is a big downside for me, the motor hardware is a step behind the amflow but the bosch modes are good and it's a great looking bike with balanced spec. I'd lean towards the amflow for that next gen motor feel but I don't have the grey import concerns you have.

If comfort is very high on your priorities, the merida 180 with zeb and vidid ultimate was the most plush bike I've demoed but it is heavy and doesn't have the looks.
 
Neither bike. The first thing I notice about the Amflow is the bent seat tube and its teeny dropper. If I can't put a proper dropper in there, fuggetaboutit. The Vala has that pipsqueak battery. I'd be all over the new Levo. I haven't ridden a Specialized since my 2012 S-Works Epic, but even today, the Specialized dealer takes care of me.
 
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RustyIron said:
Neither bike. The first thing I notice about the Amflow is the bent seat tube and its teeny dropper. If I can't put a proper dropper in there, fuggetaboutit. The Vala has that pipsqueak battery. I'd be all over the new Levo. I haven't ridden a Specialized since my 2012 S-Works Epic, but even today, the Specialized dealer takes care of me.
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Bad news for you spez fanbois it doesn't appear that the new spez is any more reliable than the last. We have 3 new sworks in our group. One seems to have something wrong with battery as it only lasts half a ride before drained another keeps randomly cutting out and has to be rebooted and the 3rd has blown motor and is awaiting a warranty replacement. 3 for 3. Not a good look
 
Chairman said:
B

Bad news for you spez fanbois it doesn't appear that the new spez is any more reliable than the last. We have 3 new sworks in our group. One seems to have something wrong with battery as it only lasts half a ride before drained another keeps randomly cutting out and has to be rebooted and the 3rd has blown motor and is awaiting a warranty replacement. 3 for 3. Not a good look
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Look who pulled Spez out of his ass for no apparent reason^^^^^^.
 
Chicane said:
Look who pulled Spez out of his ass for no apparent reason^^^^^^.
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To be fair the reason was because the person I was replying to was thinking of buying a spez and I thought it was the right thing to do pass on information that I had first hand knowledge of. However I could have phrased it a little better😁
 
Chairman said:
To be fair the reason was because the person I was replying to was thinking of buying a spez and I thought it was the right thing to do pass on information that I had first hand knowledge of. However I could have phrased it a little better😁
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Right, sounds like some teething problems with the bikes.
 
Chicane said:
Right, sounds like SOME teething problems with the bikes.
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laugh.gif
 
Chairman said:
B

Bad news for you spez fanbois it doesn't appear that the new spez is any more reliable than the last. We have 3 new sworks in our group. One seems to have something wrong with battery as it only lasts half a ride before drained another keeps randomly cutting out and has to be rebooted and the 3rd has blown motor and is awaiting a warranty replacement. 3 for 3. Not a good look
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Haven't seen a lot posts about motor failures, would love to here what failed. As for the other 2, there have been multiple reports about Battery issues. Which makes me wonder how long these batteries had been sitting around, or was it an issue during their manufacturing.
 
Power1tobe said:
Haven't seen a lot posts about motor failures, would love to here what failed. As for the other 2, there have been multiple reports about Battery issues. Which makes me wonder how long these batteries had been sitting around, or was it an issue during their manufacturing.
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Update. Motor failed after a pedal strike. Not a particularly huge strike but a big bang from inside and motor no more go. No report on what failed but motor was replaced although that took 2 weeks. Bike back in action only to have cutoff issues so back to the shop. The other bike with cutout issues seems to have been rectified. If appears battery and connection issues are quite common. Thoughts from some are that maybe these bikes should not be ridden offroad.
 
Hello,

To reply to the main question, here is my 'advice' :
- Buy the cheapest AMFLOW with 800 Wh battery
- Put a 38 / 170 mm fork
- Add a coil shock
- ENJOY the new EMTB benchmark, perfect combo of SL and FF assistance
- Taste the smoothest, supplest, smartest assist EVER
 
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