It's crazy too how "modern" and unique they looked when they first came out. If the right deal on a coil shock comes across your bench most folks I know who owned those bikes found that they smoothed out the VPP-ness of them.
My brother went from his V1 to a first-gen carbon Nomad which he rode with a coil shock or an RP23 depending on what he was doing. He picked up a SWEET deal on the carbon Nomad because it was a QR rear end and Santa Cruz had just announced the .5 version of that bike using a thru-axle rear end (otherwise identical right down to the finish).
Then he moved many of the parts to a GG Smash, including Boostinating a pair of King hubs that did time on both Nomads. The GG even has a 49/49 headtube so the King headset from his carbon Nomad even moved over.
He keeps bikes for a relatively long time (particularly given that the decision to hang on to them isn't from financial pressure) but the (aluminum) GG Smash is on another level. I honestly could see him riding that bike 20-years from now. Their love is what has me semi-regularly checking what kind of deals are out there for a used (raw aluminum) MegaTrail. That's currently my dream project bike (new or used).
March 28, 2022, 6:28 p.m. - Andrew Major
It's crazy too how "modern" and unique they looked when they first came out. If the right deal on a coil shock comes across your bench most folks I know who owned those bikes found that they smoothed out the VPP-ness of them. My brother went from his V1 to a first-gen carbon Nomad which he rode with a coil shock or an RP23 depending on what he was doing. He picked up a SWEET deal on the carbon Nomad because it was a QR rear end and Santa Cruz had just announced the .5 version of that bike using a thru-axle rear end (otherwise identical right down to the finish). Then he moved many of the parts to a GG Smash, including Boostinating a pair of King hubs that did time on both Nomads. The GG even has a 49/49 headtube so the King headset from his carbon Nomad even moved over. He keeps bikes for a relatively long time (particularly given that the decision to hang on to them isn't from financial pressure) but the (aluminum) GG Smash is on another level. I honestly could see him riding that bike 20-years from now. Their love is what has me semi-regularly checking what kind of deals are out there for a used (raw aluminum) MegaTrail. That's currently my dream project bike (new or used).