Norco Sasquatch Freeride Hardtail

4.6/5

(153 Reviews)

Write a review

MSRP : $1180.00

Product Description

Norco trail / AM / back country hardtail with custom 6061 tube shapes with a hydroform downtube, forged yoke and integrated headset
Rockshox Sektor trail fork with 140 mm travel and 20 mm through hole dropouts
Shimano Deore 9 speed with Shimano M-575 hydraulic disc brakes

Review Options: Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

Reviews 1 - 15 (153 Reviews Total)

| Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Herbie

Date Reviewed: May 17, 2013

Strengths:    Very strong frame. Stock components are mostly good quality.

Weaknesses:    Very heavy (35 lbs). The RockShox Sektor U-Turn fork is annoying - see below.

Bottom Line:

This review pertains to the 2011 model. I like everything about the Sasquatch aside from the fork. It's heavy, of course, but that isn't necessarily an issue for the type of riding the bike is designed around.

About the RockShox Sektor U-Turn, my issue with it is the spring coil. The stock coil is medium stiffness, according to SRAM's rider weight chart; medium coil is targeted towards riders between 160 and 180 pounds. I am 6' and 205 pounds with my equipment on. The medium coil is much too soft for me. Now in order adjust the stiffness of the fork, you have to purchase a new coil. Ideally I would like to order the blue (Firm) one but no one seems to stock it for the 140mm version. Local bike shops do not carry these coils so I will have to order, potentially internationally, just to fix this issue.

It's partly my fault. I didn't realize the fork was not adjustable via air pump as all of my previous forks have been. So buyer beware about that. If you're in the recommended weight range, I think this fork is perfectly adequate. If you are interested in riding technical terrain beyond the Sektor's ability to handle, you'll probably want a higher end bike on the whole anyway.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Downhilldude15

Date Reviewed: September 23, 2012

Strengths:    Its pretty strong , handled well , decent price

Weaknesses:    I cracked 2 of them , one at the seat tube and the other i snapped the brake mount of and cracked at headtube . but i was hitting 15ft+ drops on them ..

Bottom Line:

good if your going to ride light free-ride but if you want to go big on a hardtail , get a banshee morphine!!

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Ollie_bar a Downhiller from England the midlands

Date Reviewed: January 13, 2011

Strengths:    Everything! So Strong/ Mega Light! The perfect bike for all types of riding!

Weaknesses:    Nothing to be found! I love this bike. Only thing is it wasn't a full suss DH Bike of which i needed. Otherwise i'd still have this Beaut.

Bottom Line:

The best Hardtail out their. If your looking for a super light carbon xc bike then maybe not but if you want it for any other reason then get this. You would not believe how strong this frame is! If you watch Top Gear then this is the equivalent of a Toyota Hilux!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Cwm Carn

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $700.00

Purchased At:   Leisure Lakes Cycles

Similar Products Used:   Nothing comes close apart from maybe a Kona Shred 2008

Bike Setup:   Halo SAS', SLX Cranks, Truvativ stem and handle bars. Stock forks (Z1) Avid Juicy 3's 203mm rotors, Saint cassette, deore gears.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Med25125 a Weekend Warrior from Luxembourg

Date Reviewed: October 21, 2010

Strengths:    Versatile, strong, fun, good looking

Weaknesses:    Heavy, pedals, transmission, fork cartridge, seat post and seat

Bottom Line:

Beside the X5 rear derailleur and the pedals (too slippery for me), the bike can be used as-is. As I use the bike for light freeride as well as for cross country, I had to replace the original seat and seat post to be able to pedal more than a couple of miles. Note that they are OK for freeriding, dirt or street. I swapped most of the components from my other bike. Frame geometry makes the bike stable and safe going down hill, no matter how steep ! It brakes and it grips in the corners. To go up hill is physical due to short stem and high weight (15,9 kg with my current set up, quite heavy for a hard tail). 55 RS (160 mm) fork is rigid and strong but a poor performer: my next upgrade will be its cartridge (most likely a crconception). All the other stock features of the bike are perfectly adapted and functional. As for the weight, more than 1kg could be saved by changing the fork, the wheels and the cassette, but that would be expansive, though the frame deserve it. Thanks to its amazing frame and good components for a limited price, it is a good candidate for upgrades. If you want one bike for all, it is this one !

