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Norco
All-Mountain Bikes 2007 |
After I reviewed Norco's 2006 dedicated all-mountain bike (the Fluid One) I was a bit hesitant to take a run at the 2007 version. How much more can one say about a bike after all? Fortunately Norco didn't rest on its laurels and the Fluid One underwent a series of changes. When the 2007 catalogue was unveiled it turned out that Norco had decided to split their all-mountain line into two parts - all mountain free-ride and all-mountain xc.
In the 2006 review, I made no bones about my skepticism of what I viewed as marketing optimism. However, that year's bike had made me a believer after testing in demanding terrain and conditions all over the province. I expressed some misgivings over parts specifications and noted the cross-country bias of that year's Fluid One - but I was sold on its versatility. This time around I decided to hold a 2007 Fluid One and a 2007 Six One up to the light and see how they compare.
I've already talked a bit about the 2007 Norco Fluid One in a previous Gear Shots, so here now are my impressions on the Norco Six One. As context, I've owned some vintage Norco VPS "big" bikes; from the red and black VPS 2, then the first generation 2001 edition Norco Fluid One, then last year's Norco Six. All my previous Norco big bikes have shared one similar trait; they were fun on the downhill but frankly mediocre climbers - all being "big-boned" (high 30s to 40 lbs or so) and with too-slack head angles.
The 07 Norco Six One is different. It is slightly lighter weighing
in at 35 pounds (the 2006 model was 36 lbs) and the adjustable height fork
keeps the front wheel on the ground when the climbs get steep. The frame is
still centred on Norco's tried and true FSR rear linkage. Weight has been pared
with the addition of a hydroformed down tube and lighter weight seat-tube.
Angles have changed so that the geometry
for the 2007 Six One is now biased towards low-speed moves (steeper seat
tube angle, increased standover height, slightly smaller rider compartment
etc.).
(Note - for some early info on the 2008 Norco Six click here -
Ed.)
Appearance
There is a certain finished quality (dare I say Gucciness)
to these Norcos. The details have hit the next level and they compare nicely
with other brands.
Norco Six One - note full seat extension
Spec
Component choices make sense given the all-mountain bias of the
bike. The 2006 coil-oil suspension was replaced with a very tuneable Marzocchi
All-Mountain SL 2 QR 20 on the front with external travel adjustment and a
Fox DHX Air on the rear. The drivetrain is SRAM. Brakes are the very capable
Avid Juicy 5 stoppers. The wheelset is the
relatively light Syncros DP 25s paired with Kenda Nevegal 2.35s.
North Shore
Billet derailleur hanger upgrade to Norco Six One. Note the clean look of the
bike.
I added one thing to this bike right away - a North Shore Billet after-market derailleur hanger. These are locally made and super tough. Given my sketchy tendency on skinnies I've eaten and tweaked more then my fair share of hangers. Last year, I found religion in the NSB product and view this as a worthy addition to any bike that will see abuse. Get these from a bike shop like John Henry, On Top, Cove etc. If your shop can't find them, get them to contact Orange Sports Supply who distributes this product.
The 2007 Six One's list price was $3325 and it weighs 35 lbs. For comparison the top-of-the line Six SE weighs in at 33lb - its price is $ 5850. More details on the Six One, including detailed specifications and geometry can be found on the Norco site.
Norco Six
One on some North Van rockslabs
Author's biases
I am 155 lbs and 5' 11" and have had
over 15 years experience riding bikes in North Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler,
the Chilcotins and many other areas in B.C. and Alberta. I've also made many
bike trips to other places such as Utah, Washington, Oregon, California and
Ontario for example so I've had experience riding in a variety of terrain.
My bias is towards pedalling up and unlike many people who learned to ride
bikes on North Shore trails, I actually enjoy riding (and sometimes bushwhacking)
uphill.
07 Six One - freeride performance
The 2007 Six
One doesn't feel like it has a particularly "downhillish"
geometry even with relatively slack head and seat tube angles of 67.5 and 71.8
in the medium size. Perhaps this can be attributed to the 90mm stem. I expected
it to be nothing more then tremendous in low to medium speed applications
given its easy-to-throw around light weight and it didn't disappoint. What
also helps is the vast amount of standover afforded by the Six One's frame
design and its relatively svelte heft(35lbs with the stock 2.35 Kenda Nevegals).
It simply is an outstanding maneuverable technical trail bike.
