Tag Archives: range

MTBR’s Two Cents on the Range Killer B-3

Article from mtbr.com

A funny thing happened when I started riding the Norco Range Killer B. I forgot to analyze how the bike rode. I forgot to fixate on the differences between the 650b wheel size and how they rolled compared to other wheel sizes. I forgot to micro-parse obscure geometry details. Instead I enjoyed the unseasonable dryness of our local trails and just rode and rode and rode.

Eventually overcoming the feeling of contentment and satisfaction that comes with riding a bicycle that feels just right, I remembered that I had a job to do and started taking notes. Norco is a pretty conservative company; by that I mean they’re not known for bold moves. The Range was their bread and butter high-end pedally “North Shore” dual suspension bike; a 6-and-6 Horst-link machine that was well-received. But it’s not a bike that one would accuse of standing out from the crowd. Norco turned that reputation on its head last year when they announced that the Range (and Sight) line of bikes would go to the all-so-fashionable 650b wheel standard.

In the interests of breaking a trend of reviewing super-expensive specs, Norco made the relatively affordable $2,800 Range Three available for review. Having had a lot of time on Norco bike, I was prepared to enjoy it on the downhill. I wasn’t prepared to also love it on the uphill — but love it I did.

Bottom line, this bike was one of the best value-for-money bikes I have ever had the pleasure of riding. But beware. Demand for the Norco Range has been so great that the entire lineup of bikes is almost completely sold out. First world problems for Norco but a real world problem for consumers. Onward to the review.

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Read the full review at mtbr.com

Bike Mag Exclusive – Norco Range Bible Review Video

bikemag

NORCO RANGE KILLER B-1 – BikeMag.com Exclusive
Price: $5,350
Weight: 30.7 pounds
Contact: norco.com

By Ryan LaBar

On paper, or at least the internet forums, the buzz surrounding the Range Killer B should be focused on its 650b wheels. On the trail, however, the new wheel size proves somewhat of a moot point, as the other changes Norco made to its 160-millimeter all-mountain bike overshadow the slight increase in wheel size.

This year’s Range receives a complete redesign, giving it a more refined tubeset, size-specific geometry and a reworked suspension linkage, or as Norco calls it, “Gravity Tuned.” The revamped suspension features a rearward axle-path in the beginning of its travel, allowing the Range to smash smoothly though fast, big, square-edged hits, providing a bit of stability when pushing through corners and G-outs, and adding a bit of anti-squat while pedaling at speed.

While this axle path helps the Norco eat up big hits and pedal well in the big ring, it bites back when climbing requires the granny ring. Every pedal stroke here causes the shock to extend to an almost distracting degree, and the bike to bounce. This could be a deal-breaker for riders who spend a lot of time climbing in the small chainring.

Adding to the Range’s descending and cornering capabilities, which earned unanimous praise, are a stiff frame front-to-back and an aggressive, slack geometry. One thing we noticed on the Range was that its big-ish wheels seemed to carry speed in a rather sneaky manner. It’s like driving a new car after owning an old beater, and suddenly noticing that you are doing 25 over. We found ourselves over-clearing jumps and rocketing through technical sections without extra effort or the perception of added speed—and everything about that is a good thing.

For this category, the parts hanging off the Range are nearly flawless—it featured a short stem, wide bars, Fox 34 fork, Avid X0 Trail brakes, SRAM drivetrain with a Type 2 rear derailleur, Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires and a chainguide with bashguard. This is one bike that we were happy to ride straight out of the box.

“I didn’t want to like a new wheelsize” Outside Converts to 650B on the Norco Range

Image (238) For all things outdoors the publication Outside is a top resource. If you are looking for gear, trips or stories this is a resource that can not be overlooked. This year’s Buyer’s Guide is bigger and better than ever plus it features the NOrco Range 2 as a top Mountain Bike Pick. Have a read below or better yet pick up a copy for yourself.

