Santa Cruz Nomad 7 Has Landed in NZ
Santa Cruz is a legendary mountain bike brand born out of the need for a bike that didn't exist. They created the Tazmon in 1994, which was an 80mm full-suspension trail bike during a time of cross-country hardtails, with head angles like a grocery trolley, and downhill sleds that weighed a tonne. Decades later, they're still making some of the best trail bikes in the world.
The Nomad is one of the original long-travel enduro bikes, dating back to 2005. 21 years later, we're excited to introduce the new Nomad 7.
Is the Santa Cruz Nomad an enduro bike?
Yes, the Nomad is an enduro bike. Nomad fits squarely in the enduro bike category, with its 170mm of travel, slack head angles and geometry that's made for gnarly terrain. It's also made to pedal back up for another lap, with a steeper seat tube angle for a good seating position up hill.
Can you ride the Santa Cruz Nomad 7 as a downhill bike?
Yes, you could use the Nomad 7 as a downhill bike. While the V10 is made for proper gnarly downhill, the Nomad would be a more all-rounder in the bike-park, able to take on proper downhill trails while still being fun and lively on the more mellow trails, with it's shorter travel than a 200mm downhill bike. It would also let you explore more areas surrounding the bike park, whereas a downhill bike is more tethered to the chair lift.
What's new on the Nomad 7 - key changes from the Nomad 6
The Nomad 7 is more of an evolution of the Nomad 6, with small refinements and improvements rather than large, sweeping changes.
- CC for everyone
- All Nomad 7 frame will be of their highest quality CC carbon
- No more C
- Suspension improvements
- Lower anti-squat for less harshness on square edges
- Reduced anti-rise for more sensitivity and traction under braking
- Updated leverage curve for more consistent feel throughout travel, with better small bump sensitivity deeper into travel
- Geo updates
- Slightly slacker head angle (63.3° in lo, 63.6° in hi)
- Steeper seat tube angle (77.4°)
- Reach, chainstay and BB height stay similar to Nomad 6
- Increased compliance and less weight
- 283g lighter than Nomad 6 C
- 86g lighter than Nomad 6 CC
- Updated Glovebox v2
- Better shape for ease of access, better lever engagement, stronger bezel mounting
Anti-squat changes - what they mean on NZ trails
The Nomad 7 sees it's anti-rise reduced a little bit, which helps keep the front end higher, and geometry more consistent, under heavy braking. Anti-squat was also reduced to increase traction by reducing harshness on square edge bumps. Overall, Nomad 7 has an updated leverage curve for more consistent feel throughout travel, with better small bump sensitivity deeper into travel, perfect for our fast and rocky terrain in Christchurch.
Frame weight and the move to CC-only carbon
Nomad 7 has reduced the frame options to one, the CC carbon option (no more C). CC is Santa Cruz's best and lightest carbon layup that's 86g lighter than before. It's also more compliant, with a slimmer downtube for more compliance that will surely be nicer on your body and hands, lap after lap.
The top-of-the-line X0 AXS Reserve Coil complete bike is 15.34kg, while the GX AXS complete bike is 15.64kg. Reasonably light for a big bike.
Santa Cruz Nomad 7 geometry and sizing - which size is right for you?
Here's Santa Cruz's general sizing guide for the Nomad. Body proportions can vary, so it's best to contact us if you need any help with sizing.
Small: 155cm - 165cm
Medium: 165cm - 175cm
Large: 175cm - 185cm
XL: 182cm - 193cm
XXL: 193cm - 201cm
Need help with sizing? Get in touch.
