The Santa Cruz Nomad has always been the bike for riders who refuse to choose between the climb and the descent. It's a bike you work for — long days, hard-earned altitude — but one that repays every metre of effort with the kind of DH-level composure you'd normally only find on something that needs a chairlift. For 2027, Santa Cruz have refined the Nomad in the ways that matter most: it's lighter, the suspension has been carefully retuned, and a fractionally slacker head angle gives it even more authority on the steepest terrain.

The headline number is 86 grams saved over the outgoing model, which doesn't sound like much until you understand where it comes from. Santa Cruz redesigned the carbon layup throughout the frame and slimmed down the downtube — and that slimmer tube isn't just a weight-saving exercise. A more compliant downtube takes the harshness out of rough tracks, absorbs the chattery vibration through your hands and feet, and leaves you genuinely fresher at the end of a long descent. You'll notice it in your arms and wrists. You'll notice it even more the next morning.

The VPP suspension has been quietly but meaningfully retuned. Reduced anti-squat improves traction and pedalling efficiency while helping the chassis deal more cleanly with square-edge impacts — the kind of hits that used to unsettle you mid-corner. Reduced anti-rise keeps the front wheel tracking when you're on the brakes hard into a steep compression, rather than letting the fork dive and throw off your line. The head angle now sits at 63.6° in Hi and 63.3° in Lo, both figures matching the Santa Cruz Bullit — proper gravity-bike numbers on a bike that you can, and will, ride all day.

Across all UK builds, every Nomad uses Santa Cruz's highest-grade CC Carbon frame. There's no entry-level layup to worry about — the chassis is the same regardless of which spec you choose. The CC 90 at £5,499 pairs the frame with a RockShox Zeb Select fork and Super Deluxe Select rear shock, SRAM 90 Eagle T-Type 12-speed drivetrain, and SRAM Maven Base brakes — a solid, capable build with plenty of room to grow. Step up to the CC XT Di2 Coil at £7,499 and everything sharpens up significantly: Fox 38 Float Factory fork, Fox DHX2 Factory coil shock (spring weight matched to rider size), Shimano XT Di2 electronic shifting, SRAM Maven Silver brakes, and DT Swiss 350 hubs laced to Reserve 30 alloy rims. At the top of the range, the CC XO AXS RSV Coil at £8,499 swaps the XT Di2 for SRAM's wireless X0 Eagle AXS T-Type groupset, retains the Fox Factory suspension, and upgrades the wheels to Santa Cruz's own Reserve 30|HD Carbon rims front and rear.

Available in Gloss Aqua Magenta or Matte Metallic Earth, in sizes Small through XXL. Weight from 33.8lbs / 15.3kg.

Features

• 170mm VPP rear travel / 170mm fork travel — long-travel enduro geometry with DH-level composure on the roughest terrain
• CC Carbon frame across all builds — Santa Cruz's highest-grade carbon layup regardless of spec, with no entry-level compromise on the chassis
• 86g lighter than the previous generation — achieved through a redesigned layup throughout and a slimmer, more compliant downtube that takes the edge off rough tracks
• MX (Mullet) wheel setup — 29" front wheel for rollover and momentum, 27.5" rear for agility and clearance
• Retuned VPP kinematics — reduced anti-squat improves traction and pedalling efficiency over square-edge hits; reduced anti-rise keeps the suspension working when you're hard on the brakes
• 63.6° head angle in Hi / 63.3° in Lo — matching the Santa Cruz Bullit for proper gravity-bike confidence
• Flip Chip — easily adjustable between Hi (more pedalling-focused) and Lo (more slack and composed) geometry positions
• Glovebox V2 — improved latch mechanism with stronger engagement and a revised mounting process; quieter, more durable, and easier to use day-to-day
• Accessory Mount — a neat, out-of-the-way mounting point for a spare tube or multi-tool, keeping the Glovebox free for more important snacks
• ISCG05 Minus 1 — simplified two-bolt bash guard mount (ISCG05 spacing) with an integrated top chainguide; easier to install and replace than the previous three-bolt setup, and a little lighter too
• All drivetrains accommodated — every Nomad frame accepts mechanical drivetrain cable routing, keeping your options open at build or upgrade time
• Sizes Small to XXL — size-specific contact points throughout, including size-matched crank lengths, bar widths, and dropper travel
• Colours: Gloss Aqua Magenta or Matte Metallic Earth