2026 Santa Cruz Bullit
- Thread starter mehukatti
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ebsocalmtb
Active member
they are incredibly similar bikes. The geo differences of the two are very subtle and the suspension is going to feel very similar. I would look at it this way... If your "ride fantasy" is more of all mountain type of riding. Meaning, challenging climbs, challenging descents, an equal amount of tight turns as features and a big mixture of speeds, then that is prime all mountain territory and the vala is the answer. Especially if you're the kind of rider that rides light and isn't as much heals down and plows.
In contrast, if your ride fantasy is letting go of the brakes until your vision blurs, mostly viewing climbs as a means to get the descents you want and a focus more on features then nailing corners or if your riding style is more of a heals down, crush the ground beneath you, then bullit is the answer.
I am/was leaning towards the bullit, but I got an offer from my LBS on a vala that I may not be ale to ignore. I think for me, my ride fantasy is mostly all mountain type riding, even though I ride A TON of double black and pro-line features on my ebike. The vala is going to have a slightly shorter wheelbase, so it's going to be easier to manage in corners and it will feel a bit sharper. I think that what the vala will give up in terms of capacity (travel) it will easily even out by being a bit sharper and easier to move around. I may be banking that a vala with a 170mm fork and a long stroke shock, bridges that gap to the bullit.
If this is your first ebike, I would recommend bias'ing a bit more towards the vala. The bullit will likely ride fairly agile for a full weight/full power ebike with 170mm travel, but the vala is going to be a solid step towards a regular bike when you ride them back to back.
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I think the choice between Vala and Bullit is almost the same as with Bronson and Nomad. If you ride a lot of bike parks and fast rough downhill tracks (self-shuttled or not), then Bullit is going to be closer to a downhill bike. But Vala will be better for an all-rounder.
Personally I'm moving from [the previous] Bullit to Vala, because I was actually over biked 95% of time. Bullit will make mellow trails feel quite muted as its more of a plow bike. And 17cm of suspension is not even needed on most flow tracks, even if they have jumps.
Personally I'm moving from [the previous] Bullit to Vala, because I was actually over biked 95% of time. Bullit will make mellow trails feel quite muted as its more of a plow bike. And 17cm of suspension is not even needed on most flow tracks, even if they have jumps.
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I come from a Specialized enduro 170mm, it was great for unlocking the jumps. I weigh 68kg with all the equipment and I am more than happy with the Vala, my first eBike
Hi
Still I miss the removable battery. Without it I cannot take either Vala or Bullit. A pity!
Furthermore someone wrote here that the Vala cannot deliver Ant+ ebike days to Garmin Edge computer. Is this true? Because i thought that Ant+ data are standard for premium ebikes and that at least speed, battery %, cadence etc are transferred without problems.
So I think it will be the new Levo 4. Just unsure because reviews say that it is not so stable on rough trails at medium/higher speed - Vala shall be better there.
Would upgrade of Levo 4 to 180mm travel of the 38-fork help here.
Coming from
Kindly ask for advice.
Still I miss the removable battery. Without it I cannot take either Vala or Bullit. A pity!
Furthermore someone wrote here that the Vala cannot deliver Ant+ ebike days to Garmin Edge computer. Is this true? Because i thought that Ant+ data are standard for premium ebikes and that at least speed, battery %, cadence etc are transferred without problems.
So I think it will be the new Levo 4. Just unsure because reviews say that it is not so stable on rough trails at medium/higher speed - Vala shall be better there.
Would upgrade of Levo 4 to 180mm travel of the 38-fork help here.
Coming from
Kindly ask for advice.
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Druster
Member
Have put an order for the gloss black but now that I know the full details of the Levo esp the ability to size the battery down to 600wh, including all its bells and whistles... It's making me re think....
Druster
Member
No but at this point I wouldn't be surprised if you need to purchase the Kiox 400c separately on all models.
The new screen won’t be available until mid June according to what I was told. If you buy a bike before then it will still have the LED deal that’s on the current bikes. It’s fairly expensive too, like $300 plus. I know with my new bike I’ll be able to buy it at cost when it comes out but I don’t think all dealers will do that.
Bikermann
New Member
More INFO Bullit:
first deliveries April 15
first deliveries April 15
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Bikermann
New Member
embargoed information
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It will be interesting to compare the prices of bikes, for example the Vala, before and after they have the new Bosch screen. I don't think they will increase by $300.
ebsocalmtb
Active member
Since the frames are made in china, and the bikes are assembled/boxed in santacruz, $300 usd price increase for the screen is a non-issue. The bigger issue, is that SC will be paying ~125% more for frames coming into the US for re-packaging and shipping. Even if they are already assembling bikes in europe (i didn't they they were, but could be wrong) the bikes will be at a minimum, 10% more expensive and most likely, more like 20-30%.
MTB-WALES
Member
Surely they can just assemble in another country? I think given the climate they will do all they can to mitigate any increase to price.
ebsocalmtb
Active member
One would assume, and the good news is that the mfg for their frames that they have partnered with, has facilities in Taiwan and Vietnam and I have heard that some production for SC is being done out of those (likely due to the last round of tarrifs that the mango mussolini put in place back in 2017). The problem is that they assemble their wheels in Santa Cruz, they do their QA/QC there and will still be categorized as a US company.
Even if they do assemble there, and their frames are coming from taiwan, they are going to get hit with a reciprocal tarrif because our country is too stupid not to start shit with europe (for absolutely no reason, other than we're basically russia now). There is no way around a 10% base price increase to SC's products. Fortunately, that's 10% of cost and not MSRP, but trust me, 90 days from now, 300 dollar price increases are going to seem like a drip in the bucket to what bike prices will be at that point.