Norco Range Killer B2 – $3838 USD
Best For: Burly descents

The Test: We took the aluminum Range to the ledgy slickrock trails of Sedona, Arizona, and not only did it win over all comers to Norco bikes, it sold us on 650Bs. “I didn’t want to like a new wheel size,” groused one reviewer, “but it is hands-down better than either 26 or 29 for enduro-style riding.” Thanks to a slack 66.5-degree headtube and 6.3 seemingly bottomless inches of travel, it floated over stair-stepping drops and, on higher speed descents, flattened chunder like a sledge.

The Verdict: It’s a phenomenal deal, especially with a Fox Talas 34 fork and a Float DTC shock. 31lbs; norco.com
Climbing:4 Descending: 5

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Download the PDF

A Vital Piece of the Puzzle – The Norco Range 2 Reviewed

“2013 Test Sessions: Norco Range Killer B-2”

Reviewed by Steve Wentz, Joe Schneider, and Brandon Turman // Photos by Shawn Spomer and Brandon Turman

For 2013, Norco has eliminated the 26-inch version of the Range in favor of a new 650B “Killer B” version. Yes, you read that right, another victim of the big wheel. They didn’t do it to spite the 26-inch lovers among us, though. The reasoning behind the switch, according to Norco, was simply in the pursuit of making the best all-mountain bike. In their eyes the way to do that just happened to be with the 650B wheel size, so they rolled with it. The end result is this beauty – a 160mm travel do-it-all shred sled. It comes in three price points, and we opted to give the mid-range Killer B-2 a go during our 2013 Test Sessions.

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On The Trail

All told, the Range looks incredible out of the box, but how does it ride? Steve, Brandon, and Joe spent a good deal of time with it on four trails to find out. First, Joe and Brandon tested the merits of the larger wheels on the rocky Grafton Mesa Trail in Southern Utah, where most rocks resemble square-edged lunch boxes instead of round boulders. Later, Steve and Brandon rallied it on the moon-like terrain of Boulder City, Nevada.

With the seatpost up to full extension, the cockpit was roomy, comfortable, and familiar. The bars were a good width, the short stem length was appropriate for the bike’s purpose, and the top tube length felt just right. We’d say the bike erred on the side of comfort over efficiency. While the front end was definitely on the higher end of the spectrum, the length of the top tube eliminated the “circus bike” feeling. It just felt slightly taller than most up front.

Pointed downhill, the Range came alive. We felt instantly at home descending on the bike, and would even consider it for use on long, mellow downhill courses because we found it to be an incredibly capable descender. Once you got moving at a good pace, it became very playful, stable, and responsive to inputs, both side-to-side and jumping. At slow speeds the bike did have a slightly awkward, twitchy feel, but luckily getting up to speed and maintaining it was easy to do. Aided by the additional “trail” factor provided by the larger wheels, the 66.5-degree head angle seemed slacker than it was.

Despite the bike’s relatively short stays, the front end didn’t want to come up easily, likely due to the rearward axle path. This also made the bike feel a bit sluggish in really tight stuff. That said, the stability provided by the wheels, geometry, and suspension path more than made up for not being able to manual down the trail with ease. If there was a major downside to this bike when pointed downhill, it was that it tempted us into going too fast for what 160mm of travel could handle.

The rear suspension felt very, very good for a 160mm bike, and the Range excelled over small bumps, square-edged hits, chatter… just about everything. The action was extremely smooth, responsive, and confidence inspiring. Over loose terrain the suspension was supple, and combined with a slightly larger tire contact patch, traction over off-camber sections was great. Big hit performance was impressive as well thanks to the progressive nature of the A.R.T. rear end.

Read the full review at vitalmtb.com

Norco’s Range Killer B is a Tester’s Choice in the Bike Bible

We have been raving about the new Norco Bike lineup since July when we launched the 2013 models including the new Norco Range that sports a 650B/27.5″ wheelset. Validation can come in many forms but the Bike Magazine Bible of Bike Tests put the Range 1 through the paces and has won over the team of testers. Taking home a Tester’s Choice pick the Range is touted as “the complete package” for all mountain riding.

