Top Three Finds - Interbike 2014

Sep 12, 2014
by Pinkbike Staff  
Norco Fluid 4


Norco

Norco


bigquotesOh, to be young again. Norco's pint sized Fluid 4 rolls on 24'' wheels, is built around an aluminum frame that looks like someone shot it with the shrink ray gun, and sports a load of components that make sense for a kid to use. It also retails for $1,485 USD, which is around what some of those specialty made little frames go for, so it also looks like a hell of a deal. Travel sits at 100mm front and back, both of which are air sprung so you can actually adjust it to their weight properly, but the fork is a 26" XC30 from RockShox due to their being no quality forks to fit 24'' wheels on the market. I was told that the frame was designed around the longer fork, though, so that the bike's geometry doesn't go from useable to Harley, something that would make handling difficult for a tiny person. There's a single ring drivetrain because no one should have to deal with front derailleurs, especially an innocent child, and Norco has spec'd a set of Shimano's hydraulic disc brakes so that little hands can easily slow the bike down. The only real concern is how long it's going to take until your kid is riding better than you. - Mike Levy





RNT Flex Fit Pedal


RNT Flex Fit pedal 2015


bigquotesMy favorite innovation at Interbike 2014 was a flat pedal (no, that wasn't a typo). Road Not Taken is a start-up company from Asia that designed a CNC-machined, low-profile, flat pedal with a 12-millimeter-thick platform. Flex Fit's pedal axle rotates up to eight degrees in either direction, so the rider's foot can stay firmly planted on the pedal, while offering enhanced maneuverability while negotiating technical terrain. The foor is not left free to rotate willy nilly. Instead, rotation is damped by elastomers on either side of the axle, located at the crank-side of the pedal body. The adjustable elastomers control both the spring-tension and the amount of rotation, so users can tune the Flex Fit pedal to suit their riding styles. The axle spins on one needle bearing and one DH type bushing and it is easily serviceable. Flex Fit is a novel concept, but one that deserves serious consideration. I imagine that we will soon see copies of RNT's idea sprouting up, and if - more probably, "when," - that occurs, remember who brought this product to market: Road Not Taken. It is a brilliant idea, beautifully constructed and it brings fresh thinking to a product that has lacked a defining moment for over a decade. - RC




Luca Shaw - America's Top Junior DH Racer


Luca Shaw Interbike 2014


bigquotesIt wasn't a product that stood out the most for me today, but a rider, and an incredibly talented one at that: Luca Shaw. Hailing from Hendersonville, North Carolina, the humble 18-year-old had an outstanding downhill race season, taking wins in the Junior category at the Pietermaritzburg and Mont Saine Anne World Cup races, along with a 2nd place finish at Windham, plus two wins in the ProGRT series. American DH racing has been in a state of disarray for a number of years, so it's refreshing to see another fast racer working his way through the ranks. World Champs didn't work out quite the way Luca wanted, but there's no doubt that the SRAM / TLD Racing athlete will be back at it next year, doing his best to reach that top step. - Mike Kazimer


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55 Comments
  • 104 1
 hell yea norco, thats what the sport needs
  • 26 41
flag yeti951SD (Sep 12, 2014 at 14:17) (Below Threshold)
 Lets not forget that Gwin has won 10 WC races in the past 28 or so races from the last 4 seasons. Neko is on the edge of taking his first win hopefully next season. So maybe the US doesn't have the volume like the UK NZ or AUS but they still have a few dominant riders, Shaw will just help out the list!
  • 15 3
 How soon can a kid ride a 24" bike? I'm thinking my 3 year old should be able to handle that Norco just fine.
  • 46 5
 US has about 70x the population of NZ....volume?
  • 6 4
 He's referring to the number of riders on the wc circuit. Volume is a bad word choice
  • 38 1
 Way to find the right comment to reply to...
  • 2 0
 I have a (tall for a) 3 year old, and he is on a 16" spesh hotrock, 24" would be way too big for him. I'm thinking next year I'm going to get him the Spesh hotrock 20" pro(air fork, disc brakes),or the trek superfly 20. (Rigid fork, kid size v-brakes, very light)
  • 4 0
 I wish companies would make a decent full suspension 20 inch. Scott used to make one but, it wasn't that great and wasn't available everywhere. Kona and Norco have always had some good but heavy 24' kids bikes. Its good to see Transition and Norco making better lighter 24s. Lil shredder still looks to be the best with full suspension bikes down to 16 inches but price and availability are high and low respectively.
  • 9 1
 Great to see Norco thinking of the grom market.. plenty of potential $$$ from eager trail Dads ready to throw down some serious cashola for mini full suspension bikes. Me thinks a good little 24" dirt jumper is enough till the kids can grow enough body mass to warrant full suspension. Might be just me?
  • 13 2
 I'm amazed these kids have that kinda funding at that age...

