Santa Cruz Nomad?

[uncle crud]

I sold my bike last winter since I had to take year off from shoulder surgery. I had a Santa Cruz Superlight and I absolutely loved it. It was getting pretty old and beat, but the fit and feel was perfect for me.

I am now looking at a proform and I'm hearing lots of good stuff about the Nomad. Anyone ridden one? How is it going to compare to the Superlight? I know it's not as "cross countryesque" as the Superlight, but how different will it be? I am generally a CC rider around here. Thanks.

totally different ride than a Superlght. For a similar ride in a burlier, newer package try the Heckler.

the Nomad uses VPP suspension design, which results in a very numb trail feel. the Heckler is basically a beefier Superlight frame with more travel and a slacker head angle. it's going to feel most like your Superlight.

the Nomad will be a great bike, it's just going to feel less like your Superlight. on a ProDeal form, I'd suggest getting the better more chi-chi Nomad and just adjusting to the new feel.

[uncle crud]

Caption on the front of the latest Colorado Cyclist catalogue:

"Mark Weir, 24-hour four-man National Champion, riding his Santa Cruz Nomad."

Who knows if he actually rode 24 hours on a Nomad. But the bike just looks sooooo sexy on the cover. Dooooo ittttttt!!!!! Get the plush bike. Screw that pansy nancy 4" crap.

whatever Weir rode, it was Weir that made it happen, not the bike.

[uncle crud]

Start blowing the guys at the Turner shop, and pro-form a 5-spot.

Turner bikes will ruin you for any other mfr's ride. they kill.

[Arty50]

Turner bikes will ruin you for any other mfr's ride. they kill.

It's hard to argue with this. Riding my 5-Spot is like being married to Elle MacPherson and having sex 5 times a day. When I demo'd a 6-Pack I felt like I was married to Jennifer Connelly and the count went up to 10.

[assgasorgrass]

I'm debating 5-spot('05) versus new Motolite.

[uncle crud]

It's hard to argue with this. Riding my 5-Spot is like being married to Elle MacPherson and having sex 5 times a day. When I demo'd a 6-Pack I felt like I was married to Jennifer Connelly and the count went up to 10.

don't I know what you mean. this is like the Mulholland Falls version of Ms Connelly.

[Arty50]

Ooooooooh...droooooool...

[CS]

Ooooooooh...droooooool...

Looks like a Kona. Does it ride any different?

[lph]

Looks like a Kona. Does it ride any different?

CS showing us his humorous side.

[Arty50]

Looks like a Kona. Does it ride any different?

Kona = Rosanne Barr

[CS]

Kona = Rosanne Barr

Yeah, but you took Jennifer Connelly over Elle MacPherson, so your comparisons mean nothing to me.

[Arty50]

Yeah, but you took Jennifer Connelly over Elle MacPherson, so your comparisons mean nothing to me.

But I already have Elle.

[CS]

If you already have Elle, why downgrade to Jennifer?

Either way, these bikes look the same.

[Crinkle]

I agree with CS (gasp), its looks cool, but it ain't sexy. If its Jennifery Connelly, she has spent some time at the buffet and had some plastic surgery that went horribly wrong.

[lph]

i have ridden both. Looks can be decieving.

(I am talking about bikes here, not Roseanne and Jennifer.....BTW, check out Jennifer in the Rocketeer, ummmmm.)

[uncle crud]

Looks like a Kona. Does it ride any different?

of course not.

on the same line of thinking, yo' mama looked like a good shag, but...

[uncle crud]

If you already have Elle, why downgrade to Jennifer?

Either way, these bikes look the same.

oh my. if that's how you make decisions, please let me know your favorite skis, I can have 3 pair to you in 3 weeks for less than you paid for the one pair you now own. they will LOOK JUST LIKE your current skis. they'll be worth at least what you pay for them, I promise.

[uncle crud]

i have ridden both. Looks can be decieving.

(I am talking about bikes here, not Roseanne and Jennifer.....BTW, check out Jennifer in the Rocketeer, ummmmm.)

I've ridden both too. sure, the Kona looks like an Ellsworth too. it looks like a Banshee Chapparal. it looks like a lot of bikes.

and a Wiedemann's can looks like a Budweiser can.

and an American pronunciation of Hyundai sounds almost like Honda doesn't it?

