For 2021 we see the all New Santa Cruz Bicycles Nomad. Now in its 5th variation we see a brand new frame designed from the ground up. We believe this is one of the most capable and fun bikes on the market. This is the perfect bike for riding your local tails, to a day on the Uplift at Innerleithen and then racing a round of the Enduro World Series. This bike will do it all and beg for more.
Here is what Santa Cruz has to say about it -
Big mountain riding is a nomadic existence. Meeting friends in farflung car parks. Pinpointing trails you're not sure are even rideable. Sending the ones you know are. Shiny new bling gets battered, shattered and bruised. That’s life. That’s how it should be. That's why the Nomad exists.
Probably the most abused bike in Santa Cruz Bicycles line up, every Nomad has a story to tell. But each Nomad we've made keeps coming back for more. It's not Stockholm Syndrome, it's called sealed bearings in all pivots, a lower link grease port, shuttle guards and free bearing replacements. Why scrap a frame when a simple bearing service can make one last a lifetime? That's Santa Cruz Bicycles stance on sustainability at least, and it's why carbon fiber doesn’t just mean lighter, it means tough as hell backed up by a lifetime warranty and crash replacement support.
There’s no time for puzzling when on a road trip either. That's why we chose 27.5 wheels as the go-to for the widest variety of riding styles and rider sizes. When peeling your bike out of the van at a new spot your only question should be “Is this a full face or a half lid kinda ride?” The 64-degree head angle and 77-degree seat angle puts you in the sweet spot when winching up to the top of a big drop in. Meanwhile proportional chainstay lengths mean handling is never compromised, regardless of frame size.
And when we say big travel, we're not talking about your Transit's odometer. We're talking 170mm of 38mm diameter fork and 170mm of VPP rear suspension compatible with both coil and air shocks. The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock, plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm, and rubberized DT protectors to shrug off strikes.
