Tell me about your Santa Cruz Nomads – inc pics

I had an urge to get rid of mine earlier this week – its my only MTB. As you probably know i live and ride in the Peak District and enjoy rocky stuff!! On DH it is brilliant – exactly what i want – obviously uphill it is a little tough going!!
I prefer the “over biked” feeling of the nomad as it does get you out of trouble on a regular basis – its the chuck norris of the bike word imo!!

On a “ride” (disused railway) tonight i was idly musing over whetehr it is the bike for me or it’s too much. My conclusion is that i love the nomad and will probably keep it. Just wonder if i can improve it/lighten areas without compromising DH performance?

Spec is as follows:

Frame Large Nomad

Fox DHX5 coil

Fork Solo air Lyriks – TFTuned with “boxxer mod” to make them more plush, 1.5″ steerer.

Cranks and bash SLX 175mm 22/36 with new Hope bash.

Stem Easton havoc 65mm 1.5″ steerer

Bars Easton Havoc 750mm wide (pewter)

Seatpost Joplin 4 with remote

New style XT brakes with 203 and 180mm floating (shimano) rotors)

XT rear mech 10 speed medium cage

XT cassette and chain 10 speed 11/36 and matching chain – <100 miles old

Wheels Hope pro 2 evos on stans Flow rims

Tyres ST 2.35 High Roller up front and 60a 2.35 crossmark on the back

Saddle Charge spoon

Shifters XT

Grips Superstar XL

Pedals Superstar Nano flats

Ones in BOLD are the ones i could realistically change to save weight/improve performance. i Know that a Nomad will never be light but it could go on a diet!

Would an RP23 for example work as well as the DHX 5 (this has been tuned)

You’re not going to save much weight. Tires?

How much does it weigh?

Probably not the answer you want to hear, but the biggest benefit in improvement would be the engine, not the bike if you are struggling with climbing

Al – I reckon 33-34lb

Just looked – by spending £303 i could love 1.5lb.

Hob Nob – i know the engine needs some work (it’s in progress)

I found a ST Highroller to be too draggy to live with.

Carbon Nomad?

ST HR ain’t gonna help

Chunky – carbon doesn’t save that much (especially for cost). If i went carbon then it would be an LTC tall boy

ST high roller is fine as its on the fornt so doesn’t “drag” per se

Carbon nomad isn’t much lighter at all (just much stiffer)

I ran my ST highroller only on the front and found a world of difference compared to a maxxpro HR or minion DHF. I back to back changed it out with a maxxpro 3 times and the ST only on the front created a ton of drag over a ride IME. I do not find much difference in cornering grip between a ST and Maxxpro if you have a HR or Minion leaned over, only when steering with the bars instead of the hips.

Well a lighter bike is certainly easier than a heavy bike to lug up a hill – that’s a given really.

Budget wise, it’s always the same, the more your throw at it, the more you save. Only you can decide where to draw the line.

My Nomad C comes in at about 26.6lbs now with 160mm forks, Vivid Air, Reverb etc, which is as far as I can realistically take it. It does go up and down very well though 😉

Carbon Nomad with an RP23 is 6lbs, saves a pound on the alloy frame with the same shock.

I’ve just fitted a coil shock to my Nomad for Alp duties. I fitted it to break it in and try it out. It’s brilliant! Rode the Peaks last weekend and I don’t think I’ll be putting the air shock back on. The rear wheel tracks the ground and it does’nt “buck” like a donkey, if you know what I mean? Climbing is loads better. Maybe get a Ti spring if you want to save weight?

You’re not going to get it down to <30lbs without spending lots, if it’s at all possible.

Just enjoy that big-bike feel and continue to work on your strength & fitness.

My Nomad C comes in at about 26.6lbs now with 160mm forks, Vivid Air, Reverb

Honestly? What is the rest of your build? That’s lighter than my Blur.

Lighter wheels. I use crests round wales and heavier wheels for the alps.

looneylunn, what shock was on it before (air shock)? if RP23 – whata re the details – tune etc? air can size?

Hob Nob – your rock shox shock – can you tel me the details/spec of that please

Swap the ST High Roller for something quicker rolling but still beefy (Bontrager XR4 is what I use), go tubeless if you’re not yet and do some of this: http://www.bikejames.com/

I’ve never felt so much quicker as when I took off a 2.35 42/60a Swampthing pair and put my XR4s back on – but the crazy stickiness sorted out some wet root confidence problems so they were worth the brief flirtation.

Got an Alu mk2 nomad as my only bike as well. Mainly ride in the lake district with a few trips round gisburn. Had it for 3 years now and love it for the riding in the lakes. Probably over biked for gisburn though. ( blur trc for trail centre riding? Mmmmmm, yes please ) always remember the first time I got to the bottom of garbun pass on it. It was as if it was looking up at me and saying ” Is that it, is that the best you can do?”. Went to the wheelbase demo weekend the other week and tried a whyte 146, lappiare spicy 916 and a trek slash. The only one that came a distant 2nd to the momad was the trek. The whyte pointing down was good, but although lighter than the nomad, didn’t climb as well. The trek climbed better ( but it had a talas up front, so steepens the HA for going uphill) and was almost as planted going down. The spicy? I thought it was pants. Would I change my nomad for any of the 3 I tried? Not a chance. Would I change it for anything else out there? Yep, a nomad c 😉

I wouldn’t bother. I keep toying with the idea of shaving a load of weight off my Blur 4X but love the way it rides to bits and shoving silly light tyres and stuff on it (been there and done it) doesn’t work. On;y changes I really want to make are to go from my 160mm 36 Floats to some 150mm air Revs/Sektors and maybe some lighter (maybe even carbon) bars to replace my Renthals… Stuff that won’t affect the way it rides.