I wish I was as excited about the bike when terrain got really steep or speeds got fast. The fork (Marzocchi All-Mountain SL 2) isn't particularly confidence-inspiring. Although it's reasonably stiff it is easily overwhelmed by rapid or big hits and does not seem well-matched with the very capable Fox DHX Air 4.0 that rounds out the rear suspension. I also had an issue with the external adjustment of the fork constantly winding down in travel over the course of the ride; it would require adjustment every 10 minutes or so to restore full travel. The original 2.35 Nevegal tires are light (good for climbing - see below) but are prone to pinch-flats even when inflated to high-pressure. Substituting more meaty tires (a 2.65 IRC Kujo front and 2.35 Kujo rear) helped a bit but there's no hiding the fact that this incarnation of the Norco Six is, at best, an adequate bike-park or shuttle bike. I also replaced the all-mountain lighter Marzocchi with a heavier coil front fork (Manitou Sherman) on a ride with a big 1300m descent from subalpine to sea level and that improved the Six's demeanour at speed.
As I've alluded to in the comments above, there is room for some improvement in components to make the 07 Norco Six One more down-hill friendly. The adjustment on the stock extension Titec seatpost is poor, the quick release collars being difficult to adjust. The front suspension's performance is underwhelming. Meatier tires would help although there isn't much rear frame clearance so that a 2.5" rear tire would be a tight fit.
Some action on Mt Seymour on the Six
07 Six One - XC and uphill performance
In all honesty, I can't
say that I was jumping for joy about the Norco Six's cross-country or uphill
prowess. However, try to look at my comments in context and recall that I like
light bikes and enjoy climbing light bikes. There's no hiding the fact that
the Six One is a 35lb bike. Plain and simple, that is heavy for any bike that
bills itself as "all-mountain".
Norco did do an awful lot of things right with the Six from the point of view of ascending. The adjustable travel fork and steepish head angle (69 when the front fork is wound all the way down to its minimum 120mm travel), puts you in a decent climbing position and both the front and rear suspension have quasi-lockout features so that if one is churning up a long road or trail the bike doesn't wallow. Even if you kit yourself out in lycra bib shorts, jack the seat up, wind the travel down and put on some clipless pedals you won't mistake the Six One for a cross-country world-cup racing machine - but you won't be cursing under your breath every time the trail turns slightly upwards.
This does sound like damning, faint praise but, to be perfectly honest, I thought the Norco's Six range was broader in terms of its climbing ability than its downhill ability. Simply put, for its class and given its intended use, with original equipment, the bike is a middle-of the-road descender but a good climber.
Testing the all-mountain nature of the Six One in alpine.
07 Fluid One - freeride performance
This is a tremendously versatile
bike with amazing range. Everything on it works well and feels "right". The frame fits beautifully, the curved
toptube lending a lot of clearance. I don't want to get too "zen"
about this but the stock cockpit setup, the
geometry, the suspension and the components are beautifully matched, complementing
each other. Carving singletrack, dialing logrides and riding steeps seems so
effortless using this finely crafted, beautifully thought-out machine.
The bike shines in slow technical terrain. It's slack enough to handle steep conditions comfortably but not so slack (or heavy for that matter) that it can't be flicked around trees, rocks or roots. Drop the seat down and the bike feels small. You can work tight corners and constrained terrain with aplomb on the Fluid One. The Norco is also magnificent in medium speed situations; the suspension and geometry is more than capable of handling a few bigger hits, especially if you put some fatter tires on front and rear.
The 07 Fluid One isn't great in high-speed situations. The 2006 version wasn't the kind of bike you would take to the bikepark for a full-day of down-hilling and slope-style and this year's version is no different. While its angles are slack by xc standards (69 Head tube Angle 73 Seat Tube Angle), you won't mistake it for a downhill or 'Shore style' sled. The biggest limiting factor is the medium-travel air-sprung front and rear end. You will overwhelm the bike if you subject it to multiple high-speed downhill shuttle runs or bikepark after bikepark. If you do those kinds of rides occasionally then you probably won't destroy the Fluid One but if your style of riding tends more to going mach-loony then you might want to consider a more burly setup.
There is some room for improvement. The stock Hutchison OE tires were not confidence-inspiring and were swapped out for Kenda Nevegal 2.35s for testing in freeride mode. I've already subjected myself to the Eggbeater Candy pedals once and didn't care to try again so I stuck to Shimano clipless. I still maintain that a quick release saddle should be mandatory on such a class of bike. There are some bolts on the rear linkage that worked loose. If you own an 07 Fluid some Loctite would solve this problem.
