[Closed] Santa Cruz Nomad - No alloy version in the works for us 'normal folks'?

next summer.

I'd wait till next summer. There will probably be a new wheel size by then...

I remember an unsubstantiated rumor they were doing a single pivot version (as the Heckler / Bronson) and using the Bullet name again.

Single pivot version would interest me...

I'd wait till next summer. There will probably be a new wheel size by then.

Start saving! I cant say its worth the money but it is an amazing bike.
I bought the frame only and built my no compromise (almost) bike with carbon rims / pro2 hubs, raceface sixc bars and cranks, full xtr for a lot cheaper than the price for an off the shelf build. Ask for discount too and if they refuse walk away. My LBS knocked over £400 off the frame price without me asking.
Its by far the best bike I have owned and really is good at everything including climbing.
The only problem is its making me do silly things like learning big doubles and drops.

There's a few 'dream bikes' out there, some I've ridden, some I've not. All of them unfortunately are near that £4-5k mark which is just a bit much for my wallet... certainly at the minute!

Saw the liteville 301 at a show this year and absolutely fell in love (mainly because unless you're up close, it looks like hardtail in the flesh). I just wonder if it's easier to get a cheaper build then change the bits I want. Nothing wrong with SLX brakes and bars, saddle, grips etc are obviously a very personal choice. I think it all depends on this year and what type of riding I'm doing.

Entered my first mini enduro this year and absolutely loved it, also spending more time out of trail centres and up in the peaks etc.

Banshee rune has to be worth a look same head angle in slack mode(adjustable to 65.5 and 66)and a lot cheaper new.
Only thing I've got to say is it is stupid quick for my old bones it's like I'm at the trail obstical and my heads 3seconds behind it. But it is bloody good fun 🙂

There are a lot of equal or better bikes out there in terms of a hypothetical aluminium Nomad.

To name a few

1) Giant Reign (freaking brilliant)
2) GT Sanction Frameset
3) YT Capra AL
4) Mondrakers
5) Orbeas

6) Transition Patrol

The Nomad is very similar to the Banshee Rune in geometry, within a few mm and a fraction of degree everywhere, apart from the Rune's bottom bracket being about 10mm higher (the Nomad is very low once sagged). Rune's suspension design is arguably better!

I have a Nomad. If I was looking for a alloy bike I'd be all over a Transition Patrol.

Or try to get an ex demo. Santa cruz have a used cc(costly carbon) for 3640 on thier site at the mo

Definitely some good options... Gotta say though still not sure as beautiful as that nomad (and not just in the mental colours). Quite interested to get something there's not a lot of on the trails, but the giant looks a good deal! Any more I should keep my eyes on?

specialized enduro

Definitely some good options... Gotta say though still not sure as beautiful as that nomad (and not just in the mental colours). Quite interested to get something there's not a lot of on the trails, but the giant looks a good deal! Any more I should keep my eyes on?

You can't spend your time eyeing something as lovely as a NomadC, and then buy a Giant. You'll forever be disappointed, like going out to pull a stunner, and ending up going home with Sandi Toksvig....

Whilst all those bikes are probably very good I agree with nobeerinthefridge. If you want a nomad then wait and get a nomad. No point settling for second best. You may initially be happy but would always be wishing you had bought the one you actually wanted.

IIRC the Giant has a press fit bottom bracket? I'd avoid that like the black death if it does.

@Rick Draper

Giant use Shimano press fit BB - easily the best out of the lot and very little trouble in the real world; also very easy to remove/refit and inexpensive to replace

designed by Shimano to work specifically with their HT2 cranks so nylon sleeves isolating the bearing from the metal crank axle, rather than the common 'metal bearing on metal axle' which causes so much trouble with other press fit systems

If you avoid Press fit bottom brackets, you're ruling out a whole lot of bikes.

You can't spend your time eyeing something as lovely as a NomadC, and then buy a Giant. You'll forever be disappointed, like going out to pull a stunner, and ending up going home with Sandi Toksvig....

I went from the new Nomad to a carbon Reign. Mainly because I should have bought an XL Nomad, as it's still an average sized bike now, rather than the small one it was before.

