Interview: Norco Explains Rebrand & Stays Tight-Lipped About 'No Other Way' Mystery Bike

Mar 26, 2021 at 12:34
by Alicia Leggett  
Photo by Ben Schleith

Norco recently released the video 'No Other Way,' and with it came a bold new website and a shift in the brand's image. We reached out to Norco's VP of Marketing Peter Falk to ask about the rebrand and to see if we could learn more about an industrial-looking mystery bike that we spotted in the video.



Why did you decide to rebrand?


A while back, we took a good hard look at where we’ve come from, where we are today and where we’re going. With the level of engineering and performance that our bikes and brand have become known for in the MTB space, evolving so much over the years, we wanted to continue building on this strength.

Since the brand is an expression of everything we make and needs to consider every consumer touchpoint, after taking this holistic look at ourselves, it led us to a clear decision: After 57 years in business, it was time to rebrand the company.

We had no interest in re-inventing ourselves. This re-brand projects the honest, authentic brand we’ve always been, but in a way that resonates with riders and reflects the level of quality and innovation found in our bikes.

Old styling (L) vs. new (R)

What are the changes?


The new brand identity gives us a fresh palette to draw inspiration from and also provides the brand a better platform to articulate our stories, technologies and visuals in a water-tight system that complements each other from channel to channel.

The bold graphics, typography and brand voice are designed to complement more dynamic photography and visuals that better express the ride quality and on-trail experience of every Norco bike.

The new dark and electric green palette reflects the colours of Canada’s West Coast mountains where every Norco bike is inspired and proven, and places us in a really unique visual space in the marketplace.

Photo by Margus Riga

How does the new branding better represent Norco?


Norco is at home in the dirt and in the backwoods of British Columbia. Originating in this place continues to inspire us, influence how we develop bikes, has built us as a brand and continues to build us. We wanted to bring renewed energy and focus to our Dirt-First ethos and British Columbia inspiration while communicating our story to consumers with more clarity.

Photo by Bruno Long

How will your marketing change going forward? It looks like there's increased focus on videos and storytelling.


The new Norco branding centres around what makes our bikes unique.

Norco builds Rider-First bikes with a dirt connection that are designed and tested in the mountains of British Columbia – the world’s toughest testing ground. This allows us to create the best bikes available for their intended use, without compromise, and give riders the freedom to ride and live life on their own terms.

But yes, there’s a renewed focus on video and storytelling – but there’s more to it than just that.

We’re a company of riders dedicated to developing bikes for the world’s most challenging trails. We know that the people who ride our bikes share this passion and excitement, and the stories we tell, the images we project and the emotion that gets infused into every project will express a genuine moment that every rider can connect with.

Everyone has their own No Other Way – that’s what makes riding so personal and so important to all of us. That connection is the central point to how our marketing has changed.

Photo by Robin O Neill

Can you tell me about the idea behind the No Other Way video?


The idea behind the No Other Way video was to capture those quintessential bike moments that every one of us gets when we’re out there riding. We thought about all of the different types of people who ride Norco Bikes and created a piece that captures those poignant identifiable or aspirational glimpses of time for not only our athletes but the everyday rider.

It’s kind of a love letter to where we come from – to the people and places who’ve shaped who we are over the years – but it’s also our anthem with overtures to the past, present and future. As we push our projects forward, you'll find some of these moments carry themselves into their own No Other Way feature pieces.

photo

In that video, we spotted an unfamiliar bike. Why the tease?


The tease was a peek into our development and testing process and flexing a little bit of our innovation, more so than an “unfamiliar bike.”

Is there anything you're willing to tell me about that bike?


Since you asked, more information will be coming out on what that development process led to in the near future. We just can’t divulge any specific information just yet.

Any idea when we might see a 2021 Range?


As with all bike manufacturing right now, delivery of bikes for consumers is a challenge, and the targets are constantly moving. It’s been a challenge for every brand out there and we are no different when it comes to the platforms we are currently working on releasing to the public. We are bringing you new product as fast as we can.

