Santa Cruz Nomad

I've been looking at getting new bike for a while now, and as I bought my last bike 2nd hand, I thought I would get a new one this time round. I chose the new Santa Cruz Nomad V4 for a number of reasons. Firstly, the style of bike it is. I'm looking for one bike that will not be too sluggish round the local tracks, but at the same time capable of smashing bike parks. I know that's asking for a lot from one bike, but it seems like most enduro bikes fits that bill. So why the Nomad?

To be honest, its a host of reasons, one being that its a threaded bottom bracket, something surprising hard to find these days from big name brands. 27.5" wheels are another pro, as I'm not too tall and they work for me just fine, 170mm travel is maybe a bit much, but fits the bill for what I'm looking for, from reviews I've read it's not too overpowering and the bike is still pop-able and playful. Bottle cage mounts, tapered headtube, boost spacing, metric shocks and all the latest trends are a bonus. Another great thing with Santa Cruz is the lifetime frame and bearing warranty, even if it does take their frames ages to arrive and cost a lot! I guess its just the accumulation of all these that made me go for the Santa Cruz over other bikes I was interested in. 

The spec on this bike is not all top of the line, it's the alloy frame version, has a Rockshox Yari upfront, and Sram eagle GX, but that doesn't make the bike any less dream worthy to me, and certainly doesn't make it cheap! At retail the bike is worth around £5450!! It's also a bike I can truly call mine, as I have laced the wheels myself, managed to afford it for one thing, built it up from a frame in my bedroom and paid attention to every detail. The spec as follows:

FRAME: Santa Cruz Nomad V4 170mm - Medium - Alloy - Tan/Black

SHOCK: RockShox Super Deluxe Air R - 60mm Stroke

FORK: RockShox Yari RC DebonAir - Boost 110x15mm - 27.5" - 170mm Travel - 2018

HEADSET: Hope Integrated; IS41 upper, IS52 lower. Types 7 & J - Purple

STEM: Hope AM/FR 35mm Stem - 35mm Length - Purple

HANDLEBARS: Renthal Fatbar Carbon Lite - 35mm - 760mm

SHIFTER: Sram Eagle GX Trigger Shifter - Black - 12sp

REAR DERAILLEUR: Sram Eagle GX - Black - 12sp - Purple Cable End Cap

CHAIN: Sram Eagle GX 12sp Chain

CASSETTE: Sram GX Eagle XG -1275 - Black - 12sp

CRANKSET: Hope Spiderless Crankset - 30mm Spindle - 170mm - Purple

CHAINRING: Hope Spiderless Retainer Ring - Black - 32t

BOTTOM BRACKET: Hope Threaded BB - 73mm Shell - 30mm Spindle - Purple

CHAINGUIDE: OneUp Chain and Bash Guard - ISCG05 - Black

PEDALS: DMR Vault Lacondeguy Signatures - Oil Slick

FRONT HUB: Hope Pro 4 Boost 110 - Purple - 32h - 6 Bolt - Sapim Double Butted Spokes

FRONT RIM: DT Swiss EX-511 With Purple SLIK Graphics - PHR Nipples - 30mm Internal Width

REAR WHEEL: Hope Pro 4 Boost 148 - Sram XD - Purple - 32h - 6 Bolt - Sapim Double Butted Spokes

FRONT RIM: DT Swiss EX-471 With Purple SLIK Graphics - PHR Nipples - 25mm Internal Width

FRONT TYRE: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 WT - Double Down - MaxxGrip - Stans Sealant, Valves, Tape and Purple Dust Caps

REAR TYRE: Maxxis Aggressor 2.35 - Double Down - 3C MaxxTerra - Stans Sealant, Valves, Tape and Purple Dust Caps

FRONT BRAKE: Hope E4 - Braided Hose - Standard Purple

REAR BRAKE: Hope E4 - Braided Hose - Black With Custom Purple Reach & BPC Screws, Top Cap, Lever and Bore caps

DISC ROTORS: Hope Floating Rotors - 203mm - Purple

SEATPOST: RockShox Reverb 150mm - 1x Remote - 2017 - 31.6mm

SEATCLAMP: Hope Standard Seatclamp - Purple - 36.4mm

SADDLE: Fabric Scoop Radius Race Saddle - 143mm - Black

GRIPS: ODI Senus Lockons - Purple Lockrings

BAR ENDPLUGS: Hope Bar Ends - Purple

TOP CAP: OneUP EDC With EDC Tool

HEADSET SPACERS: Hope Space Doctor - Purple

BOTTLECAGE: Specialized Zee Right Hand - Matt Black

FRAME PROTECTION: AMS Frame Guard XL - Wolf & Clear Standard Frame Patches

FRONT MUDGUARD: AMS Mudguard - Wolf