Gear Shots

Gear Shots #40

We're on it!

Date: 2008-05-01

2008 Norco Shore One
Words and photos by Dan Austin

Norco has been around for over 40 years, and anyone who has been riding as long as I have has seen Norco bikes change from fully rigid no-nonsense bikes to sophisticated high performance machines. Since the introduction of the first VPS bikes in the late '90s, Norco has been a force in the world of big mountain bikes. With the launch of the newly redesigned Shore chassis, Norco's commitment to the continued improvement and evolution of their long travel full suspension bikes is clear.

The Shore One is Norco's flagship freeride bike with a full 180mm (7”) of travel, front and rear. The intent of this particular bike is to do one thing: shred big lines. Whether you are dropping huge structures or ripping up the local North Shore-esque trail, the Shore One is like a fully trained Navy S.E.A.L. ready for action.

The 2008 Norco Shore One in all its glory, waiting patiently to rip the trails in the Okanagan.

The 2008 model year is the first run of Norco's redesigned frame, which incorporates a lower shock mount position into the four-bar suspension design. According to Norco, this from-the-ground-up redesign is targeted specifically at lowering weight and centre of gravity, increasing manoeuvrability, and maximizing strength.

The Shore comes in three versions – the Shore One, Shore Two, and Shore Three. All the frames are the same but the parts spec makes up the difference between the three. The frame is made of hyydraformed aluminum with a 150x12mm Maxle rear end, and a uniquely designed 1.5” headtube (the only obvious carryover from last year's frame).

I'm testing a Shore One that is sporting a RockShox Totem Coil to manage the front end and a Marzocchi Rocco TST-R out back to soak up the big hits. The unique headtube design on the Shore is similar to the A-line, Atomik, and the Team DH, except for the fact that the triangle behind the headtube is cut out on those bikes.

As the top-shelf version of the Shore series, the One is adorned with a full line of quality parts. The shifting is handled with SRAM's X9 trigger shifter and derailleur combo to accompany the full SRAM nine-speed drive train. As a bike designed to go down more than up, Norco has opted not to include a front derailleur on The One and has instead gone with a 36T chain ring and an E-13 SRS chain guide; the Two and Three models do come with front derailleurs, though.

Truvativ Holzfeller OCT cranks, a Howitzer BB, and DMR magnesium pedals transfer leg power to the drive train. Direction control is managed by an FSA Gravity bar and stem combo with Pro Palm lock-on grips. Braking is handled by Avid Juicy 5s with two 8” rotors. The wheel package is made up of WTB sealed bearing hubs laced to WTB Laser Disc FR 32 hole rims with DT Swiss spokes, and 2.5” Kenda Nevegal Stick-E-Rubber tires. According to Norco, the whole kit comes in at a respectable 40.5lbs. for the small. My size large One tips the scale at 43lbs. (+/-).

Out of the box, the Shore One looks ready for action – serious action - in spite of the down-spec'd Juicy 5 brakes and Rocco TST rear shock. I would have expected to see Juicy 7s or Codes and the Rocco World Cup on a top-end bike, but we'll see how these parts perform.

On a more positive note, the Shore feels pretty good in a climbing situation for such a long travel bike. At the flick of a switch, the Rocco TST-R provides a stable platform that allows most of your pedalling effort to be transferred to the ground rather than being sucked up by the rear suspension. The fact that there is no granny gear to go to definitely makes the thought of extended climbs on the Shore much less appealing, though.

With a part spec to make most people drool and a frame design that appears to keep improving, the Shore One seems to have all the ingredients a bike needs to be a hit – or at least take a few big ones. I'm excited to ride the Shore on the local trails and bike park, and see if it's all it's cracked up to be.

The Shore One comes in three sizes, S, M, L and only a grey anodized finish. MSRP for the Shore One as per Norco's web site is CDN$4,549 / US$4,299.

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2008 Trek Remedy 9
Words and photos by Cam McRae

Will it cure what ails you?

