2010 Norco Empire 5 SE Review
Each summer I live in Whistler and I see many people literally trash their bikes in the bike park, but I rode the Empire most of the 2009 season and it held up great! Continuous thrashing on a bike can do a lot of damage, but Norco has been in the business long enough that they have got it down to an art. Although the Empire was originally designed for slope style, riders are now demanding three to four inch travel bikes for most technical slope style courses; however, this does not mean that this bike is not versatile. I rode every trail from Garbanzo DH to A-Line and it was great. The really fun thing about the Empire opposed to other free ride bikes is that it is small enough to still jump effectively and play around with. I found myself doing many three sixties, no foot cans, and other tricks while riding jump trails in the bike park. The Empire is the perfect ride for bike park enthusiasts and free riders, but that is not to say it cannot dirt jump as well.
The 2010 Empire 5 was designed in Canada, by shredders themselves who know what a fresh bike looks like. The number one thing that stood out to me when I saw the Empire at the Norco Factory Headquarters in Port Coquitlam was the unbelievable colour scheme. The Empire is powder coated grey with orange and white accents to match the components. Even the Norco Pivotal seat has a sick design on it to add to the setup. In addition, the Elixir 5 calipers are white and match the lever bodies adding just a little bit more pleasing aesthetics to the bike.
Additionally, riders these days are looking at slope style and small travel free ride bikes as a complete package, and Norco has dished it up. Things such as light weight, short wheel base, low stand over, low front end and everything else that contributes to a responsive and maneuverable ride are extremely important to riders. No longer will one have to build a bike from the frame up, Norco has pretty much got it covered in the parts department too. The Empire 5 frame is constructed with Hydraformed aluminum tubes making it extremely light, responsive and rigid. The frame’s low top tube is a great added feature making it much easier to trick and control. The entire bike weighs in at 35 pounds, which is fairly light for a stock free ride bike. Perhaps the most noticeable thing while riding the bike is the maneuverability of it. When shredding trails, the low bottom bracket and front end height make your center of gravity even lower; therefore, making it easier to dig into berms and exit with more speed.
The Empire comes with a Marzocchi suspension set up. It has the Marzocchi 55 TST 2 Coil fork with air assist set at 160mm in the front, which offers the rider adjustability and performance, and the Marzocchi Roco TST Air Shock with piggyback in the rear – which I cannot say enough good things about. I was pretty hesitant at first regarding Marzocchi’s shocks, but after riding it in Whistler and here on the lower mainland, I am convinced that it is one of the only ways to go. Jumping has always been a passion of mine; yet, it has always made me nervous on a full suspension until I rode the Empire. I was never kicked forward, or thrown off balance by the rear shock. The great thing about the TST is the predictability of it - one can rarely expect to be displeased by the performance because of the great adjustability, versatility and its light weight. The Roco has a very subtle feeling to it, making you almost forget it is there except when you need it most. Norco has made a great choice by putting the Roco on the Empire.
Next, my favourite things on the bike are the Avid Elixir 5 brakes (with seven inch rotors). These brakes have unbelievable stopping power with great modulation and little or no ramping up. Even when I am pinning downhill trails on the Empire I still trust the stopping power, and when I am riding slope, they are powerful enough for me to do wall rides and quarter pipe variations. Without hesitation, I would say that the Elixir’s are some of the most powerful, responsive, and trust worthy brakes I have ever ridden, and add great value to the Empire.
Norco has also equipped this shred machine with the Gravity components' group set. This is one of the only areas I feel Norco could have improved upon. On most slope and free ride trail bikes, 30 inch (76.2 cm) or wider handle bars have become the standard, but the Gravity Lite bar measures in at 28 inches (71.0 cm) wide, 25 mm rise and 31.8 mm circumference (a wider handle bar contributes to better handling and more control). Moreover, with the significance placed on a low front end these days, the FSA headset has a large 30 mm stack making it slightly higher than most headsets. Accompanying the headset is the FSA Gravity Lite stem. I really like the geometry and light weight of this stem, yet it could also use a lower stack height to get the front end down. It is completely drilled out and machined to have the smallest amount of material possible around the steer tube weighing in at 195 grams. On top of the stem is the newly released Gravity Whip Cap – a drilled out top cap that makes it possible to run the front brake cable through the steer tube allowing for bar spins and tail whips. Norco has also put the FSA Gravity Lite CK Cranks with hollow bottom bracket and crank arms to cut down the weight. These cranks are complimented with the smooth running e.13, 36 tooth chain guide.