Photo by Zack Rampen


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Member since Jun 19, 2015
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145 Comments
  • 256 4
 That's a lot of words that say the same thing while also saying nothing. Very impressive
  • 50 2
 Sounds like a government announcement. "We've committed to blah blah blah and the following buzzwords."
  • 100 34
 Pinkbike editorial staff should be ashamed of posting this interview. I understand that you all have business relationships, but really who gives a F about Norco changing their color palette and Font scheme and why on earth does that need a press release or is the marketing dept. so self involved that they think what they spent the last 6 months working on is that important or did they prepay for a post this quarter and because they have literally nothing new to offer or release this is the best they could come up with?
  • 36 9
 @hatton: PB readers and riders who work in ad, marketing, PR, video, or other brand industries might find it interesting and useful. It isn’t easy for a mature company to do this, and it does typically make for a bump in sales. That’s why.
  • 12 10
 I really hope Norco doesn't end up letting their marketing department run the company the way they does at Specialized, for example. When bike manu's start making design decisions based on what paper-pushers and accountants want in their ad copy...
  • 18 2
 @twozerosx is absolutely right. I'm not actually a comms professional but my translation would be something like "we have had a lot of recent success with visuals like the Kitner/Atkinson videos and team riders posting Mount Provost rides on Instagram, and these reflect the fact our bikes are really good on these really hard trails so we want to double down on the northwest forest aesthetic". It's also the case that Norco has been on literally a 30 journey from a family bike brand to where they are now, and bringing the company culture of both the bike and product distribution arms along on that journey, is important but is also difficult, as @twozerosix points out. By the way I would translate the Range comment as, "Supply chain issues mean we can't deliver these bikes soon, so there's no point in announcing it if it's not going to be available for reasons outside our control."
  • 8 1
 @hatton: yep. They basically just changed their website, lol
  • 14 3
 This feels a lot like when mountain equipment co-op in Canada rebranded itself as MEC. Two or three years later they've run the business into the ground and sold to a private equity firm. Nice work big shot CEO and all the MBA grads! I'm sure they all got their performance bonuses though. How the hell do you sell a co-op anyway?
  • 5 3
 @Anomie-X: specialized doesn’t make good bikes?
  • 10 1
 @sino428: specialized makes some of the best bikes...yet they are only about half as good as Specialized’s marketing department claims.
  • 4 0
 We need Columbo on the case. A meaty cigar and some faffing will sort this right out.
  • 22 12
 @Anomie-X: That's a weird fear. Specialized has one of the most complete lineups in the MTB game right now. Very close to class-leading in literally every single bike category.
  • 16 5
 @brianpark: particularly in the cost category lol $$$$&$&&&&
  • 3 0
 @goffboy: came here for the Columbo reference.
  • 13 0
 @hatton: Right. “The new dark and electric green palette reflects the colours of Canada’s West Coast mountains where every Norco bike is inspired and proven, and places us in a really unique visual space in the marketplace.”

And my purple Sight has all the natural essence of a grape jelly bean.
  • 4 0
 @JosMaple: turbolevo aside the stumpjumper and stumpy evo lineup are pretty good spec for the money in their current lineup compared to brands like rocky, trek, Santa Cruz, ibis, etc. Not bad specs per dollar for a brick and mortar brand
  • 1 3
 @hatton: almost as shameful as that run on sentence at the end there. Kinda lost me at that point.
  • 1 0
 @Anomie-X: too late
  • 5 9
flag mikedegen (Mar 27, 2021 at 11:40) (Below Threshold)
 @hatton: PB will do anything for a buck.
  • 9 0
 @rideyourbikemore: this shit doesn't pay for itself. I haven't bought a magazine for 10-15 years, PB etc spoon feed us free information and visuals that cost nothing to the reader. You can point your eyeballs at literally anything you want and click anywhere. Worst case scenario is that someone will be slightly more likely to buy a Norco.
  • 2 0
 @twozerosix: yes, would have been interesting to get some behind the scenes of their rebranding. this interview is just a lot of hot air though.
  • 3 0
 @hatton: i can't believe all that effort went into a rebrand and no one ever looked at the UX of their site. Making me scroll through multiple builds of the Aurum so I can look at normal pedal bikes after I click 'Mountain', come on! Lemme select the model and then show me the builds for dirts sake.

