It is no mystery what the mountain biking website mtbr does best. The ‘r’ is not just there for looks – it stands for review and that is just what they have done. The testing team has put the Norco Sight through the paces and given a few thoughts on the bike for us to read. Here is a taste of what they had to say. For the full review follow the link below.
There will be more soon from the MTBR team on this bike so stay tuned.
Norco has been a household name for mountain bikes here in British Columbia, Canada for as long as I can remember. They are a company that is continuously evolving and innovating to meet the demand of the riders, as well as building a bike that can take the punishment of the local terrain.
The Sight is the evolution of the popular Fluid; a 140mm trail bike that is intended to be as happy on the climb up as it is on the descents. There is a lot of new technology that has been packed into the frame, all of which is covered in this previous article. The shorter chainstays, slacker head angle and lower bottom bracket are some of the more notable geometry changes from the Fluid.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer is fast approaching and preparation is key in being ready for this event. There are a lot of different things that need to be done before you can set out on a multi-day ride efficiently, comfortably and safely.
At Norco, we want you to have the best ride possible and in that spirit we have been putting together videos that answer some of the questions that we are often asked. Have a watch through these short videos and see if you can learn anything in making your ride better.
If you have any specific questions about preparing for the Ride To Conquer Cancer feel free to ask them below and we will do our best to provide an answer.
Norco has been attending the Sunshine Coaster for a few years now. From the home of the Coastal Crew is some of the best mountain biking in the world. Being just a short ferry ride from Vancouver a few Norco representatives head over each year to race and support the event. While this may not be a world cup or even a UCI sanctioned event, the race is a ton of fun for everyone at all racing levels.
The course hasn’t changed much in the past few years but small nuances make taking a closer look beneficial in the long run. This fade-away log drop is a spectators’ favorite so it is important to look (be) fast.
While the DH course may not be steep, it is by no means easy. Through loose corners, pedaling flats and slick roots the many racers leave it all out on the course.
As a race close to home for Norco, western events main-man Jonathan Duncan climbed into third spot for the 30-39 men.
Norco grassroots C4 rider Lee Jackson crossed the finish line in a blistering 2:54:79 which was good enough for first place in the Junior Men’s category. Congrats Lee on an incredibly fast time!
It seems as if there is no end to the praise given to the 2012 Norco Sight. After several great reviews and winning the Trail Bike of the Year award from What Mountain Bike the latest praise comes out of the UK again with MBR Magazine.
Citing the Norco as the best of the bunch it was the spec, suspension and overall ride feel that edged out the competition in this bike shootout. Have a read through the full review below.
There is a ton of hype floating around these days on the 2012 Norco lineup. Much of this chatter is centered around the flagship DH rig called the Aurum. The budget-friendly Aurum 2 model was highlighted recently in MBUK magazine. Check out these remarks on the bike that everyone is talking about.
The Hoots Poster design contest was a great success. Thank you to everyone that entered their designs for consideration. There were a few specific designs that we thought were exceptional but only one could be the winner.
In picking the top design were looking for a few things in addition to the criteria listed:
1. The poster must highlight at least one image of Jay riding.
2 The poster must contain graphical elements that highligh the image and feeling of the poster.
3. The poster must have the personal approval of Jay Hoots.
After much deliberation we narrowed it down to four choices. This was not easy though as there were a ton of great ideas. Here are our favorites.
The Words of Bike
We really liked the info-graphic in this one. The complexity and relevance are extremely well done. This was very well executed.
Skate Park Forest
This poster stood out as it took aspects of Jays personality and adapted it well into a design. Is it just me or do you see the owl too?
Crash, Bang, Boom
This was the most illustrated of all the designs. It is a great use of colour and design. All around great work on this one!
The Winner
The winner of the Poster Design Contest is Jen Sutherland. Her design is a great use of the provided image, logos and illustrates Jay perfectly. Additionally, small aspects such as an area for signatures and clear logo placement add to the whole concept. Congratulations Jen on winning a signed poster, jersey and a set of Shimano XT Brakes.
After choosing the final poster design we made a few small changes to it before hitting print. This was done though keeping as much of the original design intact as possible. Again thank you everyone for your entries. Next time you run into Jay Hoots ask him for an autographed poster!
An athlete in any sport depends on several things for success to even be a possibility. Fitness, skill and experience play major roles but without the right tools, success may well be a hopeless aspiration. When it comes to mountain biking, one such integral tool is the bicycle. Without the best possible design and latest technology – hopes of victory are useless and an otherwise top level athlete can be left behind by superior product.
When it came to Team Norco International’s Jill Kintner and her dual slalom bike the engineers at Norco Bicycles had to take a look at the drawing board and start from scratch. While a slalom specific frame is not in the current product lineup, taking key features from existing bikes and applying them to a custom design looked to be the ticket to the fastest bike on the track.