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Terres Rouges, Cloos

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $1250.00

Purchased At:   Schütz

Similar Products Used:   Da Bomb, Kona hard tails (don't remember the models)

Bike Setup:   2009 size M stock with following upgrades: X7 triggers, X9 rear derailleur, Thomson seat post, Fizik Gobi Kium, DK Iron Cross Pedals

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by jordfb a Downhiller from Montreal, Quebec, Cananda

Date Reviewed: October 18, 2010

Strengths:    Nice frame, good brakes and discs(Hayes nine), looks nice, rides great, i really like it and it goes really well!

Weaknesses:    Not so good fork (z1 sport RV)

Bottom Line:

I love this bike!!!!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Bromont

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $350.00

Purchased At:   Lespac.com

Bike Setup:   Normal setup

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Norco Boy a Downhiller from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date Reviewed: September 3, 2010

Strengths:    I have had this bike since i bought it brand new and ride it almost everyday..despite the constant beating it takes..its still like new. (regular tune and clean after every ride). This bike is supposed to be meant for light freeride/cross country but i use it for park freeride and light downhill and it takes that no problem. Its a awsome bike and its solid but amazingly light.i havent had any serious problems with it so far.

Weaknesses:    The only problems ive had are the Avid Juicy 3's wich keep getting contaminated and losing stopping power. also the forx make alot of noise but once they get broken in and set up properly they are okay and quite good. also the stock pedals suck and should be replaced.

Bottom Line:

For new riders this is an exellent transition bike into the worl of more difficult riding. dont get me wrong though this is a great bike for expirienced riders as well. This bike will correct any mistakes that you make and overall is one of the best bikes ive owned. This isnt a downhill bike so unless you know what your doin dont use it for it. i do but you need to go slow..its a hardtail and doesnt take drops and techmical stuff like my atomik.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Kamikaze

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $800.00

Purchased At:   King Street Cycles

Similar Products Used:   kona shredder

Bike Setup:   all stock but DJ pedals and new kenda nevegal tires.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by peer preasure a Weekend Warrior from maple ridge

Date Reviewed: June 27, 2010

Strengths:    bomb proof, stops very fast, lightweight, good fork, good gear ratio, great cranks, awsome tyres, and great grips

Weaknesses:    rims bend easy if you dont maintain them

Bottom Line:

if you are looking for a trailbike, a freeridebike and a dirt jumper all in one... get the sasquatch

p.s. its an 2007 and on the fork it says freeride only and no downhill or dirt jump....thats bs....if you want it for jumps, get a frame 1 size smaller cuz it wil make it lighter.
dont buy the bike if all you want to do is dirt jumps because you will get a taco tire in hours

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   blood donor

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $800.00

Purchased At:   whistler

Bike Setup:   stock except new grips, new front tyre (nokian gazzalodi g 2.6) new pedals that cut my leg open like a razor blade

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Bigfoot a Downhiller from chilliwack, bc

Date Reviewed: May 1, 2010

Strengths:    This bike is awesome! The marzocchi shock is great. It shifts cleanly, and is sturdy as anything.

Weaknesses:    I haven't found anything wrong with the bike at all since purchasing it.

