Show Us Your Mad Skills at VeloBowl 2011

February 14, 2011

Do you have mad bowling skills? If you do, now is your chance to throw on your best bowling duds and put your best foot forward. This year at the Seattle Bike Expo, Norco has sponsored an event called VeloBowl 2011. Come join us on March 12, 2011 for an evening of bowling, beverages, and massive amounts of sponsor swag! Your bowling score equates to swag. The better you bowl, the bigger and badder the swag will be you take home.

The Garage in Seattle is hosting the event and for the rental price of some sexy bowling shoes you will be able to take a crack at the lanes and take home some swag….Any spare $$ you have lining your pockets can be donated to the beneficiary of the night, Bike Works

Arrive early, there will be a limited amount of free drink tickets which can be redeemed on-site!

The Night’s Festivities Are Brought To You By:

Ergon
Nuun
Topeak
NORCO
Dirt Rag Magazine
Bicycle Times Magazine
Magura
UVEX
Vaude

In case you missed it above: 21+ Event. ID Required. Seriously.

See you there!

Let’s Welcome the Norco Factory Team into 2011

January 26, 2011

The Norco Factory Team has been one of the most diverse teams anywhere for more than a decade. Through the disciplines of Trials, DH, XC, FR, AM, 4X, SS and any other acronym you can think of, the Norco Factory Team has some of the most talented riders anywhere. Additionally, members of the team are more than just incredible athletes, they are also mentors and ambassadors of sport.The 2011 Norco Team would like to welcome Ludovic May to the roster. Ludo comes to the Norco Factory Team from Switzerland to race DH and Super-D events around the world. The addition of Ludo to the team adds yet another specialty to the already diverse team.

Without further adieu, here is the 2011 Norco Factory Team.

Ryan Leech Trials sensation Ryan Leech is starting his 13th season as a part of the Norco Factory Team. Through leadership, style and health Ryan inspires everywhere he goes. For 2011, watch for Ryan and his shows at events such as The Sea Otter Classic, Kokanee Crankworx and on Ride Guide TV. Info on Ryan, his tour and videos can be found at ryanleech.com	Jay Hoots 2011 marks Jay Hoots’ 10th year on the Norco Factory Team. In addition to being an incredible rider, Jay is also a guru of Mountain Bike Park Building. With more than 40 skills parks built across Canada and projects sprouting up around the World, Jay is making the future of cycling a reality. Check out more info on Hoots’ parks at hoots.ca

Mislav Mironovic The Croatian Sensation is back for another year. Mislav will continue to compete in DirtJump and slopestyle competitions for 2011. Watch for Mislav to be a contender on the European event circuit as well as to make a visit to North America later this year. Mislav’s latest video is definitely worth checking out so here it is.	Darcy Turenne Pro Freerider Darcy Turenne continues on the Norco Factory Team for her 5th year. In 2011, watch for Darcy at major events throughout North America. Also, if you want to spend some quality time with Darcy, be sure to check out her, See Jane Jump mountain bike festival at BC’s Mt Washington Resort.

Andrew Watson Andrew Watson came off the 2010 season as the Canadian Cup Champion. Placing first in the nation and testing the water overseas on the World Cup Circuit, watch for Andrew to continue his Canadian domination and use last year’s experience to climb through the ranks of the world cup field. You can follow Andrew and his adventures on his blog.	Catherine Vipond Catherine finished off 2010 with an impressive 2nd place overall in the Canada Cup series. 2010 was also a year for testing the World Cup circuit out with Team Canada. In 2011 Catherine will be trying to best her Canadian second place overall while building her international experience on the World Cup Circuit. You can keep up to speed on Catherine on her blog.

Nick Geddes Nick Geddes is entering into his last year as a Junior DH Racer. In 2010, Norco’s Whistler local kept the hardware close to home with 3 podium finishes at the Kokanee Crankworx Festival. Also, Nick took a top 20 spot at the World Championships and 2 poduim finishes on the Canada Cup Circuit. To see what Nick does best, check out this video from his backyard.	Sam Dueck 2010 was a high flying year for Sam Dueck. Competing in Slopestyle events such as GoatStyle, Crankworx, and the Teva Mountain Games, Sam’s biggest achievement for the year was a 4th place at The Kokanee Crankworx Monster Energy Slopestyle. Watch for Sam flying high again this year on the Slopestyle tour, in the meantime though you can see him do his thing here.

Ludovic May Ludovic is the Newest addition to the Norco Factory Team. Coming to Norco from Switzerland, Ludo is a Super-D Specialist who can also hold his own on a DH . For 2011 keep an eye out at key World Cup events as well as Super D races such as the Megavalance. In 2010 Ludo took 6th place at the Megavalanche and he is looking to best this result for 2011. Welcome to the Norco Factory Team Ludo.

The 2011 Norco Factory Team Sponsors

Shimano

My New Ride – The 2010 Team Carbon

March 30, 2010

The 2010 season is fast approaching, it is a pretty exciting time with new bikes coming in. I just picked up my 2010 Norco Team Carbon hardtail. I was a little nervous watching the seat mast being hack sawed, but now I never have to worry about my seat post sliding!! I’ve been able to put the bike through it’s first test rides now and the bike feels awesome. It’s fast, light and stiff. The SID WC XX helps smooth the ride and I’m pretty stoked about the hydraulic lock out! I feel it is always good to test the bike in crash situations, so I took a corner too fast, forgot about a bridge and ended up launching myself into a creek bed… luckily neither the frame or the shiny new XTR were scratched. The bike looks pro with special Norco Factory Team Kenda tires and white Ergon grips. To top off my ride I had some tasty orange-ginger Nuun in my bottles!! For me the season ramps up pretty quickly. I’m headed to Europe two weeks tomorrow and am super excited to get things rolling. I’ll be racing the first two World Cups, Dalby Forest and Houffalize, before heading back to Canada for the Canada Cups.

Here is a video that I filmed on my first ride! Love the Bike!

Catherine

Catherine Vipond on her new Team XC from NorcoBikes on Vimeo.

A Better Than Ever Seattle Bike Expo

March 16, 2010

This past weekend the Norco truck and trailer packed up and head down to the 21st annual Seattle Bike expo. Put on by the Cascade Bicycle Club this has become the largest bicycle consumer show in North America. With more than two hundred exhibitors and thousands of consumers showing up the weekend was a flurry of activity. Norco had some near-ceiling-high towers set up with a display of bikes alongside the latest and greatest from Axiom and Mace.

Next to the Norco setup always seemed to be a mob of people waiting to see the next Ryan Leech Trials Show or Artistic Cycling Demonstration. Having Ryan do 4 shows over the two days was a treat for everyone at the show. Having the Artistic Cycling team as well was simply icing on the cake.

If the expo, the trials demo and the artistic cycling wasn’t enough for you, Ryan was also leading a morning Yoga session both days of the show. A group of yoga enthusiasts showed up each day to partake in Ryan’s class.

With more than 200 exhibitors at the show it took a fair bit of time to see everything. That is if you could actually see everything. Three of the exhibitors present also happened to be Norco Factory Team sponsors FSA, Ergon and Nuun.

See more photos from the Seattle Bike Expo at: flickr.com