My Norco aurum review

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My Norco aurum review
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flag riderseventy7
Posted: Feb 15, 2013 at 21:26 Quote
bikerwithproblems wrote:
Was riding an Aurum today. I own a Nukeproof Scalp and was comparing them. I love the Aurum, felt straight at home on it. After a full day on it, I must say it's not as quick as the Scalp over the rough stuff but it is incredibly playful and I had such a good time on it, 10/10 for fun factor. I'm very jealous of all you people that own one because you can have so much fun on any DH tracks without having to pin it. Don't get me wrong though, I love my Scalp, it's ridiculously quick!

I own both those bikes actually.
- I have found the Scalp to be faster through corners, particularly tighter ones, than the Aurum. Whether the corner is off camber, flat, bermed, steep etc the Scalp manages to exit faster than you expect. Gonna switch tyres next ride for a fairer comparison.
- They both manage to feel just as light and playful as each other through the air. The same is true while popping around and pumping along the trail.
- The rear end of the Aurum feels much smoohter over the rough stuff than the Scalp, I'm not sure that translates to faster though.
- The Aurum is a bike that can be rewarding at any pace, the Scalp gets better the faster you ride.
- Maintenance on the Aurum will be a damn sight easier than on the Scalp.
- I never have a bad time on either of these bikes.
flag aly-14
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 17, 2013 at 6:30 Quote
riderseventy7 wrote:
bikerwithproblems wrote:
Was riding an Aurum today. I own a Nukeproof Scalp and was comparing them. I love the Aurum, felt straight at home on it. After a full day on it, I must say it's not as quick as the Scalp over the rough stuff but it is incredibly playful and I had such a good time on it, 10/10 for fun factor. I'm very jealous of all you people that own one because you can have so much fun on any DH tracks without having to pin it. Don't get me wrong though, I love my Scalp, it's ridiculously quick!

I own both those bikes actually.
- I have found the Scalp to be faster through corners, particularly tighter ones, than the Aurum. Whether the corner is off camber, flat, bermed, steep etc the Scalp manages to exit faster than you expect. Gonna switch tyres next ride for a fairer comparison.
- They both manage to feel just as light and playful as each other through the air. The same is true while popping around and pumping along the trail.
- The rear end of the Aurum feels much smoohter over the rough stuff than the Scalp, I'm not sure that translates to faster though.
- The Aurum is a bike that can be rewarding at any pace, the Scalp gets better the faster you ride.
- Maintenance on the Aurum will be a damn sight easier than on the Scalp.
- I never have a bad time on either of these bikes.

I'd agree with most of that definitely but because my Scalp is a large and the Aurum was a medium and it made a massive difference with airing I found everything else like I said I totally agree. So jealous about you having the two haha would be my dream combo. Aurum on freeride type trails, like my locals, and scalp on steep and rough trails like Innerleithen, my closest uplifted DH hub
flag MilesHatton
Posted: Aug 16, 2013 at 15:43 Quote
Thinking of buying one I work at Evans I think trade is around 400 for frame no shock no hanger or bumpers just considering my options
Im 5,8 so unsure if I be going med or small
Cheers

pdxmonkeyboy wrote:
Hey gang,
I thought that I would write out a quick review of my new aurum since it is a new frame and some people may be interested in how it rides. That and it really can be hard to get an objective review from publications that survive on advertising dollars. Some times it seems that EVERY bike is the best bike in the world. I bought an LE frame that came with a CCDB and angle set headset.

Frame
Well I'm sure you have see the frame already and I won't go over the fancy ass jargon because the only thing I care about is how a frame rides. This frame is pretty damn sleek. Observations right off the bat.. Very clean welds..on par with the Santa Cruz bikes I used to ride which had some of the nicest welds ive seen. By DH standards the down tube on this bike is tiny! I wonder if the angle that it meets the volcano shaped head tune enables such a small down tube. Because of the aggressive curves, the down tube pretty much makes a perpendicular connection to the headtube. This is one reason why the front wheel seems to sit so far away from the frame. The down tube leaves the head tube almost parallel to the ground then swoops down aggressively to the bottom bracket.