Keep it as it is and enjoy it – Nomads are built to put a grin on your face on the descents… the climbs are just a neccessary evil.

Honestly? What is the rest of your build? That’s lighter than my Blur.

Yep – it’s pretty full on, can do a spec list if wanted. I could go lighter, but it’s my do everything bike – so needs to be able to handle the downs when it substitutes for my DH bike.

Cruzheckler – Standard low tune Vivid Air. Spoke a lot with PUSH, and did some research, people really rate them on the Nomad 2. It was either than or a DB Air – but the DB Air works best on bikes with a linear/regressive suspension curve, which is not the Nomad, which is progressive.

27lb is scary…my cross bike weighs that with a 4lb fork and a 2lb fork!

Also bear in mind if you try to make it too light to improve it’s climbing you my compromise it’s downhill capabilities. Going lighter may make it feel less planted. As said above just suck up the pain of the climb and enjoy the decent.

Yep – it’s pretty full on, can do a spec list if wanted. I could go lighter, but it’s my do everything bike – so needs to be able to handle the downs when it substitutes for my DH bike.

Have you checked your scales? That is very very light. Even in light build (i.e. no reverb, light wheels, air shock, etc) my alloy nomad mk1 weighs 33lbs… would be very interested to see the spec.

My air shock is a Rock Shox monarch 3.3 I think, it’s at least as good as a Rp23. It came standard with the frame so no tuning. My coil Fox DHX5 has been push tuned so I guess I’m not comparing like for like. With the coil though it’s just a more capable bike. Climbing and descending. I want a coil fork now! Old school coil is the future.

Yep, I chucked it on the scales at the LBS, and the post scales at work (mail order co with a big auto packing facility that has very big, accurate and expensive scales!). They were all within 50g of each other (including mine).

Nomad C
BOS Deville
RS Vivid Air
Hope headset
Hope seat clamp
Easton Haven 55mm stem
Easton Havoc Carbon bars
Formula The One brakes, 180mm rotors
RS Reverb
Charge Knife Ti seat
Shimano XTR cranks
Nukeproof Neutron Mag/Ti pedals
Straitline Silent Guide
E13 34T chainring
KMC X10 SL chain
SRAM XX 11-36 cassette
Shimano XTR 10spd shifter
Shimano XTR 10spd rear mech
DT Swiss 240S hubs, DT TB spokes, Stans Arch EX rims
DT Swiss 10mm RWS.

Think that’s everything! I built it up at work, so was able to have the luxury of being anal enough to weigh every single thing and put it all into a spreadsheet at the time. I think it gave me a mild case of weight OCD.

Go 1×10? Pick up some s/h XTR cranks? Stop worrying about the bikes weight?

Not worrying – wanting to lighten and improve

I am surprised at the total weight Hob Nob. My large Blur LTc is 27lbs;

Crossmax SX with 2.35 LUST High Rollers and lots of sealant
Full X0 with 11/36 XX cassette, 2×10 39/27 chainset
185/160 rotors
World Cup Revs
RP23 shock
King headset
Reverb
Thomson 70mm stem
740mm Boobars
Fizik saddle
XTR trail pedals

Must check the shop scales or get some lighter tyres! Great bikes though!

My large carbon Nomad,
now with full XTR,
10sp 11/36 cassette 42/30 cranks, 180F/160R trail brakes, trail pedals
Fox Float RLC 160/ RP23
Industry 9 enduro wheelset
Easton Haven carbon bars
Reverb post
total weight 29.76lbs with crappy Kendas
Hutchinson Toro Enduro’s on order should bring it under 29.5lbs

I am surprised at the total weight Hob Nob. My large Blur LTc is 27lbs

Nice build! I would have expected the LTC to be a bit lighter, but surprisingly the frames are the same weight. You gain on me in a couple of areas (forks & shock) but lose it all back & a bit more on your wheelset/tyre combo, the rest is fairly comparable though.(probably a couple of hundred grammes in it).

Hob Nob, what do you think of the Bos DeVille?
reckon it would be ace set-up with their Vip’r.

Im on a 2012 Large Nomad Carbon

Reverb
Crank Brothers Iodine 3 wheels
Kenda Nevegals UST
Race Face Six C Carbon
New XT Breaks
SRAM XO drivetain w/ carbon shifters
Gamut Dual Chain Guide
160 mm 36 TALAS forks
rp23 rear can

Its around 28 lbs. Im about to replace the shock to ccdb when it arrives on wednesday. I like my nomad but still think I was fater up and down on my previous Commencal meta 5 🙁

Show us a pic then hobnob.

Your spec list has got my mouth watering.

Mk1 Nomad in Winter Park Colorado. Replaced with a bike that doesnt climb like a dog with a broken back 🙄

Right just shoved a folding 60a High roller on the front, changed the grips from the superstar excel to standard lock ons, removed the crud guard – all stuff i had so cost = £0!

Total weight removed from bike = 300g or 0.65lb!

Not bad for 20 minutes work!!

And if i swap to nukeproof electron pedals they will save 162g – so a pound cut in total!

rotating weight is always a win.
my bottlerocket is just under 34lbs but rides like a dream 🙂

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IMG-20120201-00174[/url] by ukbikeskills[/url], on Flickr

conti mtn king 2.4 mk2 tyres now

Are they really heavy grips?

I’m thinking I could do with putting my bike on a diet.

Following this thread for some inspiration

Grips were 200g – normal lock ons are 95g (just weighed so no debate)

Just mtfu rob 😀