Nice bikes though.
  • 2 4
 @J-Sheridan: I would put a wager that Norco will get sold within the next 5 years.
  • 2 1
 That's Marketing for ya.
  • 3 2
 @J-Sheridan: Same Agency that did MEC also did this. No reading tea leaves needed to see what could happen here.
  • 3 0
 @BrendanVDB: werent you in the marketing department at Norco?
  • 2 0
 @BrendanVDB: I didn't know it was the same agency. It just feels like the same marketing BS that gets passed around in board rooms, while having no actual affect on the bottom line. I agree with others that the website was better before and that seems to be about the only real change. Congratulations Norco, you just spent a whack of cash to make your brand less marketable to the people who actually buy your products. I hope someone in the ownership group or shareholders takes a look at how their profits are being spent and demands some changes. I certainly would like to see another Canadian brand succeed. My last trail bike was a Norco and I really enjoyed it.

The whole thing just reeks of self-congratulatory, corporate foolishness pushed by ivory tower executives to justify their bloated salaries. Just focus on better, more durable and cheaper bikes (MORE would help also) and you'd do a hell of a lot better.
  • 5 1
 @bikeparkmemes: In a way yes, I mostly worked on the bike graphics. But after 5 years bashing my head against the wall and the new Marketing Management they implemented, I left and have spent the last few years getting over it. Yes , that's right they started this rebrand process 3 years ago and came up with this trash.
  • 95 1
 I feel like that article could have done with some examples of pre and post-rebrand. I have no idea what changed TBH. Those photos and the linked video show basically nothing of the bikes or frame graphics or anything like that.
  • 62 1
 They changed their sites colour scheme from red and black to white and neon green, aswell as made it much more difficult to navigate
  • 17 0
 @endurogan: You aren't kidding.

In The Great Bike Research Project 2020, I thought Norco's website was really nice. I liked those red and black colors and it didn't feel like another generic Shopify site. The layout was better than Specialized's--it felt like they put a lot more effort into it. The early-90s green terminal hacker aesthetic they're now using makes it feel em>more/em> like a generic Shopify site. Yawn.

My favorite feature of their new home page is the BC Born SVG that renders across the entirety of my screen: www.norco.com/_application/views/images/lockups/bc-born.svg
  • 2 0
 @Eiriksmal:thought it was a bug with my naviagtor
  • 7 0
 Did they hire someone's nephew to do it cheaper?
  • 4 0
 @endurogan: Impossible to navigate. Their geometry charts are near useless now.
  • 6 4
 @Caiokv: if you have no bikes to sell, but a bunch of marketing salaries to pay then maybe a crappy website will save the company!!!
  • 1 0
 @endurogan: that’s pretty harsh! They clearly have smaller stickers and a particularly typical (fiverr style) graphic for the head tube!!!
  • 2 0
 @Eiriksmal: feels like I could have seen this before on the back of a jacked up diesel truck.
  • 1 0
 @endurogan: I'm not even sure the navigation changed, more just font and colour styles. They make great sites, but this site doesn't seem like an improvement. Don't really get it. Every spends so much time making websites cool - just make them easy!
  • 77 0
 Once you scrape away all the layers of marketing jargon:

Can you tell us the inspiration and process behind your recent rebranding?

