10/11/2008

The Norco Six was launched in 2004 to quiet success. Sure, people bought the 6”-travel bike, but if you asked someone for recommendations on a freeride bike, the Six probably wouldn’t have been the first name on their lips. That’s not the case in 2005, however, and the Six has come into its own as a legitimate contender in the freeride category - as well as another less-expected category. Let’s have a look at why this bike is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Still in its infancy
The Six evolved out of Norco’s Fluid line of five-and-five bikes (5” of travel on both ends), acquiring an extra inch of travel on the front and rear and a beefier frame to withstand big(ger) hits. It’s designed for the type of rider who wants a bike that will do just about everything, but in particular for people who enjoy heading downhill quickly, railing berms, hitting drops, cruising skinnies, and rolling steep lines along the way.

The Norco Six in all its glory || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Last year's already-burly frame was refined with the move to hydraformed aluminum tubing, which gives the Six smooth lines as the top and down tubes move towards the back end of the bike. Another frame-related tweak is the change to a 150mm x 12mm through-axle rear end, versus a 135mm quick release rear in the past.

Rear travel is adjustable from 5.3” (135mm) to 6.1” (155mm), up from 128mm / 154mm last year. The head angle has stayed the same for ’05 at 68º, while the seat angle has steepened a fair bit, from 67.5º last year to 69º this year. Aside from those changes, most of the differences between the ’04 and’05 models are minor refinements in the component spec.

Move the bolt to change the travel by 20mm || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Lots of bells and whistles
One of the nicest things about the Six is that it comes in five sizes, from extra small to extra large; top tube lengths range from 22.24" (565mm) for the XS to 24.37" (619mm) for the XL. Most of that added top tub length comes by way of longer seat tube masts that move the seat tube away from the front of the bike.

Norco has licensed Specialized’s four-bar suspension design for its entire VPS full squish line, putting this highly efficient design to good use and allowing the Six to blur the lines between freeride and trail bikes.

Spec on the Six is what people have come to expect from Norco - well thought out for the bike's intended purpose.

Lots of room in the cockpit || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

SRAM components make up most of the drivetrain, with X-9 trigger shifters on the front and rear (’04 models had a twist shifter in the front), an X-9 rear derailleur, and an 11-34 cassette. Other bits and pieces include an FSA deep cup headset, Truvativ Hussefelt oversized bars, 40mm OS stem, and a 22/32/bashguard crankset, Hayes HFX-9 hydraulics with 8” rotors, Alex Supra rims with Taiwanese hubs, Nokian NBT 26 x 2.30 tires, a Titec Berzerkr saddle, and the very necessary Titec Scoper telescopic seatpost.

Ride impressions - A tale of two riders
Norco was kind enough to give us two different Sixes to test out, one with the 66VF fork and one with the Z1 FR2. We put them under two different riders and rode them in a couple of different locations, to see just that this bike could do.

Fraser Engel's thoughts
When I first rode the Six, there were a few things that really stood out. First was the very cool gun metal grey paint job and all-black components. Once I hopped on, I noticed the laid-back riding position, the frame design, and the huge amount of stand-over height, which was more than any other 'big' bike that I've ridden. This is really confidence-inspiring in tight, technical conditions, and makes the bike feel like you can toss it around beneath you with little effort.

The Six had a very natural sweet spot that enticed you to lean forward and let it rip, and the four-bar linkage kept the back end stuck to the ground. I really felt that I could do exactly what I wanted with this bike - even on my maiden voyage. It had been a few weeks since my last ride, but I ripped my favourite trail top to bottom with very little effort and had a ton o' fun.

I rode the Six with the new Marzocchi 66VF. It’s the entry-level offering of the 66 series, but I was blown away by the how plush and stiff the fork was. The DHX-3 rear shock is also a solid match for the frame. The adjustable ProPedal keeps the suspension from bobbing around, regardless of how hard you hammer the pedals, yet the rear end feels smooth and active over choppy terrain. The shock makes for a unique ride; it allows the bike to move through its travel on small to medium-sized hits, yet when you slam into something or touch down hard, it ramps up in a way that you can't feel the bottom of the suspension.

My test rides were on the Shore, and the suspension mix between the 66VF and DHX shock make the bike feel alive and fully active, making it easy to pop the Six over obstacles and swing it through tight corners. The solid feel of the bike's suspension makes it easy to forget you are riding a 44lb. freeride machine. Just looking at the Six, it looks solid but not heavy - that is, until I put it on the roof rack. But here’s the thing - I enjoy the ride up, and the Six rode up like a bike that weighs 10lbs. less. And that really blew me away.

One thing that I noticed was that the front end seemed to hop up while the back end stayed down when the Six was at full speed and in the air. This made the bike feel a little sketchy in flight, but when this thing is on the ground, you may think you’re on the Team DH.

Cruising off a teeter up in Whistler || Photo: Denny Byrne

Riding this bike outside of a lift-accessed park or shuttle setting is interesting. As Fraser mentioned, the bike is heavy but that weight isn't a huge issue when you're on the trail, thanks to the four-bar rear suspension that allows the Six to climb very efficiently.

As long as you're not in a hurry, virtually every rider should be able to pedal the Six to the top of the hill or the far end of their loop (and back) without dying. The more times you do that, the stronger your legs will get. And then it won't be an issue at all. Or so logic would dictate...

Where the Six really shines is in the singletrack and on the way down. Cruising through some classic Squamish singletrack was enjoyable thanks to a comfortable cockpit on the bike, and predictable, solid handling in the tight stuff. Although you wouldn't exactly use the word 'snappy' to describe the Six, it didn't take much effort to manoeuvre at slow speeds - and certainly not as much as you might expect from a bike that weighs this much.

