Wind the clock back to last year and one of the biggest stories in mountain biking was Santa Cruz throwing out its own rulebook and a 20-year history by ditching its synonymous VPP suspension. Think Santa Cruz, think VPP, was pretty much the way it had always been, but the change was brought about with the launching of a new Vala e-bike using a Horst Link design.

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Packaging the Bosch CX motor the brand (and many customers) preferred demanded a shift to a four-bar suspension layout to achieve the numbers the brand’s engineers were after without the VPP layout getting in the way. You guessed it, the all-new long-travel Bullit follows the exact same formula, but also adds extra suspension. We loved the Vala when we rode it at the launch last year – can the new Bullit shoot a bull’s eye and jump straight onto the shortlist of best e-bikes on sale now?

The new 2025 Santa Cruz Bullit comes in this sparkly teal or plain black depending on whether you like your bikes mild or wild.

Santa Cruz Bullit e-bike need to know

• 170mm travel e-bike for enduro and bike park smashing
• MX wheel set-up (29in front, 27.5in rear)
• Bosch Performance CX motor with 85Nm and 600W peak power
• Non-removable 600Wh internal battery can be supplemented by 250Wh range extender
• Geo and progression tuning chips
• More dropper post insertion means size L gets 210mm post
• Unique rear centre lengths across the size range
• Weights from 21.83kg (claimed)
• Prices from £6,799 to £9,999

The 150mm rear and 160mm front travel Vala was universally well received and highly rated by us, so it was only a matter of time before a longer travel version appeared, and with the Bullit built for higher speeds and designed to ‘come alive when you start hitting things hard’, I went out to Slovenia and got to ride it on some pretty amazing trails.

The previous Bullit was a big improvement on the original Heckler, but a lot has changed in five years.

This latest Bullit replaces the previous, long-in-the-tooth Shimano-powered model, with the brand describing it as the e-Nomad, whereas the Vala can be seen as the e-Bronson. And, if you thought it was already hard enough to tell the difference between regular Santa Cruzs models – with the same CX motor, it’s arguably even tougher to distinguish between a Bullit and a Vala from a distance.

The bikes obviously share much of the same design language, DNA and construction touches, but some subtle Bullit changes add even more capability, and the bike is built a bit tougher, with durability being a huge focus for longer travel e-bikes. Tough doesn’t mean tank-like though; it’s still pretty light considering the travel, and I weighed my size Large test bike at 22.3kg without pedals.

Santa Cruz made a big decision to switch to a four-bar for the Vala.

One (perhaps surprising) other similarity with the Vala is that more travel doesn’t equal any more power or range – the Bullit gets the same 600Wh internal Bosch PowerTube battery as it’s stablemate. This is a chunk (200Wh) less power than many rival brands using Bosch CX are offering. It also means you’re out of luck if you need to remove the battery to charge the bike where you store it.

I’ll get into the finer details of this battery choice later on, but the main reason is Santa Cruz feels ride quality is excessively compromised by the 900g heavier, 800Wh PowerTube battery is that it moves the extra mass higher and more forward. It also points out that riders can always buy (or rent) Bosch’s Powermore 250Wh range extender for days when 600Wh isn’t enough.

The Bullit sticks with the Bosch CX motor, and with clever electronics, minimal friction, and a great reputation, it has a lot going for it even against the likes of the DJI Avinox.

It’s up for debate whether ride quality is more important than range when it comes to actually handing over cash at the counter – most retailers I’ve spoken to say that customers always want the lighter model, but generally buy the one with the biggest battery. With five Bullits launched, there’s plenty choice in the range in terms of price and spec, and despite all the upgrades, the new Bullit is actually cheaper than the previous model when it launched in 2020. Models span more affordable kit and heavier, C or top-tier CC carbon lay-ups. At the top of the tree is the swanky Factory Fox version with the CC frame option that I was lucky enough to test. Whichever model catches your eye, all are available from Santa Cruz from today’s launch onwards.

Big and burly clevis pivots with double bearings and collet axles keep the Bullit tracking accurately.

