This is the fifth generation of the Nomad, a bike that’s been a mainstay in Santa Cruz’s lineup ever since it was introduced back in 2005. Like the previous version, the newest iteration has 170mm of travel front and rear, and 27.5” wheels. It’s received a few geometry and frame updates for 2021, but they’re more subtle than radical.
What’s new? Let’s start with the geometry first. The head angle now sits at 63.7 or 64-degrees depending on the position of the flip chip, roughly a degree slacker than before. The reach has grown, and now sits at 472mm for the size large in the low position, a 16mm increase.