Introduction & Initial Impressions
Santa Cruz Nomad – The Seventh Generation
A few bikes are reaching their 7th generational birthdays this year. The Orbea Rallon, Scott Genius and the popular Santa Cruz Nomad.
I’ve ridden a few bikes from the Californian company in the last few years. I tested, and I now own a Hightower. I’ve spent time on a Bronson and quite enjoyed the Bullit. There is a character to VPP bikes that I quite like. They pedal uphill with the spirit of a Sighthound and are easy to live with in the long run, with a lifetime of bearings and warranty.
Despite these qualities, I have shied away from the Nomad. To me, it had the aura of John Meyer. He’s baby-faced yet has a hidden talent for absolutely shredding the guitar. The Nomad intimidated me in all the wrong ways. I wasn’t always wrong with my presumptions on the big bike from Santa Cruz either. Up until the 6th generation, the wheel size stayed at dual 27.5″, while tweener-wheeled bikes were going out of fashion (despite the cries from the 6 guys on the internet forums). Eventually, the Nomad started morphing into a bike that could do it all. Gone were the days of pure gravity-focused riding in exchange for all-day pedalability and comfort.
Beautiful silhouette and striking 80s colourway
The X0 AXS RSV Coil build, size medium, comes in at 36lbs with pedals and tool (not included)
The seventh-generation Nomad is building on the trend set by the 6th-generation bike. The Nomad’s character has followed a bit of a sinewave. The V4 Nomad was the best descending of the bunch, yet a little too flexy. While the V5 was the best pedalling and significantly stiffer than the V4. V6 came into the scene, fixing both those problems with a little less anti-squat and retaining pedalling prowess. The new Nomad borrows everything the old boys did for the model, and fine-tunes the carbon for better ride feel and a lighter chassis. If you are expecting a stream of changes from the new Nomad, you might be asking the wrong things.
Santa Cruz Bicycles Colour person, you are doing very well, but maybe play around a bit more, give us something different.
What’s New
There aren’t massive changes to the new Nomad. The silhouette is more or less the same, as area the travel numbers. Suspension kinematics are on the softer side of firm. The layup of the carbon has seen the biggest change, with the downtube significantly slimmer than previous generations. The new bike shares the downtube dimensions with the company’s gravel bike, the Stigmata, as a matter of fact. This slimming was apparently done to fine-tune the chassis stiffness. This helps lighter riders looking for a longer travel bike to experience a more forgiving ride and allows the bike to track a better line through the rough stuff. Visually, I think it looks better, too. The Hockey Stick design of the downtube is functional and suits the side profile of the bike well.
Geo numbers haven’t changed much from the V6 Nomad. Slightly slacker, slightly steeper
The anti-squat numbers ahve gone way down. I find this bike to pedal really well. I can’t imagine how well the V6 pedalled.
Similar behaivour to the rest of the mullet bikes from Santa Cruz. Not the happiest under heavy braking
Slightly more linear. Nothing strange happening throughout the suspension travel.
The Nomad 7 now has a slightly slacker headtube angle and a steeper seat tube angle. These changes were done to better match the Electron-powered Bullit. The changes are quite welcome as the 63.3° headangle feels perfect for a bike of this nature. The 77.4° seat tube angle is modern without feeling too vertical. Remember I am on a size medium, so tall people beware.
The glovebox design also had to evolve with the downtube shrinking. The opening is still the same size. The door design evolved, making it more secure and positive feeling. I found it a little stiff to use, but better than too loose.
Standing in tall, you can see the Nomad its on par with my Orbea Rallon and the Archibald AC1 tester
Seatpost fully up, all the bikes are within my comfort range with the AC1 having steeper seattube angles. The wheelbase of AC1 is significantly longer than the other two
The new Fox 38 is……different, but feels similar also.
I have been on the new DHX2 for quite a while now and I love everything about it.
Gone is the option for a lower-end “C” model. Now all Nomads come in the lighter, stronger CC carbon layup. The CC model now includes cable ports for mechanical drivetrains. Santa Cruz apologizes for their previous mistakes. If you are an Eagle 90 T-Type fan, you are in luck. Santa Cruz tube-in-tube cable routing is top-notch and makes fishing cables a breeze. The geometry adjustment chip at the rear shock mount remains. This alters the geometry by half a degree in either direction. Most people just leave it in Low mode. The bolt is also easier to access now and can be swapped trailside if you are crazy enough to do so.
The rebound knob on the DHX2 is hard to reach due to the rear fender. Not impossible but harder than it needs to be
The offending fender. It does serve a purpose, so I can’t get mad at it. The shape could use a tweak for better finger clearance to reach the rebound knob pon the DHX2
Same size opening, different latch and smaller downtube.
