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.

School’s almost out! But young Whistler riders Ian Morrison and Norco Factory Team Rider Nick Geddes have to get away from the books every so often. They both may get an A+ in Procrastination 101 but one of them is buckling down to do well in academia as well. Check out the video, great shooting and incredibly stylish, fast riding.

Enjoy.

How To: Procrastinate – Ian Morrison & Nick Geddes from Goldstein Productions on Vimeo.

It seems that every year I purchase a new bike, that bike is faster, lighter and better looking a mere 12 months later. For 2009 I rode a Norco Fluid 1 which was probably the best All Mountain Bike I have ever owned. The bike is fast, light, versatile and can really take me down whatever I throw in its way. My fluid has seen everything from XC racing to epic enduros and even a Super D. But… Now that I have seen the 2010 models, I am like a child on Christmas Eve awaiting the arrival of the 2010 Faze SL. That will be my personal bike for 2010 as soon as it is available.

The 2010 bikes are showing clean, sleek graphics and sporting lower pricing in conjunction with CNN’s financial apocalypse coverage. Looking through the 2009 lineup you will notice a few highlights such as the integration of Carbon into the XC lineup, larger diameter seatposts for use of a Joplin and the specing products such as the Hammerschmidt, 2010 Boxxer and even the Gates Belt Drive. Here are a few highlights from the new lineup:

The 2010 Norco Team DH Features a new front triangle Sram Drivetrain, Saint Cranks and the 2010 Rockshox Boxxer Team fork. This bike is faster than ever and priced at $5780 CAN or $4750 US the bike is much more affordable than  2009. The Team DH also has a younger brother the DH coming in White and retailing at a modest $3699 CAN or $2630 US.

The Empire for 2010 comes in two different price points as well. The Empire SE is spec’d with A Marzocchi 55 TST 2, FSA Gravity Lite Bar, Stem and Crankset and Avid Elixer brakes. When it comes to a full-on slopestyle rig, the Empire is it. The SE retails for $4075 CAN or $3399 US while the Empire 5 comes in a$t 2675 CAN or $2295 US.

The Faze SE is the Pereguin Falcon of marathon bikes. 120mm of travel with a Fox 32 FRLC fork, XTR drivetrain, Raceface cranks and DT wheelset will keep you rolling for hours. Built for speed, distance and any hurdle along the way the Faze is versatile, light and most importantly fast. $5695 CAN $4825 US

The Team Carbon is a brand new carbon mold for 2010. Using HTR and EPS Technology in conjunction with  Thermoplastic Mesh have come together to create Norco’s lightest mountain bike ever. Tipping the scale at 19lbs, the team carbon is outfitted with a full Sram XX groupo and Eason XC-1 wheels. The lightest and fastest Norco cross country race bike ever. If you want to know the price then you probably don’t want the bike. . .

The CRR SL brings the same Carbon technology from the Team Carbon into road world. Utilizing BB30, an integrated seat-mast and a tapered steertube, the CRR-SL is a race ready rig straight out of the box. A Sram Red drivetrain with Mavic wheels and a Ritchey cockpit keep the bike light, fast and ahead of the pack. $5695 CAN $4795 US

There are some big changes for 2010; new technology, improved parts and a few dollars saved. Prices are down and Bikes are up, check out the full lineup on the 2010 Norco website which launches Sept. 1!

This past week marked the 2009 Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler BC. Norco had several factory team riders present but two stood tall through one event in particular. New for 2009 at Crankworx was the Canadian Open Enduro, a combination of white-knuckled downhill and gut busting climbing, this event saw everything from XC bikes to DH rigs speckled down the course.

Norco had two riders compete in this event, World Cup racer Fionn Griffiths and Junior Expert up-and-comer Nick Geddies. First off, I should comment on the respective bike choices. Fionn chose to ride her Team DH. She felt that there was more to gain on the descents than there was to lose on the climbs. Nick on the other hand chose a Fluid LT 6.1 all-mountain bike. The bikes were very different but the outcomes quite similar. Fionn was crowned Pro-Women Champion with more than a 10 second lead and Nick took the U-19 Men with an astounding 42 second lead.

Way to go Nick and Fionn on a spectacular effort and bringing home the hardware.

To see full results from Crankworx have a look at http://www.crankworx.com/whistler09/live-blog/results