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Stepping away from its signature VPP suspension design would never have been an option a few years ago, but while it contradicts decades of marketing, I actually think it’s a great move by Santa Cruz. Find out why in the latest MBR Show.
The recently released Santa Cruz Vala broke new ground for the boutique California brand in a couple of ways. For starters it’s the first design to stray away from Santa Cruz’s highly-evolved VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) suspension design – the brand having started out on single-pivots and added its patented VPP design in 2001. Next is the integration of the latest Bosch Performance CX motor, I rode in Germany, into the Vala’s chassis design. Significant because Santa Cruz has stuck with Shimano since releasing its first e-bike – the Heckler – back in 2020. Although it has flirted with the lightweight Fazua system on its new Heckler SL.
But this isn’t Santa Cruz’s first awkward three-point turn. For many years it made no …
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