Norco Empire as my Squamish "do it all bike"

Sooooo

http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/dirt-street/empire-se/

I need the magical one bike to rule them all… my pedal bike is dead - too many klicks, too many hits, too little tlc. My big bike is gtg. So when reading/thinking about this post remember I have a shuttle/whistler bike in the garage.

This is what I need in a squamish bike: has to pedal well (not super awesome but I can't be sucking tit every ride). Has to feel stable on fast techy descents, can be abused (not the flow rider I aspire to be). I still like to (almost 40) take on the 6-10 footers and hit the gaps (as long as I can see the landing). A bike that can take my hack show riding is important as well.

I can get a great deal on a 2010 empire and the only thing that's holding me back is how well/poorly will it perform on a 3-4 hr up down squampton ride (start at alice lake and end in valley cliff)?

Would you do it? Awesome deal 1500 off sticker price.

School me NSMB…

Well - the 09 would be preferred imo. That said it's not the ideal bike for what you want to do… but it could be the perfect bike as well.

It's a little bobby for climbing, and it's small, so a tele seatpost would be a must. If you're the type of guy that walks the tougher climbs then no worries.

Remember this is designed as a small, dirt jump capable bike with big hittability (new word?). It's not ideal for pedaling.

the only thing i'd be concerned about is getting full seatpost extension for climbing. might be doable though.

I could be wrong, but that looks like itd be fairly miserable to climb (maybe fine on FSRs, but thats about it)

edit: for what you want, id be inclined to go towards a nomad, Rune, or rocky slayer (pre-2011).

not the right bike.

yeah nomad or reign x would be the deal

Trek Scratch looks pretty sweet too.

Or if you're on a budget, go get a Pitch. If you read the reviews you'll see there's nothing but praise for them.

I rode a pitch for a few rides and really enjoyed it (tricked out with extra wide bars and beefy wheel set). But not enough bike for me - I need a tough bike that can be put away wet and pulled out ready to go. That's part of the appeal of the slopestyle - strong, good bling and great price. That said I agree with the above posters - it leans too much to one factor of the ride and doesn't address the pedal factor well at all.

ok well i'm biased here, but i just swapped all my parts onto a bullit over there [HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED], turn up the LSC and it'll climb well with no bob, and still hit everything you want on the way down, one big pivot is all you have to worry about and its pretty cheap. Frame was $950 + tax from steed, i'm sure full builds are somewhere around $2500ish

For what it's worth my 09 Shore pedals acceptably well with a telescoping post. I had to ride it as my xc bike for over a month this spring and by the end of the month was clearing some fairly technical climbs. I did need to modify my technique to combat the extra squish however… it's a sit and spin bike rather than get out of the saddle bike. Unfortunately at 43 lbs it's just way to heavy for all day rips.

I imagine that the angles on the shore and the empire are somewhat similar so if the empire is lighter, you can find a seatpost that allows for full leg extension and you don't mind the fact that you'll probably have to pedal reasonable circles most of the time I'd say that it will sort of fit your requirements. It's not going to a rocket uphill though so you'll have to be prepared to "suck tit" every second or third ride.

All that said, if I were you I would try to find a closeout on this years base model specialized enduro.

I rode a pitch for a few rides and really enjoyed it (tricked out with extra wide bars and beefy wheel set). But not enough bike for me - I need a tough bike that can be put away wet and pulled out ready to go. That's part of the appeal of the slopestyle - strong, good bling and great price. That said I agree with the above posters - it leans too much to one factor of the ride and doesn't address the pedal factor well at all.

I own one and it's painful to ride up. The seattube is super short and the angles are horrible during seated climbing (with a scoper post). Great bike, but for one purpose. I ride mine on jump trails where I push up/slog up, that's about it. I have other bikes for the rest of the riding out there. The other suggestions that others have made would make more sense (except for the dollars). I personally would look at the Spec. Enduro, SC Nomad, Banshee Rune, Trek Scratch 9 coil as other options.

Thank you gentlemen. The search for the magic one squamish bike continues.