santa cruz nomad

Santa Cruz Nomad – The Launch Of Mk4

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It’s the new Nomad. It looks VERY different…

Santa Cruz has launched a ground-up redesign of its classic Nomad all-mountain bike today, while its sister brand Juliana has come out with its own version of the 170mm-travel bike called Strega (more of that in our other story…). Santa Cruz has also launched a new line of carbon wheels called Reserve which are available as an upgrade on both bikes, and which will be available on in-line 2018 bikes later this summer. The wheels will also be available in the aftermarket late this fall.

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Everything about this Ratboy photo is beautiful.
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This colour’s called ‘Ink’
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Still VPP, but a much more low-down suspension setup. Coil friendly too.

The new version of Santa Cruz’s Nomad all-mountain bike is a ground-up redesign that’s a marked departure from its predecessor and, indeed, the rest of the company’s trail-oriented bikes. With travel increased 5mm from 165mm to 170mm and a new lower link-mounted shock similar to the one on the company’s V10 downhill bike, the new Nomad moves away from it’s ‘top end of enduro’ and towards the ‘mini DH bike’ realm.

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Post mount 180mm mounts
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No mistaking…

The company claims an ‘extremely linear and progressive shock rate, ideal for aggressive riding on rough terrain.

It’s also designed to play well with coil shocks, which will probably please Chris Porter.

It’s slacker, yet steeper too. Santa Cruz claims the new Nomad’s 75° seat tube angle makes it a better pedaler than its predecessor. A longer top tube (yay!) about 20-25mm depending on frame size is the only other adjustment to the bike’s standard geometry, but a flip-chip on the suspension link allows some further adjustments. Putting the bike in the low setting slacks the head tube almost a half degree to 64.6° and drops the bottom bracket 5mm for added DH stability.

And probably the best news that snuck in – is that there’ll be an alloy version later this autumn too. It’s not all gone carbon.

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A Shuttle Guard – for the three people in the UK who run pickup trucks…
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A long link drops from the top tube, keeping suspension weight low down.

With the addition of bolt-on downtube protectors and ‘shuttle guards to ward off wayward rocks’ there’s a lot more protection for the frame – though how many UK riders shuttle bikes hanging off the back of a pickup truck, eh?

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Thru-tube shock mount is coilover friendly
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That’s ‘Tan’ apparently. Tanned what, we’re not sure. Knowing Santa Cruz, it’ll be tofu

The new Nomad is available in two tiers of carbon, with a number of build kits and an option to upgrade to the company’s new Santa Cruz Reserve carbon wheels. The C carbon bikes start at $4,499 US with the CC bikes starting at $7,199. The Reserve carbon rim upgrade is an additional $1,200. The bike is available in two colors–Tan & Black, or Ink.

NOMAD FEATURES

  • 170mm VPP travel, front and rear
  • Progressive lower-link shock configuration
  • Metric shock sizing
  • Bolt on shuttle guard, downtube protector and shock fender
  • Air and coil shock compatibility
  • High and low geometry settings via flip chip in link
  • 27.5-inch wheels
  • Santa Cruz Reserve 30 carbon wheel upgrade option
  • Colors: Tan & Black, Ink
  • Available in CC and C carbon, alloy in fall
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
  • Retail availability: June 15, 2017
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A teeny tiny fender to ward off winter. We’ll see…
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Santa Cruz’ usual attention to detail
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Ridden in some mountains then. Proper ones!
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Tested on some real British slate too…
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Josh Lewis going sideways but forwards
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Long(er) and low…
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A tan colour, not far from the company’s old Stigmata cyclocross bike
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Now that, is a low-slung bike…
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Shuttle guard downtube protection for anyone with both a Nomad, and a pickup truck.
Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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