Santa Cruz Bicycles

Nomad Carbon S Complete Mountain Bike - 2017

You’ve seen more than a few Nomads gracing the World Cup circuit and your local trails lately, but before you assume that the bike is either too “enduro” or not burly enough for you’re doing, listen up. The Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon S Complete Mountain Bike manages to toe the line between unyielding downhill beast and playful trail bike: exactly what the enduro category is supposed to do. Where most enduro sleds fall short, the overachieving Nomad easily succeeds, achieving true balance in a category where it’s an incredibly rare thing.

The Nomad comes molded with Santa Cruz’s Carbon C, a less expensive layup that hits impressive strength and rigidity levels but requires slightly more material to get there than Santa Cruz’s costlier Carbon CC. Prepare to sit back and barrel through apocalyptic descents with the Nomad’s stable 65-degree head tube angle, then try and contain your excitement when you find yourself slicing through a tight, tree-lined traverse easily with the responsive rear triangle.

No lumbering enduro beast, the Nomad’s VPP suspension complements its adaptable frame enviably, promising consistent pedaling and big hit recovery for constantly changing terrain. Gobble up bumps with 170mm of squish up front while VPP keeps the rear wheel glued to the trail. Overseen by the all-knowing VPP, the 165mm of plush suspension works for you whether you’re blasting over teeth-chattering small bumps or testing fate on big lines.

As a true enduro frame, the Nomad spec’d with anything but a one-by drivetrain wouldn’t make sense. Don’t bemoan your loss of an emergency granny gear; the enormous cassette range in Shimano’s GX drivetrain will leave you more than prepared to take on the occasional, unavoidable climb. More importantly, it’ll give you the range needed to save precious seconds during race day descents. A burly Race Face Aeffect crankset and the always-reliable Shimano SLX brakes round out a build kit that you should feel incredibly confident about taking into the unknown.