The Santa Cruz Bullit is a 170mm travel electric mountain bike that Santa Cruz describe as a downhill bike with a built-in chairlift. It suits riders who want to lap steep, rough terrain on their own schedule rather than a shuttle timetable.

The Bullit moved away from Santa Cruz's long-running VPP layout to a four-bar Horst link, which frees up space in the down tube to package the Bosch system cleanly. Power comes from a Bosch Performance Line CX motor with a 600Wh internal battery. Santa Cruz chose 600Wh over a larger pack deliberately, keeping mass low and rearward rather than raising the centre of gravity, which is how the bike comes in under 50lb in a medium.

The geometry is the slackest of any non-downhill bike Santa Cruz has built, at 63.6 degrees in the high setting and 63.3 in low. Chainstays are size specific, reaching 450mm on the XL.

Key features

• 170mm travel front and rear on a four-bar Horst link
• Bosch Performance Line CX motor with a 600Wh internal battery
• Mixed wheels, 29in front and 27.5in rear
• Carbon frame across all 5 sizes
• 63.6 or 63.3 degree head angle via flip chip
• Separate progression flip chip alongside the geometry adjustment
• Size-specific chainstays up to 450mm
• DH-rated Reserve rear wheel

The battery is fixed rather than removable, which is the one thing to be certain about before you buy. If you want a more versatile bike for everyday trail riding, look at the Vala instead.