Dad can I have a $2000 bike at age 5? NO!

Dad can you help me buy a hardtail when I turn 12? YES!
  • 1 0
 Commencal makes a decent 20in bike but it is a tad expensive. www.commencal-store.com/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=14494834
  • 4 1
 How long would it take for a kid to outgrow those $1,485 Benjamins...
  • 2 0
 3yrs at the most, going on how my lad was, saying that he did get a lot of use out of his specialized hotrock, I;m not sure if a single ring up front is a good idea though, I think they should of put a low geared 2 ring set up on it imo, there's nothing worse than a frustrated kid that cant get up a short hill in the lowest gear
  • 2 0
 i started on dirtbikes at 3
  • 4 1
 buspilot all dirt jumpers are heavy. My kid has a 7kg race bmx at the moment with short gearing and a hydraulic rim brake. Problem is the steering is fast and sketchy, the tyres are too skinny and the trails around here are rocky and bumpy as hell. She baulks at riding a department store mtb just because of the weight and I don't blame her. I have thought of putting a recumbent carbon suspension fork on it and a wider tyre on front but she'll still be getting her feet bounced off the pedals over the chatter. Kids and amateurs need full suspension and lighter bikes more than pro's yet those with less skill are expected to deal with shit bikes and somehow maintain an interest. After having a super goose racing bmx as a child I was put off riding in my early teens by owning a heavy Repco MTB. Then cars came along and I didn't get interested in bikes again till my late 20's when I lost my license.
  • 8 1
 Compared to what parents spend on hockey in canada per child. dropping 2 grand on bike is nothing for the other half the year.
  • 4 1
 Sometimes i forget that i live in Portugal, my apologies...
  • 1 1
 There are 2 24 inch air forks I know of. Bought one to put on my son's Marin Bayview trail disc, but upgrade you can make to a kids bike.
  • 2 0
 Commencal makes a full suspension 20" now
  • 3 1
 If parents want the Norco for their kids more power to them. Personally, I think kids should be on BMX bikes or hardtails
  • 4 1
 I don't understand all the people saying its too much bike for a kid. It seems obvious to me that this bike is perfect for the kid that started on a hardtail or bmx a few years back and is now in need of more bike/traction so he can progress further at MOUNTAIN biking.
  • 5 0
 saskatoonbikeguy- based on your comment, I assume you're riding a single speed on 1.8 tires.
  • 1 0
 I agree with Saskattoon that they should be on bmxs to learn skills and better line choice like we did as youngsters. The problem is getting kids to go outdoors at all these days. They are spoiled for entertainment options and to compete its nice to have a better bike. Also do you expect your kid to keep up on rough trails with you on your FS bike with gears on a singlespeed bmx? My kid actually beats me on smooth up hills on her low geared short crank SE racing Ripper Jnr but is way less confident going downhill especially if it is bumpy. Something with a slacker head angle that ate up some bumps would go a long way to help that I beleive.
  • 1 0
 My six year old rides the hot rock pro and loves it. Just did stevens pass bike park and he had a blast on it. Money well spent.
  • 1 0
 @blackdot is he on the 20"?
  • 1 0
 The thing I like about the Norco having a 26" fork is upgrading when the kid outgrows it means you could get away with only having to replace the frame and wheels and everything else can be transferred. Nice.


For those that haven't heard of them, Lil Shredder make 16", 20", and 24" hardtail and full-suspension bikes.
lilshredder.com/bikes.html