If you are a regular on nsmb.com, you will have seen this bike before. I was lucky enough to travel to Copper Canyon Mexico this past November to get a first look at the Trek Remedy - as well as some serious saddle time.


Fresh and clean before being christened with North Shore mud.

In Mexico, everything was glorious. I avoided the revenge of Montezuma, the trails were buff and the scenery was spectacular. Of course a bike is going to feel good in a setting like that. The trouble was I lacked a frame of reference. If I cleaned a climb that seemed hard, it was pretty tough to tell if I could have swept it on other bikes I'm familiar with. There were a few sections of downhill that were challenging but nothing as sustained and nasty as coming down CBC in the wet or anything on Cypress.

I really wanted to know if this bike was too good to be true. Was this the bike to propel me to the top of the North Shore mountains with maximum efficiency while not sacrificing the fun on the way down? It was time to give the bike a go chez nous - on the North Shore.

The frames in Mexico were pre-production. The one I have now is off the assembly line just like one you'll see in your local bike store. There have been a couple of other changes since we rode the bikes as well. In response to feedback from us - the ungrateful journalists who rode in Mexico - and some other folks who actually know something about bikes, Trek swapped out the Bontrager tubeless tires and installed wider bars on the large and XL size bikes.


The E2 head interface allows for a fork that taper from 1 1/8" at the stem end to 1.5" at the fork end.

The ride I received came equipped with Kenda Nevegals Stick-E 2.35 skins - with tubes even. Some Remedys (Remedies?) will arrive with Bontrager's proven Big Earl tires, of which I am a fan.

The bike features Trek's new rear pivot location called ABP or Active Braking Pivot. By placing the pivot concentric with the rear axle, Trek hopes to minimize the effect braking has on suspension action. Another innovation is 'Full Floater'. Rather than having a hard mount for the lower rear shock connection, it bolts to extensions of the chainstays. This allows Trek to tune the compression ratio for a distinct feel at different points in the compression. Out of the box this bike, sans pedals, weighed 29.5 lbs.

At this point, I don't have much to add to what I said in Mexico. I wrote about the trip generally here and the bike specifically here. You can also read guide Tyler Moore's account here.

Once I have some more North Shore kilometres on this bike, I'll come back with a verdict and help you decide if this is the 6" bike for you. Suffice to say, I am having fun getting to know the Remedy.

In Canada, the Remedy 9 will set you back $5,099 and in the US expect to pay $4,729.99. Our friends in the UK will find the Remedy 9 for £2500, and elsewhere on the Continent it'll put a €3999 hole in your wallet.

Toward the end of May, I'll be joining a group of journalists in New Hampshire to ride the new Trek Session 88, which incorporates some of the innovations you see on the Remedy. You'll get a full report shortly after that

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2008 Fox 36 TALAS RC2
Words and photos by Stuart Kernaghan

160mm forks with 20mm thru axles are becoming increasingly popular option for bike companies these days, and they're showing up on more and more trails every day. They're the Goldilocks of forks - not too long, not too short, and (hopefully) not too heavy. You can go big and still earn your turns. Match them with the right frame, and we're getting closer to that Holy Grail the bike industry seems to be chasing these days - the all-mountain bike.

When it comes to 160mm forks, you have a couple of choices. The first is air or coil spring. If you go coil, there may be a weight penalty. You may also lose out on the travel adjust option that comes with air-sprung forks, depending on the make of fork you choose. I happen to be a bit of a have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too kind of guy, so I wanted light weight and quick-and-easy travel adjust. The new Fox 36 TALAS fit the bill on all counts.

This fork was available last year, but received some major refinements in the off-season. Improvements to the 36 TALAS for '08 include a lighter (and reportedly stiffer) crown as well as a lighter lower leg design with the integrated tool-free quick release that Fox claims is the stiffest on the market. There are two models to choose from: the RC2 and the R. The RC2 that I'm testing features low- and high-speed compression adjustments, while the R doesn't. Both forks use an air spring and have external rebound adjustment.

