1ST IMPRESSION
on greasy clay berms dampened by overnight rain.
Even with 200mm rotors front and rear, I cooked the SRAM Code RS back brake. Yes, I probably should have just been braking less, but an upgrade to the HS2 design, and/or bigger rotors would probably be an idea if you’re doing a lot of Alpine descending.
While it’s nothing new or original, Santa Cruz’s Glovebox is a really great addition to the Nomad. The hatch is easy to open and close through a robust alloy latch and, while not the most generous in terms of volume or aperture, the two included organisers let you stow a mini-pump, tube, tool and other small essentials so that you can literally grab your bike and go without worrying about packs or storage bibshorts.
HOW IT RIDES
Getting set up on a bike with a coil shock is rarely straightforward, especially one with a shock tunnel like the Nomad, which makes it really difficult to measure sag without a helping hand. It’s interesting to see Santa Cruz has introduced a sag window on its latest 5010 model to try and improve matters, but someone could really do with coming up with an easy solution for measuring sag on coil shocks.
If the Megatower is pitched as a privateer enduro race bike where efficiency and speed against the clock is the priority, the Nomad feels very much like a seasonaire’s bike with a focus on on reliability and fun over countless bike park laps. Without even looking at the press pack, it was obvious that the Nomad has a softer side to the suspension, where grip and comfort on rough, steep tracks comes at the expense of some pedalling prowess.
It’s not a nodding dog on the climbs by any means, but there’s more bob from the shock and more drag from the tyres and the bike sits deeper into its travel when the gradient steepens, so you end up a little further back than you would on the Megatower. Another reason why extending those chainstays was a good idea, as this stops the front going too light and the back wheel losing traction too easily.
Of course the climb switch is there to mitigate some of the drivetrain-induced suspension movement, and while it’s not in the most convenient position, it’s far from a stretch. Flicking the lever also helps sneak a touch more pedal clearance, which is helpful as it’s easy to clip them on lumpy alpine hiking paths.
Forget cranking along flat singletrack on this thing, but give it some gradient and the Nomad’s immediately cooking on gas like there was no such thing as an energy crisis. Balance front to back is excellent, and with the flip-chip in the low position, the suspension sits a little deeper in its travel, soaking up the beating while my heels were scraping through the turns. But with the Rockshox shock’s Hydraulic Bottom
Out dialled all the way in, there’s also a nice rounded progression to catch those big hits.
Plunging over root steps my feet remained planted on the pedals, and I didn’t experience any kicks under braking. In fact, traction was better while slowing down into corners than I can remember from any recent Santa Cruz. The 27.5in back wheel increased clearance off drops and helped me to rail tighter bucket turns, but adding that length to the rear centre meant the front end would stay planted on the exit rather than going light.
In other words, I think Santa Cruz has done a great job of walking the tightrope between making a pure party animal that’s fun for slapping turns but can feel unbalanced when taken out of its natural habitat, and building an out-and-out sled that’s super stable but changes direction like a cruise liner.
If the last Nomad was a little lost in the world of enduro/freeride bikes, its successor has definitely reorientated the map and found its way back to its natural breeding grounds. And those breeding grounds are rich in steep terrain, abounding in manmade features and well serviced by uplifts. Which sounds utterly idyllic to me.
HIGHS
Supple, poppy suspension and playful handling. Wide size range. Well balanced. Useful frame storage.
LOWS
No surprise – it’s expensive. Shock tunnel makes setting sag difficult. On the heavy side.
BB height Chainstay Front centre Wheelbase Down tube Seat tube Top tube Reach