Uh... with no bikes coming in or going out we got bored and chose a new Wordpress template. It has neon green buttons.
  • 19 1
 I really hope Norco actually reads all these comments and maybe learns something from them. Just because you put a lot of supposedly pretty words in a line telling everyone about how great your brand was, is and will be doesn't mean you made an improvement to anything. I would rather you offer more pretty paint options or something, the website before was pretty good and preferable over the new one, which isn't any easier to navigate. Beside's the beautiful Emerald green color on the Torrent there is nothing 'new' going on that is very interesting or exciting.
  • 9 0
 @rosemarywheel: 100% agree, I really hope they read every comment here and learn something.
We’ve got multiple Norcos in our family as we love their products, excellent value for sure.
But this has been a massive waste of my precious potty break. Can’t stand shitty market-speak when instead you could literally ask some kid to put together a sick edit that would actually inspire someone to buy your product.
  • 4 0
 @Mieszko42: tup Exactly. Potty breaks are precious. I don't want Norco to think I am trying to simply hate on them (I really like that Torrent and want to buy one!!) But in my book substance over style wins (or in this case, marketing and a bunch of meaningless words)
  • 6 1
 @rosemarywheel: If / when I get a new bike, my money is going to Transition.
Nobody makes a shitty bike, so I dig their marketing style. At least it makes me feel like I’d like to ride with those dudes, more so than the expensive marketing department guys writing this drivel.
Surely someone at Norco knows stuff like this regularly gets roasted on PB.
Are they that out of touch with this audience?
  • 2 1
 Also - when you pay XXX to Pinkbike you are offered front page content... we didn’t have anything much lined up so...
  • 9 0
 I really do not understand why people want to sound like marketing department robots. Do they think it makes them sound smart? Or do they talk that way to make people think no one else could do what they're doing? Or are they just totally immersed in this bizarro world of business buzz words? Some one should buy this person a copy of Strunk & White.
  • 32 0
 It's rebrand, but in a new spiritual branding pattern that doesn't need branding, just awareness that the brand is not the brand, and that all you need to ride is a well branded $8000 bike that you can take delivery of in 2025. . . maybe.
  • 30 0
 Holy corporate kool-aid batman!
  • 10 0
 Aka gobbledegook
  • 25 0
 Love a good rebrand but the font, sharp edges, and electric green color make it seem like the website is still under construction.
  • 5 0
 Oh yes, the tech tables are really fun to read aren't they?
  • 2 0
 It really, really does. I don't love the new headtube badge, but I really don't love the new website.
  • 1 0
 Exactly what I was wondering when PB carried the bright green Norco banner a week or so back
  • 1 0
 That was completely in connected to this sudo article... “I just followed the money” Jack Ryan. @boozed:
  • 25 0
 Our brand is a bike brand. We are still the same brand, but different, you know?
  • 15 0
 Same same. But different. But still same!
  • 22 0
 As a designer, these answers definitely came from a designer or brand manager. Saying a lot, while saying nothing.
  • 8 0
 Well I don't know about you but I can really relate to how the Dirt First ethos relates to my on-track experience. I live life on my own terms.
  • 8 0
 These answers sound like they came from a branding agency outside of the mountain bike industry. Something to justify the $150k project.
  • 18 1
 Just took a peek at the new norco site. Looks like one of those build your own html websites from 1999. www.norco.com
  • 4 0
 Jesus.. you weren't kidding.
  • 1 0
 It just needs some Geocities branding Smile
  • 6 3
 Oh my f#@king God. I saw lots of comments in here but after clicking that link I feel sick.

Retro is cool when retro was cool, but shitty websites were never cool back in the day. What is that horrendous mess? Has someone just purchased a bunch of font packages and thought they'd give them all a go? That is the worst looking website I have seen in ages and I have been looking at cheap Chinese carbon wheel websites recently.

I have owned one Norco and it has a special place in my heart (wish I held onto it). I am interested in their bikes but all this kind of shit turns me away from a company. Turn down the bullshit. Just focus on making good bikes and keep the marketing stuff simple. I wish more companies would learn from Tesla, spend less on marketing. (Sorry PB, your revenue dept doesn't want to hear that).
  • 15 1
 First of all: rebranding is fair game. If you feel like dusting off your shit, why not. I get haircuts too and feel better afterwards. I try not to send out a press release though telling everyone i've magically become this whole new person because my bangs are blonde now.