| Frame and Size | Norco Empire Team Frame •medium Frame •131 mm rear travel |
| Rear Shock | Marzocchi TST Air |
| Fork | Marzocchi 55 TST 2 Coil •160 mm travel •20mm Axle |
| Headset | FSA Threadless alloy |
| Crankarms | FSA Gravity Lite CK |
| Chainring | FSA 36T |
| Bottom Bracket | FSA X-Type |
| Chain | Z-9000 9 speed |
| Cassette | SRAM PG 950 11-28T |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM X.9 |
| Shifters | SRAM X.5 |
| Handlebar | FSA Gravity Lite •25 mm rise |
| Stem | FSA Gravity Lite |
| Grips | Sunline Lock on grips |
| Brakes | Avid Elixer 5 •7" rotor |
| Front Wheel | Sun Ringle Jumping Flea •20 mm thru-axle |
| Rear Wheel | Sun Ringle Jumping Flea •12 x 135 mm MAXLE |
| Tires | Maxxis Ardent 26x2.4 |
| Saddle | Norco Pivotal DJ |
| Seatpost | Pivotal 27.2mm |
| Extras | Gravity Whip Cap •e.13 LG1+ •DMR V8 Pedals |
The Empire 5 SE comes complete with a SRAM X-5 shifter, X-7 Short cage derailleur, and PG 950 nine speed cassette. I was amazed with the performance and smooth shifting capability that the X-7 and X-5 offered. I had only ever rode the X-0 line up prior to this, and although the X-7 is not quite as esteemed as its bigger brother, it still offers great features such as short cage length and performs with little or no derailleur slap.
Perhaps one of the things I am most impressed with on the Empire are the Maxxis Ardent tires. The 2.40 inch tires are fantastic in many conditions, but they really shine in dry circumstances. I find that when I push into a berm as hard as I can to get the most speed coming out, the tires always hold. I am never scared of drifting or washing out. The tires consist of the 3C triple compound technology that enables them to be great for wooden, dirt and trail stunts. The tires track really well when spinning off dirt and wooden lips as well. These tires are perfect for the aggressive rider who is not afraid of commitment.
The Norco also runs on Sun Ringle Equalizer 29 rims which I found to be a decent rim. The Equalizers are a relatively stiff rim making them very responsive, and less likely to sidewall dents. However stiff rims often result in more pinch flats. My flat tires were limited during the test period.
Overall, the Norco Empire 5 SE is a fantastic bike. The only things that I really was not stoked on were the Sunline grips and DMR pedals. After the first day of shredding trails and the slope style course, my hands were already really sore and worn out. The grips are much too hard of a compound and have a narrow circumference for the intended riding style. In addition, the DMR pedals have a small surface area and lethal pins. The bearings in the DMR pedals also seem to wear out astonishingly fast, making them chatter and spin. However, this is expected on almost all stock bikes that not every component is going to be amazing, but Norco has done a excellent job of picking all the essential components.
Norco has done a great job of combining the complete package for slope style, dirt jumping, and trail riding in one bike. The 2010 Norco Empire 5 SE is definitely a one of a kind and for an MRSP of $3995 CDN, it cannot be beat. I look forward to shredding the Empire more as I head out this weekend to Chilliwack to ride some loamy trails!
Check out www.norco.com for more information on the Empire and the rest of their 2010 line up!
Reece Wallace
-Pinkbike.com and Chromag Bikes
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super positive overall!
At the same time, maybe they got this "F**k it" syndrome. As a designer you must recognize it: you sit there 4am in the morning 4 hours to deadline, you worked for 2 weeks on some thing, whole project team around the table covered with drawings and boxes from thai food or burger king: ok we have this this and this to do it's really a lot but we will make it. And then there is someone saying: we still have no logo on it! Oh crap everyone says, it's the most important part, so the brainstorm starts with the absolute rests of brain strentgh of everybody, 99% of connections in it are dead because of 8 coffes a day, and in the middle of it the project leader says: you know what? F** it! - and that's the result
yea take arial bold put it somewhere there, apply pinch filter and let's go home, my back is killing me
Still love the bike, Will this be available as a frame ?
..but the fsa parts its = shit:P