That is, unless we wake up some where in that time frame and embrace the fact that it's a global economy now, and specialization is you know, good for us all. Since I live here, I can warn you, we're not that smart.
Geetsrevoel
Member
Anyone any idea on what the head angle may be?
JankyMcJankface
New Member
Thanks for your input.
Ended up going with a s kit medium Vala. Fantastic deal at the LBS and throwing on GX AXS, Factory 38 off the bat.
Get the bike this weekend, can't wait to ride it.
I demoed Vala the other day, and even though it's an incredibly fun bike to ride (I had a grin on my face at all times riding it), I couldn't go my regular speed on it on some of our fast and chunky trails here is SoCal (Laguna Beach area). I believe it's partly due to the shorter chainstay and wheelbase on the Vala. My current bike is SC Heckler SL with 170mm Zeb, Vivid Air and Cascade Link which makes chainstay 6mm longer is not as agile and fun as Vala at low-mid speeds, but it just eliminates bumps and big impacts, so it can go full speed down pretty much anything. I should also add that Vala was very good at compensating for high-speed stability by being incredibly agile in corners, so the overall time to go down the trail could be about the same.
I agree it should depend on your ride fantasy. I guess mine is going faster, so I prefer bikes that allow doing so. Anyway, I liked Vala so much that I ended up preordering Bullit, and I'm glad I did. Someone posted (and then deleted) the Bullit geo chart yesterday, and it had a longer chainstay, much longer wheelbase, and higher stack compared to Vala, which should translate to more stability at speed, especially in the Lo setting. I was actually surprised that the geo is that different from Vala given it's nearly the same frame as other folks say.
chasmoftheclam
New Member
Interesting! I haven’t seen a geo chart. I’ve ordered an XL Bullit and now I see the geo of the E Druid, I’m definitely having second thoughts. I love the tall stack anf 470mm chainstays of the e Druid. Do you recall the chainstay length of the Bullit? I’m expecting (as has been said before) that the front triangle of the Bullit is the same as the Vala, so stack will be a mm or two taller.
The posted chainstay was +3mm in Hi and +4mm in Lo compared to Vala size Large, which is not that far off from eDruid Core S3. For XL vs S4 I think the difference is more drastic as there is a big chainstay length jump for eCore from S3 to S4.
TBH if both Bullit and Forbidden were available to get in the US, I'd go with Forbidden because I'm also attracted to longer chainstay and tall stack + 800Wh battery and more powerful motor. But since Forbidden won't be available right away and all that uncertainty with tariffs, I decided to go with the Bullit and see if I want to swap it to Forbidden later on.
chasmoftheclam
New Member
I’m in Canada and would have likely gone for the Forbidden due to their forward thinking take on geometry. However, There are a few question marks with that bike though…. Forbidden’s first ebike, Gen 1 DJI motor with unknown durability, tariffs and later availability. My local dealer said late July/August for their first bikes getting to dealerships. If that date slips, then the chance to use the bike in the 2025 riding season gets slim….
With the Bullit, we get proven Bosch motor, high quality frame with good tolerances, 170mm travel and “should” have them in dealers within a week.
With the Bullit, we get proven Bosch motor, high quality frame with good tolerances, 170mm travel and “should” have them in dealers within a week.
The Unno mith DJI is even more of a bullit-contender though.
ebike-mtb.com
Exclusive Test: New UNNO Mith Pro with DJI Avinox motor – Is This the Future of eMTBs?
We got our hands on the UNNO Mith Pro for an exclusive test. But how does one of the first DJI Avinox-powered bikes that wasn’t designed by DJIfare on the trail?
ebike-mtb.com
That upper one with new X2 looks very well packed enduro build, what about pricing? Is it the same like Vala from lower to higher models?
MTB-WALES
Member
I thought about this but the lack of backup in the uk is a big factor for me. Been a guinea pig for other bikes too many times.The Unno mith DJI is even more of a bullit-contender though.
Exclusive Test: New UNNO Mith Pro with DJI Avinox motor – Is This the Future of eMTBs?
We got our hands on the UNNO Mith Pro for an exclusive test. But how does one of the first DJI Avinox-powered bikes that wasn’t designed by DJIfare on the trail?
Once the Bosch motor gets the update in power and the new screen there isn’t a lot separating them but the unno does have 800w to the 600w in the bullit which should make it a kilo heavier but somehow it’s a kilo lighter….
I think both the battery tech might be better as well as the motor being light. It is also so slim that it looks like an analog bike?
But also I am guessing that the motor and battery is easier to integrate, maybe the form of it? All DJI bikes are pretty light, Forbidden druid e, megamo reason is really light, Unno and of course Amflow.
On the other hand, which motor has the least resistance when going over 25 kmt? I´m guessing bosch is better there?
If doing an enduro without a powerstage, normally the one with the least resistance should win, as you are over 25 much of the time? (I can't stop having the competitions in the back of my head)
But also I am guessing that the motor and battery is easier to integrate, maybe the form of it? All DJI bikes are pretty light, Forbidden druid e, megamo reason is really light, Unno and of course Amflow.
On the other hand, which motor has the least resistance when going over 25 kmt? I´m guessing bosch is better there?
If doing an enduro without a powerstage, normally the one with the least resistance should win, as you are over 25 much of the time? (I can't stop having the competitions in the back of my head)