The idea was to take Norco’s technologies such as A.R.T. Suspension, hollowform linkarms, tapered headtube, post mount brakes and hydroforming processes then apply them to a new design making a totally unique racing machine.
The specific needs of Jill Kintner in this project do not resemble that of a typical bike. This frame needed an extremely short rear end, unique leverage curve and low center of gravity. After crunching the numbers a design drawn up and YESS Products was brought in to help with the manufacturing.
YESS was able to take the measurements, design and pieces then assemble them into a finished product. This process involved machining existing tubes, CNC Machining new parts and welding it all together into a completed frame.
Following the manufacturing process the frames were powder coated then had decals applied before assembly.
The custom slalom frame is one of the smallest productions ever done, a slim 5 frames were made in total. This allowed for Jill’s race bike plus a few sizing options and additional frames for testing purposes. The niche category of slalom this is not a bike that is highly demanded in the marketplace but the need is there nonetheless. Giving Jill a custom frame with key Norco technologies is necessary in order for her to meet her true potential.
The 2012 Sea Otter Classic saw the bike unveiled for racing. Jill’s Norco Frame was outfitted with gear from Fox, Shimano, Crankbrothers, Renthal, Maxxis, Fi’zi:k, e*thirteen, and Canecreek. This bike was ready to race!
Through four rounds of racing Jill fought through the field of competition and took home a medal resembling the colour of her bike. Jill’s winning run left Melissa Buhl chasing behind for a second place finish.
Jill has put so much into her season and she has the tools necessary for success. Congratulations Jill on a spectacular victory and a great start to the 2012 race season!
Have a watch through the design, production and racing of Jill’s custom bike.
The starting gun for the 2012 race season is the Sea Otter Classic. Coming before the bulk of the season’s racing this is an event to lay it all on the line and take a shot at an early podium. Many pros come from around the world to race in the many events and to take part in the large expo area where companies show off new products, teams and riders.
The spring trip south to California is also a great opportunity to ride is some warmer weather and test out some new products. This bike pictured is a prototype Norco that uses 27.5″ or 650B wheels. Watch out for bikes with this wheel size popping up in your local bike shop soon.
Norco’s favorite Croatian even made it out to Sea Otter this year to join his fellow Redbull athlete Jill Kintner at the event.
Sam Dueck came down into California to compete in Aptos prior to Sea Otter then join in the Dirt jumping and other select events.
The Dual Slalom saw the likes of Bryn Atkinson, Duncan Riffle and Jill Kintner all racing. Bryn had a wicked qualification run seating him in third spot. In the first round of racing though Bryn blew a tire off and was pushed out early on.
Duncan Riffle was close to home for this one. Duncan was on site representing the Dirt Norco Race team in both the DH and the slalom.
The big news in the Slalom racing was Jill Kintner taking home the win for the women. Jill raced her way through the four rounds and edged out Melissa Buhl for the win. Congratulations Jill on the victory!
For the first time ever, a Cyclocross Race made its way to the Otter. While the conditions were dry and the air was warm, the racing action was fierce. H&R Block rider Aaron Schooler came out for the race and made his was across the finish in second spot.
Factory Team rider Andrew Watson flew in to compete the Short Track and the Cross Country races. Among the world’s Best Andrew placed 18th in the short track and 17th in the XC.
In the DH, much like the slalom Bryn, Duncan and Jill were all racing. After a bit of a bail in the mid-section Bryn finished in 42nd spot while Duncan was up in 16th. Again though, the story of the weekend was Jill Kintner who took her second gold of the event. Jill is incredibly fast on any bike, whatever aspect of cycling she chooses to race, she will be a contender.
With all the racing action it is easy to lose sight of the raw talent present at these events. benieth the tents of Norco’s setup at Sea Otter it is hard to imagine a group of more diversely talented cyclists. The team this year looks better than ever and the anticipation is growing for the season to come.
Sprockids changed my life. The kids’ mountain biking club got its wheels rolling some 22 years ago and has been growing ever since. I was first introduced to the idea of mountain biking through Sprockids way back in 1997. It was this after-school club that opened the mind to cycling as not only a hobby but also a lifestyle. Not only did Sprockids get me onto the path of cycling but it nudged me in the direction of racing, coaching, teaching, education and eventually onwards to a career within the industry. Without the Sprockids program I would be an entirely different person than who I am today.
The most amazing thing about my situation is that it is not at all unique. Stemming from the birthplace of Sprockids others have followed a similar path. The Sunshine Coast and the Sprockids program have together been a sanctuary for cycling and personal development. Looking back through my childhood friends and fellow Sprockids I see the Coastal Crew’s Dylan Dunkerton and Curtis Robinson, I see Katherine Short, Kris Snedden and the up-and-comer Holly Feniak. The raw talent that has come off the Sunshine Coast through the Sprockids program is like no other! It is Sprockids founder, Doug Detwiller’s dedication that has molded such great people and athletes that now have their turn to make a difference.
In celebration of the Sprockids program and Doug Detwiller, the Capilano University MBO program hosted an event called Sprockids Fun Day. Through Celebrating Doug’s success, 22 years of the program and 20 years since the first mountain bike park was opened this is how the event unfolded.
Sprockids is designed to be fun. It is about active youth, healthy lifestyles and incorporating mountain biking into everyday life.
The kids start young and they learn fast. This young ripper could be the next Coastal Crew rider.
Riding skills are taught by tireless volunteers while enforcing the positive choices that kids need to make on a daily basis.
At the Sprockids Fun Day, kids line up for another round of ‘dab’.
A humble Doug, thanks everyone for their contribution to the Sprockids program.
A dirt jump demonstration awes spectators. The mentorship aspect of the program is as important as any other; riders grow together and past Sprockids are able to assist with the younger students through riding, education and personal life experiences.
Success is not easily measured but seeing the smiles of a crowd watching a backflip is one way to judge.
The MBO Program presented Doug with a finishing touch to the Sprockids sign dedicating the park to him and his years of dedication to the program.
A perfect Fit!
Two of the proudest and most successful athletes that came out of the Sprockids Program are Curtis Robinson and Dylan Dunkerton. As the Coastal Crew they still embrace the same fundamentals that Doug has been teaching since the beginning.
Thank you Doug for your impact on my childhood, education and professional career. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the sport of Mountain Biking. Without you and the Sprockids Program countless kids, teens and adults would be living very different lives today.
Like most riders, I’ve wanted to go to Woodward camp ever since I found out about it. Something about riding some of the best ramps in the world with some of the best riders in the world piques the interest I guess. Anyways, its been in the back of my mind for ages, but over the winter I started to do a bit of research, and got a couple contacts there. I was originally going to try to go for their winter camp, but school interfered with that plan. Then in early March, I found out that they were having a spring break camp the first week of April. I started emailing people, and ended up getting in as an Open Session Instructor, which is the cushiest job at camp.
Basically, you spend 4 hours a day being a lifeguard at one of the ramps, and get free food, lodging, and riding. I tried to bring some friends with me, cause its a long drive from Vancouver to Tehachapi CA., but for various reasons none ended up making it. So the evening of Wednesday March 29th, I finished work, finished packing, and started the journey south. After a bit of hassling at the border from US Homeland Security, I got through and drove to Olympia. Thursday I woke up to rain. I had planned on doing the lions share of driving that day, and the rain enforced that plan. It rained from Olympia all the way to Sacramento. I ended up driving 15 hrs all the way to Fresno.
Fresno is only 3 hours from Woodward, so Friday morning I had the time to ride the Fresno BMX park. Rolling up to the park was wild, giant transitions everywhere, a capsule, a huge wallride wall, the place is on another level from what we have in Canada. I spent a couple hours basking in California sunshine, cruising around the best park I had ever ridden, hanging out with some friendly local skaters (who were poaching the park, as its bikes only), and receiving texts from back home asking if I was down to go snowboarding on the weekend… I left around 2, and continued the drive. At this point I was getting a bit tired of driving in Cali, its like driving through Alberta, but instead of fields, there’s concrete, Walmarts, and people everywhere.
I was pretty pumped when the homestretch had me driving into the mountains. Arriving at Woodward was quite a bit like being in a dream, looking at all these parks that I’ve been seeing in magazines and videos for as long as I’ve been riding. The staff were super welcoming, its a real family atmosphere there, I was pretty much the only new guy, everyone else had been there a few times at least, so it was like being at a family reunion. Friday night after orientation I got to ride the Hanger. Every ramp in there is perfect, and there’s lines everywhere. I had to seriously hold back, as I didn’t want to get hurt on the first night.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny. Over 100 excited kids were descending on the camp throughout the morning. I was trying to pace myself so I wouldn’t get worn out, but it was a bit of a losing battle. I rode pretty much all day, testing out the various parks.
In the afternoon I had an OSI shift at the foampit, which was pretty fun actually, getting kids to do frontflips on skateboards and backflips on bikes was pretty entertaining. The best part of the day was the after hours staff session in the Hanger, just a bunch of riders shredding around a quiet indoor. I even learned a couple tricks, there must have been a blue moon outside! There’s a perfect “trainer spine” in the hanger, and I managed to opposite 360 it, and I even tailwhipped it to cries of “put some steeze in that whip!” (this video came out the week before my trip:
Sunday morning it snowed. Being from Canada, I got a lot of comments asking if I felt at home etc. It was an indoor park kind of day, luckily Woodward has one of the biggest indoors in the world.
