FIRST RIDE REPORT
THE NEW NORCO RANGE C1
According to senior product manager Jim Jamieson, the new 2022 Norco Range all started with the quest to make a true, EWS level, enduro-ready race bike. Originally launched as a 26” wheeled do-it-all aggressive mountain bike in 2012, the Norco Range has a lot of history in the decade it has been around. The latest generation was introduced in 2017, so it was certainly a bit long in tooth and this redesigned frame puts it right on the cutting edge of current bike technology. Norco Bicycles’ team sought out key ride characteristics they wanted in a long travel 29er and how they could make it a truly capable enduro category 29er that allows riders to focus on the gnarliest trails and challenges without distraction while simultaneously conserving energy and speed for faster race times. Let us take a look at some of the key factors that make this the most capable, and bad ass Norco Range we’ve ever ridden.
NEED FOR SPEED
Before we ever hopped on our stealthy new Range, we spent some quality time discussing the bike with key members of the bike’s development team. Two of those members were senior development engineer Colin Ryan and engineering manager David Cox. According to Cox, Norco had noticed that with the release of the new Norco Sight, that many riders had actually chosen to go with a shorter travel bike that was for many riders, more capable and better riding than the current Range.
This shift towards the ever-capable Sight combined with the recent release of Norco’s new Shore meant that there was a bit of a hole in the lineup. With the Shore being a full-blown freeride, park ripper and the Sight being a bit more of the Swiss Army knife, Norco set out crafting a very cool aluminum test mule with data acquisition equipment (which we will be able to share soon!). That test mule featured lots of different adjustments and mounting points on the frame that helped testers and engineers find the right combination of link arm, shock tune and suspension kinematics to get the desired feel.
That desired feel is an isolated one. “We wanted to allow riders to focus on the trail ahead without distraction, conserve energy for longer descents, stay safer when things get gnarly and isolate that rear wheel from affecting the entire bike and rider,” said Jamieson of the new bike’s goals. Many brands are shifting to high pivot designs with idlers as a way to give mountain bike’s an initially rearward axle path, which in theory means less hang-up on obstacles, more speed and less fatigue. By having a wheel move rearwards and away from an impact it gives the bike a split second to react and open up rather than smashing into an object and moving vertically. It is a key factor in the goal to isolate the rider from chatter and smaller impacts to focus on speed and looking ahead.
RIDE ALIGNED
Once the suspension platform was sorted, Norco brought over all they have been learning about morphology, the study of human form and body shapes, and put it to work when creating the tube lengths and angles of the new Range. Norco’s Ride Aligned system goes above and beyond to give riders of all heights what they believe is the most optimized and balanced position on the bike. Head tube angles, seat tube angles, suspension curve and chainstays all change with frame size to keep weight distribution and therefore traction at a max while also ensuring suspension balance and comfort are taken into account. Norco uses really cool size specific dropouts that slightly changes the leverage curve across each size to ensure each size delivers the desired ride experience. Before you ask yes, we asked about converting the bike to a mullet and if we could modify leverage curves and geo by running different sized dropouts on the bikes. Norco’s engineers all smiled saying, “We expected these questions, but the reality is, no matter what people think or tell themselves, modifying the bike or changing it will negate the countless hours, data acquisition sessions and real scientific work we’ve done on tuning this bike.” So, there you have it franken-bikers. Mullet at your own peril.
We went very in depth creating a feature in conjunction with Norco last year where we really dove deep on their Ride Aligned philosophy and what it all entails. If you missed that feature, check it here as it will bring you up to speed on all the tech and features that Norco offers their riders.
OPTIONS
Norco will be offering the 2022 Range in three options or as a frameset. Frames will retail for $3,799 and the entry level C3 will go for $5,599. A middle of the road C2 retails for $6,999 and the top-of-the-line C1 we received goes for $8,999.
To see more about the spec, sizing options and more, click here to see Norco’s Press Release.
FIRST RIDE REPORT
Due to some COVID delays we only received this bike a few days before the embargo lifted so our test time has been rather short, however our first day out on the bike was for some laps at Mt. Bachelor. The first lap was a great break-in, and we thought the rebound was a bit fast, which leads us to a little criticism. With the somewhat soft detents in the Fox rear shock and the challenging placement of the rear shock, it was hard to tell if we were actually making any clicks with gloves on and an elevated heart rate and hard breathing. We had to make a few stops to check, and tune rebound on the first three rides as it felt like the rebound kind of snapped back at the very top of the travel. After that third run where we gave a little bit less spring pre-load and one less click of compression, we settled on a happy spot for our preferred riding style and super rocky, loose terrain. As things evolve and speeds increase, we may modify it more but for now, it was a fast set up and aside from the challenging rebound adjuster’s location, we are very happy with how it performs with minimal time spent.
Most of our riding was spent on a chairlift and downhilling with the Norco Range thus far, however we did hit a few steep climbs and were pleased with how the bike performs. With the pedal platform switch engaged the bike is stable, does not bob around and lets you know it is ready to climb. Even with the shock open, we still looked on in admiration as this 170mm enduro bike crawled up the trail. We have pedaled bikes with much less travel that pedal worse than the new Range and believe that riders who are looking to climb up just to get to their favorite descents will be more than happy.
We have still got lots of experimenting to do and believe that bar/stack height could be adjusted as there were a couple instances on flatter corners where it felt like the front end was a bit too far out front and a little hard to bring around. We never actually suffered any from it beyond some quick mental notes of “Ohh, that tire really feels like it’s out there, I hope it sticks.” That being said, it is an aggressive enduro bike with a 480mm reach and 63.25-degree head tube angle, and things like this come with the territory.
Once it came time to put this bike in the rough, it instantly had us smiling. One particular paver-hip-lip into a fadeaway landing of exposed roots and braking bumps was a particular favorite. Each run we felt the urge to compress and yank harder and harder until we were landing bottom bracket deep in the shit of it all with one bike length before a sharp right-hand berm. The bike did not even flinch! We know, its cliché, but it really felt like we were riding a DH bike that popped like a trail bike. The composure, speed and suspension feel beg you to push harder and ride faster.
THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION
Although our testing period so far has been short, there may not be any other bike in our current stable that has us itching to hit the trails quite as much. We are certainly going to be fighting over who gets to take this thing out for more test miles, and with Mt. Bachelor’s bike park opening the upper trails, we cannot wait to put down some heaters with this enduro-race-ready 29er. The new Norco Range is a very awesome bike for those in the market for an aggressive 170mm 29er. We did strike the lower link area trying to climb up tall obstacles at very slow speeds and we are not sure if that will be a once in a blue moon sort of thing, or something that becomes an issue. Obviously, it is not something a majority of riders encounter on regular rides, us included, so we’re optimistic it won’t be a big deal. Beyond that, with a little more cockpit refinement, a handlebar swap and more time, this bike will likely be one of the hottest sleds in the shop.
For more info, visit Norco.com
