I love this bike, fast up hills, faster down, strong light weight frame, perfect for cross country or mountain climbing. I am a huge fan of this bike, This frame and setup is identical to the Rocky Mountain Fusion, which is a listed 1200 dollar bike. i bought this 2009 year model for 700. and what a deal. Great stock aluminium platform pedals. only thing better i've ridden is the rocky mountain blizzard which started at 1800. this storm is a fun fantastic ride for under 1000 bucks.
Bike Setup: Standard Deore, XT cassette 12-34t, Magura Gustav M front and rear.
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Submitted by
bryce92
a Weekend Warrior
from Kitchener
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2008
Strengths: Strong frame. Descent breaking system. Rims are good. Derailleur is good. Grips are descent(even tho I bought lock-ons). Handle bars no problems, shifters are alright, and the brake levers are good.
Weaknesses: The FORK! Rock Shox 289 is not made to last. Pedals suck, and bent(Stupid metal and plastic design). Not very many, other then the fork breaking.
Bottom Line:
It is a good cross country bike other then the forks it comes with. This could easily be turned into a dirt jumping bike, but obviously is more means to XC.
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2007
Strengths: Excellent frame (Norco uses the frame all the way up to the Fireball, very beefy and strong, not too heavy). Strong(if heavy) components, generally indestructible (especially the bombproof wheelset). Surpisingly good brakes for a low-end set of mechanical discs. Kenda Komodo tires are good in most conditions (they don't like mud or serious off-camber trails).
Weaknesses: Weight. 2006 version is heavy at ~32lbs, unlike the lighter & older versions. Doesn't climb all that well due to weight and the relaxed cockpit setup. Wheels may be bombproof but you pay a serious weight penalty for that. Hayes brakelevers are chintzy and floppy. Pedals are only good to get you home (get a real set of platforms or clipless ASAP).
Bottom Line:
The 2006 is an excellent bike for the clydesdale or the guy who prefers going downhill to climbing. A few choice upgrades (Particularly wheels for XC use, fork for Trail) will turn it into an excellent XC or Trail bike. It does scream out for a Marzocchi fork with ETA though, to drop that front end while climbing.
Note the '07 gets a lower-end drivetrain but better(hydro) brakes.
Bike Setup: Stock except for: Kalloy Uno flatbar, Rocky Mountain 120mm stem, Selle Italia NT1 saddle, RaceFace Evolve DH seatpost, ODI lockon grips, Blackspire Ring God bashring, Envy granny chainguard (1x9 instead of stock 3x9 gearing), Shimano M747 Pedals, Avid FR-5 Levers.
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Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, ON Canada
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2006
Strengths: Strong and lite. Great bike. Great components. The disc brakes stop on a dime.
Weaknesses: The pedals. I'll be replacing them very very soon.
Bottom Line:
Amazing bike. Extremely good value for money. Its my first bike with a front suspension and disc brakes, and I'm extremely impressed. It does seem like a few components could be upgraded, but it will definately work for someone who wants to start in the sport.
Bike Setup: alex rims dx 32 with maxxis 2.5 highrollers tires and hayes nine with junior ts
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Submitted by
tim
a Cross Country Rider
from New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2006
Strengths: it's light under 30 pounds, cheap, good component spec, mine came with the MZ Race fork. It's a great handling bike
Weaknesses: kenda klaw XT tires feel very heavy at slow speeds but that's easily fixed, the seat, bike tends to wander on climbs
Bottom Line:
The 2004 Norco Storm is probably one of the best bikes for the price. If you're a cross country or a trail rider looking for something cheap but reliable this bike is for you.
Submitted by
Guy TAl
a Cross Country Rider
from israel the wannabe holly land
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2006
Strengths: Downhill(i mean riding down a hill not downhill and free ride)
Weaknesses: climbs
Bottom Line:
Im talking about the 2005 bike. this bike is great!its great for everything...really delicet free ride and all mountin. for xc its good.not that good ffor xc fuz its kind of heavy. the brakes(hayes 6) really brake well but careful not to bent thim cuz their not that tough. I love the suspension. its great! the marzochhi mz comp is really great,its pretty butery(soft)but when you ride it dosnt close to much.The tires i got with the bike(kenda klaw xt) arent that great... if you have the money then switch them. their good uphill but not great... but for downhill their really great. Get this bike its great
Submitted by
Mario
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal, Quebec. Canada
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2005
Strengths: Lighweight frame, wellding is very good, full Deore, good brake, very good front fork, bike less than 30 pounds, can be upgrade for disk brake.
Weaknesses: Saddle and seat post, rims could be better.
Bottom Line:
For the price i do not think that you can find a better bike, the frame and the equipment is very good. This bike is not made for big jump and down hill riding, but for cross contry it is very good. This year 2005, i buy a Devinci Phantom, 3 times the price of the Storm and it is just a little bit better.
Similar Products Used: Norco Kokanee, Devinci Phantom, Trek 6700.
Bike Setup: Stock but upgrade the brake for Deore M475 disk brake. Took me less than 1 hour to upgrade to disk brake. The disk and galipper fit perfecly on the frame and on the Deore m475 Hubs.
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Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, AB
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2004
Strengths: Good fork, Deore rear, awesome tires grip to everything, nice sturdy 7005 Aluminum frame. Brakes work pretty well
Weaknesses: I replaced Acera front with deore, and the rims are slighty bent after XC riding. No big drops or anything. Disk ready frame and fork, just not disk ready wheels.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great value, you get the EXR comp fork as most similarly price models have Judy TT. Very good bike for beg-intermediate XC and the tires grip to everything and are also not bad for commuting. Brakes work pretty well for entry level brakes. Fork Never bottoms out, but just for wet August in Alberta, disk ready hubs would be nice, but I guess you can't ask for too much. Only 4 Chilis because the derailleur gave out after only a year and the rims are a little bent even though I haven't gone off any big drops.
Similar Products Used: Kona Fire Mountain, Trek 4500, Gary Fisher Wahoo, Jamis Cross Country, Specialized Hardrock
Bike Setup: Stock except for Deore front Derailleur, Toe clips
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Submitted by
Marc
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2004
Strengths: Cross country lightweight frame, Deore/Marzocchi/Trutative/Tektro components all in the price. Upgradeable to discs. Feels great to ride from the first pedal-push to the end.
Weaknesses: More of a disappointment than a weakness: 2004 frame is 6061 Aluminium and the 2004 is 7005. Why?
Bottom Line:
I'm 195 pounds, 6ft and want to get off-road and dirty. If I could have found a Fisher Marlin (again) or Tassajara I would have bought it immediately, but I couldn't. Fortunately I stumbled upon the Norco Storm. I am delighted with the whole Storm price/package and currently prefer it to the Marlin, which was a fantastic bike. I will update in 3 months to see if I still feel the same way, but currently this is a great bike at a great price.
Similar Products Used: Last bike was a 2002 Fisher Marlin (stolen!), tested 2004 Norco Bushpilot, 2003 Rocky Mountain Fusion, (considered Specialized Hardrock Pro, but didn't test as Norco had better components for the money)