If i were to make a wish, it would be for you guys at PB to not make a story out of it. I come here to read about bikes and see people riding bikes in different contexts. I have no interest for marketing related news, to me that's special interest content for people in that industry (which i also worked in for years).

The only touchpoints i care about in a bike brand can be found on the bike itself. Websites, Insta, whatever, the brands need them, i get it, but those speak for themselves, nothing in this article adds any value to me as someone interested in bikes.

So there it is, to whom it may concern. Keep up the good work PB, and Norco too (i very nearly bought a Sight, if only it had been in stock).
  • 8 0
 you died your bangs blonde??????
  • 17 0
 @ccdb93: don't be ridiculous dude, i was just making a point.

They're purple.
  • 14 2
 I am a former graphic designer. Please allow me to an interpret.

"The new brand identity gives us a fresh palette to draw inspiration from and also provides the brand a better platform to articulate our stories, technologies and visuals in a water-tight system that complements each other from channel to channel."
--We got a new logo and hired a junior designer to make sure our instagram posts look like our website.

"The bold graphics, typography and brand voice are designed to complement more dynamic photography and visuals that better express the ride quality and on-trail experience of every Norco bike."
--The logo is simple, so it looks good over pictures of pros riding stuff you'll probably go around.

"The new dark and electric green palette reflects the colours of Canada’s West Coast mountains where every Norco bike is inspired and proven, and places us in a really unique visual space in the marketplace."
--We chose this colour, which never occurs in nature, because no other bike brand is using it.
  • 2 0
 "As a former graphic designer... "
  • 2 0
 @Creg: I was too cynical to sell people on design being anything more than what looks cool.
  • 13 0
 i like that you straight up asked about the 2021 Range. hopefully we get a better answer soon.
  • 1 0
 That was pretty much the only bit of useful information in the entire article!
  • 1 1
 Everyone is talking about the shot of the industrial looking aluminum prototype but literally the shot right before it shows the finished 2021 Range.
  • 16 3
 Every hour spent on this sales exercise is an hour that could have been spent on engineering
  • 6 1
 no no no.. you keep those people in your company away from the engineering.
  • 13 1
 Don't care about your rebranding BS. Just build decent bikes at decent price.
  • 1 0
 That you can actually buy in 2021
  • 3 1
 They do
  • 15 7
 Norco has made leaps and bounds in making better bikes these past few years. That Optic! On the flip-side, they still have the stigma as being known as a discount brand from back in the day. I remember you could get Norco's at Canadian Tire, alongside Supercycles. I think that's the reason for the rebrand - to try and show that yes, they are different now.
  • 3 2
 Yep $9000 Norco's still shock me. That said I’m a life long Norco rider. Not at the moment, but have owned several. Great bikes (if a little rough around the edges) PLUS big value has always been their thing. Maybe not so much anymore.
  • 6 1
 When was Norco at Canadian tire? Back when I was shopping for a new bike in 2004, I settled on a vps and there was nothing but supercycle and hyper at Canadian tire. No one I knew then thought they were budget bikes.
  • 7 1
 @b-rider: wow. Waaaay back in ‘04 huh.
  • 8 0
 Norco never sold bikes through Canadian Tire
  • 5 2
 @CircusMaximus:that is funny.

Yes, budget brand when I was growing up. Still had a bad taste in my mouth in the 2000's about Norco from when I was 12 in 1980 and the cheap fork on my Norco BMX that was slowing bending forward from me jumping it incessantly.
Plus, the cheap quill stem that would no longer hold the handlebars tight so every time I pulled up on the front end, the bars would shift backward. Guess I should have heeded the sticker that warned the bike was not built for BMX riding. Thankfully, they have moved on from those days.