Build issues
For the most part things went off without a hitch. There were however a couple of hiccups and annoyances. Ive got a pretty dialed set-up but the important things are fox40 upfront, 11' codes and i9 Dh wheels (which BTW are the pimpest strongest and loudest wheelset ever) all built I would guess im hovering around 35.5 pounds...its exciting light! The first issue was the seat tube.. The seat binder bolt works terrific and makes all the sense in the world... However, the seat tube length is very short so much that your going to have a hard time having the seat low enough for agressive Dh and still have seat post left to raise up and ride uphill. You can squeeze out maybe two inches of travel.
The derailleur hanger is pretty slick and is held on by a single bolt. However, mine is a little crooked and when I installed my rear dérailleur..it's slightly angled..and is a brand new dérailleur. Still shifts fine, but it's not perfectly aligned an for a $2600 frame...not cool.
The angle headset is pretty cool but it takes a couple tries to get the gimbles to seat correctly. Took me two tries. I'm running the stock headtube angle.
The rear brake mount posts are cool as they are post mount which is stiffer but unfortunately, it's not a simple procedure to just buy the correct adapter and bolt it on. I tried three different adapters and washer set ups before realizing the 160mm mount and one washer on each post was the correct fit for my 183 rotor with code calipers.
Cable routing was easy but take note..there is a little hole on the linkage bar for you to use zip ties. It's kind of hard to see and of you don't zip tie to the linkage the cable will now put and hit your leg while riding.

The ride..finally
So after scrambling to get the brake to fit I set off with some buddies to do a couple shuttle runs. The trail is steep and root infested on the upper part and the botom half of the trail is smooth FAST and has some very long and low jumps. There is also some tight and technical sections at the end (jumps into tight berms, close trees and roots before tight turns kind of thing). My sag was a little more than 30% as I'm under sprung with a 350 and 200lb riding weight. So with much anticipation I pointed her down and let we rip.
WOW! f*cking WOW! I don't know if it is the cane creek shock or the suspension set up but the bike truly RIPS! Coming off a shocker I am used to going fast through the rough stuff but the aurum rides much differently. On the shocker you would point and plow and kind of float through the rough stuff but the aurum was just as fast or perhaps faster but the rear felt glued to the ground. The back tire just travels over the ground and follows the contours beautifully. And when you apply the brake..the bike instantly slows down where as the shocker always took a secon or two to find some grip in the really rooty sections. The feeling of tracking with the ground and being more in control at the same speeds was palpable. I was grinning from ear to ear. On the flatter sections it was equally impressive. It took the jumps perfectly and didn't feel "floaty or ghost like" in the air with the lower weight. On fast turns you really felt like you were sitting "in" the bike not on it. The shocker really didn't have this feel. I know it's cheesy but you really do feel "one" with the bike and you get quite comfortable quickly. On the greasy sections I got some rear wheel drift but the bike seemed to hook up fine before disaster struck and kind of got my craving more of that on the knife edge feeling. One thing that did stand out was how much speed it carries through little whoops and braking bumps..if you pump the back side you can feel the bike accelerate. It did well on the tight stuff but it felt a little long an I couldn't quite dial the right body position and front/rear weight. I suspect this is more of a handlebar height issue and time on the bike more than anything.
After 3-4 more runs inlet my buddy take it for a spin instead of his norco team Dh ..2011. He had the same comment "man, it just tracks so well and feels so grounded". At the bottom I could see his gears turning in his head and thinking how he could swing a new frame purchase. I had to pop his bubble "all the frames are sold out dude, I BARELY managed to get this one"
So super stoked to say the least. I've spent a decent amount of time on a shocker, bullit, foes fly, nomad, and giant reign x and this bike was easily more stable and faster than all of them.

Ride #2..
Four days later I was craving some air so we set off to a slalom like course that has some BIG high speed gaps. We are talking in the realm of 30-40 footers and you must hit each one clean and rail the berms to clear the next one. It's the kind of trail that will have you completely extatic if you clear everything but at the trail head , your nerves make you want to take a shit. At the end of the day..I was angry with myself Frown . I think the under spring really was the death of me. I cleared most of the jumps but not all. I could not get the bike to pop off the lips enough to clear everything. This beat up my confidence and after a few runs I psyched myself out and found myself riding around some hits. The disappointing performance was probably due to lack of nerves but the take away in terms of review is that you will need the right spring or even a little on the heavy side if your going to be popping and airing it out. I have a 400# on the way but I suspect a 450# may be in order.

