...why we Love Norco.
For years there was one problem with our love affair with Norco bikes, Boise didn’t have a dealer. Last year we changed that and brought Norco to East Boise. Since revamping their lineup a few years ago Norco has gained a cult-following in their native Canada and among Pacific Northwest gravity riders. The reasons are pretty simple, they make bikes that work well for cyclists. Whether it’s the award-winning Sight, the affordable intro-to-mountain biking Fluid, or their innovative line of kids’ mountain bikes, Norco Bikes are perfect for Boise
The Granddaddy of North American Cycling
Before Gary Fisher and his Klunker, before Mike Sinyard was selling tires out of his VW bus, even before Shimano was selling bike parts, there was a quirky company founded in a British Columbia chicken coop that had the crazy idea of building high quality bikes in North America.
That company is Norco.
Since that time Norco has been a quiet pioneer in all types of cycling. It was one of the first companies to make high-quality but affordable drop bar road bikes and was early supporter of North America’s nascent racing scene. More recently, Norco was among the first companies to build bikes for a quirky form of European gravity racing called Enduro.
Attention to Detail
The main reason we brought in Norco bikes, Boise needed a brand that brought the pragmatic attention to detail we associated with smaller, boutique brands to more affordable price points. While most big brands love bragging about their innovations, they tend to cut corners on some of the fundamentals of bike design, especially on their mid and entry level bikes. Norco is different. The entire company is built around designing bikes that ride well above all else. It’s no secret that bikes ride better when you tune the geometry, suspension and tubing for each individual size of a bike. The reality is, Norco is one of the few brands that does this at mid and entry level price points.
Gravity Tune
Nearly every other mountain bike manufacturer uses the same length chainstays on the rear triangle of their bikes. That means that riders on extra small or extra-large frames are getting a bike that rides differently than the designer intended. Gravity Tune – available on Norco’s mid and high-end platforms, provides specific rear center lengths for each size of bike to ensure that no matter what size your ride, you are getting optimal performance.
Advanced Ride Technology (ART)
Great suspension is about taking the time to tune the suspension platform for a given purpose. (We’ve written a bit more about that here) ART is Norco’s take on this philosophy. Every one of their suspension bikes starts with a proven, horst-link design that’s then tuned for application. Not content to stop there, Norco is one of the few brands to offers size specific suspension tunes on their full suspension bikes (Rocky Mountain is the other one).
Size Scaled Tubing
For years, the biggest argument in favor of a custom bike was that they offered size specific tubing. By varying the diameter and shape of the tube for riders of different sizes and weights, a designer can design just the right of flex into a frame to make the ride feel dynamic and alive, without being too flexy. This tiny amount of flex is what sets great bikes apart from the pack. Norco is one of the few manufacturers to apply this idea across their lineup. Even the entry-level storm is given an attention to ride detail that most brands deny their top-end frames.
Family Friendly
We’ll just keep on saying it, we love Boise because we get to provide bikes to cycling families. This was one of our main reasons for bringing in Norco; they offer family bikes for people who love cycling and want to pass that love on to the next generation. Whether it is the uber-practical and affordable Scene or their line of kid-friendly mountain bikes, we love Norco because they build bikes for the things that make Boise’s bike scene so unique.
Great suspension is about taking the time to tune the suspension platform for a given purpose. (We’ve written a bit more about that here) ART is Norco’s take on this philosophy. Every one of their suspension bikes starts with a proven, horst-link design that’s then tuned for application. Not content to stop there, Norco is one of the few brands to offers size specific suspension tunes on their full suspension bikes (Rocky Mountain is the other one).