That interview was pointless. Said absolutely nothing of substance.
  • 2 0
 @slish: my 1980 Norco Supercross was the same. Bars were always moving. Looked rad with my aftermarket red tires and # plate though!
  • 4 0
 @CircusMaximus: The transition from value to paying for a name happens a lot with successful bike companies. Transition Bikes used to be a good value too, as did Santa Cruz, but that was a long time ago.
  • 8 0
 Uhhh I got my first Norco in the late 80s. Always from a bike shop. Never Canadian Tire. Maybe put down the pipe.
  • 8 0
 Website looks absolutely terrible, like it was done in MS paint and for a high school project. Would love to see if there are any actual consumer insights or research behind the rebrand rather than a captains call somewhere
  • 7 0
 Hey Norco, when can we see a decent supply chain in the UK? Evans cycles show only a handful of last years bikes, yet are still listed as ‘dealers’. Get someone new onboard!

Also, any news on my optic warranty replacement frame? I know the pandemic is causing issues, but nearly 4 months and counting without my beloved trail ripper!
  • 4 1
 This. All the time I have to contribute to filling the pockets of a douchebag like Mike Ashley, Norco is off my radar.
  • 5 0
 Norco has been on an absolute roll lately. Their bikes nowadays are some of the best in the entire business. Even just five years ago, I would have laughed at you, if you told me that in 2021 I would go and buy a Norco over a Specialized, Trek or Santa Cruz. And yet last week I bought a 2021 Optic instead of a 2021 Stumpy. They have come very far as a brand in the last couple of years. I think they have earned the rights to a little marketing faff aswell. Besides, most of the videos on their youtube channel are absolute bangers.
  • 9 1
 Utter marketing nonsense.
  • 4 0
 Guess whose linked in this is: "Creative, pragmatic and an energetic individual with a keen focus on driving higher margins, ROI, EBIT and delivering measureable results. Well developed as a strategic thinker and strong in the conceptualization and execution of brand, marketing and go-to-market strategies. A leader by example, and focused on building highly motivated teams through positive working environments and accountability."
  • 1 2
 @Barf_Shitson
  • 5 1
 This is marketing not editorial..... WOW!

The entire below passage of text could almost be about dish soap, military hardware or lawnmowers.


"brand identity gives us a fresh palette to draw inspiration from and also provides the brand a better platform to articulate our stories, technologies and visuals in a water-tight system that complements each other from channel to channel.

The bold graphics, typography and brand voice are designed to complement more dynamic photography and visuals that better express the ride quality and on-trail experience of every Norco bike!
  • 10 3
 Holy fuck if that guy was in my team I would punch him. Then sack him. What a load of waffle to say nothing.
  • 4 0
 Norco- " we've decided to change our name from Norco To Norco .
When you purchase one of our new bikes it will come with a secret mantra that will allow our customers to re connect with the cosmic hum of the forest and assist them in transcending into the blissful realms of Perfume laden BS. "
  • 8 1
 Like the new branding. Love my new Optic.
  • 8 1
 The rebrand hurts my eyes
  • 13 10
 How about videos of woman riding, adaptive trail bikes. Ethnic minorities on bikes. Being good steward s to the environment, and of course Free Riding! Rebrand your selves as caring about the environment and people's health. Or you could paint your bikes green.
  • 3 2
 Exactly, they'll continue to be out of touch because they always have been.
  • 6 2
 So, a new logo/badge/emblem and a new font for the name. In other words an article full of marketing bull shit.

If not, I'm not sure why they are embarrassed by the history of the Norco name, but that would be on them.
  • 6 0
 While you’re rebranding could you get a new distributor in the UK please. Sport Direct is not cool.
  • 3 0
 Norco have nailed it with the Optic and other models since. They really got me watching them.
So, great job, continue with that level of engineering and make sure, that there are enough dealers in Europe.
Also, I wish there was an Optic frame kit with decent color and shock choice.

The story above may be interesting but that and the web design do not convey anything substantial to me.