The Shimano press fit BB didn't put me off, before I gave my wife my Nomad she had a bike with one for about 2 years - it was just as reliable as a normal HT2 BB.

Other press fit systems i've used have been a horrible creaking, moving mess by comparison.

If you want a nomad then wait and get a nomad. No point settling for second best.

Also... your missus seems pretty damn lucky if you've donated her your old Nomad!

Yeti have now gone 100% carbon across their range so replacing my alloy SB95 is going to be a bit of a money struggle. I've decided to just get my frame professionally repainted by Chromaworks at the end of this season and convince myself it's a new bike!

Op whereabouts are you? If you can get to stainburn, and reckon you need a large, you're welcome to give mine a spin

Mine (large) will be up for sale next summer as I will be looking for a new bike then i think

Throwing mine into the mix too, might be oiking mine for sale in the up and coming months, however its the carbon version from late 2012.

Dependent on how much riding time I get out of it as atm, its sat in the lockup loved but unused to its full extent 🙁

That said, stif are doing a demo day at stainburn next Saturday...

Yeah I just literally got that email through - unfortunately I'm in France that weekend on the motorbike

You can't spend your time eyeing something as lovely as a NomadC, and then buy a Giant. You'll forever be disappointed, like going out to pull a stunner, and ending up going home with Sandi Toksvig....

Except if we're talking about machines, coming home with the Giant is like coming home with an HRC Honda instead of a pretty but unequivocally crap Ducati.

There's a plus side to going with a massive brand as opposed to a boutique one, they have a massive R&D budget. Hence why Transitions aluminium frames weigh 7.5lb whilst the Reign weighs 6.1lb whilst coming with a lifetime warranty.

EDIT: Although the lifetime warranty is a curse in a way as I will never want to nitromors it and have it sprayed in the color I want.

I dont post much on here but thought i'd add...........

Yes SC Momads are a cracking ride DOWN a hill, DO NOT go to Stainburn and come away thinking "I'm having that" its the BEST Bike EVER,

Get one and ride your Local trails, stuff that your used to riding NOT something that you have never ridden before. AND prepare to be amazed at the amount of times your pedals and cranks smack even the most slightly undulated camber as you try and get the pedal strokes in on your pedally switchback Singletrack !

No doubt they are great if you are only doing gravity fed descending, but as a peddler i couldnt hack it, I've not tried any of the others so i wont comment, i've tried this and found it a real let down.

Pump. Pedaling is for silly buggers. Don't corner outside heel down in anything but flat corners (you shouldn't anyway). Also, don't run so much sag. 😛

The Reigns as low, I only got a pedal strike on my demo ride when I was riding like an utter cretin.

Trust me, I wanted it to not ground that much, it was pedalling up that created the effect not down, it carried its speed well, but none of you need me to tell you that.
Gentle inclines with mud tracks either side caught the pedals, pedalling across Cutt Gate was soul destroying, sag was fine,

The BB hight was my

Huh. Do you know what length the cranks were? Maybe some genius had specced it with 175mm?

I really didn't notice the issue with the Reign, I was running about 30 percent sag, maybe it doesn't wallow in it's midstroke as much.

My El Guapo V3 is just as low think it has a pretty normal BB height.

Sagged, the Nomad is probably lower than the El Guapo?

Doubt it El guapo BB height is just above 13 inches the travel is a 150 rear 170 front. The Nomad is 13.4 inch BB height 165mm rear and 160mm front.

aluminium is coming back on the road, so I would expect the MTB marketeers to start huffing alu frames again in a year or two.

you can get a alu 90210, and that'll be all the bike you need anyway.

Huh. Do you know what length the cranks were? Maybe some genius had specced it with 175mm?

You do know that 170-175 crank arms are the same length but the hole for the pedal spindles are drilled in different places?

Nomad lower bb than Bronson. No issues from me on Bronson bb hight. I'm kinda not surprised as the Nomads designed for more downhill than trail machine where low bb will be an advantage.

Except if we're talking about machines, coming home with the Giant is like coming home with an HRC Honda instead of a pretty but unequivocally crap Ducati.

