Members of the Norco Factory Team, Norco World Team and Dirt Norco Race team have all shifted east following Crankworx and are now in Windham NY. This is home to the final World Cup race of the season. Norco Factory XC riders Catherine Vipond and Andrew Watson have been ripping up the Cross Country course while Fionn Griffiths, Bernard Kerr and Ben Reid have been practicing the DH and are now through Qualification. Going into the Finals, Fionn has qualified in 10th for the women, Bernard 55th for the men and Ben is up in 34th for the men. Good luck to everyone over the next couple days of racing.

For full DH qualification results check out canadiancyclist.com

Photos by Jonathan Duncan

We catch up with Jesse Beare in between races. He takes a run down the newly rebuilt Smithfield DH track in Cairns. This is a thank you video for the people who have helped him out.

On my recent trip to the Yukon,I was lucky enough to tag along with a group on vacation for a ride along the Yukon River Trail. Well, one of the riders brought along a GoPro Camera and filmed a bit of it. This trail rocks!

Dustan

Dustin on the Norco 2011 Glide – Mix 1 from Blind Nub on Vimeo.

The Crankworx Slopestyle event is now complete and Norco Factory Team rider Sam Dueck took home some cash with a 4th place finish. Sam lay down a huge lap first run down which held out for a final score good enough for 4th place. When all was said and done, this is how the results came through. Way to go Sam!

1: Cam Zink
2. Mike Montgomery
3. Casey Groves
4. Sam Dueck

Thursday at Crankworx up in Whistler entailed two main events. Slopestyle Qualification/Best Trick and the Pumptrack challenge. First off was Norco Factory Team Rider Sam Dueck at the Slopestyle. On Sam’s second run he pulled a massive backflip off the whale-Tale then a Superflip on the next booter. Making his way down the course, he then Tail-Whipped off the final step-down and caught a gust of wind bringing him down. Sam was okay, a little swore but pleased with the run besides the small tumble. Plus, the run was enough to bring him through to Saturday’s Semi-Final. 16 riders move on to Saturday where the field will again be reduced down to a total of 8 riders for the final. Way to go Sam!

After the slopestyle qualification, The Pumptrack Challenge kicked off. Pumptrack is a bit of a newer competition but it is a lot of fun to watch. The corners are tight, the speeds high and the energy is awesome. For the event Bernard, Fionn, Nick and Angie were all representing Norco on the course. The field of riders was about 50 deep and Norco’s top finisher was Fionn Griffiths in 4th for the women.

For 2011 there are some big changes to the Norco lineup. One of the most exciting bikes for next year is the 2011 Norco Range. With 160mm of travel, a tapered headtube, Syntace rear axle and derailleur hanger system, post mount brakes and the new Advanced Ride Technology (A.R.T.) suspension design, the Range is a ride anywhere, all mountain machine. A.R.T. is a new suspension design which  has been integrated into the 2011 Range as well as 3 additional models of Norco full suspension bikes. A.R.T. is an optimization of the patented FSR Suspension System.  The FSR patent describes a four-bar bicycle suspension system with the rear wheel mounted to the seatstay.  The rear pivot is located on the chainstay, both in front of and below the rear axle.  The all-new A.R.T. suspension design is classified as FSR, but moves this rear pivot further forward and lower compared to previous models.  This optimized positioning delivers a ride which is more efficient while pedaling and more reactive to hits while descending.  Increased levels of chain growth results in higher anti-squat characteristics which reduces suspension bob, making the bike pedal more efficiently.  Additionally a more rearward axle path allows the rear wheel move back at the same time as it moves up to get out of the way of large, square-edge bumps more effectively, resulting in smoother and faster descents over rough terrain.

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The real story about the Norco Range is in the ride. We can describe how it feels but without getting on and giving it a try, you will never really appreciate the versatility and adaptability of the bike. Recently, while the Range was still hidden under a blanket of secrecy, Norco’s Engineering Manager P.J. Hunton took on the challenge of racing DH, and XC on the same bike. The venue was the Sunshine Coaster and the bike was the Range.