Bottom Line:

This bike is simply awesome. It is perfect for someone getting into downhill riding. It will take anything that you throw at it. You will definitely get your moneys worth out of it. Relatively speaking it is pretty cheap the way mountain bikes go and will do what you need it to every time. You're no going to have to be pushing this beast out of the bush anytime soon!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   dilemma

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $450.00

Purchased At:   craigslist

Similar Products Used:   none

Bike Setup:   2005 norco sasquatch stock......Marzocchi front shock (5 inches travel), deore front and back derailers, sun rims, 26 by 2.35 tires, hayes 9 hydrolic disc brakes, 8" rotors

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by hummeho a Downhiller from Fraser lake b.C. Canada

Date Reviewed: December 16, 2009

Strengths:    this bike has seen more crashes and scratches then any other bike i have ever seen 20 foot drop rapped my head around A tree and the bike got a scratch this bike is industictiable !!!!!!!!!!

Weaknesses:    update rims and breaks from stock breaks go with Jucy 5s they work great and rims i went with a sun rim double wide front and a single track in the back. shocks i have Manitou Stance

Bottom Line:

this bike is industrictable i love this bike and i am 15 years old lets get rideing boys (and Girls)

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Nithi Mountian

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $500.00

Bike Setup:   DH and dropping

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by downhooligan a Downhiller from UK

Date Reviewed: December 7, 2009

Strengths:    The frame is great for holding pictures in a decorative manner

Weaknesses:    It looks like mushy peas and cum mixed in a bucket.

Bottom Line:

Where am I? Who are you? In general I see nothing here worth ever really needing to do whatever I can go as far to be.

I once had a bicycle similar to the one depicted above, it was very good, very heavy and smelt a bit fungal. I seem to remember mostly the dirt getting into my left nostril, which coincidently is my only nostril. There was mucky mess mess everywhere, and there was nothing we could do to remove it other than to ride for the hills, never to stop for the wind was the only remover of mucky mess mess. But a dilemma faced us, as the more we rode; the more mucky messy messy we would get. Thus creating an inevitable shiyte-storm of perpetual poo.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Backyard wrestling.

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $800.00

Purchased At:   eGay.co.uk

Similar Products Used:   A spoon, a leather strap and a hypodermic needle.

Bike Setup:   2 x 9v batteries (Duracell).

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by roirs a Downhiller from North Bay Ontario Canada

Date Reviewed: August 6, 2009

Strengths:    super strong, looks sick, good components

Weaknesses:    55rs might hydralock. cassettes messed up

Bottom Line:

I love this bike, i can downhill, dj, street or xc with this bike and it works great. looks really good to. i drop 10 foots drops daily and i havent had a problem yet.
id recommend this to anyone who dosent mind a little bit of a heavier bike.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used: 1 Year

Purchased At: North riders!

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by kyzzer a Weekend Warrior from Canada

Date Reviewed: July 9, 2009

Strengths:    Strong Frame,Marz 55r are really plush with 140 to 160mm of travel, The overal feel of the bike is great, 7 inch Shimano M485 hydros are OKAY, Very forgiving, and I say very.

Weaknesses:    cant find any yet, other than its a tad heavy

Bottom Line:

Great bike for anything and very forgiving with a great price and amazing components.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Don Valley

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $1050.00

Purchased At:   Cycle Path

Similar Products Used:   Norco Manik, norco Bigfoot, Norco Rampage, Kona Stuff

Bike Setup:   08 Sasquatch Marzocchi bomber 55 R fork, with 160mm travel and rebound adjust - 6061 Alloy heavy duty shore inspired tubing and geometry, hydraform DT, milled HT, chainstay yoke - Shimano M485 hydraulic disc brakes with 7” rotors - Shimano Deore rear derailleur - Shimano Alivio shifters

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by samnasset a Downhiller from Missoula, MT, USA

Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009

Strengths:    2008 model. Super heavy duty frame, most components (forks, brakes, gears, etc) very nice for the price of this complete bike. This thing is bombproof; no flexing, and it jumps like a champ.

Weaknesses:    Weight. The medium frame is listed at 35 lbs, and I ride an XL, so its gotta be sitting close to 40 lbs. That seems pretty heavy for a hardtail. Seat is noisy. The front forks started leaking after less than a year.

Bottom Line:

I friggin' love this bike. Granted, I don't have much to compare it to. This is my first "real" mountain bike and it has performed beautifully. It took a little while to get used to the weight, but that just helps you build strength. Now, it doesn't bother me at all, and its nice to have that extra weight when I'm bombing downhill. I was looking at similarly priced full suspension bikes, but you really get lousy components. This has Marzocchi 55r forks, which are pretty nice for the price, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, Shimano shifters and deraileur, Cane Creek headset, etc. Besides the shocks leaking after less than a year, all the components have worked great. Plus, if you actually ride uphill before you bomb, this hardtail climbs pretty darn well. I swear you won't be disappointed with this bike.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $1160.00

Purchased At:   The Bike Doctor

Bike Setup:   stock

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by lamar_air a Weekend Warrior from Ontario, Canada

Date Reviewed: May 6, 2009

Strengths:    Great value, solid frame, nice geometry for technical riding, looks great. Kenda Nevegal Stick-E tires roll nice and have awesome grip on bedrock but sidewalls are a bit thin so i'm using a downhill tube on the rear tire.

Weaknesses:    Hussefelt cranks can be a bit troublesome but they're under warranty for 2 years. Mine wouldn't stay tight and eventually wore the spline so were replaced under warranty (this is not uncommon - they say its because they weren't torqued properly, i over torqued them and they still wouldn't stay tight). Handlebars look solid but bend fairly easily.

Bottom Line:

Really happy with this purchase! About 100 rides in the past 2 years on this bike. Really impressed and feels really solid except for the warranty replacement on the cranks but that was a simple process to get new ones. Definitely recommend this bike to anyone doing freeriding or hardcore xc riding. I'm considering buying a second one even though i don't need it!

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $1140.00

Purchased At:   1140 CDN in April 20

Similar Products Used:   Devinci Hucker, Kona Cyclone, GT, Brodie.

Bike Setup:   Stock 2007 model. Identical to 2009 model but Hayes 9 hydro 8" brakes and the 2009 model has an additional gusset at the seat post-rear triangle. Machined aluminum 3/16" bash ring. ODI lock-on grips. Shimano clipless pedals.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Kyle..Dahms a Weekend Warrior from Montreal,Quebec,Canada

Date Reviewed: April 21, 2009

Strengths:    *The frame is solid like rock and almost as heavy.
*The Marz 55r are really plush with 140 to 160mm of travel.
*The overal feel of the bike is great.
*7 inch Shimano M485 hydros are OKAY.
*Very forgiving, and I say very.
*Can do anything with it.

Weaknesses:    *My Sasquatch had defective brakes, but my LBS replaced them for free.
*The seat is horrible.
*This bike has almost no weaknesses but its a bit heavy, so uphill is harder.

Bottom Line:

If you want to do anything with a hardtail then this is your bike. For the newbie riders out there this bike is easy to ride and very forgiving, in such a way that mistakes made while jumping or downhiling with this bike are corrected by themself. Compared to similarly priced bikes, this Norco is well garnished. If there is one thing that I could say to help you consider buying this bike is that its invicible. So go up to your mom, bend slightly, look her directly in the eyes, display the puppy dog face and tell her:I love you, I want a Norco Sasquatch.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Mont-Royal, Bromont

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $1000.00

Purchased At:   Castonguay Cycles

Similar Products Used:   Ironhorse (no name bike), Specialized Hardrock, and Rockhopper, Norco Wolverine

Bike Setup:   *2008 Brown colour
*Stock, but plan on changing the seat soon.

Reviews 1 - 15 (153 Reviews Total)

| Next 15

Review Options: Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

Norco Sasquatch Freeride Hardtail

Product Description

User Reviews

Related Sasquatch Forum Posts

Niner JET 9:

2012 Niner AIR 9: