The Santa Cruz Carbon Nomad walks the line between an all-mountain trail rider and a gravity shredder, designed to go uphill just as well as it goes down. This impressive carbon frame has a noticeably different silhouette than its aluminum predecessor.
The nomad carbon is an incredible mountain bike. If you want one bike that can handle the climbs and descents, this is it. I ride this on mondo 30 mile with 4k ft of climbing and descending rides. Its not the fastest cllimber but it gets you to the top pretty quick. You can charge any aggressive line and the nomadc will hold its line like a champ. You can drop off a 5 ft rock drop, no problem. Hit a 10 ft gap with ease. You probably won't win an xc race with this bike but whatever.
If you want a fun bike that can handle pretty much anything other than resort downhill, this is it. You do sacrifice some speed on the climbs but the fun is on the downhills. My only regret with purchasing this bike is not purchasing it sooner. Get the nomadc it is so sick. Don't buy this bike if you are a pure xc rider. Buy this bike if you want to ride to the top and enjoy the downill to the fullest. It would be nice to have a water bottle cage for holding energy drinks on big rides.
My build is 30lbs with 7" travel in the front and 6.5" in the back.
Similar Products Used: Mongoose Teocali, Santa Cruz Heckler, Yeti 575
Bike Setup: R AM kit, mrp double chain guide, shimano xtr pedals
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Submitted by
meta4x
a Cross Country Rider
from Auckland New Zealand
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2012
Strengths: Incredibly stiff and responsive. Confidence inspiring. Great geometry. Efficient. Good looking. VPP2 a big step up from VPP1
Weaknesses: None that I have found. My current set up with a coil shock and saint cranks adds some weight that need not be there so it can be a bit sluggish uphill, but that is not the frame, its the rider.
Bottom Line:
A bike that begs you to push it harder. The most solid bike I've owed and I've had a Demo 9, Sunday, Commencal Supreme DH bikes. Built it heavy duty or whippet light. Outstanding all round performance.
Similar Products Used: I owned a Nomad Alloy before this and a VPFree. Enduros, Commencals, GT's, Yeti. Intense. Ironhorse.
Bike Setup: 1 x 9 with Lyrik U-turn, vivid 5.1, easton havoc wheels and bar. Thomson post (soon to be reverb) and X4 stem. Saint cranks, straight line guide, XO brakes, X9 shifting, XTR pedals or flats, tubeless 2.25 Ardents.
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Submitted by
Malcolm
a Weekend Warrior
from Somerset West
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2012
Strengths: Very stiff frame laterally. It holds its line very welll through rocky corners. Best pivot bearings in the business (if looked after and well maintained)
Awesome paint job - excellent quality. Solid pedalling - very little bob (with a coil shock).
Awesom heavy duty trail bike.
Weaknesses: Weak dropout - bends very easily. Exposed grease nipples on bottom link very likely to get mashed by rocks - I have already had to tap a new thread and install a new grease nipple. Lower link needs to be removed to grease correctly - greasing on the bike oozes grease all around the lower link and frame and attracts muck. This muck stops new grease being injected the next time.
Bottom Line:
My fifth Santa Cruz bike and best to date. Use it for gnarly trail riding. Downhill the bike rewards being pushed hard and never seems to get fazed by anything. Get the best brakes you can get - you'll end up going a whole lot faster through the rough stuff ! Carbon frame is super stiff so suspension setup is super important - stiff wheels are also key to keep up with the frame ! Corners on rails - you have to get used to the razor sharp handling !
Brilliant on climbs - very very impressed. This thing climbs anything..
Rear shock:
Frame came with a DHX Air and I was never happy - dead rear feeling and blew through travel too quickly. Upgraded to a Cane Creek Double Barrel - 100% improvement - absolutely brilliant and no messing with air pressures again ! Transformed the ride - downhills through rock gardens are a breeze and I am always amazed by how much it can handle. Shock Setup is tricky and I have ended up running very little low speed rebound and low speed compression damping - rather let the VPP do its job.
Similar Products Used: SantaCruz Blur original, Morewood Shova (awesome !!! - still have it)
Bike Setup: XL Large frame (I am 185cm tall - perfect fit) Rock Shox Lyrik 160mm Coil. Cane Creek Double Barrel with 450 spring. (84 kg rider weight)
Thomson 50mm stem. 2x9 drivetrain 11-32, 22/34. Gravity dropper, WIDE Funn bars, Elixirs, ZTR Flow rims on Chris king hubs, 2.35 High rollers. SRAM shifters
Recommended: Modified a THE mud guard to fit into rear triangle to protect lower link from mud splatter - brilliant !
No chain device - would like one though.
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Submitted by
quick_2
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2011
Strengths: Beautiful craftmanship, well designed, good pedalling platform even with dhx rc4, Weight-Strength
Weaknesses: Cost
Bottom Line:
You pay a premium for the best, and you'll get the best. For all mountain riding at this end of the price spectrum you wont be dissapointed with whatever bike you choose. But the Carbon nomad is sex on wheels. I expected a little more bobbing with the rc4 but the bike has been designed well and pedals better than expected. I ride an xl, im 6'1" and use a 55mm stem. The fit feels dynamite.
Submitted by
lr
a Cross Country Rider
from nashua, nh, usa
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2011
Strengths: carbon frame very responsive. vpp maintains grip. decends and corners amazing, goes over everything, jumps and drops smooth and easy, climbs almost as well as my Santa Cruz Superlight
Weaknesses: cost, although I did splurge a little on the fit up.