I agree that kids should ride BMX to learn their skills, but having seen the progression of local kids Jackson (Goldstone) and Finn (Finestone) - both of which ride and race BMX - these kinda kids need these smaller size bikes at a younger age. They are riding park better than grown men and a little forgiveness when they're doing it I don't think is going to hurt them. In fact, it probably helps their progression and love for the sport as they're not getting buck-wild everywhere on an adapted BMX.
  • 1 0
 Would love to have a lil shredder for my son, but I just couldn't handle the pricing. Which is why I'm so stoked on this Norco.
  • 33 1
 I thought that the Norco was a slopstyle bike at first,
  • 4 2
 Yeah it looks most like a trek ticket s with a reversed top tube curve.
  • 6 0
 Transition Ripcord and the Norco, great to see little shredders getting the equipment they need to make the next move in their riding.
  • 1 0
 Can you legally compete in slopestyle on a 24'? I know there was a Dobermann LePink at Claymore a couple of years back but the new Spesh PSlope has shorter CS than a LePink with lighter 26' wheels.
  • 24 3
 This is the last time I'm falling for this "Top finds" headline.
  • 5 2
 yep. if these are the top finds then inter bike must of been a bust. liked the tundra though,
  • 2 1
 it's marketing, bro
  • 6 0
 One of those Norcos would be a great buy if you had 2 or 3 little tykes all growing up. They could each use it for a year or so whilst appropriate size - and I'm willing to bet it would still fetch a fair amount second hand even in 6 years time because good kids bikes are so difficult to come across!
  • 8 0
 Those little norcos are going up be all over whistler in the next few years!!
  • 6 0
 What happened to having your kid start on a hardtail (or even a rigid) so they learned how to ride smoothly? Oh well... for the ripe price of 1500 bucks/year you can now avoid that terrible option.
  • 13 0
 My kids ride Bmx on a rigid, hard tail for Xc, and we will likely pick up a bike like this for our resort days. Progress my man, besides, all their bikes don't even come close to any one of the family's adult bikes. Certainly not an inexpensive sport, but it is a lifelong one that promotes a lot of positive lifestyle choices that we feel benefit our kids. So we work and make $ so the family can play.
Great job norco, well be calling before long.
  • 2 0
 I guess if you have the means, but the price seems a bit high considering you can get the same bike without the rear squish for about 500 bucks. I think spesh was on to something by making the bighit grom only cost ~800 a few years back.
  • 6 1
 "no one should have to deal with front derailleurs, especially an innocent child"

True dat
  • 2 0
 Forget this rigid or hardtail school of hard knocks BS. Easy to lecture about 8 y.o. having to 'learn' on shitty 40 lbs bikes while we follow them on our cushy dual suspensions and hydraulic brakes 30 pounders. Soon they get tired and cranky or fall down a lot and don't want to ride anymore. Every parents know there is a limit and those who say otherwise never have had kids. Keep them interested and always riding is what I say. This Norco is perfect and tI hope other manufacturers follow suit.
  • 1 0
 I ride a fr ht, 7" fork, mainly dh. So it does make you pick certain lines, but it's making me a better rider because I allways have to be on. You can get away with being a sloppy rider on a full rig, but a Ht with proper geometry like a dh bike is equivalent. Hasn't held me back at winter park. It does "beat" skill into you or hurts your body by ejecting you or you suck up the bad hit with your wheels and arms, additionally being "jarred". It's not for everyone that's for sure. I use 2.7 tires which is also a form of suspension in a way as well. Any how that's a joke, watch any bmx video and say that you even need suspension. They are hucking or launching drops many times to flat.
  • 2 1
 The GROM Racing program was perfect timing and some perfect riders finally bearing the fruits of all the hard and MOSTLY FREE labor that all those involved with helping make sure guys like Luca & Walker Shaw, Jay Fesperman, Lauren Daney, Shane Leslie, Eric Vest and all the others arrived to be able to put their talents to use.

Also, I always thank folks like Christopher Herndon, Specialized, SRAM, Industry Nine, Cane Creek, Troy Lee...and any other brand that put their time and money into all the GROM kids.

I take such interest in their success because I always felt I should do a youth program since our sport was lacking one after DEVO left.

But Herndon took the experience he gained through DEVO and paid it forward. Folks...that little bike right there may just get put under the next Luca Shaw or the next World Champ in a few years. How cool is that!
  • 1 0
 I'm interested in that norco for my son, though not for a couple of years.

I was planning to convert my konig to 100mm travel and 24" wheel.

Looking at the chainstay length, it looks to be an extra small size 26" frame with 24" wheels and a small seat. You could possibly extend the life by fitting 26" wheels at a later date.

Pricing is better than commencal it has to be said.
  • 1 0
 I have thought about rotating pedals for 2 years now. I I have emailed RNT to see when available and how much and not received a response. I want these pedals bad. Somebody please help me get my feet on a pair of these.
  • 4 2
 I'm pretty sure Luca shaw didn't get 2nd at meribel, 2nd overall but think Laurie Greenland took 2nd place in the actual race
  • 2 1
 You're correct. It was Windham where he took 2nd.
  • 2 0
 the road not taken - flat pedal with float pedal has been on my drawing board for over a year! gutted to see the idea has beaten me!
  • 1 0
 Side note: I had no kid on GROM and none of the companies were my sponsors. I just think it's awesome what a springboard GROM has been.a
  • 1 0
 i got a sick norco kids dh race bike if someone is looking for something sweet for their kids!
  • 3 1
 F-yeah, Norco! Our 8-year old may just have to ditch the 24" hardtail.
  • 2 0
 Another awesome kids bike. I like the look of this new craze.
  • 1 0
 I'm fairly sure that Shane Leslie is the Junior USA National Champion...
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