[bagtagley]

Post padding brand whores = sooo hot right now.

CS, at least in those pics they're marginally different. Toss in this year's Turner and the only difference is bushings (oh, and the number on the price tag).

Ex Turner Whore signing off.

[CS]

oh my. if that's how you make decisions, please let me know your favorite skis, I can have 3 pair to you in 3 weeks for less than you paid for the one pair you now own. they will LOOK JUST LIKE your current skis. they'll be worth at least what you pay for them, I promise.

I don't even know what the hell this means or what you are trying to say.

I've ridden both too. sure, the Kona looks like an Ellsworth too. it looks like a Banshee Chapparal. it looks like a lot of bikes.

and a Wiedemann's can looks like a Budweiser can.

and an American pronunciation of Hyundai sounds almost like Honda doesn't it?

so then enlighten me. Honestly. All those 4-bar looking bikes look the same to me and honestly I never looked into the differences, except some are way more expensive than others (enter Turner and Ellsworth). So, how is it different and why is the Turner ride so worth the boutique price you pay for the frame?

On an aside, I won't lie, the Highline is one badass piece of machinery, and I could see it being my next big rig.

Oh, and Rev, sorry to douche up this thread, but it was kinda fun. (and I'm trying to get it back on track)

[uncle crud]

as with skis the whole execution of the engineering intent is what makes the bike ride as it does. Turner used Horst Link designs on his non-DH/non-4X bikes up until '06 where he switched the pivot arrangement to avoid the Horst Leitner patent royalty, to establish his independence.

Turners are designed to be stable and corner well, regardless of their intended application. Turner Flux/Nitrous, the uberlight 4" travel race XC machine, is well known for destroying most XC bikes in cornering and stability. the trait is consistent throughout the line. I've ridden many different bikes, and none but Knolly Bikes can corner as well IMO. some DH rigs might compare to the Turner DHR for cornering prowess, but I doubt that you'll find a similar category bike that handles as well as a Highline, RFX/6-Pack, 5-Spot or Nitrous/Flux.

Dave Turner says it's because he wants the bikes to be stable and corner well, and he designs the suspension parts and the frame weight distribution with that in mind.

whatever it is, I feel it when I ride it, compared to other bikes I've ridden.

tag that, bagley.

[freshies]

"Mark Weir, 24-hour four-man National Champion, riding his Santa Cruz Nomad."

Mark lives in Marin and is an animal. He will haul a Nomad up and down Tam just to get a workout...

[HR Huck'nstuff]

I've owned a superlight, heckler, blur and nomad. I have not had a bad ride yet on the nomad. That's including 30 mile epics in Fruita and Moab, and 5 hour rides at home. There is no reason why anyone should not buy one. It is an awsome ride. OK, the ONLY reason not to get one is because they are so FKN expensive (or you've got something against SC)! Get the nomad and set it up for you (light for xc, or stout for anything but sick FR). I don't think you can go wrong.

[Telenater]

Honestly. All those 4-bar looking bikes look the same to me and honestly I never looked into the differences, except some are way more expensive than others (enter Turner and Ellsworth). So, how is it different and why is the Turner ride so worth the boutique price you pay for the frame?

So, what's the difference between these.... Floating toe bar, underfoot compression springs, angled toe plate, and heel clip...

Why is one worth the boutique prices...

[CS]

So, what's the difference between these.... Floating toe bar, underfoot compression springs, angled toe plate, and heel clip...

Why is one worth the boutique prices...

Well, besides the fact that the voile looks like it belongs on snowblades and would snap in half just at the site of beefy boots and big skis, I couldn't tell you what the difference is.

I was just giving the Turner homers a little shit with the Kona comparison at first, but I really am curious as to what makes the ride so much better than other faux four bar linkage bikes, especially now that they no longer have the Horst Link.

Uncle crud, what is it that makes the bike so masterful at cornering? And it seems a pretty bold statement that no bike handles as good as a Turner (whatever that really means).

Lastly, I think all this jabber is lame anyways. If you can ride, you can "handle" any decent bike. I'm pretty sure I can ride a Kona just as well as I can ride a Turner. There may be some nuances you have to get used to but in the end, it's all just going downhill anyways (we won't go into the uphill part because, well, that part is lame).