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05/10/2008
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2006 Norco Six One - First Impressions
Norco’s tank evolves into a Stealth fighter
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Words by Denny Byrne
In the beginning, there was a little red bike
When I first started dating my boyfriend, he asked me if I had a mountain bike. I said, “Yep.” He thought to himself ... how great is this?? She’s cute, she cooks, she does tequila shots and she rides mountain bikes! This one is definitely a keeper! When he asked me what type of bike I rode, I said, “I dunno?! It’s red.”
I’m afraid the sparkle in his eyes waned a bit after that response. Upon inspection of my Canadian Tire Special hardtail, he promptly removed the safety reflectors, took off the kickstand and shipped me off to an all-girls Sugoi Dirt Series Bike Camp. What can I say? Relationships take work.
After a few months of exploring trails on the red bike, I decided I wanted get serious about mountain biking and realized that I definitely needed to upgrade my ride. I spent the summer testing 12 different bikes and in the end decided on the 2004 Norco Six.
I went with the Six because it was a really cool army green matte finish (just kidding). The standover room made it the best design for my height of 5’2” and a smidge, I could use it just about everywhere I was going to ride, and it was the best value for the money. It may have been a lot of bike for a beginner, but I wanted something I could grow into.
The components were also pretty good – Marzocchi Z150 forks, a Fox Vanilla RC shock, a SRAM drivetrain with a twist shifter for the front derailleur and trigger for the rear, and Titec / Truvativ parts. Solid freeride parts, for sure.
Over the next two years, I rode that bike everywhere – Whistler, Moab, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Squamish, the Shore. It was a great bike to learn on, but there was one big problem with it. It was heavy. Really heavy – 44lbs. to be precise. That’s a lot of bike to push around when you’re only 125lbs. yourself.
Any time I had to pedal the Six uphill, all I could think about was, “This f’ing tank weighs 44 pounds!” It was great for developing leg muscles but tough to manoeuvre on the trails. I had |
"How heavy did you say it was again? Oh, 44lbs. Perfect."
|| Photo: Stuart Kernaghan |
a hard time gaining momentum quickly and I was developing a bad attitude about climbing even the slightest hill.
Over the past two years, the Six and I have bonded in spite of the weight issue. My riding skills have advanced significantly and I’d grown to love the bike. But when I heard that the Norco team had lightened the bike considerably for 2006, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to upgrade. When it came time to choose the model I wanted, I picked the top-of-the-line anodized black Six One.
What’s different in ‘06
The biggest way that Norco lightened the bike was to change the frame so it wasn’t quite as burly. The ’06 looks and feels similar to the ’04, but after a session on Weight Watchers. The 44lb. tank was trimmed down to a svelte 35.8lbs. for the stock size small bike.
It also got a little shot of Botox during the makeover. The component spec has changed from freeride-specific to more all-mountain, which also helps to lighten the load. Bars, stem, and cranks are Truvativ XR / Stylo parts instead of Titec/Truvativ Hussefelt.
The 2006 Norco Six One, looking out over the sprawling metropolis of Whistler || Photo: Denny Byrne
The drivetrain is all SRAM X-9 with triggers for front and rear shifting and you still get the Titec telescopic seat post, but the bike now comes with an SDG FRD I-beam saddle, which is pretty comfortable. The wheels on the ’06 bike are also a big step up in quality – very cool looking Syncros rims and hubs, with Kenda Nevegal 2.35” tires.
The Marzocchi Z1 Light QR-20 fork comes with a lot of compression and rebound adjustability, which is also a big improvement over the ‘04 fork. I wasn’t getting all the travel out of the ‘04 fork and I didn’t realize how harsh the ride was until I tried my boyfriend’s Devinci with a 888RC2. That’s what a fork should feel like? Damn! I’ve dialled the ‘06 fork to suit me and now it’s as smooth as butter.
Kenda rubber, Syncros rims, and that classic VPS rear suspension || Photo: Denny Byrne
The Six still uses the classic four-bar linkage but rear wheel travel has increased this year. The ’04 bike got 132mm / 154mm of travel, and the ’06 version now gets 145mm / 165mm. That’s possible thanks to a Fox DHX3.0 shock, which uses air pressure to set the compression and is much easier to adjust for lighter riders. Changing travel is as simple as moving the shock mounting bolt from one hole to the other.