Go on then, explain to us all why Nomads are crap?.

Go on then, explain to us all why Nomads are crap?.

I don't have a nomad either, or a Giant for that matter, just interested in why someone thimks that the Nomad is crap, he's obviously ridden one for an extended period.

I think one bullied him in the playground

I struggled with pedal strikes for the first few rides on my new nomad but 3 weeks on and I haven't had any for the last couple of rides. I was running 40% sag initially until I figured out how much air I needed which meant it was sitting lower than ideal.

What's with some peoples random undeserved hatred for santacruz bikes?

What's with some peoples random undeserved hatred for santacruz bikes?

I had a test on a SC (Not a Nomand, granted) and expected it to be great. It was actually bang average. I bet the Giant rides at least as well.

I had a test on a SC (Not a Nomand, granted) and expected it to be great. It was actually bang average. I bet the Giant rides at least as well.

Highly likely CR, but a bit different from it being 'rubbish'.

Can't imagine many expensive bikes are rubbish these days.

My admittedly limited view is that you shouldn't buy a boutique bike expecting it to be miles better then the mainstream and cheaper bikes as you are likely to be disappointed. By one because it feels a bit more special to own then the mainstream. Nothing wrong with that.

andysredmini

What's with some peoples random undeserved hatred for santacruz bikes?

I like their brand/branding. I also think the bikes look very nice. But until very recently their geometry has been questionable at best meaning that for a lot of people they ride horribly considering their reputation. Combine this with fan boy/brand snob owners and it might answer your question.

AND you'd need to be a complete knucklehead to buy that Reign for £4K when you can get an equivalent spec Canyon Strive for £1700 less. Sheesh for £300 more, you can get the daddy carbon version w/XTR/36/cane creek etc.

Except the Strive doesn't have quite the geo I want even in the race model - besides I didn't get the 4k one. I picked the base model up for cheaper than retail.

The cheapest Strive spec isn't so much better than the Giant for me to particularly care.

Still the Strive is a good shout anyway. The Nomad doesn't ride that badly either - I was just replying to an equally silly post. I see some are very quick to defend their purchases on here though 😛

I will say that the Nomad does have wonkly leverage ratios that no one else in the industry uses, a fairly ducatiesque thing to do. 😛

You do know that 170-175 crank arms are the same length but the hole for the pedal spindles are drilled in different places?

This is wrong for Shimano XT and SLX. 170mm are shorter and it makes more difference than you might expect.

I see some are very quick to defend their purchases on here though

you being one of them Tom!

This is wrong for Shimano XT and SLX. 170mm are shorter and it makes more difference than you might expect.

I see some are very quick to defend their purchases on here though

you have to be having dropped that much money on something that is £/performance not that great.

thats not saying they are bad btw, just a shed load of money for the same performance as a bike half its price or less.

I'd take a Reign in preference myself TBH, I even prefer the looks (apart from that orange and yellow monstrosity).

But I'm sure the Nomad is a good bike anyway. I'm a grown up and I won't think (much) less of anybody who buys one for the brand cachet as well as the performance.

I see some are very quick to defend their purchases on here though

I always find the sizing on Santa Cruz's wrong. They are always too short in the top tube for me.

I think the bikes are ok but, from the riding I have done on a couple, I dont see what you are getting beyond ok to justify the premium price they charge.

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a day on the Nomad (£5599), I thought it was an awesome bike, very fast on the descents, pedalled uphill really well (obviously there are better). I rode it for a morning at FOD and the afternoon on the XC loop at Cwmcarn and a quick blast down the old DH track as well. I thought it was a fantastic bike that suited both venues.

I've also had a morning on the current Giant Reign Advanced (the Green model £3299) and again it's a lovely bike, but I preferred the Nomad. I can't afford either currently but I think if I had the cash I'd pick the Nomad.

Have also been able to spend a few hours on a GT sanction which was great fun and very very good on the DH sections of Cwmcarn, but a bit of a slog (but no slouch) on the climbs. Although it was a much lower spec and price point (£2500) than the other two.

