It’s funny how reputations stick. Back in the ’90s many brands had ugly and particularly heavy bikes, but for some reason Norco’s creations hang in my head more than most. Yes they were doing good things on the gravity front but their more XC based stuff was pretty uninspiring. Through the noughties their focus (at least within Australia) was on lower-end bread and butter mountain bikes; while functional there wasn’t anything bearing the Norco name to get excited about back then.
While this perception of mediocrity is still there in my head, I’m fully aware that things have changed. In 2012 we reviewed the older 26-inch version of the 140mm travel Norco Sight and it was an absolutely brilliant and fun trail bike. It was still a value oriented offering but performance and geometry wise it was as good as anything from the more ‘boutique’ MTB brands at the time. The same feelings transpired from the entry-level 120mm travel Norco Fluid that we tested at the beginning of this year. Add to this the amazing looking high-end carbon models that Norco has released and my brain is currently rewiring itself to look at the brand in a different light.
It’s not just Norco either; Canadian brands such as Kona, Devinci, Knolly, Rocky Mountain and Banshee all seem to be coming out with cutting edge offerings. We’re seeing a real Canadian renaissance in the trail bike category, which should come as no surprise given they have some of the best technical MTB trails on the planet.
Limited Range
This time we’re looking at the 160mm travel Range. Call it long travel trail, all-mountain or enduro; it’s the biggest bike in the Norco line-up that’s still designed to pedal uphill. Selling for $3,999, the Range 7.1 is the top-tier alloy model (above it is the carbon version) and for 2014 this is the only one that was brought into Australia. While the frame will remain the same for next year, there will be a broader range of spec options including a more affordable version.
At this price you get a predictable Shimano SLX drivetrain spec with the exception of the RaceFace Evolve cranks. The cranks are a nice alternative to the stock Shimano fare. SLX doubles come with a 24/38 chainring combo and many people find the big ring a little too big; this forces you into the granny gear more frequently which can be disruptive. The 36 on the Evolve cranks is more ‘trail friendly’ and the reduced top end is unlikely to bother most on the technical trails that the Range is designed for. When you do need the granny ring, you’ve got a 22 cog at your disposal; it’ll winch you up just about anything within your skill level. As with most doubles it’s a pretty big gap between the big and small chainring—no doubt many will choose to convert the Range to a 1X setup with a chainring that’s somewhere in the middle ground. With a common 104PCD spider, the RaceFace cranks leave the options pretty open; there’s no shortage of aftermarket rings and bash guards to suit them.
The rear derailleur uses the Shimano’s stiff and solid direct mount system and it is clutch equipped to reduce chain slap. With SLX triggers the whole thing performs in a faultless manner. The lower line Deore level brakes are equally hard to fault, offering the same performance and control as their more expensive siblings. Even with a smaller 160mm rear rotor the brakes were never overwhelmed (although a bigger 180mm rear rotor would probably be the go if shuttling is your thing).
Schwalbe Hans Dampf tyres are an impressive spec on a bike of this price, but they are not the same ones that cost $100 a pop when purchased aftermarket. They are a wire bead version with the cheaper Performance series construction. Despite this, they are still respectably light for a big volume tyre; ours were 830g each which is only 50g more than the folding bead Evolution series equivalent and the Performance rubber seemed more durable too.
Measuring 23mm internally, the Sun Inferno 27 rims are wide enough for big tyres but they are a bit hit-and-miss for tubeless conversions. Shimano hubs and straight gauge spokes complete the basic and heavy but solid wheelset.
The alloy RaceFace Evolve bars are an appropriate 750mm width and the matching stem is 70mm long. A shorter stem could be worthwhile but this also depends on your bike fit and personal preferences. There’s no dropper post at this price point but the frame has external guides in place for this purpose, as well as a hole at the base of the seat tube for an internally actuated dropper.
Thankfully Norco hasn’t skimped on the suspension components and you get a Fox 34 up front with a Float CTD on the rear. Both are from the Evolution series and offer a functional range of external tuning adjustments to play with. The fork was actually one of the better ones that we’ve come across with a relatively smooth action and controlled damping. It appears that there’s some variation between Fox forks and we’ve encountered both good and poor performers within the same Evolution range—this one was a keeper.
Swoopy yet Sensible
Looking now to the bit that really matters, the frame is made from 6061 alloy and the tube profiles have really gone through the hydroforming wringer. There isn’t an entirely straight tube in sight and every profile has undergone some work to shape it. The head tube has an attractive tapered hourglass shape with an internal headset. The down tube is ovalised laterally and sweeps downwards with two distinct curves. While too many curves can be a bad thing aesthetically, I think Norco has pulled off with the Range. The bright orange paint wouldn’t normally be my cup of tea either but it grew on me over time and certainly makes a statement!
It’s not all about looks either; the swoopy down tube makes room within the frame for a proper sized drink bottle. This is a rare thing these days on longer travel bikes but a feature that many people appreciate—personally I’d much prefer to ride without a hydration pack on any ride under two hours duration. The also swoopy top tube gives the Range tons of crotch clearance, so no complaints there.
