SANTA CRUZ NOMAD C GX AXS RSV COIL

£8,999 Long-travel rig gets wheel-size, suspension and geometry updates

The wild Nomad is ready for everything from big bike-park lines to the enduro start line. This latest version is slack, rugged and ready to rip.

THE FRAME

Available in carbon fibre only – with the choice of Santa Cruz’s ‘C’ or lighter ‘CC’ construction – each frame size has a specific lay-up that influences its stiffness. A ‘Glovebox’ storage port is built into the down tube, containing two tool bags. The new ‘mullet’ wheel set-up (29in front, 650b rear) improves rollover and traction. This is combined with lower anti-squat, to minimise harshness over squareedged hits (at the sacrifice of a little pedalling efficiency), and a lower starting leverage rate, to better support bodyweight movements and maintain geometry stability.

All sizes share the same 63.8-degree head angle. In the ‘low’ setting, our large frame has a 472mm reach, 77.6-degree effective seat tube angle, 343mm bottom bracket height and 444mm (size-specific) chainstays. A flip-chip on the lower link of the VPP suspension lets you steepen the head angle by 0.3 degrees and the seat tube angle by between 0.2 and 0.3 degrees, plus add 3mm to the BB height and reach, and lop 1mm off the rear centre.

THE KIT

The GX AXS RSV Coil is one of the pricier builds, coming with SRAM’s GX Eagle AXS wireless shifting and Santa Cruz’s Reserve carbon wheels. You also get a Fox 36 Performance Elite fork and a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ Coil shock. SRAM Code R brakes control your speed, while DoubleDown-casing Maxxis rubber wards off punctures.

THE RIDE

Getting the Nomad to the top of the hill isn’t a breeze, but that’s not because of poor pedalling performance or geometry; those aspects of the bike are very good for a variety of climbs. It’s the MaxxGrip-compound tyres that slow it down, sticking to the floor like glue. On the flipside, the rubber is brilliant when gravity is on your side, and the gnarlier the terrain gets, the more the Nomad shines. Steep, rough and loose trails are where it’s most happy, and its 170mm of front and rear travel is excellent at smoothing out the bumps and keeping momentum.

That’s not to say it can’t handle more flowing terrain, though, and the suspension isn’t so plush that you can’t push and pop your way down the trail. It’s versatile for such a long-travel bike. Handling-wise, the Nomad is quick on its wheels and can be dropped quickly into turns and flicked easily from side to side. Its long wheelbase (1,270mm, large size, ‘low’ setting) provides enough stability that you can hit highspeed corners at full chat. LUKE

The new Nomad is ready for whatever you can throw at it

The Voima’s Bosch motor and battery are commonplace, but its construction isn’t. It’s made from two machined-aluminium halves that are bonded together. Pole are so confident in their manufacturing they offer a five-year frame warranty.

THE FRAME

CNC’d from a block of super-strong 7075-T6 aluminium, the chassis is DH-certified. Pole’s dual-link ‘Sensei’ system delivers 190mm of rear-wheel travel, with 100 per cent anti-squat at the sag point, to eliminate pedal bob, and a progressive leverage rate.

The Voima isn’t short on grunt and range, with its Bosch motor boasting 85Nm of max torque. Its geometry is category-defying – long and slack but with a tall stack height and no BB drop. The head angle is a DH-worthy 63.5 degrees, while the seat tube angle is impressively steep at 80 degrees. Reach varies from 450mm to 535mm.

Wheelbases are also long (1,368mm on our ‘K4’ frame), while the chainstays are a generous 455mm on all sizes.

THE KIT

Due to parts shortages, the Voima isn’t currently offered in a stock build. Ours was fitted with a RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, SRAM Code RSC brakes and SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain with e-specific single-click shifter.

THE RIDE

The Voima’s geometry and motor make it one of the best-climbing bikes we’ve ridden, capable of cleaning the most technical ascents with ease. Combined, the steep seat tube angle and tall stack height give a comfortably upright, yet balanced, seated position, while the great pedal clearance aids confidence.

Heading down fast, gnarly tracks, the Voima feels virtually untouchable. Its suspension irons out bumps of all sizes with aplomb and gobbles up harsh landings, while offering plenty of support for charging around high-load turns or through compressions. The ride is truly confidence-inspiring as you push harder and faster, with the long stays placing your weight centrally to aid stability in the rough, and the frame providing an impressive balance of stiffness and flex.

When the pace drops or the trail gets tight and twisty, the Voima’s straight-line stability translates to less responsive handling. The high BB is the dominant factor here, making it feel sluggish in corners, where exaggerated inputs are needed to lean the bike over. To speed up the handling, we ran more sag to lower the BB, but this did make it feel slightly less ‘poppy’. We found that the best way to make the Voima perform is to ride aggressively, driving the back wheel into turns to deliberately break traction, but it isn’t a massively intuitive ride. ALEX

Super-capable at speed and on climbs, but a handful on tech trails

This bike is built for one thing – to take racers as fast as they can go. With big wheels, ample travel, progressive geometry and onthe-fly adjustment, is the Strive the ultimate enduro machine?

THE FRAME

While aesthetically similar to the old Strive, the frame has been extensively overhauled. Canyon have upped stiffness by 25 per cent, by changing the tubing profiles, carbon lay-up and pivot locations, and have increased rear-wheel travel to 160mm. Being an uncompromising race bike, the Strive is only available in the brand’s higherspec ‘CFR’ carbon fibre, to help reach their stiffness-to-weight goals.

The bike still uses Canyon’s ‘Shapeshifter’ technology, which lets you change its geometry and suspension kinematics on the fly. New for this model are swappable headset cups, which give you 10mm of reach and front-centre adjustment. There are also bosses for a water bottle (medium-size and bigger frames will fit a 750ml bidon) and a framemounted tool, plus plenty of chainstay protection and a down tube guard. Other features include clearance for a 2.5in rear tyre, Boost hub spacing and a threaded BB.

We tested the medium frame, which has a reach of 480mm. This can be shortened to 475mm or lengthened to 485mm by swapping headset cups. In ‘shred’ mode, the Strive has a slack 63degree head angle and a hefty 36mm BB drop. Switch to ‘pedal’ and the head angle increases by 1.5 degrees, the effective seat tube angle changes to a steep 78 degrees and the BB is lifted by 15mm to help you pedal in technical terrain. Regardless of mode or frame size, the rear stays are a relatively short 435mm. Standover heights and seat tube lengths have been lowered.

THE KIT

This is the top-of-the-line Strive (also available in limited-edition TLD trim with RockShox suspension for £200 more) and the spec reflects that. A Factory-series Fox 38 GRIP2 fork and Float X2 shock swallow the bumps, while Shimano’s top XTR groupset takes care of the shifting and braking, with a crank upgrade to Race Face’s carbon Next Rs. Dependable DT Swiss EX 511 wheels are shod with one of our favourite rubber combos – a Maxxis Assegai front tyre and Minion DHR II rear tyre in 3C EXO+ form. The rest of the kit is from Canyon’s in-house G5