Bronson or Nomad?

I have the opportunity to get either frame. The TRc is being replaced.

If you have had time on both, which way would you go?

The Steed guys tell me there's very little compromise in choosing the Nomad considering how much more capable it is.

one model you are limited to carbon only so that may affect ones choice

Bromad?

Bromad?

Why so mad bro? Seriously, couple of friends ride Bronson on the shore and find it to be more than sufficient set up with a 160 mm fork.

I'd imagine that the nomad would be more appropriate if you're looking to keep only one bike and use it to ride Whistler or park ad well as shore, squamish, etc.

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk

The record should state that Leggatt does have a V10.

I have nothing to add though

Yes, I have a V10c and I generally ride the Blur TRc like a mini DH bike on my XC rides.

I want to be ride everything, including all day rides that involve a lot of climbing and then still have fun hitting everything on the way down.

I think either or will be very capable bikes and likely the Bronson is the right choice, but if the Nomad doesn't give anything up, then it is the tempting choice…

I don't have time on either, but do have a 650b hardtail, so I am familiar with the wheel size.

wouldn't the Nomad most definitely give something up in the climbing dept? Morgs review of the Bronson was good and he was pretty clear about how well the bike climbs and works as a poppy trail bike. i'm thinking the Nomad is in a different category for a good reason. it would seem to depend on how much you want that extra margin on the downs and if you prefer slacker and plusher the rest of the time. i'm a bit of a hack and would probably error in favour of the Nomad for the added margin of plush slack 'safety'.

I feel that the light and super slack Enduro bikes are great, they even climb okay.
But if you already own a v10 I'd probably not get a Nomad. Even if it is the super cool thing to do right now.

When you're not bombing rough terrain at full speed you don't really need a 64degree head angle. Rather it makes the bike a bit clumsy in slower stuff.

Don't get me wrong, it's manageable.
But when I swap from my Nomad- alike "big bike" to my 6" trail bike (like the Bronson) my local trails and epics become so much more fun.
I am quicker and it is more of a challenge.

The Nomad is super nice though as well.
Seeing/riding both bikes in person they are quite a bit more bike than a TRC.
Nomad feels really nice and long. Like a dh sled, just without the weight…

Thanks for the input. I am going for the Bronson. I want an XC'able bike that can be ridden aggressively too. I think the geometry will be better suited on the Bronson.

I know you said you've already decided on the Bronson, but I would suggest you reconsider.

I have a V10 as well. I used to have a Blur 4X and I have a Nomad. I have borrowed a Bronson for a week from a guy who has a V10 and a Nomad. I have at least 4 friends who have a V10 and a Nomad (2 new and 2 old). On the weekend I spent some time on the new nomad.

The guy I borrowed the Bronson from no longer has it and he never liked it at all. He sold it and went back to a nomad. I hated the Bronson after a week of riding it which started me off on a general hate for 650B, which I now realize was just a hate for the Bronson. I know a couple of other guys with Bronson's that like them but they don't ride shore type trails at all, and when I took them to Khyber they were walking sections, despite being capable riders on their DH bikes (can ride Goats etc).

The Bronson is a polarizing bike. Some love it, some hate it. It feels tall and cumbersome and handles pretty poorly. The suspension performance is not very inspiring. It climbs well, but that's about it. As my friend with the new nomad said on Saturday (he has ridden the Bronson as well), the Bronson fells like an XC bike that you can ride a bit harder, but the nomad feels like a DH bike that climbs really well.

You may be tempted to think that having a V10 and Nomad will mean you have 2 bikes that feel too much alike to make then useful enough. This couldn't be further from the truth. What you will have is 2 bikes that feel so in tune with each other that you will be switching back and forth with the greatest of ease and will require no time to readjust. I've never experienced this with the Blur 4X and the V10, as they felt so different. I loved my 4X and I really had a hard time deciding between a TRC and Nomad. I would actually like to have both if I was to race XC toonies or sometimes when I ride with my wife on cruisey trails, but I could never give up my Nomad. And I can tell you 100% that a Bronson is nothing like a 4X or a TRC. It's a replacement for the Blur LT, and my wife had one of those for a few years and I took it for a ride one day after getting my nomad and bought her a new bike the following week after I saw how unsuited it was for riding around here. She told me she was fine but getting on her Nomad she was blown away. The Bronson and the old Blur LT have way more in common than a Nomad.

Yes, a Bronson can be ridden aggressively. Any bike can. But there's no comparison in handling between a Nomad and a Bronson going down, yet the climbing performance on the Nomad is so much closer. You give up a very small amount of climbing efficiency for significant gains going down. If you like your V10, there's a good chance you will absolutely love a Nomad.

Sorry if this muddies the water, but I really think you should reconsider. Mostly because you are a V10 owner, and like I said, there's many of us and hands down we choose the Nomad as the complimentary trail bike.

Yes, it does muddy the water a bit… But, I am looking for an XC rig that I may also race on.

I am lured by the Nomad as it suits my riding style…

I have a 5010c with a 140mm pike on the front and I absolutely love it. It feels like I’m in the air half the time when I am riding it down the hill. It handles great, super easy to throw around. It can feel a little small on goat’s gully/in deep laps, but out of the park there really isn’t much I won’t ride on it. Climbs very well.

I also demoed both the Bronson and the Nomad during crankworx. With the nomad I did a lap of green monster into a double lap of rockwork+korova followed by WBG. With the bronson I did microclimate + HB + GB.

I loved riding the nomad. It climbed surprisingly well, and on the downhill it plowed through the terrain. It was different enough from my 5010 that I wouldn't mind having it as second bike if I had unlimited funds (I don’t :( )

The Bronson felt like the shitty mix between my 5010 and the nomad. It didn’t feel particularly poppy, didn't plow, and it's climbing was nothing amazing either. A lot of this might come down to the (terrible) fox34CTD that was on the front, but I never really felt comfortable on the bike when I was riding it and nor did I enjoy it.

tough call….

vs.