The Norco Fluid One in the alpine
07 Fluid One - XC and uphill performance
The Fluid One is a revelation with a set of light treads (I used Bontrager
Jones front and Panaracer Fire XC Pro rear). It's billed as All-Mountain XC
which presumably means that its bias is towards climbing and climb it does
- well. Technical climbing is a delight; the suspension does what well-designed
systems are supposed to do and seems to conspire to drag you uphill past
even the most stubborn sections. At 30lbs, the Fluid isn't particularly light
but you honestly don't feel that when you're climbing the bike. You would
feel that if you're hike-a-biking though; the Fluid One is a bit of a porker
when slung over one's back hiking up Chilcotin talus.
As one might imagine from the glowing review I give the bike for "free-riding" unsurprisingly this bike handles beautifully in xc applications. It's a beautifully balanced machine that inspires confidence from front to rear and tires to seat. Handling is telepathic on this bike.
There's really not much to say about necessary improvements to this Norco from the XC perspective. There is only one water bottle cage placement on the Fluid One and the location is arkward. Only a small or medium bottle can fit in the cage and the bolts should be moved down closer to the BB shell. I'm also a bit leery about carbon components on a bike that could see a lot of use in situations where a bike could get banged around. In particular I speak to the Ritchey handlebars and seatpost. Having said that, they've gone through a fair bit of abuse without any problems. The Fluid could use an adjustable travel fork - I honestly can't see why this isn't standard equipment on an all-mountain bike.
Finding
the freeride in the Fluid One.
Overall impressions - 07 Six One vs 07 Fluid One
I
would probably have been more impressed by the Six One if I hadn't compared
it head-to-head with the Fluid One. My opinion is that "all-mountain"
bikes should live up to their billing and be useable in a very wide variety
of situations. Recall that the Six is billed as "all-mountain freeride"
which implies that bike is biased towards free-ride performance yet should
be climbable. As spec'ed the 07 Six One compromises too much for its uphill
nature so that it's downhill performance suffers. Contrast the Six One to
the "all-mountain
cross country" Fluid One, which is spec'ed almost perfectly for its intended
purpose.
Bear in mind that this criticism is highly affected by my personal biases. Another reviewer with more finesse or with more ability in highly technical trails might have found the Six One to be perfect. Thankfully, the particular original equipment components I've critiqued on the Six One (tires, seatpost, stem) are relatively inexpensive to swap with more "downhillish" alternatives. This isn't the case with a front fork, which is a costly item and an integral part of a bike's specified components. There is no denying that putting a more downhill-oriented fork on the Six One helped its performance substantially without compromising too much of its uphill ability.
07 Norco Six One
Summary: This bike is
a decent climber and descender but lacked the broad range of useability that
the "all-mountain" designation
typically implies. The front suspension is underwhelming.
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Norco Fluid One
Summary: This bike exceeded every expectation, descending
with confidence and climbing like a goat. It has a tremendous
comfort range and is at home in an extremely wide variety of trails and
situations.
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Rating Guide: |
All Mountain for 2008 for Norco
Editor's Note - for 2008 Norco has further diversified their all mountain lines. Instead of two stratifications like last year Norco has recognized that riders' needs are becoming increasingly specific. Instead of leaving riders to modify bikes to fit their needs they have built them with specific riders in mind from the ground up. From burliest to lightest the three all mountain categories are; all mountain freeride lite, all mountain long travel and all mountain XC. This means there is a brand new bike that sits between the Six and the Fluid - the Fluid LT. One of Norco's
core strengths has been staying in touch with their customers and
anticipating changing demands. Often
they are ahead of the curve so that by the time a line of bikes comes
out the riding population has reached the point the minds at Norco
had anticipated. Could
it be because Norco has keen riders in key positions throughout their
staff? It
sounds like it to me. We're looking forward to getting some time
on these bikes that make the whole world your oyster - with varying degrees
of compromise depending on where they sit on the all mountain continuum.
I'm particularly keen on the Six which I felt at home on instantly.
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What do you think of Lee's analysis? This is one of those conversations that is highly affected by your personal vision of what an all mountain bike should be. More of a freerider? You'll probably like the Six more. More stoked by long rides and bike climbs as an appetizer to your descent? The Fluid will probably be more your cuppa. Give us your point on the continuum here.