Geometry
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (Hi/Lo) | 435/433 | 455/453 | 475/473 | 495/493 | 520/518 |
| Stack (Hi/Lo) | 624/626 | 633/635 | 643/645 | 660/662 | 669/671 |
| Head Tube Angle (Hi/Lo) | 63.6°/63.3° | 63.6°/63.3° | 63.6°/63.3° | 63.6°/63.3° | 63.6°/63.3° |
| Head Tube Length | 100 | 110 | 120 | 140 | 150 |
| Rear Center (Hi/Lo) | 438/439 | 441/442 | 444/445 | 447/448 | 451/452 |
| Front Center (Hi/Lo) | 781/780 | 805/805 | 830/830 | 858/858 | 888/888 |
| BB Height (Hi/Lo) | 346/342.5 | 346/342.5 | 346/342.5 | 346/342.5 | 346/342.5 |
| BB Drop Front (Hi/Lo) | 26.5/30 | 26.5/30 | 26.5/30 | 26.5/30 | 26.5/30 |
| BB Drop Rear (Hi/Lo) | 8/11.5 | 8/11.5 | 8/11.5 | 8/11.5 | 8/11.5 |
| Wheelbase (Hi/Lo) | 1219/1219 | 1246/1247 | 1276/1274 | 1305/1306 | 1339/1339 |
| Top Tube Length (Hi/Lo) | 569/569 | 587/586 | 604/605 | 627/628 | 651/652 |
| Seat Tube Length | 380 | 400 | 420 | 450 | 500 |
| Seat Tube Angle (Hi/Lo) | 78°/77.7° | 78.2°/78.1° | 78.6°/78.4° | 78.7°/78.5° | 78.9°/78.7° |
| Seat Tube Angle at Saddle Height (Hi/Lo) | 77.4/77.1 at 680 | 77.4/77.1 at 730 | 77.4/77.1 at 780 | 77.4/77.1 at 830 | 77.4/77.1 at 870 |
| Standover Height (Hi/Lo) | 711/707 | 719/715 | 722/718 | 726/722 | 732/728 |
The mullet setup
Santa Cruz calls their mullet wheel size "MX." The 29" front wheel gives the bike high grip and fast rolling speed and the rear 27.5" wheel keeps handling sharp and agile, thanks to its shorter chain stay length.
How the Nomad 7 stacks up against the Bronson and Hightower
While the Nomad is the big travel enduro bike, the Hightower and Bronson are trail bikes. The Hightower and Bronson are similar in what they do, but slightly different in how they do it with their different wheel sizes.
| Nomad 7 | Hightower | Bronson | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel Size | 29/27.5" | 29" | 29/27.5" |
| Travel Front/Rear | 170/170mm | 160/150mm | 160/150mm |
| Weight (X0 AXS Build) | 15.34kg | 14.65kg | 14.7kg |
| Intented Use | Enduro - Steep, fast, chunky terrain. The Nomad is very downhill focused. | Trail - Big days on variable terrain. The Hightower is stable, fast-rolling and efficient all-rounder trail bike. | Trail - Fun and playful on variable terrain. The Bronson is a more agile, playful trail bike with MX wheels. |
If you're unsure which model might be best for you, reach out.
The builds, what they cost, and how to get your order in
The complete bike build specs start from just under $10k and go up to their top-tier X0 ASX Reserve spec.
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Nomad 90 - $9,999 - Top-tier frame, reasonable spec for under $10k
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Nomad GX AXS - $11,999 - Solid mid-range spec with wireless drivetrain
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Nomad XT Di2 - $12,999 - Wireless XT Di2 build for the Shimano fans
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Nomad X0 AXS RSV - $15,499 - top of the range Nomad with Santa Cruz Reserve wheels
Please contact us for interest free options through Q Card.
Gloss Aqua Magenta
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Matte Metallic Earth
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Interested in the frame-only build?
Who doesn't love a custom build. Feel free to reach out to ask about pricing up a custom spec'd Nomad. We all ride and have plenty of experience and knowledge on the many brands that can come together on your new build.
- Nomad Frameset - $6,999 - Top-tier CC frame with Fox DHX2 coil shock for custom builds
What is the warranty on a Santa Cruz Nomad?
Santa Cruz frames come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner. They also offer free replacement pivot bearings to the original owner for as long as they own the bike. Their Reserve Carbon wheels have a lifetime warranty on the rim for damage done while riding.
Order your Nomad 7 online - we ship NZ-wide
Built Right. All bikes are first properly built by us and test ridden at our Christchurch shop before being carefully re-boxed to ship to you. We can have the wheels setup tubeless and suspension setup, so you're all ready to go out of the box.
We can ship across NZ. We can't ship bikes to RD addresses, but we can often ship to the the nearest depot. Contact us if you're address is RD and we'll figure it out.
