[lanksman]

Hi guys,

I've got this bike down to my shortlist based on budget, riding style, specs etc. I'm just wondering how they go out on the dirt as I don't have a chance to demo an XL in Perth Western Australia.

As far as I've always heard Norco are good bikes???

Be good to hear some thoughts...

Cheers :thumbsup:

 

[Universe]

I ride an 08 LT and its a fantastic bike. I can ride it with enough confidence that I'd try pretty much everything I do on my DH bike. Great company, great support and great product.

 

[ducktape]

Well since Giant has upped it's prices quite significantly I think Norco is probably the new value for money winner, I'm sure you've already compared it to a Giant Reign 1 or something to that effect.

Australian Mountainbike Magazine did a review in the latest Feb/March issue. They gave it a 8.1, with the Specialized Enduro SL Comp getting a 8.6 score and below it the Merida One-Five-O 3800D (what a mouthful) getting a 8.4
Other bikes in the same test were: Commencal Meta 6.3, Jamis Dakar XAM 1, Kona Coilair which all scored between 7 and 8.

They said the LT2 was "Deceptively capable when the terrain turns gnarly, the Norco is a smooth and controlled little character. Its supple suspension performance and great spec make it a real winner.
And like I said only the Enduro was rated higher but it's also significantly more expensive, it is however significantly lighter too (by 2kg!)

Hope that helps you somewhat!

 

[the forge.nz]

Gday
Well Im based in Karratha WA , and the only bike shop there sells only Giant on the floor , anf she said Giant had raised all their prices , I think one bike the Reign XO was going up to 4800 from 4400 or somethig to that effect. So started looking around on the internet and found the a company selling a Norco LT Fluid 2 2008 for 2500 down from 3500 , was looking at it really seriously. (The 2009 LT Fluid 2 has a disgusting lime green colour - yuk) , but alas there is only one 2008 left in a small frame , so looking at Norco Six range. Gettting harder , all the 2008 Norcos come down in price but the only frame size left is small !!!!!!! . But yeah looks like a really good bike , most of the Norco's got good MTBR recviews

 

[ducktape]

You were probably looking at TBSM? They seem to have some great sale prices on stuff (and bikes) from time to time.

I brought a Giant STP last year, it was under $2k, this year the same model with pretty much the same spec costs $2.5k! That's a 25% price rise.

I have never ridden a Norco 6, a friend of mine has one and they seem like pretty good bikes, quiet versatile, he rides pretty much "all mountain" ie goes up the hills and then bombs down the DH tracks with it. If I was in the market for a bike I'd probalby be looking at Norco as one of the major considerations.

Of course these days every penny you can save counts big time too.

 

[the forge.nz]

You were probably looking at TBSM? They seem to have some great sale prices on stuff (and bikes) from time to time.

I brought a Giant STP last year, it was under $2k, this year the same model with pretty much the same spec costs $2.5k! That's a 25% price rise.

I have never ridden a Norco 6, a friend of mine has one and they seem like pretty good bikes, quiet versatile, he rides pretty much "all mountain" ie goes up the hills and then bombs down the DH tracks with it. If I was in the market for a bike I'd probalby be looking at Norco as one of the major considerations.

Of course these days every penny you can save counts big time too.

Yeah easy to guess TBSM , any idea on freight they charge ?? Lygon cycles said 130 bucks from Vic.
Looked at the Kona Stinky , alot of people said it was kind of heavy and cornered like **** . I think the six 2 had some positive reviews - also looked at the CoilAir and Dawg as well from Kona. Butt the Norco is definitly in front at this stage , Ive been looking around and there are some pretty good deals on the Norco Six 2 2008 . Just have to hope they have one in my frame size.

BTW for frame size what size would you have for 172 cm or 5-9 inches
Cheers

 

[ducktape]

Well since I'm a female I'd tend to go for a smaller size for my height (shorter arms / legs than your average bloke). I'm 169cm and would ride a small (like 15" or 16"), my Husband is 172cm and I'd probably put him onto a Medium. Some people prefer to go for a smaller frame because it's more flickable etc. It's something you want to get right though if buying a bike sight uneen, usually you would have some point of rererence from bikes you've ridden in the past?

I've noticed your thread on Farkin (yes I'm a forum tragic) I'm sure you'll get some great feedback there, Norco doesn't seem to be as popular with people here on mtbr, whereas in Oz for DH / FR bikes a lot of people seem to be buying Giants / Norco's / Konas I guess because that's what is most widely available and affordable here.

 

[ducktape]

Oh no idea on the freight, just email them and ask. I looked at buying a Norco Rampage off them last year but I ended up going with a Giant STP. So yeah I did ask about shipping but can't remember how much it was (would have been over to WA as well, I'm down in Nannup).

 

[the forge.nz]

Well since I'm a female I'd tend to go for a smaller size for my height (shorter arms / legs than your average bloke). I'm 169cm and would ride a small (like 15" or 16"), my Husband is 172cm and I'd probably put him onto a Medium. Some people prefer to go for a smaller frame because it's more flickable etc. It's something you want to get right though if buying a bike sight uneen, usually you would have some point of rererence from bikes you've ridden in the past?

I've noticed your thread on Farkin (yes I'm a forum tragic) I'm sure you'll get some great feedback there, Norco doesn't seem to be as popular with people here on mtbr, whereas in Oz for DH / FR bikes a lot of people seem to be buying Giants / Norco's / Konas I guess because that's what is most widely available and affordable here.