Another factor is that the Nomad is a much nicer looking (IMO) than the other two.

I only clipped the pedals twice on the Nomad while climbing, but then I am used to bikes with pretty low BBs as most of my other bikes have been ridden with quite a bit of Sag and have low BBs as well so I'm used to it.

To sum it up, all 3 were great bikes, but I preferred the Nomad so buy whichever one you want. At 5'11 I rode large frames and found them all comfy.

Tom KP

Ps Yes I am a bike slag and am always trying out other people's bikes when I get the chance.

I don't like to say it but I think a lot of the hatred stems from the price and the fact a lot of people regard them as an aspirational bike that are out of reach for many.
A few people have spoken to me about mine have made comments like " I would love one but £3000 for a frame is too much".

Another thing I notice more than any other bike I have owned is how many people want to ask me questions about it or just come over to have a look.

I think the way SC really went big right on cue with the whole enduro boom, at the same time as the new wheel size, has made some people develop a little misguided hatred of the brand, as if they were the leaders in changeing the industry standards.

Seems to be a bit of a self-righteous fashion thing too*, like slagging BMW's/Audi/Coldplay etc..

*I have neither a SC, Beemer, Audi or a love of Coldplay btw. I don't mind any of them.

No hatred here, I quite like the look of them and can see the appeal in a jewelry sense. The problem comes when people expect the £6000 SC to perform significantly better then the £3000 X, Y, or Z. From my limited experience they don't really.

I suppose it's the law of diminishing returns and the fact that the forks/shock have a huge impact on the ride of any bike. Once you get to the price point where Pikes and a decent shock are used there's no where much to go.

The problem comes when people expect the £6000 SC to perform significantly better then the £3000 X, Y, or Z. From my limited experience they don't really.

Hardly just SC though is it?
How much is an SB6c or a HD3 or an Ion 16, even a Pyga one40 is over £5K with an unspectacular build. You can buy a spesh for £7K with own brand wheels, bars and dropper! 😆

The price thing is less relevant these days for one simple reason....the same reason the car park at work is full of new cars despite us all being on average salaries in the NHS: finance.

Websites like Ubyk, TweeksCycles, Tredz....and the good old fashioned credit card make owning a boutique bike (relatively) easy.

Yeti, Intense, Orange, Santa Cruz etc are all available for around £100 per month if you really must.

....personally with the rise of direct sales firms like Radon, YT, Canyon, Rose, Commencal etc etc the game is no longer just to find a good bike (there are loads about!) but to find a good bike with ridiculously good spec for bugger all money.

A carbon Nomad running mainstream Rockshox suspension with a common as muck Pike on the front?....yawn.

A carbon Capra running full Bos suspension?....for half the price?....now we're talking, yes please!

Not too long ago you had to spend good money to get suspension that worked and thousands spent on the bike directly correlated into performance...that isn't the case anymore with a £7,000 Specialized S-Works (Enduro or Stumpy, take your pick) being rated no better out on the trail than a £5,000 Santa Cruz which is itself being reviewed by mags as no better than a £3,000 YT Capra which is also seen to be on a par with the sub £2,000 Commencal V4 and Canyon Strive models.

Truly these are great days.

Buy what you like, I enjoy seeing bikes by Santa Cruz out on the trails in the same way I like to see Porsches and Aston Martins on the road, it's just that Santa Cruz's aren't the performance machines they once were but there's no shame in that.

it's just that Santa Cruz's aren't the performance machines they once were but there's no shame in that.

Were they ever? My 2011 heckler was rubbish, far to short, far to steep, horrible climber.

Next year I'll be buying a new trail bike and theres no way I'd consider a Santa Cruz when there are so many bikes out there that are just as good for far far cheaper. The only possible reason I'd see to buy one is the name, and thats not something I'd consider spending an extra 2k on above something like a giant, canyon, or top end (non Sworks) Spesh

Deviant +1.

Enduro (non s works) expert = £4600
SC Bronson C w/ccdba, pike, R AM kit = £4349

Despite the reputation, the non batshit crazy SC builds are there or thereabouts.

