Norco 2012 Preview

Sitting in a room full of cycling media, listening to company engineers and product managers list all the new technology in next year’s line up, it’s easy to be slightly cynical. Yeah, we get it, your bikes are the greatest ever, yawn. But when those people are genuinely excited about the stuff they’re showing and talking about the development through to the end product that we were being introduced to, it makes me curious about the ride.

   Jay Hoots drops in on a steep line on Kill Me Thrill Me on his Range.

The excitement on Norco’s end is the launch of a number of new bikes that appear to fully round out their line up, incorporating new features across models that really come through in a refined, focused, and dialled set of bikes. More than a few people present were talking about how the 2012 line up is probably Norco’s best to date. Marketing speak and cynicism aside, there’s no better way to shake off the doubt than by throwing a leg over and turning the pedals. Over the past two days I got to ride the new 100mm travel Revolver and the all new DH Aurum. I can see what they were excited about. My cynicism was washed away because the new bikes are really good. Today I had a hard time leaving the bikepark after riding the Aurum, and I didn’t want to give it back. Deadly silent, super plush, yet incredibly fast when you put the power to the pedals, this bike rides light and quick and is a lively handler. Within one run I was fully comfortable and riding fast. The whole team at Norco should be proud of their new bikes; they are a pleasure to ride and the attention to detail is impressive.

   The new Norco Aurum, the only time today I wasn’t on it was when I was on the chairlift, didn’t even stop for lunch! Bright colour and a solid parts spec made this bike a lot of fun to ride.

After the mayhem of Crankworx dies down a bit, and I get a chance to ride a couple more of the new bikes, I’ll be posting a more detailed review the the new features, and the highlights of the different categories. As a Canadian brand that generally takes more flak than they deserve, the whole team has seriously stepped up their game and raised the bar across the board. More to come.

What do you think about the Aurum? Excited to hear more? Express yourself here…