Your right about bike prices. I have liked Gary Fishers for a long time , but there quite expensive here in Aus , same with Trek , Specialized , Scott and Iron Horse . I was over in the UK for a couple,of years and they have alot more variety and when your earning the pound plus a large market the prices are alot more competitve. Even carbon fibre frames were around 2500 to 3000 pounds. 1500 quid would get you a very good bike . Brands like Orange , Cube were quite popular over there and competitive with Trek , Scott etc. I just about brought my bosses o Gary Fisher Big Sur for 1000 pounds , decided to buy brand new.

Everything motwithstanding Kona and Norco seem veey adequite brands . Im probably going for the Norco Shore 3 as people on MTBR recommended it . Some said the Coilair was confused even with the excellent suspension. Norco was more adjustable.

 

[ducktape]

Not exactly what you were looking at but...

http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=159704

 

[calebwilson]

I have one!

I've had a '09 Fluid LT 2 since christmas eve. I was looking for the ultimate compromise bike: ie smash the downhills but still get up 'em. I've been really happy with it so far. I have done a fair bit of riding including XC rides, all mtn sort of stuff, urban missions etc.
So far it is awesome! When I ordered it I was unsure whether it would fulfil the XC/uphill catergory, but I am well pleased. I even raced it recently in a 2 x 50km stage race! Not the ideal racing steed, but it got there!

The travel adjustability in the fork is sweet. It makes heaps of difference lowering it down to 120mm. By dropping the front end and making the head angle a little steeper it transforms the bike. And also vice versa, giving it full travel and lowering your seat a little...whole new bike again! Rear shock is not bad either. While not heaps of adjustability, having the two air chambers is plenty to change the ride.

The spec is sweet. Not complaints there. The only hiccup with mine was it didn't come with a Joplin seatpost. It was something to do with Crankbros not making one in the correct diameter. I heard a rumour that they might end up doing this diameter...but not sure how true that is.

All up, sweet all round bike! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

 

[bdee]

caleb that is great news, glad to hear you are enjoying it!

my first norco should be here tomorrow, a used 08 Fluid LT 2. i took a risk buying it site unseen and never sitting on one but it was a great deal and the guy had the fork serviced by marzocchi due to the issues they were having with them. he also swapped out his 50mm stem for a 70mm for me, i MIGHT put a 90mm on if the 70m feels too cramped.

i've ridden/owned many all mountain bikes including a Kona Coiler Deluxe, a Kona Dawg Primo, a Santa Cruz Heckler and a Turner 5 Spot, all in the last 3 years or so. the Norco LT 2 seems like a great do it all bike for my style of riding. our rides here in so. cal consist of a decent amount of climbing to get to the rewarding singletrack. the bike weighs in at just over 32 pounds so i know i will be able to spend long days in the saddle climbing, along with the adjustable travel fork, i expect climbing to be comfortable.

being that i am 5'7 (with a 30" inseem) i was a little skeptical on the frame size i am getting, a small. HOWEVER i read up on the specs/geometry and the top tube length is very similar to that of a medium Heckler and the wheel base is actually a little longer than the Hecklers. the norco also has a taller BB which is good for clearance when spinning up some chunky trails, but also does raise the center of gravity a tad.

well, i'll be sure to post a review after i take her out for her maiden voyage, with rain expected all weekend, i might have to wait until next weekend.

here are a couple pix of it.

 

[calebwilson]

I'm sure you'll have a blast! See how you go with those stems. Due to the style of the bike it is a reasonably upright position. Like I said before tho, I did a race a few weeks back. The two days were point-to-point, 50km each. Having such a long piece of track meant there were some long climbs, like 10-15km at a time! So I reckon you'll be happy with the climbing ability! As for the downhill ability... love it! It just opens up!

 

[bdee]

caleb,

im trying to swap out the rear shock mount to the front holes but cant get the bushings/spacers loose after unscrewing those two screws, have you messed with that yet?

also, how much psi are you running in the boost chamber (smaller one)?

 

[calebwilson]

Hey,

I haven't played with the shock position yet. I want to move mine to the back position to maximise the travel and see how it goes, but one of the bolts is almost rounded out. That's a bit crap cos it came like that from the factory!

Last time I pumped up my shock I had the boost chamber at max which I think is 200 psi. However, that was because I was racing and wanted to stiffen it up. I haven't played around much with the softer side of the setup.

Hope you sort it out!

 

[bdee]

thanks dude. i ended up having to take all the bolts off of each rocker to swap the positioning of the bolts. im not sure if you can just undo those two bolts and then tap the threaded piece out with a flathead screwdriver or not. it would be a helluva lot faster than having to undo the rockers all the way.

in regards to the marz 55 tst2 fork, do you know if you can put in a stiffer spring, it seems like i will be blowing through all the travel really quick.

 

[calebwilson]

Glad you got it sorted.

I'm not sure about the spring...I have the Marz 55 ATA.

Cheers.

 

[bdee]

i just called marzocchi and spoke with mike, a tech guy. i was asking them if they make a stiffer spring for the fork and he explained to me that since my fork is an OEM version, it is more like a hybrid of the TST2 and the ATA. what this means is you can run more PSI in the air preload (fork only has one air chamber) on the bottom left. he said i could go all the way up to 200 psi if needed, but said 150 should probably suffice.