Summary
I am completely stoked on this bike, stoked enough to write this big long post out. I bought the frame based on a parking lot ride, some reviews and the fact that I think it's a sexy beast. I really couldn't be happier. The cane creek is a phenomenal shock! And coupled with the aurums design, the bike tracks beautifully and holds it speed. You feel instantly comfortable on the bike. At $2600 with a CCDB and angle set, the bike represents a terrific value. I have ridden some VERY expensive frames and they did not feel as instantly fast as the aurum did. Top
It off with some really nice design tid bits like the integrated fork bumpers (which do give you a little more turning radius) the integrated seat post clamp, and the break away dérailleur hanger, the bike is a winner all the way in my eyes. If you are in the market for a new bike, you really do owe it to yourself to give the aurum a try, I think you will be quite impressed. Especially if your running a CCDB on it.
Hope you found this helpful and see you guys at whistler!!!
flag CamJam
Posted: Nov 6, 2013 at 21:32 Quote
I'm 6 foot dead and was wondering what the best frame size for an Aurum would be for me?
flag aly-14
O+ FL
Posted: Nov 7, 2013 at 23:33 Quote
CamJam wrote:
I'm 6 foot dead and was wondering what the best frame size for an Aurum would be for me?

If you want to flick the bike around in a bike park i'd go with a medium, if you want to ride steep, rough DH tracks then I'd go with a large
flag CamJam
Posted: Nov 10, 2013 at 1:27 Quote
bikerwithproblems wrote:
CamJam wrote:
I'm 6 foot dead and was wondering what the best frame size for an Aurum would be for me?

If you want to flick the bike around in a bike park i'd go with a medium, if you want to ride steep, rough DH tracks then I'd go with a large

ok thanks Smile
flag mingus
Posted: Jan 1, 2014 at 14:38 Quote
Any suggestions for sizing for a rider 5'9"? I compared the Aurum geo for the small, and (except for reach), it looks on par with my old medium Canfield Jedi.

CamJam wrote:
bikerwithproblems wrote:
CamJam wrote:
I'm 6 foot dead and was wondering what the best frame size for an Aurum would be for me?

If you want to flick the bike around in a bike park i'd go with a medium, if you want to ride steep, rough DH tracks then I'd go with a large

ok thanks Smile
flag alexcovaDH
Posted: Aug 10, 2015 at 13:37 Quote
pdxmonkeyboy wrote:
Hey gang,
I thought that I would write out a quick review of my new aurum since it is a new frame and some people may be interested in how it rides. That and it really can be hard to get an objective review from publications that survive on advertising dollars. Some times it seems that EVERY bike is the best bike in the world. I bought an LE frame that came with a CCDB and angle set headset.

Frame
Well I'm sure you have see the frame already and I won't go over the fancy ass jargon because the only thing I care about is how a frame rides. This frame is pretty damn sleek. Observations right off the bat.. Very clean welds..on par with the Santa Cruz bikes I used to ride which had some of the nicest welds ive seen. By DH standards the down tube on this bike is tiny! I wonder if the angle that it meets the volcano shaped head tune enables such a small down tube. Because of the aggressive curves, the down tube pretty much makes a perpendicular connection to the headtube. This is one reason why the front wheel seems to sit so far away from the frame. The down tube leaves the head tube almost parallel to the ground then swoops down aggressively to the bottom bracket.

Build issues
For the most part things went off without a hitch. There were however a couple of hiccups and annoyances. Ive got a pretty dialed set-up but the important things are fox40 upfront, 11' codes and i9 Dh wheels (which BTW are the pimpest strongest and loudest wheelset ever) all built I would guess im hovering around 35.5 pounds...its exciting light! The first issue was the seat tube.. The seat binder bolt works terrific and makes all the sense in the world... However, the seat tube length is very short so much that your going to have a hard time having the seat low enough for agressive Dh and still have seat post left to raise up and ride uphill. You can squeeze out maybe two inches of travel.
The derailleur hanger is pretty slick and is held on by a single bolt. However, mine is a little crooked and when I installed my rear dérailleur..it's slightly angled..and is a brand new dérailleur. Still shifts fine, but it's not perfectly aligned an for a $2600 frame...not cool.
The angle headset is pretty cool but it takes a couple tries to get the gimbles to seat correctly. Took me two tries. I'm running the stock headtube angle.
The rear brake mount posts are cool as they are post mount which is stiffer but unfortunately, it's not a simple procedure to just buy the correct adapter and bolt it on. I tried three different adapters and washer set ups before realizing the 160mm mount and one washer on each post was the correct fit for my 183 rotor with code calipers.
Cable routing was easy but take note..there is a little hole on the linkage bar for you to use zip ties. It's kind of hard to see and of you don't zip tie to the linkage the cable will now put and hit your leg while riding.

