Category Archives: Bikes

Olie’s First race lands him in Gold

February 7, 2012

It has only been about a month since I made the announcement of my change over to Norco Bicycles for the 2012 season. I have had my new Aurum downhill bike for about three weeks now. I have tried to get out on it as much as possible since it arrived and found that I got used to it very quickly. So much so, that I felt good enough to head down to the Forest of Dean for one of their winter races.

The Forest of Dean is a great little venue, the tracks are relatively short only being about a minute long and are all great fun to ride. I went down on the Saturday to do a few runs on the track as I knew that the race was fully booked and there would be a good three hundred riders trying to get down come Sunday morning so Saturday was the best time to get used to the track. I did about five or six runs and felt comfortable on the bike and track.

Sunday morning was a cold one with temperatures only just making it in to the plus figures. Practice was very busy in the morning with a lot of riders out. I managed to get a good couple of runs in and got everything on the track dialed down ready for race runs.

There had been a lot of talk of rain over the weekend so wanted to put in a fast first run just in case the heavens opened between first and second runs. I got a low 57 in my first run giving me a 1.5 second lead over second place which I was pretty happy with. Second runs came around and still no rain so I decided I needed to put in another fast one as I thought that the track might be running faster. I came down 0.3 slower than my first run but I think this was because I was a little hesitant in the lower part of the track because it was getting dark.

Despite being slower on the second run I still took the win in Pro-Am and the race overall winner as well. I was really happy to get a win this early in the season on my new Norco and this has set me up for a great season to come.

Thanks to my sponsors Norco Bicycles, One Industries, 661, Adidas, Kore, Sun Ringle, Maxxis, SRAM and Action Cameras

Posted in 2012 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Events | Tagged aurum, forest of dean, Norco, olie burton, pre-season, race | Leave a comment

Vid+Photos: Hoots on Coast and Shore

January 20, 2012

A Shore Boy at Heart
Words by Jay Hoots. Photos by Margus Riga.

The North Shore is my home with the epic 3 mountains – Seymour, Fromme, Cypress – as my riding backyard! Two months a year now I live on the Sunshine Coast for the Mountain Bike Operations Course and then I spend 6 to 8 months of traveling for filming and building.

Jay Hoots Margus Riga Shore Coast Norco Truax
Jay Hoots honed his skills on the Shore, and now spends fair chunk of time on the Coast.

For years I have been riding for Norco working on and riding different platforms searching for the best mix between up and down, skinny riding, jumps and drops, steep rock faces with slippery roots, speed and braking… Being from the Shore I learned all the technical aspects of riding in sloppy wet, ultra slippery conditions but found that the Sunshine Coast offered fast, flowy trail with banger turns and different styles of zones, from jumps to pumps to epic XC the sunshine Coast offers an amazing array of riding opportunity with only a fraction of the rain the Shore gets.

Jay Hoots Margus Riga Shore Coast Norco Truax
The dark, dank Shore is a different place, but Jay seems to have found the one bike for both spots.

2012 is the best year ever for me as my new 7” Truax bicycle is the best combination of all platforms of bike allowing me to travel with only one steed that does everything! 2012 is also the year that the Shore is recognizably smoother and flowier and the Sunshine Coast now has technical rooty steep gnarly trail!

Can’t say where this film was made but if you find it it’s worth it!

Thank you to NSMBA, and all of the dedicated builders that are out there who put the hours in the dirt and have the vision and stay power to follow through with it.

I love my Bike!

Ride ON!
Jay Hoots

Posted in 2012 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Mountain | Tagged hoots, MBO, shore, sunshine coast | Leave a comment

The UK Loves the Sight – WMB Gives their take

January 11, 2012

The 140mm travel trail bike has become a staple for the UK riding community. The versatility, responsiveness and agility of this style of bike make it perfect for much of the UK’s challenging riding conditions. In fact, the designer that is responsible for the Sight used to call the United Kingdom home. What Mountain Bike is a prominent publication on the other side of the puddle and have recently reviewed the 2012 Norco Sight 1.

“Sighting” the top of the line model as ‘the best Norco we’ve ever ridden’ – let’s just say they were impressed. Have a read through the following article or pick up a copy of the January 2012 issue of WMB from your local newsstand.

Posted in 2012 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Product Review | Tagged Norco, review, sight, wbr, what mountain bike | Leave a comment

Another one bites the dust… or at least switches to the big wheel

December 28, 2011

The past three years has been made up of a few eccentric people that had a passion for the 29″ wheel and a whole lot of doubters. While the masses started to switch their frame of mind and correct the stigma of a bigger wheel recently the shame of being different was still disseminated widely. Over the past 6 months or so we seem to have hit a tipping point where we as a society have finally accepted the 29″ wheel into our daily life, it is no longer a proper custom to discriminate from those that are different among us.

Here is a short quote from Dirt Magazine and one of their 26″ believers. Have a read for yourself.

Three weeks into riding 29ers I no longer sign up to the theory that 26 bikes offer great agility either. In fact I now find them more nervous and slower. For me it clicked on the Norco Shinobi amongst tight flat rooty corners, the place where I had previously been totally struggling to get any kind of timing and flow. Within a few turns and a change of style I found myself leaning, attacking and pulling away from my riding friend who shares similar speed. It was simply a moment of clarity, in an instant manualling, pumping the ground, confident and fully coherent of the timing required. In the mud the bigger wheel size translates to more control during the slide and certainly increased traction.

