Which of the two used bikes would you get and why?
$3800.- for the Pivot Firebird (bought new for $9900.- in June 2022)
Comes with custom DT Swiss wheels, rest is stock afaik.
$3600.- for the Santa Cruz Nomad (bough new for $10'400.- in Oct 2021)
Comes with custom 27.5" wheels with Chris King hubs, and with electronic shifting.
Both are from a rider that takes really good care of his bikes and they should be in very good condition. Re specs, both were pretty much top of the line at the time they were new.
I am an experienced rider and I'd use it for park riding, non-assisted shorter rides (i.e. pedalling up, duration 1-2h, and down on black and double-black trails) and non-assisted tours comparable to the Into the mist/Lord of the Squirrels loop.
So far, I rode a Rocky Mountain Instinct BC edition (2016 model, 29") and the Slayer (2017 model, mullet), both the high-end carbon versions that I bought as used bikes, too. While they served me well for years and I really like them both, I love the Slayer. Alas, it's got a cracked frame now, hence I am looking to get a newer ride.
by jjerry26
7 Comments
Definitely not the pivot…. The nomad is a better bike than most if not all.
I’d take the pivot. I like the DW platform better than the VPP platform. That said, the last time I demo’d a SC was 7 years ago before they changed up their suspension and I was still getting the nasty square edge pedal feedback that’s exactly what I hate about VPP.
Also, I’ve been wanting a Firebird.
Hmmm… This decision should seemingly come down to 29er vs 27 and that’s it. Unless you are interested in kinda ruining the Nomad climbing angle with a 29er fork/wheel.
It sounds like you would benefit from a mullet set up. I’d maybe look into that instead. Should be plenty of options.
Obviously both bikes you got are stellar. I guess if you are quite tall, there is nothing wrong with the Firebird. I would go Nomad more so if you are intentionally going to jump and jib.
I mean you are looking at 3500-4k. You could get a carbon Stumpy Comp or a Status 170 and upgrade it for those prices.
Or just keep on the look out for a newer mullet Nomad, or even the first gen Bronson mullets. Etcetera
I needed a do-it-all bike on the cheap, and went for a mullet Jeffsy. But I would ABSOLUTELY get a carbon Stumpy at the current sale prices. Only annoyance is the wireless only concept, which I don’t appreciate.
And then, for what its worth, personal opinion I’d LOVE to have that Nomad. Sick build too. Coil ftw
I’d personally go with the Firebird. It’s a race bike. It’s going to pedal better and it will be faster in pretty much any situation, both of which are more important to me than whatever extra playfulness the 27.5 wheels may give you. If you’re only riding flow/jump lines or the tightest possible corners the Nomad might be better, but everywhere else the Firebird takes the cake.
For reference I have a 32 lb 160/150 27.5 and a 37 lb 170/165 29er, and I’m almost always grabbing the bigger bike even on my local trails with not at ton of elevation. Both have similar geometry, but the bigger bike is just faster.
seems overpriced you can get new for 4500_6000 with warranty and not 4 years of use on them. 4 years of use to me would need a complete overhaul from suspension rebuild to replacing all the bearings ext.
Definitely the Nomad. Ignore the “bought new for x” prices. They’re irrelevant. None of these are great prices for how old they are. If you’re going this old, you might as well go older for less money because you’ll want to service the suspension regardless
I just picked up a 2019 Carbon Hightower with electronic AXS 12s for $1,300 in the California Bay Area. Only 2 years older and 1/3 the price
Id pick the pivot cuz i think that santa cruz looks horrible, but im also a pivot fan boy so i dont think my opinion matters