Article by Bike Magazine/Ryan Labar

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NORCO RANGE KILLER B-1
Price: $5,350
Weight: 30.7 pounds

Final Take: A well-executed bike that makes some sacrifices to its climbing abilities so that there are no sacrifices excuses-on the descents.

On paper, or at least the internet forums, the buzz surrounding the Range Killer B should be focused on its 650b wheels. On the trail, however, the new wheel size proves somewhat of a moot point, as the other changes Norco made to its 160-millimeter all-mountain bike overshadow the slight increase in wheel size.

This year’s Range receives a complete redesign, giving it a more refined tubeset, size-specific geometry and a reworked suspension linkage, or as Norco calls it, “Gravity Tuned:’ The revamped suspension features a rearward axle-path in the beginning of its travel, allowing the Range to smash smoothly though fast, big, square-edged hits, providing a bit of stability when pushing through corners and G-outs, and adding a bit of anti-squat while pedaling at speed.

While this axle path helps the Norco eat up big hits and pedal well in the big ring, it bites back when climbing requires the granny ring. Every pedal stroke here causes the shock to extend to an almost distracting degree, and the bike to bounce. This could be a deal-breaker for riders who spend alot of time climbing in the small chainring.

Adding to the Range’s descending and cornering capabilities, which earned unanimous praise, are a stiff frame front-to-back and an aggressive, slack geometry. One thing we noticed on the Range was that its big-ish wheels seemed to carry speed in a rather sneaky manner. It’s like driving a new car after owning an old beater, and suddenly noticing that you are doing 25 over. We found ourselves over-clearing jumps and rocketing through technical sections without extra effort or the perception of added speed-and everything about that is a good thing.

For this category, the parts hanging off the Range are nearly flawless-it featured a short stem, wide bars, Fox 34 fork Avid XO Trail brakes, SRAM drivetrain with a Type 2 rear derailleur, Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires and a chainguide with bashguard.This is one bike that we were happy to ride straight out of the box. -RYAN LABAR

Download the full PDF Here

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The 2013 Norco Range and Sight go 650B


As you may already know the 2013 Range has been shifted over to the 650B wheel platform and the 2013 Sight is available in a 26″ model as well as the 650 “Killer” B option. These bikes are a ground up design that could very well be the ultimate in trail bike. Check out this slideshow courtesy of Vital MTB that runs through all the bells and whistles on the new bikes.

First Look: 2013 Norco Range and Sight Killer B, Made to Haul — More Mountain Bike Photos

NSMB’s Take on the 2013 Norco 650B

Words by Morgan Taylor. Photos by Morgan Taylor.

For 2013 Norco is jumping full bore into the 650B arena, going so far as to dub the new bikes “Killer-B”. The 160mm Range will now be a 650B-only bike, and the 140mm Sight has been redesigned with both 650B and 26″ versions. We were given the chance to ride both of the 650B bikes on Burnaby Mountain’s trails and skills park. While this isn’t exactly gnarly Shore terrain, I’m familiar with the trails and was able to push the bikes quite a bit.

Poring over geometry charts, I’ve noticed was that all bikes in the Norco lineup have geometry on the aggressive side of average. The Range 650B has a 66.5º head angle, while the Sight is a 67.5º in both 650 and 26. Instead of compensating for the larger wheel with a steeper head angle as you may see with other manufacturers, Norco has maintained the same numbers as the previous bikes which pushes them a bit further toward that aggressive side.

Both bikes now feature the Gravity Tune system from the Aurum, which is a different chainstay length for each of the 5 sizes. This is accomplished by locating the main pivot slightly fore or aft depending on frame size, with the intent of having good weight balance for riders of all sizes. Being a taller rider but enjoying the playfulness of a shorter rear end, I’m not yet sure what to think of Gravity Tune.

