Mountain Bike Action
Is the ’07 Santa Cruz Nomad’s geometry different from the ’05? Does it affect the Nomad’s versatility?
In Mountain Bike Action magazine’s first test of the Santa Cruz Nomad back in 2005, its head angle was 68 degrees, seat tube angle was 71 degrees, and wheelbase was 43.6 inches. Now in the February 2007 issue of Mountain Bike Action, the Nomad’s geometry has changed: head angle is 67 degrees, seat tube angle is 70 degrees, and wheelbase is 44.1 inches.
Does it mean that ’07 frames are different from those made in ’05? Do these differences in frame geometry affect the Nomad’s versatility as “the one bike” (the bike that can climb and descend equally well)?
I think these differences in frame geometry are due to the component spec. I have checked the magazine issues you were talking about and the frame size of the ’07 and the ’05 are both medium so the possibility of different frame sizes is eliminated. However, I’ve noticed that the front fork spec is different, back in ’05 the Nomad tested was spec’d with a Fox 36 RC2 fork with 5.9″ of travel, in the ’07 test it’s a Rock Shox Lyric Solo Air with 6.3″ of travel. The added fork length slackens the head and seat tube angles and lengthens the wheelbase. I’m not sure if Santa Cruz changed the geometry of the frame but I highly doubt it. The Nomad took years of computer aided design and real-life testing to dial in and perfect the geometry. Santa Cruz got it right in ’05, I doubt they would want to mess that up in ’07.
That said, I think the new numbers don’t affect the Nomad’s versatility. It will still climb like a long-legged trailbike (though not as good as a 4″ XC bike) and descend better (maybe at par with longer travel freeride bikes). A fork with adjustable travel will further enhance the Nomad’s versatility.
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