Submitted by
Pimp Daddy Mifsud
a Cross Country Rider
from Mt.Hope Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: July 9, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Dundas Valley trails
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Main Cycle
Strengths:
Exellent riding characteristics, and know that I have had the crappy Super Fly fork replaced with a 2000 Z2 Atom 80 the ride is butter smooth
Weaknesses:
After owning this bike for over 2 years now I have a list of broken and faulty parts. The first happening was 3 monthes into owning the bike when I had the valves and seals replaced on the air fork about a dozen times The 2nd mishap was on Canada day of 2000 when the CT2 Carbon seatpost broke in halfThe last major fault was on the frame. Three days ago I decided I should get back on the bike again, since it has been awhile since I have ridden, So I lube everything and make sure everythin is tightened up. I also took the rear brakes off to give thrm a good clean and when it was time to reinstall them the brake boss in the rear broke right off. The last little tid bit i have is about some of the crappy components on this bike that comes stock equipment such as the welded stem and seatpost
Similar Products Used:
Specialized and some Kona stuff alittle bit of everything
Bike Setup:
Full XT with XTR derailures and hubs, Race Face stem, crank, bars, seatpost. WTB saddle, Mavic 571 rims, Panaracer rubber, Z2 Atom 80 fork
Bottom Line:
Well as much as alot of crap has happened to this bike I still love it. On the other hand customer service at Norco is the absolute, #1, no doubt about it most terrible, customer service. They will probabally give me a replacement frame, but not steel, oh well, I'll just have to kill them lol!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lucas
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Date Reviewed: January 25, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$2000.00
Strengths:
Love the responsibe 853. Durable, the frame hold up crash after crash.
Similar Products Used:
Kona Kiliua
Bike Setup:
cross country oriented, suspension seat-post
Bottom Line:
It's more than a 4 of 5. It feels good and that's what matters. It's simple. It won't get stolen like some flash bike. It doesn't rust, maybe that's because I double coated it with automobile topcoat. Except for a bent seat post, I've had no problems. I outride most people on this hardtail: there must be something to that.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jamie Does it matter?
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia Date Reviewed: February 1, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Handles Great light weight climbs hills with ease and its GREEN
Weaknesses:
snapped rims second ride, frame flexes, Forks pull into frame under heavy braking
Similar Products Used:
Norco Torrent
Bike Setup:
XTR z.2 super fly Suun Rhino light Rapid rise XTR Derailer
Bottom Line:
Great light weight bike heaps of fun
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Canmore Date Reviewed: June 14, 1999
Favorite Trail:
claimer
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Cheap, color
Weaknesses:
Frame snapped after ~20 rides. All the welds are overheated.
Similar Products Used:
Zaskar LE
Bike Setup:
XTR, SID Sl, etc
Bottom Line:
Cheap frame and a good deal on the stock bike, but the welds are criminal. Melted the tubes in more than one place and the frame failed at the downtube/BB shell weld.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Breden
a Cross-Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA Date Reviewed: June 9, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Cedro Peak- Albuquerque, NM
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
Very responsive, quick bike. Climbs like an animal! Color is amazing to see in person. The web site does it no justice!
Weaknesses:
Haven't found any yet!
Similar Products Used:
Nothing I've ridden is as smooth and can compare to the Team 853!
Bike Setup:
I actually purchased the frame and used my own components and fork. I'm using a complete XT Groupo with V-brakes and Mavic 517 rims with Michelin tires. The fork is a Manitou SXR and headset is a WTB Momentum.
Bottom Line:
My favorite bike to this date! I can't say enough about how this bike feels to ride! It makes my want to leave work early and just go ride. I feel like a kid again on this ride!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex
a Cross-Country Rider
from Burnaby, BC Date Reviewed: April 13, 1999
Favorite Trail:
N/A
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Good components, handles corners well
Weaknesses:
Fork sucked. Frame is a tad bit weak
Similar Products Used:
GT Zaskar
Bike Setup:
Z-1 Drop-offs, XTR/9.0
Bottom Line:
Z-1's make it better!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pimp Daddy Mifsud
a Cross-Country Rider
from Hamilton, Ontario Date Reviewed: March 18, 1999
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
The Team 853 has a great component package with a nice fork and a great frame which comes in one colour Killer Green
Weaknesses:
the fork is hard to adjust since it run on air and the rims are sorta cheap but upgraded to Mavic 517's
Similar Products Used:
I have tried the Rockey Mountain Thin Air which is a little over priced, The Specialized XC Pro which was okay with a few questionable parts, The Thin Blue line CO2 max was a great bike as well, other than that I have looked over bikes for the past 6 monthes
Bike Setup:
The *53 came with full XTR, Race Face cranks, Marzocchi Z2 Superfly Sun rims Easton Seatpost and bars and a set of Panracer Fire XC Pro tires
Bottom Line:
This bike kicks the competitions ass and is extremely race ready. The sun rims should probabally be changed but overall thisk bike rocks. Oh and by the way don't look at the color and Say you hate it. I bought the bike for function and boy is it a sweet ride
$ 2399.00
Overall Rating:
