Submitted by
vp$_rider
a Weekend Warrior
from canada
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2008
Strengths: the bike is amazing , its GREAT for downhill it stays on the ground at all times ( unless you hit a jump ofcourse ) VERY plush , the bike is also great for freeride but it is very plush and bottems out alot but its still amazing , for cross country it good but the bike is really heavy.. dirtjumps are fun and great but if theres too much lip it just absorbes all of the lip... and street no doupt ..its pretty bad...
Weaknesses: weight. my bike weights arround 50 pounds ( you could make it lighter)
Bottom Line:
the bike is bombproof. throw it at anything and its gonna treat you good the frame is literaly impossible to snap you could do jaw drop and the frame would survive ( probly no tthe other parts on the bike ) but i think that this bike is great and deserves a 5 out of 5 .
Bike Setup: 2005 norco vps a-line,05 888rc,snafu pedals,26" front double track and a 24" double track in the rear.hfx 9's,dhx 3.0
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Submitted by
JasonH
a Downhiller
from Seattle Washington
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2008
Strengths: The weight of the bike deffinantly makes up for this. The park is a tank and nothing feels loose or poorly built. I has all the travel you need to huck big drops and jumps.
Weaknesses: I bought it used in immaculate condition and a few of the main problems i do not have with this. Some people complain about rim stregnth being not so good but i have a different set on that are better and more durable. I also have a need set of cranks because those tend to come loose on the stock set. Other than that, the bike is extremely solid and these things shouldnt shy you away from this bike. The rims may seem "crappy" when you have ridiculously strong bombproof rims they make these days.
Bottom Line:
Diffinantly worth the money paid. I feel confident taking it off a 15 foot no problem and the only thing holding me back more is fear. The bike is literally a tank and is super solid. The weight doesnt seem like a problem to me but your probably better off pushing it up the hill than riding up it. BOTTOM LINE: GO BUY IT!
Weaknesses: Deore derailleur/shifter Stock springs fork & shock to soft for my weight
Bottom Line:
Irode this bike form the stock version for 5 months while adding upgrades and other than some ghost shifting in the gear train and the problems associated with to soft spring rates because of my weight, (230lbs's)this bike has been bomber, 12-15ft drops, gaps, skinnies & steeps all were ridden with confidence. Originally bought the bike cheap for the frame, fork & geometry kept the shock and tried differ'nt combo's of spring rates settling for 600# on the rear and xtra firm upfront. Upgrades to the drive train smoothed out the shifting, and adding a top-notch set wheels sets this apart from the store bought Aline...... This bike now slays, just point and shoot
Similar Products Used: vps aline, and the shore tree
Bike Setup: new tires, new grips and if it matters i high psi level in the rear shock and alot more fluid in the fork
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Submitted by
george
a Weekend Warrior
from iroquois, ontrio
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2006
Strengths: solid frame, decent shock
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
The bike is a blast to ride even though it wieghs in at just under 50 lbs. I have built it up with some high end parts so it doesn't really compare to the stock bike but I have riden a stock a-line and they are a lot of bike for the money ($3499 cnd mrsp)
Similar Products Used: devinci magma, specialized fsr w/ betd link
Bike Setup: bought frame and shock only & built it up with mavic 729s on gold hadley hubs,diabolus bar stem & cranks, raceface lock on grips, syncros deep cup headset, 888 vf2, avid juicy 5s w/8" rotors, e.thirteen srs chainguide, hollsfeller pedals, X9 shifter & rear deraileur and a snafu bmx seat on a bonteger sport seat post ( soon to be replaced with a easton havoc post)
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Submitted by
CHRIS
a Downhiller
from MONTREAL,CANADA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2006
Strengths: FRONT SUSPENSION AND REAR SHOCK IS OF THE HOOK!!! BRAKES ARE DIALED IN, NO PROBLEMS.
Weaknesses: REAR DEREILLEUR(SHIMANNO DEORE) IS CRAP. EXPLODED ON RELATIVELY SMALL DROP.RETURNED TO NORCO AND SWITCHED TO SRAM X9. BIKE IS GREAT GOING DOWNHILL, BUT HARD TO ACCELERATE ON EVEN GROUND.BROKE A FEW SPOKES ON FIRST RUN. NOT TO IMPRESSIVE.
Bottom Line:
STILL AN EXCELLENT PURSHASE, ONLY WISH FOR THE PRICE THAT NORCO COULD HAVE DONE SIMILAR TO DH MODEL IN TERMS OF DRIVETRAIN PARTS. STILL PLANNING ON GOING TO WHISTLER THIS SUMMER. GOOD RIDING TO YOU ALL!!
Bike Setup: STOCK EXEPT FOR THE UPGRADE ON REAR DEREILLEUR AND GEAR SHIFTER.
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Submitted by
Adam Rostron
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2006
Strengths: Nice frame, very light for its strength. Forks and rear suspension,
Weaknesses: im only small 5 foot 10 and about 65kg.. I cant get the rear shock soft enough for my liking. And the shimano deore derialier is a piece of crap, write out of the box it bounced up and hit my frame. would have liked to pay the extra for sram
Bottom Line:
very nice bike.. great for downhill, handles very well. great for doing drops. very hard to get speed for jumps takes alot out of u. unless u have a hill to get u the speed its hard. you cant get a better bike for the same amount of money.
Similar Products Used: craftworks frm 125 (888rc) and giant ac2 (boxer race and fox vanilla rc)
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
Dave Callejas
a Weekend Warrior
from Sudbury
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2006
Strengths: Awsome frame Good rims Very stiff Comfortable in the air Nothing is to big.
Weaknesses: I destroyed the rear hub on my first season The front fork is a bit soft the chain guard really isn't working for me I cant ride street in anything higher than 5th When you need to pedal into a jump this bike takes it out of you
Bottom Line:
Man from the moment i sat on this bike in the store i was hooked. My test ride in Toronto was awsome and every day of riding has been fanominal. I'm in love with this machine. You really cnt describe the feeling of this bicycle unless you ride it. Its flys off drops and rips onto tranies. Downhill riding is supurb and it even gives it on the street. If you can get your hands on one of these i would defenitly concider it. Look into a good guide and guard though. If you need info e-mail me. arsenic-33@hotmail.com
Similar Products Used: I cant really compair this bike
Bike Setup: Stalk but soon to be customized
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Submitted by
Broc Fraser
a Downhiller
from Kamloops BC Canada
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2006
Strengths: Burly Frame that can handle anything you throw at it. TONS of travel!!! Ready to ride, ride out of the box.
Weaknesses: Truvativ Box Guide....The box part fell off the first day. It is on A-line somewhere :P. Rims are a bit weak. 888's non adjustable.
Bottom Line:
Everybody who loves to go out and ride their bike without haveing to make any adjustments or tuning, should go get an a-line. This bike is absolutely amazing..LOVE IT!
Bike Setup: 05 A-line frame, marzocchi 888vf's, Fox DHX 3, etc.
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Submitted by
Dave
a Downhiller
from Quispamsis NB canada
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2006
Strengths: Beautiful frame, very nice parts for the price. it was set up perfect for me almost right off. the 888vf felt tuned for me. 9" of travel feel nice at high speed. one hing i noticed as soon as i was on the bike for a week is how it corners. its like an F1 car. i had a Bighit dh before this, and it cornered like a truck that was past its prime. get at least the frame if you can, people really shouldnt bash this sweet ride
Weaknesses: Wish it had the team dh dropouts but its ok, 12mm is 12mm. shimano drivetrain. deores about the same price as an X-7 set up i think and even if not i would have paid an extra 100 bucks for it to have the sram gear. wheels and chain guide were on the level but i ould have prefered something more. they have however fixed these complants on the 06 model.
Bottom Line:
this bike is faster than anyother dh bike norco has but out other than the team DH. and since its the same frame as the team, theres a good reason for that. it made me faster and more confident than any other bike i had before. it paves the ground like its flat and like i said, corners like a bike that would cost twice what this one was. Bravo norco for really coming though with a sweet package. the first 2 alines were acceptable but this truly a class in all its own. theres not a bike in the same price range that could even touch the a-line in speed/spec/the ability to race a a high level and kick a** at it
Bike Setup: Frame: 05 norco Aline Fork: 03 Manitou Dorado Wheels: MTX Hubs: Hadley Rear/ Stock front drivetrain: X-7
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Submitted by
wirimu Fraser
a Downhiller
from Gold Coast Australia
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2006
Strengths: good big frame, strong components, feels good at speed and stable in the air, just take ya time to set it up right put some decent rubber a pair of lock on grips and a slightly longer stem and bash guard and bobs ya mothers sister boyfriends fathers bestfreind
Weaknesses: no adjustment on the forks, keep bottoming out on bigger hits got more oil added fixed the problem but only for a few months.. no bash gaurd, no sealed hub on the front and i keep cracking the lock nut on the rear wheel...
Bottom Line:
good bike to get u up and flying.. looks good rides good and isn't a giant(theres way to many of those around)
