My new bike, it has been revealed. The Santa Cruz Nomad, the all mountain bike of the year as nominated by Pinkbike. This award along with the recent hype involving the success of the Santa Cruz Syndicate and “Ratboy” combined with promotion by marketable athletes such as Danny Mackaskill leaves the company sizzling hot. I had instantly fallen in love with the Nomad over other all mountain bikes after I test rode it a few months ago. I decided to purchase the frame independent of the parts and build up the bike according to my choice of components. In this article, I will quickly go through the custom build of this bike, go over my choice for each component and finally give a brief review of the build and bike. In future articles, I will give a more detailed review of the independent components of this bike. I won’t talk about the fork(Pike) or shock(Monarch) in this article as they are pretty standard choices for this bike.

Custom Decals

The first thing that will stick out from this bike are the Custom chrome decals. Yes this color scheme isn’t for everyone, but I much prefer it over the bubble gum blue and pink (smurf) or the plain stealth black colors. Studies have shown that the rider is inclined to ride his bike more often if he feels a stronger attraction to the appearance of the bike. I have never really desired a flashy sports car so I choose to deck out my bike and I feel that this is much more rewarding. If you like the decals and want more information on custom decals and/or frame protection for your bike, click on the link below to be in contact with Tavish at Vidiom Graphics in Squamish, BC (sales@vidiomgraphics.com).

Wheelset Choice

So what wheels to get? Carbon or no carbon was the big question. The debate about carbon wheels will go on and on. My opinion was basically this, they are still in the early stages of development and it is still trial and error. I will be doing a lot of climbs on my bike, so for optimal power transfer per pedal stroke, I want Carbon. But was I going to pay upwards of $3500 for an ENVE wheelset? Hell no, I do believe I was raised with common sense. My friend James Kim at Yuho Sports in North Vancouver had provided me with a prototype of Carbon rims that he is producing for use on the North Shore. They are built with a rear Atomlab 102 hub and Hope hub upfront. Atomlab, despite the fact that it is slightly heavier than DT Swiss 240 offers 102 points of engagement for instant catching and hence acceleration. I will do some technical climbs and so the “slack distance”, or the fraction of a rotation your cranks must travel, is decreased before the force you apply to the pedals is transferred to the rear wheel leading to snappier, more responsive accelerations. I will write a detailed future review on the performance of this wheelset in a future article.

Brakes

Choice of brakes was easier for me. I have been using

Shimano Zee 4 piston brakes for over a year now on both my downhill and previous all mountain bike. Many people recommended XTR brakes to save some serious grams. I did a quick weight of my Zees when taking them off of my bike. The total actual weight of both brakes was 647 grams. On average, XTR brakes will weigh 475 grams for both. The difference with choosing Zees is about 177 grams which translates into 1/3rd of a pound BUT you get the stopping power of 4 pistons rather than 2. I chose Zee’s as they are light weight, durable, powerful, and because of my pleasant experiences in the past with them.

Dropper Post/Seat

The choice of the dropper post was fairly easy. The RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post has consistently been highly rated and recommended by most of my friends in the bike community. The other option was KS Lev which is lighter for weight weenies like myself but the Reverb was consistently reviewed well and so became the obvious choice. On my previous bike I had a 125mm length and for this bike I opted for the 150mm length. It seems like a small difference but I would recommend anyone to choose the 150mm length as you will feel the difference. I am 6 feet tall and have a relatively high center of gravity, and so the maneuverability that the extra 25mm offered was welcome. The seat chosen was Race Face Atlas, I chose this seat so that I can have a map of Whistler below my ass when I get lost trail riding in Whistler. It is a lighter seat at 168 grams and so for longer rides, it is a good idea to wear a shammy for added comfort from a sore ass.