There's a lot of technology incorporated into the 36 TALAS, including 36mm stanchions, Fox's own tool-free 20mm thru axle system, an integrated cable guide (no more zip ties!), and post-mount disc brake tabs. Weight for the RC2 was 5.15lbs. with an uncut steerer on the official nsmb.com scale.


For those who don't know, TALAS stands for Travel Adjust Linear Air Spring. Fox incorporates a second chamber in the fork's air spring to give it a more linear, coil spring-like feel rather than the progressive feel that accompanies a standard air spring. Riders can adjust fork travel by moving a switch at the top of the left leg counterclockwise and decreasing travel and ride height in 30mm increments from 160mm to 130mm and finally 100mm.


The tool-free quick release system makes changing a flat simple, while the TALAS switch on the left fork leg drops the front end for climbs.

Dropping your fork 60mm will substantially alter the head tube angle and make climbing a "big" bike more manageable, which is a very nice thing on short, steep hills. A particularly impressive feature of the TALAS system is that it automatically adjusts pressure in the chambers to ensure the fork feels the same in each of the three travel positions.

Stay tuned for a full report on the 36 TALAS. I plan to put the fork through its paces on XC epics, Shore excursions, and maybe even a road trip to that other great riding Mecca in los estados unitos.

MSRP for the 36 TALAS RC2 is US$1,025. Check with your local Fox dealer for Canuck pricing.

 

New bikes are pretty sexy, aren't they? Want to share your online lust? Take it to the boards.

Previous Gear Shots

  • Gear Shots #56 - VHoldr Contour HD POV vid camera, Kona CoilAir Supreme, and the Mace NOS Short
  • Gear Shots #55 - Rocky Mountain Flatline Unlimited, Dakine Apex hydration pack and Whistler Mountain Biking guide book
  • Gear Shots #53 - 2009 Norco Fluid LT2, Geax Booze Light tires and size XXL Dakine gloves
  • Gear Shots #52 - We check out the Specialized Big Hit III, Manitou Dorado first rides, and the SKS Airchecker digital tire gauge
  • Gear Shots #51 - 2009 Manitou Dorado fork, Fox 32 TALAS RLC 150 fork and the WTB LaserDisc Trail 15mm wheel / wheelset
  • Gear Shots #50! - Some stuff to dream about while we wait for the snow to melt around here...
  • Gear Shots #49 - Sugoi Majik shell jacket, Chromag Fubar OSX handlebar and Ranger stem, Point One Racing spacers and integrated stem
  • Gear Shots #48 - Fox, RockShox, Chromag - 2009 Fox TALAS RC2 fork, RockShox Vivid 5.1 rear shock, Chromag Bikes saddle / seatpost / collar
  • Gear Shots #47 - 2009 Norco Vixa, Specialized's Command Post, Fox Teknik jacket
  • Gear Shots #46 - Dakine Stormrider glove, Topeak Mini 18 tool, Gravity DH stem
  • Gear Shots #45 - Mongoose, Transition, and Sugoi - We're on the Mongoose Pinn'r 2009, a Transition Revolution wheelset, and in Sugoi Hans shorts...
  • Gear Shots #44 - Race Face, Straitline and Bell - A new stem and bar from Race Face, Straitline's new stem and Bell's Drop helmet
  • Gear Shots #43 - Trek, Giro & Crumpler - 2009 Trek Session 88, Giro Convert sunglasses and the Crumpler Mahoubar messenger bag
  • Gear Shots #42 - Race Face Atlas FR Crankset, WTB LaserDisc Trail Wheelset, and Garmin Edge 705 GPS unit
  • Gear Shots #41 - 2008 Norco Fluid One LT, Gravity Dropper Turbo Seatpost, and Dakine Step Down and Stitch Jerseys