Design and specifications

As its longest travel e-bike, the Bullit has the slackest head angle of any single-crown Santa Cruz yet, and there’s also a steeper seat tube angle than the Vala to keep rider weight more centred on the steepest climbs, even with the extra rear travel. The Bullit uses a seatstay bridge behind the beefier machined rocker link for extra stiffness, and double-stacked bearings in the Horst link pivot that are easy to knock out and service/replace. The whole frame is carbon, except the chunky rocker link, and the rear stays end with a 200mm post mount brake fixing and UDH set-up hosting a SRAM Transmission drivetrain.

The Bullit comes with ‘MX’ wheels only, which the brand says offers the ride feel it’s after, not only in the way the rear 27.5in wheel steers, slows and accelerates, but also in how the lighter wheel offsets the extra weight of an e-bike battery in the down tube. This helps the bike handle better and more like a ‘regular’ machine.

That big rocker link drives the latest Fox Float X2 shock to give 170mm travel.

Each frame size uses proportional geometry with chainstay lengths growing as reach extends, so every rider gets the same weight distribution between tyre contact patches. Chainstays are around 5mm longer than the Vala in equivalent sizes, which together with the slacker head angle, also slightly bumps up the wheelbase too.

In terms of adjustability, the Bullit can swap between two BB height positions at the upper seatstay/rocker-link junction, and two shock leverage rate settings at the lower shock eyelet. Both flip chips are a cinch to access and adjust, with the BB one shifting between 346mm and 342mm (and 63.6° to 63.3° head angle), and the more progressive shock setting moving from 26% to 29% progression across the leverage curve. The leverage adjustment is also totally independent of the geo chip.

Hi/Lo flip-chip gives two stances. Reserve the lower of the two for bike park runs.

The default higher geo setting never felt particularly high to me, and Santa Cruz reckon this will be the setting most users go for. What’s very cool here, is that if you do prefer a sunken, feet-close-the-floor feel for downhills, then all Bullits ship with stubby 155mm SRAM cranks, so you shouldn’t smash them against rocks when it’s time to pedal.

Santa Cruz’s ‘ride feel’ guru, Kiran MacKinnon, was out on the launch in Slovenia with us, and he is the guy that essentially oversees how each bike handles. He explained that the more progressive setting only ups the leverage rate at the start of the stroke, with the final leverage rate remaining the same in both settings. I tried both and found you can feel the bike push into its travel more easily in the more progressive setting, where it delivers more off-the-top grip at the rear tyre, but you also lose some mid/deeper-stroke support to push into. Kiran described the feeling as the damping feeling a bit ‘thinner’ when the flip chip reads ‘PROG’ and I reckon this is a good way of putting it.

Two progression settings further increase the tuning potential.

Suspension

The Bullit is one of the first bikes with the new mono-tube Fox Float X2 shock launched recently. Because the leverage curve is relatively ‘evenly progressive’ with no funky curves, the bike will also work well with coil shock shocks. This new shock uses something called pressure-balancing to offer better damping and has a custom tune like every other Santa Cruz bike.

When switching from VPP to Horst Link, Santa Cruz retained its proven collet axle design for the links and frame hardware. This is integral to frame stiffness and reliability, and means axles can be torqued to desired settings for optimum suspension performance, and then held in place by an expanding wedge on a smaller hex bolt. The bike certainly feels solid, and the design is well proven and backed-up by Santa Cruz’s excellent lifetime warranty.

That new Float X2 shock is pressure-balanced to improve sensitivity and response.

For extra durability, larger bearings are used on all pivots to make the frame stiffer, and a very sturdy one-piece machined rocker link helps keep the bike in-line under torsional forces, so there is less side-loading on the shock. This not only helps with lifespan and wear, it means that the system performs better, as it drives the new shock up and down more cleanly with less bushing and seal friction.

Bosch’s Performance CX motor packs 85Nm and 600W – for now.

