Norco Empire 5 - 2009 bikes are rolling out!
by Tyler Maine
Jul 18, 2008
I'm currently at the 2009 Norco Bikes launch in Whistler BC and they have a ton of changes in their line up for everyone to see for next year. I got a chance to take an Empire 5 for a few rips and wanted to share some pics of it with everyone.
Here you go:
Here you go:
This bike was pretty much made for bike parks and the ever growing market of slopestyle riding. 5 inches of really good feeling rear travel courtesy of the FSR rear pivot. Not only was it really light but it looks really good, Norco takes that extra time to tie all their graphics into a complete package.
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The Five had a lot of input from the Norco factory team riders as they all shred the parks and after Ben Boyko took home the win at last year's Crankworx event they knew they were onto something with bikes that excel in this area. The new lower center of gravity rear shock mount really keeps the bike grounded and stable in the braking bumps out there. The super low slung top tube makes tricking the bike off jumps a lot easier too.
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Price $3650 CDN
Lots more info on the 2009 Norco line to come in the following days. Enjoy the Empire 5 for now.
-Tyler "Brule" Maine
http://www.norco.com
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130 Comments
- + 15
Yarminator31
(Jul 18, 2008 at 12:20)
nice ride wow yup im a norco man myself
that bike is sick the only down side to norcos and konas theses days the better the bike the higher the price and i have to pay for my bike 100% with no parents help
this bike and the a line norcos are the only 09 norcos i like all the others look so gay with their colors why norco
skyline22, there are some low end norco's but the 5? I mean cmon boyco rides it, thats a sweet ass bike.
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5 inches of travle.perfect for what the bike is made for. 4 inches is even amazing.ryan leach hoped a 4x through forest and its been on alomst any slosptyle course as well as its maine purpose 4x.peopel even dh it. so the 5 will not be any let down thats forsure.
jajokso small travel dont meant shit this bike was made to huck off 25ft drops so unless your a hack and you need 8" then this bike is perfect
yer the whole the point is for shredding bike parks and nice smooth trails, if you want to hit some really big stuff or do dh then get a bigger biek
ye there is just no need for suspension really in most of these bike parks soo smooth ect, kinda gay really ,not really mountain biking to me if you gotta smooth a trail out to ride it, or build some sort of smooth evelvated wooden PATH jsut seems weak to me. people just want the wind in thier hair with-out actually challenging them selfs
Gotta agre there, but....you can jump these things and do all of the other stuff as well so....customer wins
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so that is pretty much the ultimate whistler bike pak bike to do everything on the mountain, Dh trails DJ trails , freeride trails?
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the big norco logo looks like its been made up of electrical tape! other than that, its a sweeet bike and id give anything to own one! ideal ideal bike for what i ride!
yeah i agree about the norco sticker kinda gay looking thats just my oppinion i prefer the name up the bottom of the frame myself just think it looks sik like that
You gotta hand it to Norco, They've managed to kind of chill out hang back, get they're stuff together, and come back with tight what the people want, sick looking up to date bikes. What other company has there bikes that pimped out in stock form? White spokes, sick graphics, good style and colours, sick parts.
Hell ya Norco. Good Job!
Hell ya Norco. Good Job!
I run the Norco 6 1 and its a dialed ass bike, frame is confusign but once u ride one u will know. Norco rules!!
i really love norco and there desighnsbut one day i hope they will make their own rear end desighn instead of using specialized's ones
Specialized bought the patent from some guy named Horst, who designed the FSR suspension system. apparentally that patent is only applied in the US, so buy it in Canada, and Norco is using a "new" design "they" came up with
but thats just what i read on some random website, chances are its wrong, but hey, thats a sick bike, good thing Norco's are bombproof, cuz I dont think my '08 125 is getting an upgrade anytime soon, cuz i want this thing. $3650, man, i better go get a job and stop fooling around on pinkbike!
cya later!
but thats just what i read on some random website, chances are its wrong, but hey, thats a sick bike, good thing Norco's are bombproof, cuz I dont think my '08 125 is getting an upgrade anytime soon, cuz i want this thing. $3650, man, i better go get a job and stop fooling around on pinkbike!
cya later!
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its a 5 inch travel shore. with a less gay top tube. and its still a norco. ill agree canada has the best biking in the world, but there bikes are nothing to be proud.
Don't forget Knolly and Brodie -- those US bikes Ellsworth and Scott are a little overpriced. to many gadgets on the new Scott bikes.
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Norcos are really low on my list of bike company but they have truly stepped up fro 2007. they are getting better every year. keep on getting better and i might consider buyin one. 
all companies are going up by about 20% actually. they have to if they want to survive. remember though every year bikes go up about 5-15% anyways. its not like they just raise the price they put better feature/parts on the bike to make up for the price raise. in the end it all works out for the better.
