2018 Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon CC X01 Reserve
(discontinued)
Where To Buy | |||
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $9,399.00
|
||
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $9,399.00
|
||
1 member reviews
Rider and Bike History
Bikes I've owned:
- Univega Dual Action Sport
- Cannondale SuperV 900 with the carbon rear
- Kona Stinky Dee-Lux with Shivvers
- Specialized Enduro '06 with Fox 36 Talas
- Nomad N2 Carbon
- Bronson 2 CC, 160 float 36 up front and dhx2 coil in rear (coil for sale) i9 hubs.
- Nomad N4 CC X01 Reserve Size L with the Superdeluxe RCT. I ride flat pedals too.
Been saving my $ to buy and ride mountain bikes since I was 12 mowing lawns, 22 years ago. I am not mowing lawns anymore, but still saving to buy the best toys.
I want to review my build as a whole package because I think the reserve wheels really add a lot to the riding characteristics of the bike. Also, I will compare the Bronson a bit since I built it to be a mini nomad after my N2.
Riding Style
Reliant on more experience than finesse to stay upright as I plow through what's in front of me. Prefer steep, fast, chunky trails. Ride mostly in Santa Cruz and usually on campus, but also love Mt Ashland and Downieville/Sierra Buttes. I'm 5'10.5" and 165 lbs. I don't race, I like to ride efficiently and I like to think I am pretty quick on the downhills. I am not the fastest guy on the hill by any means but my main goal on a ride is to go down and quickly.
Suspension Setup
This is my first time riding Rockshox since my Univega, which had a Quadra 21s on it...
60 psi up front, 3 tokens, lsc two clicks from open. 180 psi out back, stock tokens (not sure how many they come with), lsc 5 clicks from fully open. Both front and rear settings taken from the "Playful" setting on the shockwhiz. Shockwhiz testing included drops up to 6 ft vertical, hucks to flat, rough trails, loamy trails, and Z's medium jump line (15-20 ft doubles, 20-30 ft out stepdown).
Onto the N4...
Most fun bike I have ever owned.
Climbing: Seat angle is super important, it helps a ton. VPP is so good to maintain an "efficient-for-170mm" pedal platform. I have climbed a lot of laps on this and it is pretty hard to notice the difference between open and closed on the rear shock on the singletrack. In the past I have tended to use the climb switch but have been keeping it open aside from fire roads. The length of the bike isn't much more noticeable than modern bikes, you float a bit on switchbacks but it's not distracting. Again I am coming from a 150/160 Santa Cruz Bronson 2 to compare. I have to say, on uphills I feel more comfortable with that slight tweak in SA, and may even be a bit faster on sustained climbs.
Pedaling/Traversing: Here's where I thought the extra 20mm suspension would be the most noticeable (aside from the obvious downhill prowess), and I was right, but I was really surprised at how small of a difference it was. I was expecting a more sluggish experience but it carries on really well. It is definitely efficient for what it is, but there is no denying that it is a 170mm bike. I find the acceleration to be helped by the rims, it feels more sprightly than it looks, but you still have a bit of squish to work with front and rear when you are fully on the gas on the flats. I will say the engagement on the DT 350 hub is slower than my old I9's but thank god I don't have to listen to them anymore. Love/Hate loud hubs, there's no in between. I thought I would love them but I hated them. Standing up and accelerating out of turns, or just getting on the pedals, you know your bike is a bit bigger, but compared to my Bronson it is negligible. Getting into a full out sprint, the Bronson had a bit more twitchy response, the Nomad smooths out that twitch. It is hard to convey how good of an all around bike this is. Saying that, if I rode more 10-20 mile loops vs lapping multiple descents for 10-20 miles, I’d be on a Solo.
Pedal Strikes: Occur more than my old bikes. I'll take it and I bought the SRAM crank booties to protect that carbon.
Descending: You have read a ton of reviews about the descending abilities of this bike and everyone is right, it is a beautiful thing. The N4 responds really well to rider input while cornering, and simply hauls freight when pointed straight. I find myself being rewarded for slamming it into the apex of berms/ruts and compressing the suspension into the turn, it is easier to do that on this bike vs. my Bronson. As suspected the low BB assists in this department, and I’ve only been running it on the “high” setting. The rear suspension feels so plush and supportive all the way through the stroke. I used to be a bit more timid on a particular huck to flat off a wood ramp over a stump on my local and now I am riding like I was a teenager again, just sending and laughing upon landing. No harsh jolt, just absorbed impact and forward momentum.
The wheels really feel like such a compliment to all of the positive characteristics of this bike, it works so well as a unit I am glad I went big on the spend for this one. I am so confident in them with the lifetime warranty that I am not holding back anywhere, and I think that is an important part of my impression of the overall bike. Slamming into rocks, casing jumps, hucks to flat. Nothing has come loose and the wheels are true as hell. These are the first carbon wheels I have purchased because I am not very good on wheels. So far so good. Make all the jokes about rich guys and carbon wheels but I am all in on a lifetime warranty.
For me, riding bikes is my recreation. I love it, I love being in the woods, going fast, cruising, pedaling, jumping, etc. In my mid- 30s I value endorphins as much as adrenaline. The Nomad 4 is checking every box for me, it makes me excited to ride every time. I haven't done a lot of riding on XC oriented trails with it, but I don't typically ride those types of trails so it is working great for what I bought it for. I highly recommend it for people who just want to get on and forget about it. My main argument to my wife to help justify buying it was that it was a safer bike for me. It would let me get away with more. That is totally true, but I have a feeling I am going a bit faster lately because of it, so safety may not be the absolute truth. Good thing they are making lightweight full face helmets these days...
Specifications
Rear: DT 350 - 12x148mm, 28 hole (XD)
Rear: Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR, 27.5" x 2.4?
Progressive lower-link shock configuration
Metric shock sizing
Bolt-on shuttle guard, downtube protector and shock fender
Air and coil shock compatibility
180mm post mount brake
Angular contact bearings maximize stiffness
Double sealed pivots for long bearing life
Forged upper and lower links
Recessed lower link protected from rock strikes
Single grease port on lower link for swift and easy maintenance
Where To Buy | |||
---|---|---|---|
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $9,399.00
|
||
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $9,399.00
|
||
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