I currently ride a SC Heckler but I’ve been feeling like a change so I demo’ed a SC Nomad and Bronson over the last 2 weekends. Both went uphill way faster than the Heckler (unsurprisingly), but there was quite a difference on the downhills.

The Nomad went downhill like a dream, smooth, fluid, and forgiving, it really gave me confidence to push myself and hit things faster and bigger.

The Bronson was basically the Heckler but a bit lighter so a bit more chuckable in the air. It felt like it had all the same (slightly) annoying characteristics that the Heckler has that the Nomad didn’t, i.e a little bit twitchy over rough stuff and on landings.

I know the Heckler and the Bronson have the same geometry, but my question is how much of the difference vs the Nomad is due to the shock? The Heckler and the Bronson basically had the same shock (Fox Float CTD), while the Nomad had a RS Monarch Plus.

Basically, this is a long-winded way of asking if I should get a new bike or if I should just upgrade the shock?

Having gone from a Heckler to blur ltc the difference in the vpp vs single pivot was much more noticeable. Even when using an old spare shock in the blur it’s better than the Heckler was. Was it set up right?

Sag was set at 20% and I had a fiddle with the rebound to see if i could tune it, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Climbing seemed better with the VPP, but I just wasn’t blown away on the descents like I was on the Nomad.

I’ve not run that shock but I tend to run more sag, runs very differently to a SP design. For me it’s the ground tracking that is better. Which did you ride first?

Careful mentioning buying a Santacruz on STW. you will be met with 99% hatred and useless information.

Saying that, I have the new nomad and its without question the best bike I have ever owned / ridden. I won’t bore you with the details as there are many threads on here but I hated the Bronson. I expected it to be a good middle ground between a trail bike and an enduro bike but found it wasn’t good at either. I would say that the shock plays a small part in the nomad being so good but it mainly comes down to the geometry.

Sorry Andy dont agree. When you compare the Nomad and the Bronson geo data they are almost the same within a few mm in most cases and just two degree head angle difference so a slacker HA will improve descending. I would almost say they are the same frame but one has a slightly slacker HA giving it a 30mm increase in wheelbase which would improve stabilty down hill. Bronson has better BB hight clearance. Again lower BB lower centre gravity so more stable but at the loss of clearance. Best for OP to demno before parting with cash 🙂

One important question is What are you going to be riding most of the time on it?

A good shock set up correctly can make a massive difference. So there is a bit more potential from your Heckler waiting to be unlocked.

I went from a normal uninspiring fox shock on my Blur to a CCDB Air and noticed a nice improvement. I’ve got a Float X on my Bronson now and it’s just damn lovely to ride.

If pedalling is high on your priorities, especially up hill, then you won’t be able to get close to the VPP SCs no matter which shock you put on your Heckler. The Bronson and even the Nomad are much better all rounder’s.

But your single pivot Heckler (assuming it is the most recent one) should feel better than a Bronson once pointing downhill. Whether it’s better going down than the Nomad once you’ve put a decent shock on the Heckler… only you could decide.

If they were that similar then one wouldn’t exist. Why would they make two bikes pretty much the same. And 2deg slacker head angle if you believe the marketing hype is the difference between an outdated 10 year old bike and modern geometry. Thankfully after speaking to a few locals I’m not alone thinking the Bronson was rubbish confirming what I thought. I really thought it would be the perfect bike for me but it was far from it. And the nomad is enjoyable for most types of riding mine is light, comfortable and as happy tootling down the canal with my daughter as it is jumping big gaps and drops or playing on the dh tracks.

Thankfully after speaking to a few locals I’m not alone thinking the Bronson was rubbish confirming what I thought

Whether a bike is rubbish or not is very subjective. For me if I could have any bike in the world for free… I’d still pick my Bronson*.

(*I’d stick some go faster carbon wheels on it though 😉 )

?as based on the data on the SC site, rather than local opinion go and look.

I have looked and tried both.
Numbers mean nothing although you don’t mention the extra travel of the nomad. I don’t bother taking much notice of the geometry numbers and won’t profess to ever having bothered to try and understand them. I just know what I like when I try it.

which did you ride first?

The nomad. Was noticeably better than the heckler, and the bronson felt like a step down.