Day 1 of P.J.’s racing was the XC, a 3-lap course totaling 24kms of steep climbs, fast descents and a whole lot of fun. Taking off in a hurry, PJ started out close to the front and spent the next two hours picking off the competition one by one. Taking on a field of XC racers on 23lb race bikes P.J. was riding his range at 28lbs and 160mm of travel. Steady climbing and fast descents brought P.J. a 4th place finish in the field.

The second day of racing entailed dropping the saddle and ripping the DH. This second part of the challenge also added a side-pot with a small group pitching in a 20 each. As a pedaling course, the Sunshine Coaster was a great track to test out the Range. Still, on one of the smallest bikes racing, P.J. would have is work cut out to keep up in the rough, all while dealing with the fatigue of yesterday’s XC. Out of the gate the strategy was to keep pedaling, brake late and stay on the bike. The top section was fast through a clear cut then moving into some tight corners before the forest. Once into the trees the flat pedaling section played to P.J.’s favour before a steeper rougher bit moving onto the finish. With a time of 3:08, six seconds off the lead left P.J. just off the podium in 4th place. The important part though was that the Range won the side-pot taking home the cash.

Both races came down to the wire and P.J. was up at the front in both disciplines. Riding the same bike for XC and DH takes guts, it takes lungs and it takes a true rider. As Norco’s Engineering Manager and an avid cyclist, P.J. has seen the design of the Range from start to finish and touched every detail along the way. Racing the Sunshine Coaster was a challenge put out to him, but it was also a personal test of what his brainchild is capable of. The idea of a bike to do-it-all has been a dream since the start of mountain biking and through A.R.T. suspension, sophisticated design and thoughtful spec the Range really is the bike for any trail.

Whistler is home to a whole lot of great things. Whether you are looking at skiing, boarding, golfing, eating, lift-access mountain biking or even cross country – Whistler is the place to be. On this note, one of the local weekly events around the city is the Thursday Night Twoonie Race. Located at various locations around Whistler, every week anywhere from 100 – 250 riders will show up ready to race. The best part – it only costs a Twoonie ($2 if you aren’t Canadian).

This past Thursday, The Norco Van was packed up with some new 2011 product and we headed out to take part. For the race, Norco set up a tent showing off some new bikes while Norco Engineer PJ, Factory Team rider Nick Geddes and myself (marketing)  put some coin down – literally, to take part in the race. With 150 participants on the start line the theme seemed to be a bike in the 100-120mm range. These were XC bikes.

With this in mind, us three were mounted upon two Ranges (160mm) and one Shinobi (120mm 29er). Compared to the competition we seemed a little over-biked; but, with the new A.R.T suspension platform and sub 30lb bikes we were up for the challenge.  Off the start line, the course took the pack 150 strong up a gravel road that never seemed to end… For this, I stepped down the Range’s Fox 36 Talus to 120mm, flicked on the pro-pedal and set off. The first kilometer or so I spent reeling in the riders ahead trying to gain some places before the top of the climb. Nick was already ahead of me on a range but at around the 2/3 mark up the hill PJ caught up and passed me with the big-wheeled Shinobi. Once we reached the top of the climb, it was time to cut across the ridge through a rolling trail before dropping down. The descent was actually one of two choices, there was an easier – longer route, or a steeper – faster route. Seeing as how I was riding a 160mm bike, when it was time to start down the fork went back to full travel, the shock was opened up and down went. The descent was steep, rocky and loose but the bike soaked it up and allowed for a few more places gained. After a time of 42 minutes I came across the line in 12th place. PJ was a couple ahead in 10th and Nick broke the top 10 in 9th place.

As everyone was rolling in, the best part of the weekly event started up. At the finish was Burritos courtesy of Dups Burritos and pints from Fanatyk Co Bike Shop. Thanks to both for putting on an awesome event!

Hello all,

It’s been a while but it’s been good … after all, how much better does it get than spending 24 hours on your bike in the Canadian Rockies? Oh, maybe some sleep

Wanted to give you a quick run down on Canadian Nationals – I’ll post a full blog report soon.