Builds
There are currently four build kits available with a fifth one on the way. There are Shimano and SRAM builds with Rockshox and Fox products. This is great as nobody is left out. While the Fox suspension is dressing the higher-end builds, the ZEB select+ is no slouch when it comes to performance. I landed on the top-end build with the new FOX 38 Factory, DHX2 coil and Carbon Reserve 30HD wheels. The drivetrain is XO T-Type, and the bike leaves nothing to be desired out of the box. Maybe, except for a slightly longer dropper post. The 180mm OneUp post is sufficient for most things but a bike of this calibre wants the saddle out of the way on the steepest stuff. There is room for a 210 OneUp to fit this 30″ inseam guy. The interrupted seat tube with the shock tunnel may put some customers off.
Santa Cruz hardware is lovely to work with as usual. The bearings are retained in metal links and will be supplied to the original owner of the bike for a lifetime. As someone who has exercised this offer, it takes no more than a week to get the bearings or hardware to Canada, for ZERO dollars out of pocket. I don’t know of any better after-sales care in the industry.
The High Roller MaxxGrip EXO+ does not roll fast, but it makes up for it with its grip
DT Swiss 350 hubs with adjustable engagement. While this can be done on the trail, I just leave it in 20º mode
The DD casing Maxxterra DHR II is a problem solver. It rolls, it brakes, it corners. It is a good Golden Retriever of a tire
XO T-Type is a go-getter. Shift as hard as you want, land on rocks if you need to. No complaints.
There are two colours to choose from. One is cool, one is boring. I got lucky with the Miami Vice (Gloss Aqua Magenta) version. It looks absolutely gorgeous in person, but I understand it won’t be everyone’s cup of sherry. For those who like a stealth look, the Matte Metallic Earth is pretty on its own. Sizes range from Small to XXL for a good variety of fits. I landed on a Medium and it feels fan-freaking-tastic.
build kits currently available.
First Ride Impressions
My very first ride with the Nomad was on an early morning spin with Santa Cruz Brand Manager, Seb Kemp, on the North Shore. We did a quick shuttle bump to maximize time and still climbed about 600 meters during our 1.5h ride. The Nomad felt happy to be pedalling and descending at a fast pace. It is quite possibly the best pedalling long-travel bike I have been on lately. Even with the reduced anti-squat, the Nomad does not bob and sway as you pedal. The pedalling position is exceptionally close to that of my Orbea Rallon Gen 6. The smaller rear wheel moves along just fine on climbs, and never once have I wished I were on a 29er rear wheel. These are big words for me to swallow.
Tip it in and hope for the best. The Nomad seems to have my back. Photo – Cooper Quinn
The new FOX 38 was stiff for a ride or two, but has broken in nicely as I put about 100kms on this bike in the last few weeks. The new fork is quite a bit different in setup than the previous generation. The trail feel is similar, with an edge to the new fork on small bumps.
I am currently at 72psi on the new FOX 38, down from 90 I ran previously. Running slightly lower rebound speeds and lesser high and low speed compressions. I won’t give any numbers yet as I am playing with them constantly.
The DHX2 has a 450 lbs coil on it and is running slightly slower rebounds as well. Compression is middle of the road and seems to be working well. I was getting pitched forward a bit, and slowing the rebound and opening the compression helped calm the bike down. Faster rebounds also make this bike exceptionally playful. The 36lb long travel bike turns into a trail ripper with a few turns of the knobs. On the rough stuff, I found I prefer a calmer bike.
These Maven SIlver B1 brakes have been monsters
OneUp bars and SRAM brakes and shifting. I like the new AXS controller. I am able to shift up with my index finger
Metal headbadge. Still cool
The 180mm OneUp dropper feels short. Even with the interrupted seat tube, I could fit and use a 210. I do not have long legs.
SRAM’s Maven Silver B1 brakes and 200mm rotors have been nothing short of incredible. This is the performance I expect from my brakes. Almost too powerful for some situations. I can tune that down with Organic pads as these came with metallic ones from the factory. No complaints. The rear hub is a DTSWISS 320 DEG DF set to the 20-degree setting. So far, it has been trouble-free and invisible. High praise again. 165mm XO cranks are well spec’ed and have not hit any rocks either. The 32t Chainring is alright, but I would have liked a 30T on this bike that climbs this well. The driveside chainstay is wrapped well, and the bike runs quietly.
The chain deslapper works well and keeps things quiet.
The biggest small bike from Santa Cruz got a little more civilized in a world where people seeking long travel options are leaning towards eMTBs. The Nomad is easy to love and ride. It can be the perfect one bike for people who don’t want the electric experience. It pedals well, and it can bike park all day long. It is durable and seems to handle most situations with poise. I am looking forward to putting a thousand kilometres on it this summer if they’ll let me keep it that long. Stay tuned for long-term review in the upcoming months.
Pricing
Nomad 90 – 6100 USD // 8300 CAD
Nomad GX AXS – 7300 USD // 9500 CAD
Nomad XT Di2 – 7800 USD // 10600CAD
Nomad XO AXS RSV – 9300 USD // 12500 CAD
Nomad Frame – 4000 USD // 5500 CAD