The ride..finally
So after scrambling to get the brake to fit I set off with some buddies to do a couple shuttle runs. The trail is steep and root infested on the upper part and the botom half of the trail is smooth FAST and has some very long and low jumps. There is also some tight and technical sections at the end (jumps into tight berms, close trees and roots before tight turns kind of thing). My sag was a little more than 30% as I'm under sprung with a 350 and 200lb riding weight. So with much anticipation I pointed her down and let we rip.
WOW! f*cking WOW! I don't know if it is the cane creek shock or the suspension set up but the bike truly RIPS! Coming off a shocker I am used to going fast through the rough stuff but the aurum rides much differently. On the shocker you would point and plow and kind of float through the rough stuff but the aurum was just as fast or perhaps faster but the rear felt glued to the ground. The back tire just travels over the ground and follows the contours beautifully. And when you apply the brake..the bike instantly slows down where as the shocker always took a secon or two to find some grip in the really rooty sections. The feeling of tracking with the ground and being more in control at the same speeds was palpable. I was grinning from ear to ear. On the flatter sections it was equally impressive. It took the jumps perfectly and didn't feel "floaty or ghost like" in the air with the lower weight. On fast turns you really felt like you were sitting "in" the bike not on it. The shocker really didn't have this feel. I know it's cheesy but you really do feel "one" with the bike and you get quite comfortable quickly. On the greasy sections I got some rear wheel drift but the bike seemed to hook up fine before disaster struck and kind of got my craving more of that on the knife edge feeling. One thing that did stand out was how much speed it carries through little whoops and braking bumps..if you pump the back side you can feel the bike accelerate. It did well on the tight stuff but it felt a little long an I couldn't quite dial the right body position and front/rear weight. I suspect this is more of a handlebar height issue and time on the bike more than anything.
After 3-4 more runs inlet my buddy take it for a spin instead of his norco team Dh ..2011. He had the same comment "man, it just tracks so well and feels so grounded". At the bottom I could see his gears turning in his head and thinking how he could swing a new frame purchase. I had to pop his bubble "all the frames are sold out dude, I BARELY managed to get this one"
So super stoked to say the least. I've spent a decent amount of time on a shocker, bullit, foes fly, nomad, and giant reign x and this bike was easily more stable and faster than all of them.

Ride #2..
Four days later I was craving some air so we set off to a slalom like course that has some BIG high speed gaps. We are talking in the realm of 30-40 footers and you must hit each one clean and rail the berms to clear the next one. It's the kind of trail that will have you completely extatic if you clear everything but at the trail head , your nerves make you want to take a shit. At the end of the day..I was angry with myself Frown . I think the under spring really was the death of me. I cleared most of the jumps but not all. I could not get the bike to pop off the lips enough to clear everything. This beat up my confidence and after a few runs I psyched myself out and found myself riding around some hits. The disappointing performance was probably due to lack of nerves but the take away in terms of review is that you will need the right spring or even a little on the heavy side if your going to be popping and airing it out. I have a 400# on the way but I suspect a 450# may be in order.

Summary
I am completely stoked on this bike, stoked enough to write this big long post out. I bought the frame based on a parking lot ride, some reviews and the fact that I think it's a sexy beast. I really couldn't be happier. The cane creek is a phenomenal shock! And coupled with the aurums design, the bike tracks beautifully and holds it speed. You feel instantly comfortable on the bike. At $2600 with a CCDB and angle set, the bike represents a terrific value. I have ridden some VERY expensive frames and they did not feel as instantly fast as the aurum did. Top
It off with some really nice design tid bits like the integrated fork bumpers (which do give you a little more turning radius) the integrated seat post clamp, and the break away dérailleur hanger, the bike is a winner all the way in my eyes. If you are in the market for a new bike, you really do owe it to yourself to give the aurum a try, I think you will be quite impressed. Especially if your running a CCDB on it.
Hope you found this helpful and see you guys at whistler!!!
Thanks for taking the time to write this up! I was thinking about buying one and all the mag reviews are with the dollars on the half, its awesome to have a real review.
Cheers
flag MihailDimitrov
FL
Posted: Oct 18, 2016 at 6:47 Quote
Thanks from me too. It helped me decide on buying an Aurum 2014 and it is great.
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