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nice AM bike, hate the logo though, looks like some high schooler used photoshop and printed stickers. I am a Norco fan, used to have one 5 years ago, great suspensions
bigburd sounds like you've never ridden a bike park, you think the only trail at whitler is A-Line?
I'm pretty sure theres something there that might challenge you and your preconcieved notion of park riding......
I'm pretty sure theres something there that might challenge you and your preconcieved notion of park riding......
Sick bike. Love the seat and post combo, I have it on my One25, lightest design. THe 5 should be a crowd pleaser for sure.
nice bikes..but i absoulutly hate how companies are releasing 2009 products and it's only half way through 2008. soooo stupid...it gets earlier every year..soon it's gonna be january 2010 and we'll are be riding 2014 bikes...fuuuckk
thing is, the bikes have to be tested in the summer, since biking in the snow doesnt give them accurate results, since its a little sketchy. july is too early, end of august or september is better, down in the US (southern part), it should be december
faultlinemediagroup so god dam ture m8 but that is a sick bike that would be tasty to do downhill on sssssssswwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttt!!!!!!!!
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i am a huge fan of norco and they always come out with amazing bikes, this year is no exception. i recently had my norco stolen too...that was one sad day.
That looks like such a fun bike!.. cant wait too see the new 09's... aperantly the Team DH is gona have Dee Max wheels.
I just returned from Whistler today and I was able to see all of the Norco 09's in person and they def look sick. Great stock package and color scheme. BTW was able to ride a trail with Ben Boyko, Jay Hoots, and Ryan Leach. All of those guys are super friendly and super stoked to just ride their bikes! No egos. It was a trip of a lifetime! WHISTLER RULES!
f*ck norco peolpe buy these bikes becauze they cost less than other bikes but the quality is horrible
u know a lot, they cost less cuz theyre so popular, so they get better deals on parts and materials for the frames, and people like them because theyre so strong and fun to ride (and look good too), so lots of ppl buy them, so theyre really popular, so they get better deals on parts and materials for the frames, and people like them because theyre so strong and fun to ride (and look good too), so lots of ppl buy them, so theyre really popular, so they get better deals on parts and materials for the frames, and people like them because theyre so strong and fun to ride (and look good too), so lots of ppl buy them, so theyre really popular, so they get better deals on parts and materials for the frames, and people like them because theyre so strong and fun to ride (and look good too), so lots of ppl buy them, so theyre really popular, so they get better deals on parts and materials for the frames, and people like them because theyre so strong and fun to ride (and look good too), so lots of ppl buy them, so theyre really popular. get it?
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Both the people in this post that have said Norco's are bad, cheap, heavy etc. What right do you have to say this? Firstly, they're as strong and reliable as most and Norco have bikes that race in world series. Norco are a great manufacturer dedicated to providing great bikes. Have you ever owned a Norco properly? I doubt it...
And if you are lucky enough to have so much money to buy whatever bike you wish, then good for you, but dont go putting down other people's choices.
Anyone who agrees prop this...
And if you are lucky enough to have so much money to buy whatever bike you wish, then good for you, but dont go putting down other people's choices.
Anyone who agrees prop this...
my friend has been riding their bikes for years and he rides extremely hard he really puts those frames through the paces, he has had no issues and he is on his 3rd shore frame . i dont even ride norco but i know the frames are quality. i does seem that everyone is going to has to pay top dollar for that quality next season though.
that's one very good looking bike... but too expensive for the parts on itÂ. i mean why does a 3650$ bike have equalizer 27 sram x5 and juicy 3.. even the 07 manik had better brakes... we can get much better parts for less expensive for example a bottlerocket it's like 3500 with a float
thats an 08, somthing boyko was riding around, i bet Norco launched their line early to watch him rip up Crankworx on the 09 model of the empire 5
go boyko!!!!!!!!!!
go boyko!!!!!!!!!!
norco is by far the most progressive major company in the world. im most definitely buying that bike in a size small
such an amazing bike, thanks ben boyko!, i wasn't to sure if i wanted a 6 or 4xxxx but now i am frigin happy that i can get somethin inbetween, super nice bike, i know a person who got to try it on whistler for 1 week, and he fell in love with it, not surprised, keep it up norco!
i ride a specialized but i want 2 get a norco now, there getting better every year, i love the new colors of the bikes and stfu saying that norco is sh!+ ur just saying that cuz ur jeialouse and u probley only got a wal-mart or canadian tire bike
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that is a proper nice bike but i had a norco bigfoot and it was shit but who knos ive never tried the fullys
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