Just provide well engineered bikes with solid frame features (e.g. protection, rattle free, storage, adjustablity etc.) in great colors and some thrilling launch activity that makes people positively nervous while buying and waiting for the package to arrive.
And maybe try to offer prices below Spesh and RM. Then all will be good for you and us Smile
  • 1 0
 Yes, this. The european market would very much like an Optic framekit.
  • 9 6
 1. 1st rule of marketing - make sure people are talking about your brand. Folks, you just made sure people are talking about it. Regardless of your *opinion* Norco is a big player and has a global presence. Their branding change is for the globe, not BC. Y’all aren’t the target market; you are just on ring in the bullseye. Fun fact, in digital marketing it is accepted that the folks most likely to post a negative response in a forum are the VAST minority. Those in the positive say ‘meh’ to the comments and move on. So whoever said they hope Norco is reading the comments in PB - guess what? They aren’t. Your opinion doesn’t matter. Just like it doesn’t matter to Ford, Google, Apple, or any other site you go to - they view forums as dead ends and a waste of time because those complaining, generally soeaking, just want a reason to complain.
2. The site is fine and modern and looks to be mobile first; the old site not so much. Glad you liked the old site - it was cool ... in 2015. Good on them for the face lift. I get it, change is hard. But is just a web site and I doubt very seriously that 99% of the folks who posted have the creative of tech chops to create an engaging, performant, localized, global web presence. What works in BC and the PNW, doesn’t work in the US east coast, Europe, Asia, Africa, Western Asia, Oceania. South America. It’s hard to make a site work globally. The did a good job - stop being ethnocentric and chill out.
3. Site navigation - if you are having trouble navigating, look inward. It actually an easily navigable site, is responsive, and makes sense. If you are having trouble navigating, that’s a personal problem.
4. Site landing page - ok, there’s a bit to much going on there, especially for a phone screen. Too much scrolling. But again, it’s their site more power to them. Menu is top left - I can bypass the home page. The venom above is silly - it’s a website people, freaking relax.
5. Ride guide - again, if you are having trouble with it, look inward. It’s fine, its you, not them.
6. PB interviewed a marketing person and Norco’s person spoke marketing. Not sure what the problem is. Sales speaks sales. Engineering speaks engineering. Peo riders speak pro riders (ok, Ratboy is the exception - he speaks Ratboy). HR speaks HR. Don’t like to read marketing speak? The don’t freaking read an PR on rebranding.
7. I am at a loss about the $4500 comment. Norco has many options under $4500.

