2013 Santa Cruz Nomad C - The MX CruZader
The MX Cruzader is a 2013 Santa Cruz Nomad V2 Carbon turned up to 11. Featuring a mixed wheel 27.5/26” setup, 170mm of Öhlins RXF 36 travel up front, and 160mm of coil sprung Fox DHX RC4 action out back, it’s a party bike that’ll be as happy jibbing around as it is schralping berms and rock-gardening at your favorite bike park.
A full dream(ish) build video that documents the entire process from paint to assembly.
The custom paint work was thoughtfully designed to combine practicality with modern aesthetics. Satin-topcoated Chicago Yellow color by Spraybike is interrupted in the lower central areas of the frame and rear triangle by a splatter-over-black motif that camouflages any dirt, scuffs, or scrapes that typically plague those areas. Nevertheless, it’s wrapped in satin Scotchgard Pro Series paint protection film, with high-stress areas further reinforced with All Mountain Style clear frame protection. It’s a bike meant to be ridden - when you’re not staring at it.
Built between May 2020 and August 2021, each component was carefully selected to balance performance, aesthetics, and, realistically speaking, availability. During the height of the global shutdown when everyone decided they wanted to be mountain bikers, parts were incredibly difficult to source. For example, the V2 Nomad Carbon frame has a now archaic (but husky) 1.5” head tube diameter, which makes fitting a modern fork with a tapered steerer a significantly more involved process. A serendipitous eBay find of a Chris King Devolution headset allowed downsizing of the upper headset cup to the 1 1/8 size of the Öhlins RXF steerer. The 165mm Truvativ Descendant 7k crankset was a lucky find on Amazon, before they became sold out across the web after their initial release. Wheels were built in-house and then dished and trued at Trek Bicycles in Wayne, PA. From the black titanium hardware used throughout the bike to the yellow and turquoise Jagwire cables and hoses, the MX CruZader is truly a unique, custom dream(ish) build.
The BOQS mudguard, designed for the Öhlins RXF 36 fork keeps the stanchions and seals safe from rowdy elements, and is now available to purchase here for your own Öhlins forks.
Tipping the scales at a very playful 31lbs, the MX CruZader is nimbler than its modern 27.5 or 29” wheeled enduro counterparts, and loves to be jumped, popped, manualed, and spun anywhere and everywhere.
Ultimately, the MX CruZader embodies the CavaNero ideology:
“The process becomes irrelevant when the process succeeds.”