Once the front end of the bike pointed downhill and you were working with gravity instead of against it, the Six was a blast. Cruising technical North Shore trails for the first time on this bike was a lot of fun and quite a pleasant surprise. The bike responded well when it was allowed to do its thing over rocks, roots, and on steep run-ins. It was also easy to get comfortable on top of the Six; log rides that normally require a lot of finessing seemed easier and I was able to flow sections of trail that often bounce me around.

Taking the Six off the Shore was also a rewarding experience. The rear end tracked well over the high-speed braking bumps that are common at Whistler, providing a degree of control that just isn't there with some other suspension designs. The four-bar suspension flattens out the rough stuff and allows you to carry your speed over drops and into corners, and the fully active nature of this design means that suspension performance doesn't suffer when you're going hard on the brakes. The Six felt more than capable on the drops I was hitting, launching without much effort at all and landing fairly smoothly. I say 'fairly' because the stock spring on the large frame I was riding was a little light for me, and I used up all 6" coming off a few tables in the park. Talk to your Norco dealer before you leave the shop to make sure you've got the right spring for your weight and riding style.

The 150mm rear through-axle, complete with shiny nut | | Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Thumbs up, thumbs down…
A real plus for the Six is the wide range of sizes. Finding an additional bike at each end of the standard S/M/L middle ground is a welcome treat for people even smaller than my 5’2” girlfriend (who owns a small 2004 Six), and riders like me who are well over 6’. Norco should be commended for making it possible to choose the right size frame, rather than having to make one fit.

And then there's the weight issue. A medium frame weighs 9lbs. without the shock. Add the shock, stock parts, and a set of larger tires, and you’ve got a 43lb.-plus bike on your hands - even for a size small. That makes it a bit of a tank, especially for smaller riders, but Norco's man about town and marketing guru Pete Stace-Smith says they've never had a Six frame break to date. Whether the added strength that comes with the added weight is worth it, is up to you.

Component spec on the Six is a good balance of price-consciousness, quality, and durability, with the hubs being the only obvious concession. Things worked as they were supposed to during the test period, and you should be able to get a couple of seasons out of most stock parts, assuming you don't change out things right away. If this was my bike, the HFX-9s would be gone before the bike left the store. But that's just me. I had a few other issues with the rest of the component spec as well.

First, 2.3” rubber is pretty narrow for a freeride bike, and Nokian tires don’t have the best reputation when it comes to wet-weather riding. There are lots of softer-compound 2.5” tires that would be a better choice for the Six. Either swap out the Nokians for bigger rubber, or hang onto them for XC rides and pick up a meatier set for the bigger stuff.

There's not a lot of room for big rubber on the Z1 || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Second, the Z1 is underwhelming once you've spent some time on the 66. The 66 was stiffer and the front end of the bike tracked better, thanks to the combination of the 20mm through-axle and stanchions that were 3mm wider than on the Z1. It was also considerably more plush than the Z1, and offers waaaay more tire clearance. Having a choice between the two is nice but if you're a big rider, or go big, get the 66. The rear through-axle is also a bit of a mixed blessing. It makes for a stiffer rear end, but you lose the ability to make quick flat changes, have to carry an extra tool, and the added stiffness will only be noticeable to heavier or more aggressive riders.

The last problem I had with the Six was a rather unique one. I found that the seat angle on the XL model was a little slack for my height (6’4”). A long seatpost paired with a 69º seat angle placed me quite far behind the bottom bracket. That resulted in a bike that wheelied ridiculously easily, but also a sore lower back on long climbs. Switching to something like an SDG I-beam saddle, which has a lot of fore and aft adjustment, would likely deal with that issue.

The final word
Some people are going to get worked up about my comment that the Six straddles the freeride and trail bike categories (largely because of the bike's weight), but I think it's justified. We've tested the Six on all sorts of different terrain around these parts, and the bike was at home anywhere the trails challenge both rider and bike.

In this case, it was B.C. dirt. But it could also be Moab, central California, or the East Coast. Same goes for the back of a shuttle truck, your favourite drop park, or an XC cruise. Provided you're not in a hurry and have a relatively strong set of legs and/or lungs, there's very little that the Six can't do - regardless of whether it's ripping down the trail or flying above it.

The Six is right at home on wet, rocky trails || Photo: Denny Byrne

There are an increasing number of six-and-six bikes out there that weigh between 30-35lbs. (the so-called trail bikes or freeride-lite bikes), but you make some concessions to lose the pounds. The first and foremost will be the strength and durability of the frame, followed closely by that of the components. You tell me what's more important to you: knowing your bike's strong enough to take anything you can throw at it, or that it's lighter on the hills? I know which I'd choose, especially when I'm about to launch off a 6' drop.

With the Six, Norco has produced a bike that you can grow into, not out of, as your skills improve. And they will improve as you learn just how much the Six capable of doing. If you can only afford one ride and truly want a do-it-all, fun, go-hard, crash-and-keep-going, ride the trails as well as the stunts and the bike park kind of bike, then it's worth a trip to your Norco dealer to check out the Six.

The Six is available from your local Norco dealer for CDN$2,949 with the Z1 and $3,199 with the 66. It's also available as a frame, rear shock, and rear hub combo for CDN$1,430 in all sizes from XS to XL.

Specs: 4  Price: 4.5  Ride: 4  Overall: 4

Pros: Cons: - Very efficient rear suspension - Good value for the money - Holds its own in every ride situation - Many sizes available - Two fork options - Two travel settings - Heavy - Questionable tire choice - XL may not be comfortable for some tall riders - Z1 fork pales in comparison to 66

Stuart Kernaghan and Fraser Engel