Santa Cruz Nomad V5 Review

Overall, Santa Cruz has taken the Nomad and made it the best version of this mountain bike yet. It has come a long way but remains a well-rounded tool to maximize fun for a specific type of rider. Two of our testers, who are previous Nomad owners were instantly converted and plan on washing up their personal bikes and listing them for sale. Although one of those riders said he will 100% be converting the bike to a mullet and is bummed Santa Cruz did not offer a mixed-wheel version as there are some justifiable gains. As Santa Cruz says though, this bike is about fun and smaller wheels can mean more fun for those riders who are creative on the trail.

If you are a rider who prefers technical riding, playful jibs, jumps, drops and charging downhills without worrying about a stopwatch, then the Nomad V5 could be your dream machine. Don’t let that scare you away though if you’re a climber, as this bike will hold its own in the small wheeled, big travel category. It makes tough climbs and descents possible and does it with confidence and ease. We are fans of this bike for sure.

That is right, it is not a mullet (mixed wheel size) or a 29er, that is what the Megatower is for. The Santa Cruz Nomad V5 is built for good times and creative lines, and Santa Cruz firmly believes that 27.5 is the fun wheel size. While the goals for big hit capabilities and fun have remained, there are plenty of changes in the bike’s design that have made for some big changes on the trail.

Suspension: With 170mm of front and rear wheel travel, Santa Cruz’s Nomad v5 has a lower leverage ratio, longer shock stroke and some extra progression tuned into the end of the travel. According to Santa Cruz Bikes, these changes give the bike a more settled and damped rear tire that hugs the ground while also make the bike feel a bit more composed and stable in big hit scenarios. Like the preceding V4 Nomad, riders can opt for a coil or air sprung rear shock.

Geometry: As to be expected, Santa Cruz has updated the geometry of the new Nomad V5 while also adding size-specific seat stays, something we are stoked to see more brands doing each year. Each size grows 5mm from 426mm on the small to 441mm chainstays on the XL. The new Nomad has also grown in the reach department by 16mm, with our size large test bike sporting a 472- or 475mm reach and 436mm stays. Depending on where you have the adjustable geometry set, you could run the Nomad with either a 63.7- or 64-degree head tube angle. This is nearly a degree slacker than last year’s bike. To keep this longer and slacker mountain bike’s front tire on the ground while climbing to your favorite descents, Santa Cruz gives the new Nomad a steep 77.5- or 77.9-degree seat tube angle. For most of our testing we kept the bike in the High position and never felt that it needed to be lower or slacker.

Builds: Starting at $4,499 with a claimed weight of 34.46lbs, the Santa Cruz Nomad R is the brand’s entry level price point and comes in their Carbon C material with a RockShox Zeb fork, Super Deluxe Select shock and SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain with SRAM Guide RE brakes. From there models increase to the S at $5,499, the XT or XT Coil at $6,199 before jumping to the CC carbon models at $7,499. The X01 and X01 Coil builds come in at a claimed 32.54 and 34.16 pounds, respectively and come with Fox Factory 38 forks, Factory rear shocks and X01 Eagle drivetrains. They also come with DT350 hubs with Race Face ARC 30 wheels or the Reserve Carbon upgrade and SRAM Code RSC brakes.

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