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650B wheels are stuck in Purgatory at the moment. Lost some where between 26 and 29er believers. 650B converts claim benefits from both wheel sizes – with few of the drawbacks. Norco is one of these converts, but unlike other manufactures that have done little more than extend the chain stays, Norco has designed the entire frame to best take advantage of medium sized wheels. Another stark contrast is that Norco has aimed their 650B wheeled machines at the all-mountain and trail sectors instead of targeting cross-country hard tail riders.
The new 650B wheeled machines slot into the Norco line with the Range Killer B and Sight Killer B lines. Visually, the bikes are clearly descended from the 2012 26 inch wheeled models, but have been redesigned around the larger wheel diameter. As Norco puts it “frame geometry and suspension kinematics are optimized to accentuate all of the positive characteristics that make the 650B perfect for all mountain riding.” Both the Range and Sight are constructed from hydroformed alloy with a 1.5 to 1.125 tapered head tube and 650B specific geometry. The Range Killer B and Sight Killer B lines feature Norco’s proprietary Gravity Tune sizing, which fixes the rear-center/front-center ratio across all frame sizes to allow a wide range of different sized riders to be in a balanced and natural position on the bike. The Range comes equipped with a 160mm of travel is handled by Norco’s A.R.T. four-bar suspension system, while the Sight is outfitted with 140mm. One thing of note on the Range and Sight is that Norco designed the frame and rear suspension so that the 650B bikes have the same, or shorter chain stay length than the 26 inch models from 2012. The newly designed frames also provide increased stand over height.
 Read the full article at switchbackmb.com
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Tag Archives: product launch
The Bikes are on Their Way. 2013 is Just Around the corner!
It may seem a bit early as it is barely August now but the 2013 Norco Bikes are about to be announced. Many Norco dealers have already tried the bikes first hand and as early as August 12th the new line will hit the web hard and show you what is to come. If you are heading up to Crankworx this year in Whistler BC the new lineup will be on display starting Wednesday August 15th.
Norco Dealers and distributors came from around the world last week to experience the ‘buzz’ around the new Norco bikes. Three days of presentations, riding and a few shenanigans had the whole lot looking forward to another great season following 2012.
Here are a few photos from the event.
A Quebec View of Norco in 2012
The winter issue of Velomag has a great article covering Norco bikes from our Press-Launch back in July. If you can speak a bit of french have a read. If you don’t speak french, you will just have to take our word for it that these bikes rock!
Ready to Launch with Canadian Cycling Magazine
The editorial team from Canadian Cycling Magazine came out to the 2012 Norco International Product Launch back in July where they were able to get some pedaling time on the new bikes. This month’s magazine has a few highlights from the lineup that are worth having a quick read. Here are a few key pages of the magazine, for the full content check out your local newsstand.
Rumor Has It. The 2012 Norco Mountain Bikes
In case you haven’t heard. The 2012 Norco lineup is bringing some new models to the table that blow the old bikes out of the water. One recent post by bikerumor.com ran through some of the top mountain bikes for 2012.
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Norco introduced four new full suspension mountain bike platforms for 2012. All carry the same flowing hydroformed tube shapes and graphic design, which gives them a nice family resemblance. Up top is the all-new Aurum, which replaces the Team DH as Norco’s pro-level downhill mountain bike. Before we dive into the details, we’ll cover some of the sweeping changes that affect the entire lineup.
All of Norco’s full sussers now use their ART suspension that was introduced on last year’s bikes. It’s their proprietary version of an FSR design. The main difference versus what they’ve used in the past are the pivot placements, particularly the rear Horst pivot – the one just below and in front of the dropout. By dropping it lower, it creates a more rearward axle path and gives the new bikes a more progressive leverage curve. At the beginning of the stroke, the rear wheel has a lot of leverage over the shock, which gives it a supple feel over the little stuff for good traction. Hit something a little bigger and Norco says the design allows the suspension to move with and around square edge bumps like rocks, logs and curbs. Go even bigger and the ART suspension ramps up toward the end of the stroke to provide a “bottomless” feel. In addition to all that, ART claims to keep the suspension very active under braking.
