Details Matter | The Vala - Pivots & Hardware While the Vala suspension might look like something you’ve seen before, we have found unique ways to make the four-bar suspension system work better, last longer, and be a pleasure to own. Featuring: • Stiff one-piece bridged link for chassis stiffness and protecting the shock from side loads. The stuff that causes other four-bar bikes to go soft. •Main pivots run on the same legendary preloading collet axle and expanding wedge system that Santa Cruz introduced in 2008 and has refined for the last 18 years. Axles can’t back out and are keyed for worry-free removal. • Oversized bearings in the chainstay pivots, and an axle that holds everything captive. We use larger, more robust bearings than most other brands because bigger ball bearings are less sensitive to contamination and your bike will ride better for longer. • The threads at chainstay, seatstay pivots, and shock mount are all replaceable. So if you do damage anything by being a ham-fisted mechanic, it’s a simple hardware fix, and not a frame-damaging mistake. • Geo flip chip hardware is captive so there’s no fear of dropping small parts on the ground. To adjust, just loosen it, flip it, and retorque. It’s easy enough to do on the side of the trail with just one Allen key (*We’ll dig deeper into the new Vala flip chips in a future Details Matter post.) • All 5mm Allen key hardware throughout, so it’s easy to do quick bolt checks. In fact we’ve made it so easy to work on that even the Santa Cruz marketing people can do it. • And as always, we offer free pivot bearings to the original owner for life, and the frame itself comes with a lifetime warranty. Santa Cruz Vala - We sweat the little details so you don’t have to. #detailsmatter