ErichVonCartman

I took one of my Girlfriend, Jenna Jameson von Cartmann (aka my Santa Cruz Nomad), to the Place of her Birth. Santa Cruz Bicycles in Santa Cruz CA. Santa Cruz is about 550 miles from our home.

Here are some pics from our visit.

Entrance to Santa Cruz Bicycles



Inside:





Jenna next to a SC Bronson



Jenna's more accomplished siblings. Championship winning Bikes!





Jenna's Twins. Other Santa Cruz Nomads



Had no idea that Santa Cruz made a X-Bike!



Soquel Demonstration Forrest about 10 miles from Santa Cruz Bicycles. Where Santa Cruz Bicycles does the real development and testing of their bikes



Pump Track/BMX track in the Parking Lot of Santa Cruz Bicycles

ErichVonCartman

Trailhead at Demonstration Forest. It was about full at about 9am on a Tuesday.... Don't people work around here????



Painting downtown Capitola



Jenna in downtown Capitola



Drinking Mai Tai's with Jenna while watching the sunset



On he 42nd Street Break watching the Surfers





This guy is headed towards the beach, we are headed back towards the bars



Also got 2 road bike rides in this trip with Grace Kelly von Cartmann!



Time to drive 500 miles and go back home to the Desert

DMC707

Looks like a great trip ! I had a pretty good time at the Yeti headquarters when i was in CO not too long ago as well ------ I rode Santa Cruz before switching over to the Snowmen


Great pics ----- only prob is you naming your bikes - methinks you need some psychological help there ---- Do you paint too, or was that a street painter? - That seems like a neat hobby

ErichVonCartman

I like visiting Psychiatrists, Every time I do, the Psychiatrist walks out a better person.... and that guy is a street painter (not me)... naming your bikes is NOT for everyone... I also name all my storm troopers, each individual has a name and number assigned to him.

Roadrash3

cool photos, thanks for sharing

Inpd

Dude. Anyone who names their bike Jenna Jameson is a winner in my book. Grace Kelly is a great name for a road bike as well.

ErichVonCartman

I don't really care what you think either! But I can tell you have good tastes... because I too have good tastes and we both agree that Jenna Jameson and Grace Kelly are great names bikes!

I named her Grace because she is sleek and elegant.... Meanwhile, Jenna is her opposite. Jenna's job is to be loose, get dirty! and get nasty!

dminor 

Wise move

Yeti World HQ is certainly unassuming - - both outside and inside - - but, like everything Yeti, the people and the bikes are what make it.

ErichVonCartman

My 4 choices IN ORDER were

5) Santa Cruz Bronson
4) Yeti SB6
3) Pivot Mach 6
2) Ibis HD3
1) Santa Cruz Nomad 3

For me, it came very close between the HD3 and Nomad3.

All 5 of the above are great Enduro bikes and I am sure any of us would be happy with any of the 5. However, no bike other than a Full-ON-Downhill-Bike descends better than the Nomad 3. It is not even close! The 65 degree head tube, low BB, makes downhilling easy and effortless. It just bowls, plows, and takes unexpected drops with ease.

Also because the Nomad uses VPP technology, she is a pretty decent climber too. Only complaint I have of the Nomad is she is clumsy through the tight and technical stuff. Can't have it all, and I was willing to sacrifice the clumsiness through the tight stuff for her all out Bombing abilities.

The HD3 is probably the best all around bike and better overall through everything, but for me I wanted more "fun" than fast. I was willing to give up a little in the other categories, and in exchange get effortless fast downhilling.

dminor 

^^ That's exactly why I own an SB66. The perfect (for me) trailbike complement to my 303R DH. In some ways, I wish I could have waited for the SB6; but, in the end, I still think the 66 is better-suited to how I like to ride.

ErichVonCartman

All these bikes are overkill and will be quite capable in any hands. The bikes I have mentioned here are all creme of the crop for Enduro Bikes and any of these bikes will make us better Enduro Riders.

I did get to do a parking lot ride on my Nomad and the HD3 (before purchasing), but parking lot test riding an Enduro Bike does NOTHING. I decided on the Nomad based on the hundreds of online Reviews I read from real world users (I hate Magazine Reviews and try to avoid them). From all the reviews I have read, I found them as a whole to be spot on accurate in describing the Nomad and how it handles (both the good and the bad).

I would NOT recommend any other brand to you other than Yeti since it appears you are Brand Loyal (unlike me). Not that there is anything wrong with Yeti! To separate these bikes we have to nitpick, and my nitpick on Yeti is I do NOT like their ugly logo and I do not like their colors

Not to make you go buy things necessary ... SB66 may be fine for you since you are already have a DH bike for the DH runs. But I think you would be much happier with the SB6. It's nice to have "DH" bike that you can pedal uphill with! As you probably already know, the SB6 is a totally different bike than the SB66. SB66 is more XC oriented, even more so than the SB5 and Ibis HD3. The SB6 is more like the Nomad (the specs do match up very close), it's made to bomb! but at the same time, you can also decently climb with them (unlike a Full-On DH bike).

