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

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.

jimjam - Member
daver27 - Member
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.

I reckon you could be right that they've realised there's more demand for carbon monad's. Hence the reason for the 'cheaper' Carbon C version.

I'm not sure that Santa Cruz counts as a small boutique brand anymore. They seem to have a global presence and dealer Network.
I guess compared to Giant they are still small though.