CRUZ NOMAD ED’S SANTA £4,299 ALUMINIUM S

There is such a thing as too slack and too low, reckons Ed

This year’s Nomad has a flip-chip on the lower shock mount, giving you the option to switch between high and low/slack and slacker geometries. I’ve been playing around with it and, contrary to expectations, have actually found myself preferring the bike in its more conservative stance.

There’s no denying that for riding flat-out downhill tracks and wide-open turns, the lower setting’s 64.6-degree head angle and 15mm of bottom bracket drop give the Nomad an incredibly stable and planted feel. But that comes at the expense of snappier handling on tighter, flatter terrain. Spinning the flip-chip around steepens the head angle to 65 degrees and raises the BB by 5mm. Doing this has put me in a more attacking position over the handlebar, helping me to weight and control the front wheel. The bike now feels better in sharp turns and is less prone to understeering in steep, awkward ruts.

It’s good to have both options, though, and I expect that when

I head to the Canadian Rockies this summer I’ll revert to the more DH-inspired set-up. The Trans BC Enduro is my big focus this year and I know this six-day epic will involve big, back-to-back days in the saddle, combined with huge altitude-shedding timed stages. To get myself ready, I’ve been maximising my time on the bike, clocking up the kilometres and metres climbed, and riding lots of technical descents to sharpen my skills. Luckily, there’s so much variety in my regular stomping ground of South Wales that I’m yet to get bored.

For such a burly, gravity-centric bike, the Nomad isn’t too much of a chore on the hills. I’d welcome a slightly steeper seat angle, but otherwise it climbs impressively. The ultra-soft Schwalbe Magic Mary front tyre I’ve been using adds some drag, but the traction it delivers in the wet has been too good to sacrifice. Now, though, it looks like summer is finally here, so it’s time to dig out the Maxxis Minion DHF the bike came with and enjoy some dusty trails.