I was never thrown off my line but I wanted to see how plush I could make this bike ride. Having ridden Reserve 30 carbon wheels I also expected some extra feedback from these strong stiff wheels. I expected the stiff frame, with its beefy counter-rotating links designed to reduce lateral flex, would give some trail feedback. In my first impressions article I liked the bike after 14 rides but I wanted to play with the suspension settings to soften the bumps and reduce the small but noticeable trail feedback I felt through hands and forearms. Now, like all climbs, that's out of the way and we can move onto the fun. The bike easily climbed steep switchbacks, holding a firm line. I never felt weighed down, dragging nor wanting to blame the bike for my climbing speed and effort. Regardless of the 27.5" wheel, the Nomad 6 is a decent climber for an enduro bike. Not that I verbalized it (wait, I just kinda did) because we know what happens if you speak your excuse truth to a crew of mountain bikers. Whether it was a significant difference in climbing speed isn't as important as the fact that it could be used as a semi-passable excuse on group rides. The smaller rear wheel is more easily influenced by trail imperfections like dips, holes and log rollovers. I have not done back to back timed runs but the smaller wheel feels like it contributes to a slightly slower climb than a 29r rear wheel. I noticed the same thing when I mulleted my Enduro - the smaller back wheel was slightly slower. It may have been my mind playing tricks on my cardio but I felt like I was climbing more slowly than on other bikes I have pedaled lately (Enduro, Hightower, Yeti SB 150). Even with the X2 closed the Nomad's uphill traction was excellent. Because of that, I kept it closed on most tech climbs and all fire roads, gravel and paved climbs. I found that if I left the Fox X2's compression open, my traction increased but so too did the increase in BB strikes and the feeling that I was going slower than my normal slow pace. Like most bikes in this category, my medium tester's 1239 mm wheel base, slack (63.8º) head angle, and steep (77.4º) seat angle create generous traction on steep, technical climbs. The Nomad's updated anti-squat helps keep it from bobbing on the climbs. At that weight and with 170 mm of trail smashing suspension I had no dreams of it being a spry climber. Before adding pedals and inserts I weighed the bike at 33.3 pounds.
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