For the record, I am not a Norco fanboy. My custom 2020 Optic (frame only) is my first Norco and it’s great. But I also have a a custom 2020 Revel Rail which is also freaking great (and yes, quiver update, frames order pre pandemic). Point is, I have no emotional skin in the game here. Norco is a mature, professional company, run by mature, professional people. The are simply responding to a competitive market and emphasizing ‘dirt’ just like Specialized and Giant - that is, targeting the campaign at the beginning of the season and getting y’all to at least take a look at the site. You know, marketing.
  • 2 0
 Ok, to be fair, the footer on the new site does pretty much suck. But it's a footer. Pretty much like Marin, Jamis, Ellsworth, Foes as a whole,...who gives a crap. ;^)
  • 3 1
 So we're all irrelevant, complaining, out of touch, stuck in our ways, too "ethnocentric" (?), venomous luddites who shouldn't have read an article about a bike company on a bike website with which we regularly engage? Got it.
  • 3 1
 I dont think any of the haters on here are able to even consider that the PB audience might not be what this norco rhetoric is aimed at. It's not always about you....there's a pretty good chance this is targeting new to the market buyers, and not us. We know norco is a good value and good bike. New people want something that is more subdued and doesnt look like a racecar or road bike branding on the side. They also probably might be new because they want to be a part of the lifestyle. This marketing targets those people pretty well without being too flashy and making them feel like they are drawing too much attention while they learn.
  • 1 0
 I’ve just been waiting on a pivot bolt since early December for my 2020 Norco Optic C2, only ridden a few times before the upper bolt decided to back out on the trail. Someone forgot to loctite the bolts during assembly. Must be why the 2021 Optic’s haven’t been in stock... nice if the fancy new website could help me with my back order??
  • 1 0
 Well I’ve been wondering why their bikes keep winning awards and my curiosity lead me here. I own the 2021 optic C1 up until a month ago I was a Trek rider for many years. After testing the optic the bike convinced me to buy it. I tried 8 different bikes from a bunch of other brands including another trek. The optic is awesome for what I ride here in Australia. All I say is that I’m stoked with the bike that norco has produced and what ever they are doing over there, rebranding, magic what ever you want to call it, to keep doing it. Good on you Norco your bikes are fantastic.
  • 5 0
 Pretty sure this rebrand was supposed to be released this coming Thursday.
  • 3 2
 This was not a good read. I normally feel it is very disrespectful to post negative comments about articles as someone has taken their time to produce it and I don't have to read it. But this is definitely a step too far. I understand it may be interesting to people in marketing and design but what next, IT articles about the tech used to deliver PB or Norco website. No issue with interviewer, PB or the marketing guy (it is his job after all), but this has made me think of Norco as a brand I will avoid as I can't be sure they are about the bikes anymore - this is just too much marketing with too little bike content - I shall assume it is an insight into Norco's priorities.
  • 3 2
 Rebranding, remarketing, or readvertising?
I bet Norco just paid some award winning marketing consulting company a lot of money to come up with a new logo, tag line and color scheme. I guess sales were disappointing last year, so whats a CEO to do? Redefine the brand with over-the-top marketing BS! If you really want to rebrand, change the whole name! How about BC Bikes? Norco sounds like an air-conditioner company. Still love ya!
  • 4 1
 Riders first..built for riders ..rider owned..blah blah blah blah blah blah..
  • 4 0
 Wow someone got a thesaurus for Christmas
  • 3 0
 I think someone at Norco marketing has been reading back issues of Dirt magazine as the font and style is exactly the same!
  • 3 0
 I had a good look at the website...I cannot understand why they would have done this. Doesn't appeal to me at all.
  • 1 1
 The comments are hilarious! And, way more entertaining and insightful than the article.
The comments are also a pretty much self answered question.
"Why publish this and why all the hype?"
Like, 'DUH!'
Because, as we all hate to admit it, retards like us really do read this crap!
  • 3 0
 I'm confused, new colors and maybe a new bike is a re -brand?
  • 1 0
 Pinkbike, I hope you got paid for this, because helping brands to fart out guff like this certainly doesn’t help your brand.
  • 3 1
 Their new site looks like Google Fonts barfed random content on the site while leaning on ctrl & i keys.
  • 4 1
 Umm, WTF did I just read?
  • 5 1
 Verdict: uninteresting
  • 3 1
 Love the brand and new logo.. how about a proper head badge instead of a painted symbol?
  • 3 0
 Wow. A whole press release of nothing ????
  • 1 0
 A press release for a CSS change on their website. Nice. I hope they don't increase prices next year because of this "rebrand".
  • 3 0
 electric green = sinus infection
  • 2 0
 i hope they make a new full sus revolver at least or less expensive
  • 1 0
 All I want to know is where was that last pic taken from? I want to ride there!
  • 1 0
 Is the mystery bike the new range?
  • 3 6
 Really don't like the direction Norco is going in. I hate the new website. It's one of the worst ones I've seen in the bike world. I feel like I would need to adjust my monitor to be able to stand looking at it for more than a minute. Furthermore, the entry price of any rugged trail bike is $4500. For a bike company based in BC, you don't sell a entry level full suspension bike a lot of us will want to ride in BC for under $4500 out the door with pedals. Even if I did have $5000+, it would be awfully hard to justify your pricing vs Devinci, Marin, Specialized etc. It makes me a little disappointed because the geo looks spot on, the bikes look great, but there is nothing for me in your lineup. As an ex-Norco consumer, please bring value and a few choices back to the average people.
  • 1 0
 I had to search but no one said it. Full review tomorrow.
  • 1 2
 Can't beat the value of Canyon and Commencal bikes. Norco is way over priced!
  • 1 1
 You are number 2. I am not a number, I am a free man!
  • 6 9
 New website looks great. Congrats to the team on the launch.
  • 14 4
 designer's dad? That website looks really bad IMHO
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