Bike Check: Jake Ebdon’s Santa Cruz Nomad

Tweed Valley Bikes supported rider, Jake Ebdon, is racing a full season of Enduro World Cup this year aboard his Santa Cruz Nomad. Having spent the last few years aboard a Bronson, first on the full 27.5” Bronson 3 and more recently on the MX wheeled Bronson 4, 2023 sees Jake change to the Nomad platform. A slacker head angle, 63.5° over the Bronson’s 64.5°, and more suspension travel keeps the Nomad composed and planted in the rough and fast sections of trail Jake will encounter throughout the season. Retaining the agility of MX wheels has made Jake’s transition from Bronson to Nomad an easy affair, allowing him to focus on bike and suspension setup. Parts from Hope, Öhlins, Reserve & OneUp make up Jake’s 2023 race bike, let’s take a closer look at Jake’s bike and its set up below. 

Jake is 172cm tall and has chosen to ride a Medium frame Nomad. With the choice of the Nomad or Megatower for enduro duties from Santa Cruz, Jake has gone for the Nomad favouring the MX wheels for the increased clearance over the rear wheel, letting him get lower on the bike and ride more aggressively when needed.

For the tighter and more technical terrain on his doorstep here in the Tweed Valley, Jake runs his Nomad in the Hi position, giving a slightly raised bottom bracket height over the Lo position, the setting he will use on the faster and more open enduro stages that make up this year’s world cup. A 455mm reach gives Jake enough room on the bike to move his body weight around without becoming so long that it’s difficult to handle on tighter terrain. Size specific chainstay lengths give chainstays that grow proportionately with the front end length to give a consistent ride feel across all sizes of Nomad. Jake’s medium frame size uses 440mm chainstays, giving a wheelbase of 1239mm with a 170mm fork up front.

Up front Jake is running an Öhlins RXF 38 M.2 fork pumped up to 100psi for his 68kg weight. 260psi in the ramp up chamber gives Jake a progressive front end to match the Nomads rear suspension design. High speed compression (HSC) set to fully open lets the fork use its travel on big impacts, saving Jake’s arms on the 15+ min Enduro World Cup stages he will be contending with throughout the season. Low speed compression (LSC) is set to 1 click from open, giving a bit of extra support to the front of Jake’s bike, letting it ride slightly higher in its travel. Rebound set to 3 from open means Jake’s fork recovers quickly from successive hits, keeping the front wheel in contact with the ground as much as possible. 

The Nomads 170mm of rear travel is controlled by an Öhlins TTX22 M.2 coil rear shock. After spending time on both the air and coil shocks from Öhlins, Jake has settled on the coil for it's suppleness at the start of the stroke and consistency over long descents. 

A 388lb spring gives Jake around 27% sag, HSC set to open matches the forgiving ride of the front end, while 2 clicks of LSC give a supportive platform, allowing Jake to pump for speed without blowing through too much travel. Rebound all the way open let's the rear wheel recover from impacts as quickly as possible, giving a smoother ride at speed and increasing traction.  

Following the trend for a slightly narrower bar, Jake has his 20mm rise Hope carbon handlebar cut to 740mm. A 50mm stem with a 35mm clamp gives a little extra length to the front end of Jake’s bike and keeps the steering calm. 

Hope Tech 4 V4 brakes are fast becoming a favourite here in the Tweed Valley for their incredible power, modulation and reliability. Jake’s brake levers are set with the reach close to the bar with minimal lever throw for an early and predictable bite. Jake uses Hope’s Green brake pads, an organic compound designed for maximum power and wet weather performance. A SRAM 12spd Powerlink is taped to the front brake hose for emergency trailside repairs. Santa Cruz House grips keep Jake’s hands locked in place with their soft rubber compound and finger ridges. A OneUp EDC Lite tool is installed in Jake’s steerer tube giving him quick and easy access to the most common Allen key and Torx bit sizes.

A 180mm OneUp dropper gives Jake the most drop possible for his leg length, connected to a OneUp Remote V3 with a Hope MatchMaker adapter.

SRAM X01 AXS is on drivetrain duties. The tried and true X01 AXS derailleur is incredibly tough and continues to shift smoothly after more than one close encounter with the ground. Hope jockey wheels tie in with the silver theme on the bike.

A 10-52t cassette is paired with a 34t Hope chainring to give Jake enough range to spin up steep fireroads but also let him put the power down on the fast pedals that link technical sections of enduro stages. A OneUp Bashguide keeps the chain secure and protects the chainring. Jake is using Hope’s 155mm EVO crank to give him more clearance and a closer stance which puts him in a more forward facing, and more stable, position on the bike.

Jake’s Reserve 30|HD rims are laced on to Hope Pro 5 hubs using Sapim D-Light spokes and 15mm DT Swiss brass squorx nipples. Wrapped in DH casing Maxxis MaxxGrip rubber front and rear, Jake runs an Assegai up front inflated to 20psi and a DHR II on the back, pumped up to 23psi with no insets front or rear.

Jake's Nomad full spec:

Frame: Santra Cruz Nomad, size Medium

Fork: Öhlins RXF 38, 100psi main spring, 260psi ramp up chamber, LSC: 1, HSC: 0, Rebound: 3

Shock: Öhlins TTX22 M.2 Coil, 388lb spring, LSC: 2, HSC: 0, Rebound: 0

Handlebar: Hope Carbon handlebar, 740mm wide, 20mm rise, 35mm clamp

Stem: Hope 35mm, 50mm reach

Brakes: Hope Tech 4 V4, 200mm Hope floating rotors front and rear

Drivetrain: SRAM X01 AXS w/Hope jockey wheels

Crank: Hope EVO 155mm crank, 34t chainring, OneUp Bashguide

Dropper: OneUp 180mm, OneUp Lever V3

Wheelset: Reserve 30|HD rims, Hope Pro 5 hubs, Sapim D-Light spokes

Tyres: Front: Maxxis Assegai, DH casing, MaxxGrip, 20psi. Rear: Maxxis DHRII, DH casing, MaxxGrip, 23psi 

The Nomad is proving to be a hit with riders wanting a hard hitting enduro bike that can be comfortably pedalled all day. Pop along to our shop in Innerleithen to check out a Nomad for yourself. 

01896 831 429

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