Ride impressions and what worked
I anxiously headed to the Whistler Bike Park to test my new ride. I took it easy for the first run of the day, fiddling around and doing all the usual adjustments you do when you get a new bike. And for the rest of the day, I was on fire!
The author, cruising with confidence down the ladder bridge on Ned's || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan
You know when you buy a new pair of jeans or shoes and they fit perfectly the second you slip them on? No need to break them in because it’s like they were made just for you? The ‘06 felt like that for me. It was a familiar fit, but with enhanced performance.
I’ve found that I am able to ride the ‘06 in a higher gear than the ’04 because of the weight difference. A few quick pedal stokes can actually propel me forward quickly, even over rooty technical sections. I’m able to lift the front end of the bike up when I do wheelie drops, which used to be a challenge for me and often resulted in nose-heavy landings.
I’ve also had to adjust the amount of preload I use when I hit the jumps on A-Line; if I used the same force it took with the ’04, I’m afraid I would be launching into the stratosphere.
I had a newfound confidence as I was able to pilot my black Stealth fighter through all the tight turns, drops and jumps the Whistler Bike Park offered and baby, I had flow!
Seriously, you should have seen me! I was able to ride double black diamond stuff like Original Sin and In Deep that I had never even seen before because I felt connected and in total control of the bike. It
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The Z1 fork with Shimano discs made a lot of things possible
|| Photo: Denny Byrne |
was as though I was in the cockpit rather than just along for the ride, and I
had faith that the bike would safely carry me through everything.
Not everything was perfect
Even though I liked most things about my new Six, there were some things I didn’t.
I’ve never been a fan of the Hayes HFX-9 brakes that came stock on both
the ‘04 and ‘06 bikes. Before touching dirt, I switched them over
to Shimano Deore brakes (using the 7" rotors that come on the bike).
| Joel Richardson from Hayes Brake contacted us to let us
know that the friction material, power, stroke and the fit and finish of
the new HFX-9s have all been improved. We intend to test the bike
with the standard equipment 2006 Hayes HFX-9s down the road and let you
know what we think. - Ed. |
I love the Kenda Nevegal tires because they are so soft and flexible that I
can change the tires without using levers. I didn’t even break a nail!
The grip’s also pretty good. That being said, I did get two flat tires
(front and rear) within the first two hours of riding on day one, which rarely
happens to me. I’ve since changed the tubes to slightly heavier downhill
tubes in hopes of eliminating the pinch flats. If that doesn’t work, I’ll
have to upgrade to heavier tires and pack a nail file & clippers. I may
also want to upgrade the front tire to a 2.5”, especially as we move into
wetter riding conditions this fall/winter.
Picking up the front end is a piece of cake on the '06 Six, thanks to the lighter weight || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan
I may add a chain guide to the bike some time down the road. The chain fell off several times on the ’04 until I got an e.thirteen DRS guide, and it’s fallen off a few times on the ’06. It’s not a big deal, but can be annoying if it keeps happening. [There’s no ISCG mount on the Six, so if you decide to add a guide, choose a bottom bracket-mounted guide. – Ed.]
The only other thing – I wish the fork used some sort of quick release. I’m not keen on carrying two sets of Allen keys with me to undo the bolts on both sides of the thru-axle, and I just find it a pain in the ass to take the front wheel off without a QR.
There isn't a ton of standover, but there's enough for short chicks
to stand flat-footed || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan |
Final thoughts
Even though this write up is from a 5’2” girl’s perspective with only two years of riding under my belt, make no mistake – this is a very capable all mountain or light freeride bike suitable for any rider or riding environment.
As far as I'm concerned, the Six offers the perfect balance between light weight, durability, and performance.
I believe this bike will be the last piece of the puzzle that I can add to my skills and physical fitness to take my riding to the next level. I’m looking forward to it.
Overall, I’m a big fan of the ’06 Norco Six One and I like being part of the Norco family. If you are looking to purchase a new bike, I recommend trying the Six.
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In 2004 there was only one model to choose from and it retailed for CDN$2,850. This year, there are three different models to choose from, each of which uses the same frame. The Six One retails for CDN$3,276 / US$2,750, the Six Two is CDN$2,139 / US$1,795, and the Six Three is CDN$1,685 / US$1,400. Go to your nearest Norco dealer to check out the new Six.
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