Bottom Line:
about 30 lbs of all mountain mayhem. it is worth every penny if you ride often enough but... you WILL want to ride, like every minute you can! Sticks to the earth when u want it to but flys through the air with grace and control. Climbs pretty good, but seriously excels at everything else. A good choice if you like berms, jumps, drops, hurling over rocks, fast twisty, and downhill. Probably not so fun for long distance flat or up hill riding.
Strengths: Great if you only have one bike. Suspension has a bottomless feel and very little bob while pedaling.
Weaknesses: cost
Bottom Line:
i just finished 3 days at Northstar on Boondocks, Sticks and Stones and Dogbone. the bike was soft on all the big hits and was great on the tight switchback turns. it jumped very smooth and liked all the big drops i could find, and only 30.1 pounds! great bike if you can only own 1!
Similar Products Used: Nomad 2 Aluminum, Kona Stinky Deluxe, SC Heckler
Bike Setup: 180 Talas, DHX Air 5.0, XO 1x10, XO brakes, RASE adjusatable seat post
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Submitted by
madison
a Weekend Warrior
from madison, WI, usa
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2011
Strengths: -- Front and back end act as a single unit with no flex
-- Versatile feel from XC with Talas in low setting and All Mtn. in high Talas setting
-- Confidence inspiring front end tracking and stiffness
-- Jack of all trades personality
Weaknesses: -- Not the best at anything but excellent in just about any area (climbing, descending, technical, smooth, etc.)
Bottom Line:
I've been riding for more than 15 years, and I've owned so many amazing bikes. The Nomad carbon is such an evolutionary leap in mountain bikes that it makes the riding experience incredibly enjoyable.
I think what's remarkable about this bike is its versatility. With the Talas you can dramatically alter the personality of the bike with a flip of a switch. I opted for the 160 mm Talas and I'm so glad I got it. The geometry feels at its limits at the 160 mm setting so I couldn't imagine how it would ride with at 180mm fork. Just my personal preference. Coming from a Yeti-ASR, I expected the Nomad to be bouncy like a DH bike but it really is incredibly efficient. If you are coming from a 3-4 inch travel full suspension you will feel right at home on the Nomad.
Most reviewers talk about the stiffness of the frame and it truly is remarkable. Drive the bike through a rock garden and it acts as a single stiff missle that won't flex or track funny. It's really confidence inspiring. It's forced me to ride differently because I don't need to worry as much about the line that I pick. I also can't say enough about the Fox Talas with the tapered steerer and 20 mm axle. Wow... what a difference from a traditional axle set up.
I opted for the 2x10 set up, which is a first for me. I love it. The shifts are so much smoother and I find that I'm hunting for the right gear less. The only negative is the dropped chains. I often will drop my chain on the outside of my big ring which rarely happened to me with a 3x10 drive train.
This is the perfect bike for someone that loves technical terrain, isn't concerned about his/her time but is more concerned about having fun and the quality of the ride.
Similar Products Used: Yeti ASR-Sl, Litespeed Obed, Trek Fuel EX
Bike Setup: -- Sram XO 2x10 group
-- 2010 Fox Talas 36 160mm tapered
-- Easton Haven handlebar
-- Thomson stem and post
-- Mavic Crossmax ST
-- Kenda Nevegal
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Submitted by
missing link
a Cross Country Rider
from Tahoe City, Ca.
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2011
Strengths: Light, stiff, lively
Weaknesses: none, so far. It is going to cost you to build it the way you
want to.
Bottom Line:
Finally, what I have dreamed about has come true. A six inch
travel frame that rolls, climbs, and descends like a rocket.
An all-mountain bike that weighs under 30 lbs. is so worth
the chunk of change it costs.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz kit- xo a.m. 1x10, Talas 36, Gravity dropper turbo
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Submitted by
brettinski
a Downhiller
from FONTANA,CA
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2010
Strengths: SUPER STIFF SOLID AS A ROCK. CLIMBS GREAT IF YOU HAVE ADJUSTABLE FORK.
Weaknesses: MUD STAINS ON THE PAINT. I THINK ITS BECAUSE IT IS A FLAT MAT FINISH BUT SIMPLE GREEN WILL CLEAN IT UP NICE. AND THATS ABOUT IT!!
Bottom Line:
THIS BIKE IS THE BEST BIKE OUT THERE IN MY OPINION, THE TECH ON THIS BIKE IS INCREDIBLE. 30 LB. BIKE THAT FEELS LIKE MY GIANT GLORY AND THAT CLIMBS LIKE A BILLY GOAT. A TRUE DO IT ALL MTB. NOW I GOTTA SELL SOME BIKES THIS THING WAS EXPENSIVE!!!!
Bike Setup: 36 TALAS, FOX DHX AIR 5.0, X9 GROUPING. ROCK SHOX REVERB, HADLELYS WITH MAVIC 819S
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Submitted by
q2xltrgt
a Weekend Warrior
from Kelso WA
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2010
Strengths: Superior lateral stiffness, LIghter than my 1st gen Nomad, And nicer lines than my gen. 1 Nomad.
Weaknesses: Just demo'ed the bike, I will let others who have owned it for a while comment here.
Bottom Line:
I'm saving my pennies (lots of them) to replace my aging Nomad Gen. 1. I bought the Nomad when it fist came out and have enjoyed every ride on it. I thought then that this is the end of innovation for the all mountain category. Then Santa Cruz goes and makes a perfect bike better not once but twice. Enter the Nomad C. The next end of all mountain evolution. When I first started to mash the cranks I immediately noticed the increased stiffness over my old Nomad. I didn't get to hit any gnarly trail to really wring it out but my first impression is WOW. I don't know what the demo bike weighed but It gets up to speed better than my 33.5 pounder. I can't wait to hear what other mortals think of this bike.