2013 Norco Sight 650B

The Sight is surprisingly nimble and hardly feels like a bigger bike than the 26″ version which I have ridden a fair amount. In fact it feels more like putting a mid-weight tire on your XC bike. I was confident blasting it into chunky sections, but it still pedaled great, and maintained momentum like a hot damn.

2013 Norco 650B Sight Range Killer-B
The 650B Sight 1 is targeted to come in at 28.5 pounds with the Reverb post and Schwalbe Nobby Nics.

2013 Norco 650B Sight Range Killer-B
The Sight 1 spec is mostly XT, including a Shadow Plus derailleur, with a splash of Race Face and a Reverb post. A Rockshox Revelation fork handles front end squish while a Fox CTD is out back.

read the full article here

Dirt Rag Magazine Takes 650 for a Spin

By Adam Newman

It can take years to design and develop a bike from scratch, as Norco has done with the Sight and Range 650b platforms, so neither design is a quick adaptation of an existing bike to catch the 650b wave expected to crest in 2013. Despite retaining Norco’s tried and true suspension design and other technologies, not a single frame tube is carried over from the 26-inch bike.

Both of the 650b models use Norco’s A.R.T. (Advanced Ride Technology) suspension platform, designed to deliver a stable pedaling platform, a rearward axle path on square-edged bumps, and improved performance under braking. The Holloform linkarm is a sturdy, one-piece unit that keeps the rear end as stiff as possible while keeping any twisting forces away from the shock. The bearings in the suspension system are held in place with a tapered collet that expands to hold the bearings by exerting equal pressure from the inside out, eliminating the single hot-spot that a slide-fit axle would subject them to as they pivot.

The two new bikes are also sized according to Norco’s Gravity Tune geometry system that uses identical swing arms on all frame sizes, but by repositioning the bottom bracket on the main triangle of each size, effectively lengthens the chainstays a small amount as frame sizes grow. This keeps a balanced weight distribution between the two wheels on all frame sizes. Norco also worked hard to achieve an incredibly low standover height, which I — and my potential offspring — appreciated on the more technical trails we rode.


read the full article here

Enter 650B – Choosing the correct wheelsize for the right bike.

When it comes to mountain bike wheel size it is difficult to see the big picture and how it all fits together. The world has been using 26″ wheels for so long that the adoption of 29″ took much longer than expected; and there are still nay-sayers on any alternative to 26″.

When it came to redesigning the 2013 Norco range it was not about building a bike around a certain wheel, but rather building a bike that is the best performing machine possible in its intended use. Wheel size came later.

Starting conceptually on a whiteboard the Range is a bike that pedals extremely well on the way up, handles the bumps on the way down and can excel pretty much anywhere in between. This is the ultimate all mountain machine. In order to make this vision a reality there were a few key aspects of design that needed to happen.

To make the Range perfect, Gravity Tune needed to be utilized. Creating a unique geometry that varies with the size of the bike can guarantee a frame that fits a rider of any height. Frame stiffness is also important. Adding a Sytace X-12 Axle, hollowform linkarm, tapered headtube and an uber-stiff tubeset helps keep it all together. Choosing the perfect geometry was also crucial as well as the integration of  A.R.T. Suspension to propel the rider up the climbs while soaking up every last bump on the decent

Taking fit, stiffness, geometry and suspension together as a whole package left a problem. Stiffness and maneuverability could not be achieved using 29″ wheels and the 26″ wheel would not have the rolling capabilities necessary to truly make this bike shine. Enter 650B.

With a 650B wheel, the XS frame can use the perfect chanstay length for the rider while the XL can accomplish the same ride characteristics in a larger sized frame. The 27.5″ wheel also gave the rolling characteristics we desired while not sacrificing our goals in strength, stiffness or an extremely long wheelbase.

Rather than rambling on for too long about this newly designed bike, we have a video for you to enjoy about the making, testing and production of the New 2013 Norco Range. Watch for more information on this and other 2013 models very soon.

video by Dan Barham