Still, it was pretty packed, so a few of us headed out to Tehachapi to buy some ridiculous clothing for the pro demo later in the day. The pro demo was wild, a few of my favorite riders were at camp, and it was awesome to see Kris Fox tearing around the Hanger like it was a racetrack, and Matt Cordova going way too high on everything. Chris Hughes did a perfect body varial first try over the box jump, which was pretty mind blowing. I had an OSI shift that night at the concrete bowl. The snow had melted, but it was still real cold. The kids didn’t care though, they were ripping around finding the lines and having a blast.
Monday the sun was out again. Waking up at 8am and riding bikes on and off till midnight was definitely catching up with me at this point, I was stiff and sore. Monday was the last full day of camp, so I tried to use my energy reserves. After drying out the massive outdoor park named the Enterprise, we shredded the endless lines it had to offer. In the early afternoon we went back to Tehachapi to take part in the traditional staff thrift store shopping excursion.
This trip was hilarious, mostly because Vegas local Mike Payne decided to buy and wear a wig, and green corduroy overalls with no shirt. Any time any of us so much as looked at him we would die laughing. Upon out return, we had a rad session in the concrete bowl. I had a couple OSI assignments in the street section of the hanger, which was pretty boring to be honest, there’s only so many attempted kickflips I can watch before it gets tiresome. The after hours session later on was one of the best rides I’ve ever had, being the last night, I threw caution to the wind. It was one of those rides where you seem to have boundless energy. I was able to film a few clips thanks to my Woodward roommate Ben Glasset, and even a surprise case to face smash didn’t really put a damper on the session.
Tuesday was pretty mellow. Camp ended at noon, and after saying our goodbyes, 4 of us ventured to a sweet ditch just outside Tehachapi.
The spot was rad, it was two ditches meeting, forming a bank-to-bank spine, with a bank to subbox further down the ditch. After getting our shred on, it was time to head north. Fellow staff member Paul Bray had offered me a couch to sleep on in San Francisco, so we convoyed up the I5 to his place 6 hrs north. Paul lives in a rad place close to downtown SF, him and his 2 roommates share a converted warehouse, in an industrial area, which makes it an awesome party house.
The next day Paul started work at 10, so after a decent nights sleep, I hit the road again. On the way out of town, I stopped at the Alemeda park for a bit. This park was built back in the day, so there’s a lot of dodgy concrete work, but a couple sweet hips and a fun street spine. Around noon I headed out. After getting spectacularly lost in Oakland, I made it out of the Bay Area, and continued north. My Woodward roommate John had informed me that he had some friends in Redding CA with some rad trails I should check out. He had given me their contact info, and I hit them up. I rolled into Redding around 4:30, and proceeded to meet up with the POW trails guys at their spot. POW is legendary, everything is huge, and sculpted beautifully. They weren’t running due to tons of rain in the weeks previous, but we put in a couple hours of shovel time. They hooked me up with a couch for the night, which was pretty awesome.
Thursday I drove a couple hours into southern Oregon, and rode a couple of the original Oregon parks, Ashland and Talent. They were both made in the early ’90′s, and while a bit weird in spots, the design and transitions were amazing considering their age. After a few hours shredding, I continued my drive, and spent the night in Tigard, just south of Portland. Anyone familiar with Oregon parks will know why I chose Tigard. It’s home to a legendary park, and after starting my day there on Friday, I’d say it is the best concrete park I have ever rode, displacing Fresno. It doesn’t get much better than doing a line in a bowl full of sweet hips, before boxjumping out of it and sprinting into a huge quarter-to-bank setup. After a couple hours of logging air miles, I met up with a few locals doing a tour of the local parks. We headed over to the next town, Beaverton, home to a sweet skatelite mini ramp. After a couple more hours of riding, we got showered out of there, and headed across the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington. There lies one of the yawning chasms in the earth that locals to the PNW call bowls. The deep end of this thing is probably 13 feet deep. It was a bit intimidating, but a couple laps around it and I got over it. There is a hip in this park that is simply magical, around 10 feet tall, but with the speeds generated in the deep end, getting 6 feet out of it is easy. I left there around 6pm, and drove all the way home, arriving to my own bed around 1am.
All in all, the trip was amazing, one of the best weeks of my life, easy. Woodward is a place that has to be experienced by every BMXer, the atmosphere and the riding is so good, that its really a shame to miss out on it.
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