Aside for the concession for a stealth dropper, all of the cables run externally. Not trendy but way more practical in my books. It also offers plenty of routing options; the rear brake hose can be run to the left or right side of the head tube, so you won’t have untidy rub-points if you run a left-brake-rear setup. The bottom bracket is also of the more traditional threaded variety; it costs more to manufacture but makes future servicing an easier prospect.
Norco uses mainly alloy suspension mounting hardware and everything is clearly marked with the relevant torque setting. Their ‘360 Lock’ pivot hardware uses a tapered internal collet that’s meant to spread loads more evenly on the inner race of the pivot bearings. Our main rocker came loose in the first couple of rides—the 15mm outer nut was turning and unwinding itself as the suspension moved. We then disassembled the pivots, applied grease in all the relevant points and reassembled. Since then the bike has been ridden for just on seven months without a hiccup; no bearing adjustments, no creaks and no flex—it’s been solid as.
Our large frame weighed 3,420g including the Fox CTD shock. This is a middle of the trail weight for an alloy frame with 160mm of travel. Once loaded up with the Fox 34, heavy wheels and mid-level running gear you wind up with a 14.5kg complete bike. It’s not a lightweight by any means but certainly there’s nothing fragile about it. If weight is big factor you’ll just need to dig deeper into your pocket and go carbon. We’ve seen the bare carbon Range frame on the scales at 2,400g. Add a Float CTD with mounting hardware and you’re looking at 2,677g for the carbon Range—that’s over 700g less than the alloy version and competitive with the lightest long travel frames on the market. A manufacturing problem delayed the Australian release of the Range carbon but it should be available by the time you read this.
Interpreting the ART
Suspension wise the Range uses a Horst link system with the rearmost pivot located on the chainstay. Mountain biker’s love to rubber stamp a bike based on its suspension system; ‘oh it’s a short-link design—it’ll pedal efficiently but won’t be fully active’. Or, ‘Horst link bikes are super active but need a platform shock to pedal well.’ In reality it isn’t that simple. It’s true that many Horst link bikes prioritise an active ride with minimal drivetrain-to-suspension interaction but this isn’t the case with Norco.
Their take on the Horst link is called ART; an acronym (of course) that stands for Advance Ride Technology—yeah whatever. Despite my initial thoughts, there’s more to it than marketing spiel. Norco places the main pivot a touch higher on the seat tube, while the rear chainstay pivot is substantially lower than most other Horst-link bikes; it’s around 40mm below the rear axle. This creates a rearward axle path in the first third of its travel, right up until the rearmost pivot draws level with the main swing-arm pivot. From there on up the travel is more vertical or forwards arching.
What does it mean? Well a rearward axle path is better at sucking up square edged obstacles and it serves a dual purpose when it comes to pedalling, as it delivers more anti-squat; a force that counters the tendency of the rear suspension to compress when you stomp on the pedals. In most MTB applications it’s primarily reliant on drivetrain forces, so the more power you apply at the pedals, the more the suspension resists compression. The ART suspension on the Range produces a high level of anti-squat—something more commonly found on short-link systems (DW-Link, Maestro, APS, KS-Link and so on). This brings both positive and negative traits but one thing is for sure, the Range isn’t a stereotypical Horst-link as most would assume.
With 160mm of travel and a progressive suspension rate, the first bit of travel is very supple. This serves to keep the tyre glued firmly to terra-firma—unless you’re boosting some huge jump that is. From there the mid-travel is quite supportive; it’s not a bike that wallows and uses its travel unnecessarily. I set the Range with 30% sag and it always used full travel on larger hits, but the suspension has enough ramp-up to ensure that the end travel is met smoothly and without fuss. So while it’s a big travel trail bike, it doesn’t have the marshmallow-like ride qualities of some. Yes it’s very supple over smaller bumps but overall the ride is more sporty and controlled than being purely comfort oriented; it really comes into its element when the going is fast and rough.
When it comes to pedalling back uphill, there are a few points to consider. First-up, with the bread-and-butter spec and 15kg weight (with pedals), this sort of bike won’t make a zippy climber. On its own the frame weight isn’t bad, so a high-end spec could put it into the 13-14kg zone. Mortgage the house on the new carbon version with a big dollar parts list and you’ll be looking at a 12kg long travel superbike.
As it stands the Range will happily take you up the hill as long as you’re not in a race to get there. Make it lighter and the Range will climb with more gusto but you tend to get what you pay for when playing the weight game, and longer travel bikes require an even bigger budget to trim unwanted grams—simple.
Pedalling efficiency is another aspect that needs to be considered for the uphill chores. As pointed out earlier, the Range suspension has high levels of anti-squat. The actual amount varies depending on the chainring size fitted to the bike. In this case the suspension remains more supple and active in the 36T big ring, while the smaller 22T granny ring creates so much anti-squat that the suspension can actually rise up in the travel under power. If you hit a bump that’s big enough to overpower the anti-squat force, you’ll feel the chain tug back at you through the drivetrain. Some people are more sensitive to this effect than others but I definitely noticed the ‘lumpy’ pedalling sensation in the 22-tooth granny gear; it was especially prominent on technical rock-ledge filled climbs.