That Reign advanced 1 looks a hell of a bike for £3200. I daresay those rims are a bit shit but if that's the major worry then things are OK!
I'd still get a strive! nothing gets close to it IMHO. I'd probably want to disable the shapeshifter though.

Yeah the shapeshifter thing has put me off too.

If I feel that way and you do too then I wonder how many other people have been put off by it?!

I opted for frame only in the end (Giant) and my own build of X-Fusion suspension and the new XT 1x11 when it comes out, still should come in under 3k I reckon, happy with that as it'll last me a fair few years yet.

wrecker - Member

I'd probably want to disable the shapeshifter though.

A broken shapeshifter defaults the bike to 160mm mode. I don't think you can remove it, it's aprt of the linkage, but you don't have to use it.

I thought one of the team riders had done it?
Barnes maybe?

wrecker - Member

How much is...... an Ion 16

£3,591.53, with Pike/Monarch, E13 Crank, X01, Reverb and Hope wheels & brakes

Is it be ****ed?
It's a pricey frame that too. Good value on the builds then!

A carbon Capra running full Bos suspension?....for half the price?....now we're talking, yes please!

until you need to service the shocks, used to be an issue, possibly not anymore but it certainly would put many off

Here - can get same build direct from Nicolai. X1 rather than X01, my mistake

[i]Gabel: Rock Shox Pike RCT3 Solo Air / Federweg 160mm
Dämpfer: Rock Shox Monarch RC3
Vorbau: Hope AM
Lenker: Truvativ Boobar
Griffe: Chromag Squarewave
Steuersatz: Hope Tapered
Sattelstütze: Rock Shox Reverb Stealth
Sattelklemme: Hope QR
Sattel: WTB Silverado Pro
Kurbel: e*thirteen TRS R
Bremsen: Hope Race Evo E4
Schalthebel: SRAM X1
Schaltwerk: SRAM X1[/i]

Where does it stack up against £7k Spec Enduro's?

That proves the point. The 7k Specialized is a willy waver but I would not have thought it would perform much better then a bike costing half the price. My comment was only directed at SC due to the nature of the thread but works equally for other brands.

You can get a PYGA 140 with full SRAM X01 for £4095 or an X9 build for £3450.

PYGA now have a good build kit program offered along side all frames.

Please see www.r53sport.com for all the information.

I think the whole point of this thread was that Yes you can buy a 7k S-works enduro, but you can also buy a 2k alloy version that for all intents and purposes performs 95% the same. With the Nomad, you can't.

I think part of the Nomads appeal is that it is very light and strong due to being carbon for a 170/165mm travel bike.

The price is a lot and possibly not great value, but I still want to try one. And if it turned out to be the bike I liked riding the most then I'd try my best to get it.

I also want to try the GT Sanction, which frame wise is about half the price. If that turns out to be what I like most then that would be what I get.

I doubt I'm alone in trying to get the bike that I like the ride the most. Price isn't irrelevant but it shouldn't be the main driving force for buying a particular bike. Evdn when you have a set budget You'll be trying to get the bike you like the most that comes under that budget. Not just the cheapest that does the job.

P.s don't see this as a dislike against cheaper direct sales manufacturers as they are really turning out some good bikes.

Meh. Just looks like every other Santa Cruz. Preferred the original Aluminium sh1tting dog version.

I'd go for a Nicolai.

mrblobby - Member
Meh. Just looks like every other Santa Cruz. Preferred the original Aluminium sh1tting dog version.

I'd go for a Nicolai.

Don't see anything wrong with how Santa Cruz bikes look Tbh, and regarding the nicolai as I said above it should be down to what you as a rider finds to be the bike they like the most when they ride it. That very well could be a nicolai, though I'm not sure how easy it is to demo one of them over here.

daver27 - Member

I think the whole point of this thread was that Yes you can buy a 7k S-works enduro, but you can also buy a 2k alloy version that for all intents and purposes performs 95% the same. With the Nomad, you can't.

Yes but you're comparing a giant global brand to a small boutique one. Maybe Santa Cruz have realised there's more demand for carbon Nomads.