I can't say enough good things about how my Nomad Downhills, it could be in my head, but she seems to DH better than my ex, a Full on DH bike, the 2001 GT DHi. That bike was one of the best DH bikes in it's day, and still very capable today.. just can't pedal uphill with it is all.

The Nomad is not 100% though, she is NO Kate Beckinsale (meaning she does NOT have it all). It is one of those bikes you have to ride aggressively at almost all times, like a MX motorcycle, elbows out and head over the bars, she begs to be ridden fast! if you ease off on her, you may find yourself in trouble.

She is really clumsy on the slow technical stuff, and I am finding myself putting my foot down more than any trail/mtn bike I have ever ridden before.. I consider her a "slow trail bike". Meaning, you have to put in a little more effort to keep up with the pace group on the flats and tight sections. She can keep up on the long slow non-technical uphills just fine, and she will pass everyone on the fast DH... but that is only at most ~30% of the trail.

I plan to go to a Demo Day in Keystone this coming summer to Demo all these bikes on real trails and real DH runs. I don't think I will discover anything different than what I have read about these bikes, I just want to experience it for myself. To this day, I think I would have been better suited with the HD3, and if I ever get a big unexpected bonus or something like that, I think I will pick up an HD3..... Then again, maybe NOT as I don't ride enough to own both, and I also don't have enough room for another bike

DMC707

Sounds like you havent spent much meaningful time on an SB-66, because you are somewhat describing my bike there, which is the SB-95 29'er. And that bike is hardly xc oriented either with 5.5" of travel but the SB-66 has more.

The SB 4, 5 and 6 are simply the most modern incarnations of the '95 and '66 utilizing a modified linkage system that is Yeti patent specific , while the older Switch system is not Yeti specific but works in a similar manner

-- (I'm a Nomad fan too - those are great bikes

ErichVonCartman

Let me clarify.... I am comparing them all to the extreme ends of Mtn Biking. One end is the XC end, and the other end is The DH end. I don't consider any of the bikes we mentioned XC bikes, they are all 75% or more DH bikes, it is just that some of them move closer to the XC end.

dminor 

Well, I'll admit to that - - and a bit of brand-shilling that comes from two different stints in the factory Grassroots sponsorship program and current long-term status as a Yeti Ambassador . Having admitted that, though, I still look at SC bikes as a 'close-second' to Yeti in the almost-boutique-brand tier because I've always felt the Yeti fit-and-finish and attention to detail was superior to Santa Cruz. SC has come a long way but....

I find the first part to be an amusing statement. It seems to me that your description comes much closer to characterizing the (discontinued) SB-75 - - their first 27.5 offering. Although built around the bigger hoops, it gave up an inch of travel and had a steeper, more XC-oriented HA than the 66. When I read the reviews after the 75 came out, I stopped kicking myself for not waiting for it. The SB66 is pure enduro weapon, especially after you hang 2.4 tires on it, ditch the stock bars and stem and pare it back to a 1x drivetrain. Yes it gives up a degree of HA to the SB6c and doesn't have the bigger hoops but it's still a valid enduro descender by any measure.

ErichVonCartman

I should have not said "totally different"... because I was nitpicking!

Sounds like you are a Yeti Salesman, and as a good salesman, you have to really believe in your product at least verbally if NOT mentally.

SB6 also has a lower bottom bracket, that too will make it naturally feel more DH-ish.

I am sure your bike is great and you are satisfied with the way it is set up, but I would rather have the SB6 instead. Just my humble opinion and nothing more.

I am going to retract about "Yeti having ugly colors". I never saw the SB6 in black, that black SB6 looks almost a clone to my Nomad, even the XO kit parts selection is the same. It looks great!

Also... it seems Santa Cruz is the innovator of lame gay colors and they do have a lot of bikes with lame gay colors in their lineup (not that there is anything wrong with lame gay colors, they are just NOT for me).

DMC707

I happen to like the Robin's Egg blue color scheme i've seen on some of their bikes a lot - my local LBS has a stigmata in an orange creamsicle looking color combo that i would also love to have were i in the market for a gravel/cross bike --- i have some "Hey! Look at me" tendencies i guess

My former flagship MTB was this guy - previous generation Superlight with XTR and a coil sprung fork for a genuinely awesome ride -- almost a transluscent blue powdercoat -- it was quite nice in person , but the translucent aspect doesnt photograph well.
PEople asked me why i went with a coil fork , and its easy, it doesnt build air pressure as it gets hot, so the ride stays the same - something i cant say about the Fox 36 CTD on my SB-95, it starts to stack a bit when it gets hot like most air forks -- oh well

When it came time to sell it, i was pleasantly surprised when someone else also liked it enough to give me $1500 for it ---- that is excellent re-sale for a then 8 year old 26'er

Currently still have an older HEckler in the stable as a "buddy bike" -- its recently converted to 1X10, with an updated short stem/wide bars cockpit

ErichVonCartman

I too had a Superlight back in 1999. SC had some nice colors back then, the red anodize one was also sweet looking, but I think the Blue was the best. I thought the Superlight was the greatest (coming from Hardtail)! then I rode a Tracer and found out it was really lacking in control. The suspension on the Superlight is more for comfort than control.