Read More at bikerumor.com
2012 Norco – Canadian Cycling Magazine
Norco launches 2012 bike lineup
By Dan Dakin, Canadian Cycling Magazine – Published July 22, 2011
Canadian company Norco used Crankworx in Whistler, B.C. as a backdrop for its 2012 product launch. Fourteen of its bike platforms are either brand new or have seen significant upgrades from previous models. On the mountain bike side, there’s a continued push toward 29ers with a new value-based full-suspension bike line, as well as new 26” mountain bikes and a new downhill platform. On the road side, there’s a brand new endurance platform for long-distance riders, a new top-end race bike and a carbon cyclocross bike.
Read the full article at Canadian Cycling Magazine
2012 Norco Dealer Launch Recap
The 2012 Norco International Dealer Launch took place in July where the top Norco Dealers from Canada, US and International locations gathered in beautiful North Vancouver BC for the Launch of the 2012 Norco Bikes. The event span over three days where attendees were given the lowdown on the new Norco product line. The most important part of the launch though is getting out to ride; Norco bikes are made to be ridden and that is what the launch is all about.
Upon arrival in North Vancouver the event kicked off with an urban ride around the famous Stanley Park Seawall. For this ride, the crew split into groups and head out for a post-travel light pedal. The 10km loop around the park takes riders beneath the Lions Gate Bridge, past the 9 O’Clock Gun, through 3rd beach and back to the Seabus for a quick hop back to the hotel. For this ride, the perfect bike can be a mountain bike, road bike or even and urban commuter- it doesn’t matter. It is all about being on a bike – any bike!
Following the urban ride, the next morning was time for a bit of a classroom session to learn about the bikes that were to be ridden that afternoon. Setting up in the world famous riding area of Seymour Mtn. riders had the option of Road, Cross Country, All Mountain or Freeride trail options. With more than 120 demo bikes available, everyone was given the opportunity to ride whatever bike they felt the urge to swing a leg over.
The Trails in the Mt. Seymour area are amazing. From flowing singletrack to steep rocky climbs there is a little bit of everything whether you are testing out a 100mm 29er or a 200mm DH bike there is something that will suit just about anyone on pretty much any bike.
After an afternoon of riding and a few minor tweaks to the fleet of bikes, we did it all over again the following day. Starting the morning off with a few presentations we were back out riding the trails by lunchtime.
At the end of two days of riding, the bikes were rounded up and tucked away. All 120 plus bikes had seen several riders and pretty much every attendee had ridden at least a few different bikes. Besides a little bit of west coast rain the event could not have gone any smoother. The result was smiling faces, muddy bikes and a whole lot of excitement for the year to come.
No event is complete without a few beers, a BBQ and of course a Ryan Leech trials demonstration. For this we head over to a local Jay Hoots Bike Park where we set up and did a little bit of socializing. We were lucky enough to have the boys from the Dirt Norco Race Team Ben Reid and Dan Stanbridge out for the event as well. When they weren’t talking about their input into the 2012 Norco Aurum or the current World Cup Season and found a little time to hit the dirtjumps local park.
Of course, the Ryan Leech Trials Demonstration is always a crowd pleaser. With a bit of a slippery stage set, Ryan put on two shows at the BBQ and did not disappoint. What an amazing show! If you have never seen a Ryan Leech Demo, put it on your demo list. This is the best trials demonstration in the world!
A big thanks to everyone that came out! Hopefully we will sea you again next year. For everyone else that was not able to attend. Check back next month for the new 2012 Norco Bikes to be on norco.com. In the meantime here are a few links to tide your excitement.
2012 Product Launch Kickoff
Last week there was a whirlwind of activity on Vancouver’s North Shore. The 2012 Norco Dealer Product Launch took place where select Norco Dealers were able to see next years bikes and take them out for a spin. Through three days of presentations and riding. The smiles were wide when the event wrapped up. Next up is the 2012 Norco Media Launch in Whistler BC. Stay tuned for information on the new bikes to come out soon.
The A to Z (well… actually 2 to Y) of 2011 Norco Bikes
With the Launch of the 2011 Norco Bike Lineup, you are probably scouring the internet trying to find a photo of what could be your next bike. Well, here are photos of the lineup for you to enjoy. The photos are listed alphabetically from the 250 down to the Yorkville. Have a look through and tell us what you like best!
The Down-Low on the 2011 Norco Range
You may have heard rumours about the 2011 Range or even seen some photos floating around about the all new bike and the A.R.T (Advanced Ride Technology) suspension system. Well, here is Norco Engineering Manager working with Pinkbike.com to get you all the info about the awesome new bike.
What do you think about the Range and the A.R.T Suspension?
Read more at pinkbike.com