Tag Archives: truax

Heading to the Candy Store (figuratively)

Ryan_Truax Post by Ryan Leech

Ryan_Truax

A few days back I head over to Port Coquitlam and visited the Norco Bicycles Headquarters. As you can imagine this is a bit of a candy store and I left wheeling a shiny new Truax; good deal eh! It’s built up with a Shimano XTR kit which makes it the ultimate aggressive (but still very light and climbable) North Shore weapon. The perks of being a Factory Team rider go so much further than bikes though, I also picked up my Carnet which are the official documents I use when crossing into the US with my trailer, a HUGE help! They fixed my commuter bike’s wheel, they introduced me to the new faces in the graphics department, passed me some new team shirts, and asked if I needed to order any new parts for my trials bike. It’s one thing to have a sponsor that just throws you some free gear and cash, but another thing when they actually take the time to help you with all the little details that makes being a pro possible. Thanks Norco!

Now it is time to head out and ride my new Truax!

Ryan

Burning up the trail on a Truax

Norco has been making strides as of late with the introduction of a new design language, new models and pushing the envelope in the performance of their bikes in 2012. With the introduction of the upstart Aurum line, the Truax fills the free-ride category and brings a stacked hand to the table…but does it beat the house or fold?

The Truax fills the gap between an all-mountain pedal machine and the race-ready Aurum coming in with 180mm of travel and the “Two” sports a journeyman component kit that doesn’t break the bank and still gives ride after ride reliability. Coming in middle-of-the-road on pricepoint and components, the Truax excels at everything else from it’s rigid frame to workhorse kit, the Truax takes a beating and still wants more.

Read the full review at trailburn.ca

Are you looking for a Freeride Bike? The Truax Could be it.

Dirt Rag Magazine took a stab at riding the Norco Truax and it turns out that they really liked it. Cited as the next generation in the evolution of freeride “The Truax stands out in the crowd of 170-180mm travel bikes.” If you are thinking that a new freeride bike is in your future then have a look at the Truax. It could be just the bike you had in mind.

Download the pdf here.

The Truax up Close and Personal From the Roots of the Shore

Norco’s roots are in British Columbia Canada at the base of Vancouver’s North Shore. In fact, a large part of Norco’s continued success can be attributed to the iconic “Shore” model that evolved from 2001 to 2011. The successor of the Shore is the Norco Truax and it seems only fitting that NSMB have a kick at reviewing this evolution in Norco’s interpretation of freeride.

The Truax spent a good bit of the summer on Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, performing ‘self-access gravity riding’ (Norco’s term) duties, as well as punching out Whistler bikepark laps. The ‘freeride’ label fits the bike, though that moniker seems to be of fading relevance. Perhaps ‘big hit trailbike with bike park inclinations’ is an effective descriptor, if a bit cumbersome. Regardless, this is a long travel bike of burly build, with perfectly capable climbing abilities despite its not so svelte girth. Speaking of which, listed weight is 36.3lbs; my scale indicates 37.5lbs for my medium example. Unfortunately, optimistic weight claims are not unexpected in this industry, but I like to be pleasantly surprised by accuracy occasionally.

read the full article at nsmb.com

Ryan’s First Ride With the Norco Truax

Happy Early Christmas to a spoiled Pro-Rider! A brand new Norco Truax, decked with the best of Shimano and Rock Shox. Oh how that hard knock life turned buttery smooth on my first ride out…

A factory team custom build :-)

Post Build Smile

Last year, I requested one go-go-gatchet trail bike, it was delivered in the form of a Norco Range. For 2012, I thought I’d add some variety. My two bikes of choice are The Revolver (for which I’m still in lively anticipation of), and The Truax. Jay Hoots = Truax, yes; but Ryan Leech < Truax. In other words, I’m not worthy of it’s magnificence (Jay, that means I’m not worthy of you too brotha!).

My first interpretation of the name is based on the fact that it’s a Shore style bike, and the Shore is dense with trees, and you need a True Ax if you want any hopes of navigating and surviving out there. You gotta have the right tool, at least that’s what Dad always said. Good luck with that argument kids ;-) My silly interpretations aside, the real reason is that an employee summited Mt. Truax, a 9450 foot peak near Bralorne, BC.

My first ride was solo, roll on the road for 10 minutes, hit the trails at Burnaby mountain for a climb up and rip down. Sunny skies with lingering mud made for a true break in blast.

Pedaling up proved true to the ART suspension platforms claim that a rearward rear wheel axle path combined with pedaling eliminates unwanted pedal bob. Seems that the leg energy I saved transfered directly into grinnage on the way down Gear jammer; the pleasing ease of bump compliance is due partly for the same reason it pedals up so nicely, a rear wheel axle travel path gets the wheel out of the way faster on sharp hits, good deal indeed.

The bike isn’t the only one absorbing

Now, it would be easy for a technoweenie to overindulge in the marvel of such a well balanced red beauty, but for a true experience, the scenery needs to be acknowledged by stopping every now and then to oogle at more than the bike. This isn’t a race bike, drop down into a Norco Phaser or up to an Aurum if youre concerned with times; but havin’-a-time on this bike in the forest means feeling the air and wind on the skin, smelling rotting logs, listening to birds and the tree branch rustle, acknowleding passers by, sensing the interconnectedness of the delicate ecosystem that functions with such effortlessly ease. This kind of tuning-in brings another layer of free to the freeride experience. Ride ON!

Post Ride Grinnage with Grime

Pinkbike With Some Highlights From Interbike

Norco caught up with the crew at pinkbike during Interbike this year to run through a few of the new bikes for 2012. In true Pinkbike style a left curve was thrown in when talking about the Norco Truax and it’s history. Really, the clip is about the history of freeride and the evolution of the category. This is one of three videos though running through the Sight, Revolver and Truax. Check out the article and the videos at pinkbike.com

NSMB.com gives its thoughts on the Norco Truax

The new 7″ travel frame is aesthetically impressive – some very sophisticated tube shaping, and well thought out detailing. Though I typically heap scorn on gratuitous noodly tube torturing, I actually like the lines on this frame. The move to an uninterrupted seat-tube design is a significant improvement in my eyes – aesthetically and functionally, though seatpost drop is still limited by a mid tube bend. Norco is still licensing Horst Link FSR technology from Specialized, but it’s now implemented in a tidier package. In addition to a pile of shapely hydroformed tubes, the frame sports several new modern niceties including a tapered headtube, post mount rear brake, and a Syntace X-12 through axle.

read the full post at nsmb.com

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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2012 Norco Aurum downhill mountain bike

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