Summary:
Place: 2nd
Details of ride: ~275Km, 18,000 feet of climbing, and 18 hours on the bike

Details:
The drive up was amazing – great scenery and great company. I drove up through Vancouver to pick up Kate – amazing friend and support crew extraordinaire – and her roommate Lila. The drive flew by – we were catching up and just enjoying the great views along the way. Road trips with good friends always fly by …

The weekend was relaxed .. Kate and I wandered around town, found some good food, did some shopping, and went up to the site to set up the pit and get in a ride. We found the course in pretty good shape – about 18km and 1450ft of climbing per lap. Loads of single-track but most of it was not really technical …but super fun none the less. It wasn’t a course that played to my skills but it was a fun and challenging course – worthy of Canadian Nationals.

Race day brought warm weather (about 30C) and blue skies … so we got the ice scarfs going right away. The first few laps flew by … stomach was holding together pretty well and eating was on track. Kate was giving me double feeds (2x per lap) so my drinks were always cool and I never ran out of liquids. Around lap 4 my stomach started to feel funny but i couldn’t quite place it. Looking back eating Perpetuem in the heat was the wrong call … later in the race we figured this out and the Hammer guys hooked us up with some Heed (thanks Hammer!) … it’s the only thing that got me through the race …

After 10 hours of racing I was right behind the leader – about 8 min back. But my stomach felt funny so i decided i should take a quick break. After an hour i went back out and my first lap felt great. I think i ate too many salts though … my second lap was painful. I had to stop. Unfortunately I was sick for a few hours before Kate convinced me to shower and offered chicken broth which was amazing … i was back in action after 4 hours off the bike.

I had some catching to do … 2nd and 3rd were both ahead of me. I like to chase though so off I went … my legs felt great and i was turning out the laps. I passed 2nd and 3rd in my first lap out and continued to gain on them. 1st was too far ahead so i knew it was out of the question … but i still pushed hard.

All in all it was a good race – a great effort despite the stomach.

Thanks again to Samammish Valley Cycle for keeping my awesome Norco’s up and running – and of course, thanks to Kate for her amazing support!

Monilee

2.       Increased pedaling efficiency
When a bicycle accelerates forward, inertia pulls the rider’s weight towards the back which results in compression of the rear suspension.  This is known as squat. ART suspension is designed so that when the suspension compresses, the chainstay length increases. This is known as chain growth.  When the rider puts force on the pedals, the chain becomes very tight and the bicycle will accelerate forward.  The chain tension will also force the suspension to extend.  This extension force is known as the anti-squat force because it counteracts the squat caused by the acceleration. With 30% more chain growth than before, ART suspension is designed to resist squat forces and reduce pedal bob, resulting in a highly efficient pedaling platform.

3.      Improved Leverage Ratio Curve
A.R..T suspension uses a lower and more progressive leverage ratio to increase the bottom out resistance and improve the tuneability of the suspension. Lowering the leverage ratio reduces the amount of force on the shock which gives the shock greater control of the suspension movement.  The adjustment dials on the shock will also have a greater effect on suspension performance, allowing the rider to fine tune the suspension to their liking. A more progressive leverage ratio makes the suspension get stiffer as it gets farther into its travel, giving the suspension that ‘bottomless’ feel.

Continuing with the Ride To Conquer Cancer updates, The Eastern Norco crew recently took part in the Ontario version of the 2010 Ride To Conquer Cancer on June 12-13th. The ride is in its 3rd year and consists of 2 options over the two days, 200km or 200 miles…from Toronto to Niagara Falls. This years ride had 4108 participants raising 16.1 million dollars…Wooow. This is Truly the one to be at. Norco’s participation (similar to the Western version) was to be tech sponsors for the event, along with local long time supporters Gears bike shop. To top it off we were able to get Ryan Leech out for a show on the Saturday Night , He was defiantly one of the Highlights for a very captive audience in what has been nicknamed “The Woodstock Of Road Biking”
Our crew worked tirelessly for a tremendously grateful ridership all refusing to let the rain effect any of us. An event like this brings out all kinds of bikes, needing varying levels of help, our experienced staff were able to keep everyone going….4108 bikes, that’s 8216 tires to pump up….

Thanks go to Scott I , Darren B , Jeff L ,Raoul F and Ryan Leech as the Official Crew for the Day.

Kevin