Santa Cruz Bicycles

Nomad Carbon CC 27.5 XX1 Complete Mountain Bike - 2015

There are few, if any, machines that come as close to achieving all-mountain perfection as Santa Cruz's Nomad Carbon CC 27.5 XX1 Complete Mountain Bike. Though this particular model is a 2015, the changes between it and the 2016 version are mostly cosmetic and, since many of us at Competitive actually prefer the slightly simpler paint jobs of the 2015 models, the price drop compared to 2016 means we can have our full carbon, Virtual Pivot Point (VPP), 6.5in enduro cake and eat it, too.

Beneath the updated frosting, the current top-end Nomad frame is built with the same Carbon CC construction methods used here. For the CC build, the engineers use a higher modulus fiber than in the Carbon C model, so less material is required to hit the same strength and stiffness numbers. Less material equates to less weight, and, well, you can see where we're going with this. Climbing and pure speed both benefit when there's less mass for your engine to propel.

As with the current models, last year's Nomad's two carbon triangles are built as whole pieces rather than glued together from disparate bits. This saves weight and increases structural integrity by allowing Santa Cruz to wrap carbon continuously through and around key junctures, reinforcing the frame with less material while eliminating the artificial stress points that result from bonded construction methods. The frame is finished with compaction from inside and out for a more even finish that avoids any structural defects, excess material build-up, and resin pooling for — you guessed it — even more weight savings.

The 2015 Nomad’s VPP suspension platform is also the same as the 2016. The list of improvements that Santa Cruz teased out of the venerable suspension design for 2015 includes improved mid-stroke support and off-the-top small bump compliance. VPP still maintains the snappy pedaling that’s essential for piloting a long-travel bike to the top of your favorite runs, though, and it still features the core element of two counter-rotating links.

The upper-link, borrowed from the gravity-hungry V10, provides most of the rotation as the bike compresses into the sag point. This yields a vertical wheel path, which is responsible for the firm pedaling feel. As the bike compresses deeper into the suspension, the lower-link activates, moving the axle path rearward to let the rear wheel yield to big hits. This affords an extra margin for error when experimenting with the ragged edge of control.

The Nomad XX1's drivetrain is no surprise. It's got a full SRAM XX1 kit except for the brakes, which are Shimano's XTR Trail model with Ice Tech rotors. By using the revolutionary range of a 10-42 cassette, the Nomad finds its footing both climbing and tearing through fast singletrack on its 34t XX1 chainring. The build is finished off with RockShox at the fork, shock, and dropper seatpost — a touch that, though subtle, speaks to the thorough approach Santa Cruz takes to curating its bikes by avoiding mismatched makes. A tidy build kit appeals to us, even when the bike itself is built to lay waste to all-mountain courses.