Later in the review I fitted the Range with a 30-tooth single chainring and a wide-range cassette. This really hit the sweet spot of the suspension system; it delivered enough anti-squat to firm up the suspension and make the bike come to life under power whilst limiting the pedal kick-back issues that I encountered when using the 22T granny ring. The suspension still displayed a small amount of movement when standing on the pedals but we’re talking about a supple long travel trail bike here with the shock set to fully open. Flicking the shock’s CTD platform to the middle ‘trail’ setting didn’t make much difference, so I just left the shock open. Of course you can always use the semi-locked ‘climb’ setting on smoother trails and on the road.
Seated climbing is especially good on the Range with next to no unwanted suspension action. For a bike of this type it doesn’t bog down and feel soggy under power. It just pays to get the chainring combination right if technical climbs are your thing or if you are likely to be annoyed by pedal kickback.
Geo to Go
If you’ve been keeping pace with the ever-changing and fickle MTB world, you’ll have heard about bikes getting longer, lower and slacker. The trend hasn’t been trumpeted as much as the recent changes in wheel size, but it’s been happening all the same. In 2012-13 when Norco redesigned the Range for 27.5 wheels, it also took a hefty dose of ‘longer, lower and slacker’ medicine. At 66-degrees, the head angle is sufficiently slack and 344mm bottom bracket height is low without being excessively so for pedalling on rocky trails. The frame itself is also low with a 470mm seat tube for a large—this leaves plenty of room for a 125 or 150mm dropper post.
The bike is long too, but only in the right places. At 431mm the chainstays on our large test bike are very short to keep the handling snappy (the smaller sizes get shorter still – down to 419mm on an XS bike). Up front is where you find the length with a 625mm top tube. The reach measurement, taken from the bottom bracket line to the centre of the head tube, is also quite long; this ensures you’ll have plenty of room to move even with a stubby 50mm stem. Fitting a short stem improves steering response and weight distribution, and the Range is tailor made for one.
While the head tube is slack and the overall wheelbase is long (1,177mm in a large), the seat tube is relatively steep (around 73-degrees for most sizes). This encourages a more forward riding position when seated. On steep climbs it helps to keep the front end weighted and minimises the front end wander. Once accustomed to this setup the Range becomes a very capable technical climber; the ART suspension helps to drive the big tyre into the ground and the geometry lets you keep on chugging. A dropper post would really complete the package, as it allows you to get the forward positioned saddle right out of the way for the descents and turns.
All things considered, the Range ticks a lot of boxes. It has up to the minute geometry that not only inspires downhill confidence but also lets you climb back up with surprising ease (just don’t be in a hurry if you’re on the stock 15kg setup). It’s also agile enough to remain engaging in slower, tighter or less technical terrain—some mini-downhill bikes can send you to sleep on regular XC trails but the Range isn’t one of them. Stay in the big ring (or convert to a wide-range 1X drivetrain) and this bike pedals very efficiently, without being reliant on fancy shock valving. If your trails are technical, the Range makes a great all-day adventure machine. But above all else this bike absolutely rips when you point it down a steep, rough and boulder filled descent—sure, it can do the other things too but that’s what it lives for. It has the right combination of supple square-edge eating suspension, lateral rigidity and the dialled handling to flick the ‘go bonkers’ switch in the back of your mind. And with that I think my previously apathetic view of the Norco brand has finally been vanquished. All I need to do now is remain patient until the Range carbon finally arrives!
Thumbs Up
Bomber descending capability
Climbs well for a 160mm bike
Lateral frame stiffness
Thumbs Down
Heavy at this price-point
Lumpy pedalling in granny gear
Needs tubeless ready rims
Specifications
Frame: Hydroformed and Butted 6061 Alloy
Shock: Fox Float Evo CTD, 160mm Travel
Fork: Fox 34 Evolution CTD 160mm
Headset: FSA Semi-Integrated & Tapered
Handlebars: RaceFace Evolve alloy 750 mm
Stem: RaceFace Ride alloy 70mm
Shifters: Shimano SLX
Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX
Cassette: Shimano HG 62, 11/36 10-speed
Chain: SRAM PC-1031
Cranks: RaceFace Evolve 22/36
Bottom Bracket: RaceFace threaded
Pedals: N/A
Brakes: Shimano Deore
Rims: Sun Inferno 27
Hubs: Shimano Deore
Spokes: Black Stainless Steel
Tyres: Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35
Saddle: WTB Volt
Seatpost: Norco Lite alloy
Weight: 14.5kg without pedals (Large frame 3,420g)
Available Sizes: XS, S, M, L (tested) & XL
Price: $3,999
Distributor: Advance Traders 1300 361 686 / www.norco.com