One important question is What are you going to be riding most of the time on it?

Bit of everything, trail centres, peak district, bike park wales. It’s mostly about the downhills for me, though there have been a few climbs in the peaks where i’d wished i had vpp!

I’d love to go for the nomad, but I think my wallet is telling me to go with just replacing the shock…

Of the two, I went for the nomad which, by the way, is nowhere even close to being the same as a Bronson. I’ve looked at the geo sheets, and yes you are right, it’s very small differences, but then humans are 98% the same as apes…. Think of the nomad as a mini v10, and the bronson as a bigger 5010 (which, of the 2, I went for the 5010, have you tried one OP? They’re really very excellent….)

The thing I like about the nomad is its performance is very easily accessed, without feeling out of its depth too quickly. I’m often pondering with getting a DH weapon, but what I’ve found from the ones I’ve ridden (couple of v10s, various demo 8s, and giving a wlsn a go later in the week) is that unless you are giving it 10 tenths, they are harsh, lazy and awful to ride. A nomad feels more sprightly, lighter (because it is, lots), feels fun to ride at all speeds, not just warp 9 and lets you ride all but the most vicious descents, but you can pedal it up too.

For me, the Bronson is a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ bike. The Nomad is a much better #enduro bike, while the 5010 is a much better trail bike (and if you put a 140/150mm pike on, just as capable on bigger stuff)

I had a Nomad, my wife wanted a Bronson,mode one and hated, rode a Nomad and loved it. She now has my Nomad.

Despite both having a VPP system,mother characteristics are very different. To me, having ridden a Bronson, it didn’t really do anything well. It was basically a worse version of the 5010. I even thought the 5010 descended better.

The Nomad is a big bike, it’s not the most lively of rides, and IMO is let down by the Monarch shock. It’s considerably better with the Vivid Air and still believe it would be pretty epic with a good coil shock on it (DHX2).

Seems to ride best around 30% sag on the back, I (and others it seems) found it was harsh when running less, and led to some odd suspension behaviour.

For me, the choice is simple from the two. The harder choice would be a 5010 or Nomad. In reality, I’d keep my Reign and get a 5010 as well for non racing stuff 🙂

Second the vivid air comment above, fantastic shock if most of your riding is descent orientated. Climbs well enough too

(which, of the 2, I went for the 5010, have you tried one OP? They’re really very excellent….)

No, the shop I was using only had the 2 SC options. I’d be tempted to try the 5010 if they had one available, but it seems a faff to get them to order one in for a demo when I’m leaning towards just upgrading the Heckler’s shock.

Having said that, the YT Capra CF Pro Race is very tempting at its current price 😈

Have you tried the capra? Screen do plenty of demo days for free so check them out.

There are a load of demos on the UK SC site if your looking to demo. Always good to demo before you buy. Our opinions are just that, opinions. We’re all different sizes and ride differently. You might also try the YT Carpa. Recent experience in Canada with one showed them to be a great bike but let down by the E13 hubs. One thing I noticed on a recent bush replacement was how much better the TF tuned replacement DU bushings were for my Fox. Entirely subjective but it did fell a lot plusher.

Yeah, I’m worried that if I try the Capra then I’ll definitely buy it! At least the price of the Nomad is a real sticking point.

I only got my Heckler last year 😕

Ah I see the dilemma

Life’s too short to not be riding the bike you enjoy. But try and demo a few bikes.mits money well spent to avoid that nagging feeling theirs a better bike you’d really like to ride

Life’s too short to not be riding the bike you enjoy.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like the Heckler. Unfortunately it ended up developing some play in the pivot and in trying to get the cover bolt off to tighten the internal bolt I managed to completely round the bolt as it was completely seized. Ended up having to use a screw extractor to get it out, so it had to go in to get the pivot bearing replaced. So I thought I might as well demo the bikes I’d heard good things about while it was in!

How about a -1 degree works components headset?

Yeah, I’ve been considering that as well. Do the kits work well enough?

Have a look here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/santa-cruz/bronson-1-degree-angleset-910686.html

Thanks, I think the headset is probably a pretty good idea given that I’m running 160 mm forks.

It looks like 150mm and -1 degree is the sweet spot for some. If you decide to do it please feed back as I am tempted to do it to my Bronson.