Engine compartment

Not much else needs to said about the gen 5 Bosch CX motor. It’s the latest iteration of a proven reliable system and the best yet with a cleaner display and a neat wireless controller. It’s quieter, smoother, and generally smarter, and it also sounds like it’s about to get even more powerful, if the rumours floating around are true.

I mentioned the battery is the smaller 600Wh unit, but Santa Cruz really believes in this decision, for multiple reasons. The smaller capacity battery might weigh 3kg, but that’s still almost a kilo lighter (of higher, more forward weight), and that has an even bigger effect descending on steeper terrain, and slowing the bike down, helping reduce that sense of pulling the front wheel into turns. Kiran also talked about how much easier it is to tip the bike into corners on the brakes in the steeps, and get that lean initiated on fall-line corners, without extra weight up near the head tube.

That top tube looks ripe for some kind of new Bosch integrated display screen.

I agree, he’s got a valid point, and keeping all the weight lower makes e-bikes ride so much more dynamically – as we’ve seen with other brands like Whyte. Whether the customer is willing to accept fewer laps for better handling is the big question. Considering the battery is fixed, this could be a deal-breaker for some.

A wireless remote can be removed altogether for a cleaner cockpit, leaving more room for the dropper post lever.

On top of the weight of the extra cells, another important constraint was the extra difficulty of packaging the bigger Powertube in the fully-enclosed frame. More power would therefore mean a fatter down tube, that requires more carbon (more weight), and also makes the frame look bulkier and less refined. Santa Cruz says with its set-up, you’re not obligated to take that extra weight around all the time when you don’t need it, negatively impacting ride quality. Just add the Powermore Range Extender and enjoy 850Wh of capacity when needed – of course you still have to fork out an extra £400 for the privilege.

There’s a 210mm OneUp post on the size large despite the 420mm seat tube length.

Components

Outside of the motor and battery, there’s the kind of kit you’d expect for the tough work of smashing down mountains at full tilt. SRAM Maven brakes impress more every time you I them in serious terrain, and didn’t budge over around 8,500m of descending on the launch. Mavens are so powerful though, that even with a minimum 200mm rear rotor, some lighter riders might find them too grabby.

A reinforced carbon rim is a nod to how hard the Bullit can be ridden.

Bullit also nods to extra toughness by using a carbon Reserve HD 30 front rim and a stronger, brand-new, Reserve DH rear rim that will be launched shortly that’s even stronger with extra impact resistance. These wheels come dressed in Maxxis rubber too, rather than the Schwalbe Radials fitted to the Vala. A classic Assegai/Minion DHR II combo in DD casing is proven, and arguably a more versatile set-up for a longer travel bike.

Four-way adjustable damping on the new Grip X2 damper in the 38 Factory fork.

Fox suspension throughout means the new Float X2 mentioned and a proven Float 38 fork with the latest generation Grip X2 damper with four-way adjustment. Added to this is a full SRAM AXS Transmission electronic drivetrain with stubby cranks that’s built for smashing through gears on an e-bike, and SRAM’s huge mech that is very durable, even if it isn’t exactly the lightest. Even so, with a OneUp stem and lengthy dropper post, Santa Cruz carbon bars and a WTB saddle, the Bullit still clocks in a very respectable weight for its category.

The Bullit was more than a match for Maribor’s steep, rooty tracks.

Performance

I’ll stick my neck out and say that the previous Santa Cruz Bullit wasn’t exactly that great, with neither the best suspension or the best handling, and I’ve seen first-hand multiple Shimano motor failures amongst riding mates, sometimes at the worst possible moment. But in some kind of Rocky-style comeback, this new Bullit punches like a champ, and is immediately leagues ahead in terms of handling, smoothness and support.

MX-wheel agility with less push on the front wheel, thanks to that lighter battery.

The latest Bosch CX motor is arguably the most refined on the market, and unarguably the most proven in terms of reliability. Santa Cruz’s tactic of only using the smaller battery pays off in terms of handling, as the Bullit is noticeably easier to tilt over and chuck around than many other enduro e-rigs I’ve tested. It’s planted and locked into any terrain, but doesn’t just numbly smash down trails like some heavier long travel bikes can. Put another way, it doesn’t totally erase features, engagement, or fun, and that’s crucial for me.