Santa Cruz always had great colors for all their bikes until just recently. I am guessing a gay guy must have taken over their Painting Dept, hence the reason for all these weird gay colors... Again, nothing wrong with Gay Colors... just not for me.

ErichVonCartman

I too had a Superlight back in 1999. SC had some nice colors back then, the red anodize one was also sweet looking, but I think that Blue one there was the best looking.

Back then... I thought the Superlight was the greatest (coming from Hardtail)! then I rode a Tracer and found out it was really lacking in control. The suspension on the Superlight is more for comfort than control.

Santa Cruz always had great colors for all their bikes until just recently. I am guessing a gay guy must have taken over their Painting Dept, hence the reason for all these weird gay colors... Again, nothing wrong with Gay Colors... just not for me.

DMC707

LOL -- Control? your comparing apples to oranges - a Superlight is a 24-25 pound cross country machine and a Tracer (the early ones ) were 28-29 lb bikes that would compare more favorably to a Heckler.

The suspension is there for increased traction on climbs and to soak up a bit of a hit from big stuff that might normally buck you off a hardtail , - but was never meant to compete with the early AM bikes

ErichVonCartman

How did you add 4 lbs when the frames themselves are less than 1 lb difference?

DMC707

A Heckler frameset is within a pound of a Superlight's too -- the difference is in the build and the build should match the intent of the bike

Heavier tires and wheelsets couple with the de rigeur Marzocchi bomber forks and miscellaneous Truvativ crap that was so popular on those bikes bitd - some of those bikes were still shipping out with coil shocks as well 12-13 years ago -------, vs a more XC oriented build is 4 lbs more or less regardless of the frame's weight

My current bike weighs 29 lbs with standard weight NEvegals on an alloy RaceFace wheelset with a burly 36 fork ---- I slip on a set of multi ply downhill specific tires and tubes on the same bike, and i am at 31 pounds , or on the flip side, i ditch the 36 for a 32, install some Enve's with a pair of Racing Ralph's or Small Block 8 tires, and swap a dropper post for a straight carbon post, - and i am at 27 pounds
Same bike, 4 or 5 pound weight shift --


But have fun with the Nomad - as said - a great bike, --- i'm leaving work early to go for a ride

ErichVonCartman

Oh I see! so you like to compare bike weight by adding rocks to one and not the other. That is how you get 1 bike to be 25 lbs, and the other bike to be 29 lbs. Got it!!!

ErichVonCartman

Heckler is the same design as the Superlight, it's suspension is more for comfort than control. Though, because of more travel and a coil, the Heckler can take much bigger hits than the Superlight.

DMC707

How is it adding rocks when i clearly stated the difference is in the build, and the build should match the intent of the bike ? One would naturally build a race bike a bit differently than one that is designed for all day back country slogs
-- dont tell me your ignorant to this phenomenon too? I should expect nothing less from someone who names his bike after a porn star and suggests it must be the fault of the gay's that SC is painting their bike's in loud colors

ErichVonCartman

First thing first.. there is NOTHING wrong with "adding rocks" to a bike to make a comparison. People do it all the time! So no harm no foul.

If you can't see you were "adding rocks" to compare weights, then I won't force you to wear the glasses. Sometimes it's best to just keep our eyes closed.

As for me and my comparison, the only thing I am comparing is the bikes themselves, which is basically just the frame. Both bikes are short travel bikes that can be built light. Of course the Tracer will always be at least 3/4th pound heavier due to the extra frame weight.

What you did to your weight comparison was add "3.25 lbs" of rocks to make it look like the Tracer is 4 lbs heavier. I myself, actually went from a SC-Superlight to an Intense-Tracer with the exact same parts. I could re-use everything except for the seat-post (I think, as I am it was a long time ago and my memory has faded). I eventually replaced the Bomber Fork to get more travel.

The Tracer suspension is more active, the bike tracks better, it is a real Full Suspension bike where the suspension that is working is used just as much for control as comfort. As a matter of fact, I still have the Tracer, it is "my fast FS bike". To this day, it is still a great bike.


My SC in 1999



My Tracer in 2015. Notice how almost all the parts are still the same parts that I had on the SC back in 1999.



Now rewind to 2003......
The Tracer is so awesome, that when I put DH tires and tubes on it to make it 5 lbs heavier, I still was able to decently go down Keystone! Here are some pics of Keystone in 2003
In the Cabin


On the lift at Keystone going up



Going Down...







This is a big drop off, but you can't tell from this pic how high and steep it was



A water crossing with the Tracer.. a water crossing over a Bridge