Read the full article here

Posted in Bikes, General, Mountain | Tagged 29" wheel, 29er, dirt magazine, Norco | Leave a comment

Ben Kaufmann In the Warmth of Hawaii Winter Update

December 27, 2011

Hey Guys,

On Vacation at the moment in the middle of the Pacific. My sister is a nurse here in Maui so it is perfect to come check out the island. This place has to be the nicest place I have ever been to. The island is one of the most diverse eco-systems on earth and its all on one small Island. One side of the island, super dry desert like terrain then 5 minutes down the road, the thickest and wet rain forest. An insane amount to see here in Maui with some of the nicest people also. There are a couple skate parks here in Maui but all are no bikes allowed unfortunately. The rule isn’t enforced too hard but after a couple sessions the city workers gave me the boot while filming. Got a few clips to mash up a small edit which I will make soon. Have a look at some of the photos I have shot here as well as a few video stills that I screenshot. Hope all is well back on the cold mainland!

Cheers,

Ben

Posted in Bikes, BMX | Tagged ben kaufmann, bmx, hawaii | Leave a comment

Range Reviewed – ‘The most efficient FSR-style, all-mountain bike to date’

November 14, 2011

The Range is Norco’s new all-mountain model. Bucking the carbon-fiber trend (for now, at least), Norco crafts the Range’s carcass out of 6061-aluminum. The main frame is a sexy mix of hydroformed tubes replete with nice touches, including integrated dropper-post cable guides and a set of finger holds, molded into the rocker link, which allow for easier portaging during hike-a-bikes.

The rear end is a true Horst Link, four-bar affair. Norco has long licensed Specialized’s FSR suspension design, though they’ve tweaked it a bit in 2011 with an eye toward improving pedaling efficiency. The axle path now takes a more rearward trajectory, which, according to Norco, accomplishes two things: First, as the suspension compresses, it creates a bit of chain growth, which, while pedaling, extends the rear shock and reduces its tendency to bob; and second, it reduces the rear wheel’s tendency to hang up when tracking over roots and rocks.

Read the full review at: bikemag.com

Posted in 2011 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Mountain | Tagged a.r.t. suspension, bike mag, horst-link, Norco, range, review | Leave a comment

The Norco Sight Reviewed Differently

October 13, 2011

One of Vancouver BC’s top Norco dealers Different Bikes has posted a review of their thoughts on the all New 2012 Norco Sight 1. Have a quick read through the review and see for yourself.

“My first impression of the 2012 Norco Sight was one of intrigue. I must say that Norco has gone above and beyond this year with the new bikes and technologies they’ve launched. With that in mind, seeing the Sight for the first time, I was excited to see what it had to offer as a new entry to an already popular category.”

Read the full review

Posted in 2012 Norco Bikes, Bikes, General, Mountain, Product Review | Tagged 2012 norco, different bikes, Norco, sight | Leave a comment

Norco Aurum Caught on Video

October 7, 2011

Our friends in Germany have put together a video that features the 2012 Norco Aurum. Putting the bike through the Paces, videographer Jan Zander captures the capability, strength and versatility of the Aurum. Great Video Jan, thanks for your support!

Posted in 2012 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Mountain | Tagged 2012, aurum, downhill, freeride, germany, mountain bike, Norco, video | Leave a comment

Vélo Mag Reviews the Norco Phaser 2

August 23, 2011

The Norco Phaser 2 was recently reviewed in the November issue of Vélo Mag out of Quebec. If you haven’t seen the review check it out here or better yet, pick up a copy from your local retailer.

Here’s The PDF

Posted in 2011 Norco Bikes, Bikes, Mountain, Product Review | Tagged Bike, french, Norco, phaser, review, Velo mag | Leave a comment

Rumor Has It. The 2012 Norco Mountain Bikes

August 17, 2011

In case you haven’t heard. The 2012 Norco lineup is bringing some new models to the table that blow the old bikes out of the water. One recent post by bikerumor.com ran through some of the top mountain bikes for 2012.

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Norco introduced four new full suspension mountain bike platforms for 2012. All carry the same flowing hydroformed tube shapes and graphic design, which gives them a nice family resemblance. Up top is the all-new Aurum, which replaces the Team DH as Norco’s pro-level downhill mountain bike. Before we dive into the details, we’ll cover some of the sweeping changes that affect the entire lineup.

All of Norco’s full sussers now use their ART suspension that was introduced on last year’s bikes. It’s their proprietary version of an FSR design. The main difference versus what they’ve used in the past are the pivot placements, particularly the rear Horst pivot – the one just below and in front of the dropout. By dropping it lower, it creates a more rearward axle path and gives the new bikes a more progressive leverage curve. At the beginning of the stroke, the rear wheel has a lot of leverage over the shock, which gives it a supple feel over the little stuff for good traction. Hit something a little bigger and Norco says the design allows the suspension to move with and around square edge bumps like rocks, logs and curbs. Go even bigger and the ART suspension ramps up toward the end of the stroke to provide a “bottomless” feel. In addition to all that, ART claims to keep the suspension very active under braking.