Within about two turns with a very fast crew down some decidedly dicey, greasy, and steep tracks, I decided this was a bike that was going to have my back. And judging from everyone else’s reaction and rapid adaptation, it was a unanimous feeling.

Rock-solid composure even on the rootiest mayhem.

It’s immediate how the new Bullit feels safe and easy to ride, and I soon found myself feeling cocky enough to start trucking on and trying to keep up with former World Champions (Peaty put me in my place!). Even with the bike set up with recommended suspension settings and no fettling confidence was sky high from the off. A big part of the secure attitude for me, was in terrain with massive roots and deep drops, where the Bullit holds its shape resolutely, and never pitched my weight about or wallowed in compression or bucket turns. I also found it brilliant at holding lines through lethally slippy longer turns without that overpowering sense of e-bike mass pulling me down the hill over the front.

In this second scenario especially, Santa Cruz’s claims about the smaller battery add up, and it was easier to keep my weight centred and make micro adjustments, without the front tyre pulling or tucking into turns – traits I’ve experienced on some heavier long travel e-bikes.

At 21.5kg, the Bullit is still light enough to chuck around.

I’ve not ridden the Vala myself, but several journalists commented that, together with the slightly longer chainstays, the Bullit actually keeps its shape better pedalling uphill on the steepest sections, when you’re really having to load the front tyre to stop it lifting. I found it an excellent climber with good balance and traction and not too heavy or unwieldy when I had to shift/wiggle it about while seated and use both sides of the trail to crest little technical puzzles.

The new Fox X2 is very damped and controlled with a slightly different feel to the older twin-tube version. With the recommended settings for my weight, I found I had a bit too much of that Öhlins, plasticine-like feel where the tyres are glued to the ground and the shock moves quite slowly in directional changes.

2025 Santa Cruz Bullit e-bike

Once I started getting more familiar with the Bullit and wanted to push on and pop and bounce around a bit more, it helped to open up the damping a bit (outside of the bike park on natural trails at least) to get the most grip and tracking. There’s enough tuning range in the damper to do this, and you can also play around with suspension feel with the shock flip chip (that takes minutes to swap over) and really notice the difference. The more progressive setting feels more active off-the-top and erases bumps with a floatier touch, and the less progressive setting holds the bike up a bit more in the mid stroke with extra support. I never bottomed the bike harshly, despite some very serious terrain and a very supple feel. Both settings ride really sweetly with nothing unusual or quirky going on, and you could easily switch between the two depending on where you were riding.

One happy bike tester.

There were moments when I was shifting-on that the Bullit absorbed impacts and floated over terrain beautifully; especially over faster-paced tracks with really rough roots, holes and hits coming thick and fast. I was so happy with how it was riding, I didn’t even play with the geo until the final afternoon and rode mostly in the higher setting (that definitely doesn’t feel as high as the 346mm static measurement suggests). In the lower setting, the head angle kicks out 0.3° and the bike absolutely rips at the bike park where it seems to gain an extra level of corner-slashing ability. My feet felt very sunken to the floor in Low, but some riders will absolutely love how the Bullit leans in and corners in this setting.

Composed without feeling boring; that’s the new Bullit in a nutshell.

From wet and slimy Slovenian hillsides, to huge jumps and bike park berms, the new Bullet was extremely composed everywhere. It’s pretty tricky to criticise the ride quality here when it’s so versatile, without ever feeling dead, boring or lifeless. I get some folks might label a new Santa Cruz e-bike like this a bit soulless, given the Bosch motor, ubiquitous four-bar layout, and a silhouette that looks like a dozen other brands. Even the ride quality is rounded and refined, with all the quirks ironed out. But such complaints sound to me a bit like the mutterings of a Luddite. Who wouldn’t want a brand to use the best technology available to make a bike that’s so well executed you can ride faster and with more control? Plus, I reckon I won’t be alone in saying it looks pretty darn sweet in this sparkly Teal colour too.