Drivetrain

The choice of the drivetrain involved deep philosophical thought and many sleepless nights. In the end, I chose the SRAM XX1 drivetrain. Why did I choose this with so many other options available(X01, One Up,etc.)? What I ultimately wanted was crisp and quick shifting and something that was durable, reviewed well and required little maintenance. The added benefits of remaining quiet and no chain guide requirement were also attractive but I was more focused on reliability. The price difference was surprisingly negligible between the X01 and XX1 for me and so the only other option was the One Up Components 42 tooth ring. One Up has been reviewed very well and would save anyone a bit of money so it is a very useful option. In the end, I chose the XX1 because I adore the technology. The cassette is very impressive. Except for its largest cog, which is aluminum, the entire one-piece unit is machined down close to its final shape (minus the teeth profiles) from a steel ingot. I believe that you get what you pay for. Keep posted as I review this drivetrain in future posts and see if this classic saying holds true. I will report on shifting, performance and durability over the upcoming months. I use a 30 tooth front ring and will probably change to a 32 tooth in a few months as I progress and my legs get stronger.

Handlebars, stem, cranks

I wanted something durable, light weight and able to handle rougher terrain (ex. The Shore). I wanted a solid stem that can withstand big hits and Carbon bars to dampen vibration. Also, I needed good solid light weight cranks to maximize pedaling efficiency. Thankfully, RACE FACE was the answer to all my requirements. I chose an Atlas stem (proven strength), Six C 35mm bars, and Six C Cinch 175mm cranks. The cranks are the lightest on the market right now and the bar handles extraordinarily. I would even recommend the bar as an upgrade to anyone with a DH or AM bike to help reduce vibration. Yes, I admit my bias for Race Face being a lifelong citizen of Vancouver. Quoted directly from their website below:

“Based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Race Face Performance Products has been designing and manufacturing leading-edge performance cycling components, clothing, and protection for more than 20 years. We are a global cycling brand with product distribution in more than 40 countries and a roster of multi-disciplined professional athletes and organizations around the world. As a company of riders who design and test on North Vancouver’s infamous ‘Shore’, you can be sure Race Face products have endured some of the most abusive riding conditions.”

I will review these products together in a future post along with my opinion of Race Face to determine if Race Face met my requirements.

Final Thoughts

For all you weight weenies. The weight of the bike is 28.87 pounds with pedals and 27.70 pounds without pedals. The cost if you want to know, feel free to message me, I am happy to share in private. I purchased and assembled this bike for one reason only, it gives me immense pleasure. I feel pleasure in knowing that I have a bike spec’d to my liking. I feel satisfaction in riding this bike and look forward to each ride. I believe I have put good thought in my choice and ultimately I will be rewarded in terms of good cardiovascular health (1000 meter climbs to get to my descent). We live in a Capitalist world where we are encouraged to purchase more and more without thinking too much about it and are lead to spend excessively. I’ve contemplated for many hours whether I am just a victim of Capitalist desires. However when I am driving home from work in my beat up Honda heading to the mountains for an after work shred, I believe that I am much happier than the stressed out Capitalist riding home next to me in his flashy BMW or Mercedes.

On a final note I would like to thank Ben Dhiman and Brock Fisher for sharing their product knowledge and experiences with me. And a special thanks to James Kim at Yuho Sports for assembling my bike. Feel free to contact him for any questions and bike assembly needs in North Vancouver, he is more than happy to be of assistance. His website is http://www.yuhosports.com/

For additional articles/reviews by this author, click on the following:

Santa Cruz Carbon bicycles:

https://thebikingbuddah.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/he-carbon-craze/

Devinci Spartan test ride:

https://thebikingbuddah.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/devinci-spartan-test-ride-enduro-craze/

Night riding (lumens):

https://thebikingbuddah.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/night-riding-how-many-lumens-do-you-really-need-testing-1500-versus-3000-lumens/

Sugoi RSX Neoshell rain jacket:

https://thebikingbuddah.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/sugoi-rsx-neoshell-jacket-windcoldrain/

If you still want more, click below to see my Video home page:

https://vimeo.com/user24675081



