Santa Cruz start afresh with a new Nomad
Santa Cruz hit the drawing board and started afresh for the new Nomad. The shock sits super low and the new linkage works well with a coil shock. But it's still the hard-hitting trail bike it always was.
Santa Cruz have been moving through their popular range of bikes, and making adjustments and adding new models, like the Hightower we recently tested. The new Nomad 4 is a ground-up redesign, and can't be mistaken for any of the other all-mountain bikes in the range.
The lower link-mounted shockstands out like a sore thumb in comparison to their otherall-mountain and trail bikes, but is similar to the one on the V10 downhill bike, which pushes the new Nomad’s capabilities to new heights. This frame and shock configuration creates a shock rate that’s supportive and progressive–an ideal scenario for rough terrain. The harder you push, the more progressive the shock – so you're not blowing through travel or bouncing off everything at low speed either.
The new design also works well with coil shocks, adding to the unique shape of the Nomad’s ride characteristics and range of tunability. The Nomad is still a trail bike—it needs to pedal well and be comfortable up and down, and for full days out on the bike. With a steep but pedal-friendly 74.5 degree seat tube angle, you're kept forward enough to keep the wheels planted when heading up. There’s also a flip-chip on the link — the high setting sets the bike up for added versatility, while the low setting slackens it out to near-DH levels. In either setting the Nomad’s longer reach equates to bucket loads of stability.
Santa Cruz added bolt-on downtube protectors and shuttle guards to ward off wayward rocks and damage from transport in a ute, plus they added an integrated fender to keep trail grime out of the suspension. They have a couple of killer builds AND back it with a lifetime warranty.
Contact your Santa Cruz dealer for more details – they are unlikely to be hitting our shores until September.
