Now Finished: Ask Us Anything with Norco Bicycles

 Christ you've gone in for the kill here, this is meant to be light-hearted, not egg-sauce-ting.

 Quality Control requires mayo for a sandwich to enter the building. Due to unfortunate supply chain issues, this is not an uncommon occurrence, and rejected sandwiches can often be found in the HQ carpark. - DC

 @L0rdTom: Could be worse. He hasn't asked why there's not Marmite in it yet.

 When we define kinematics for our bikes we consider the influence of all kinematic parameters in combination to define the ride characteristics of the bike. Looking at any one kinematic parameter in isolation doesn't give a complete picture of how a bike will ride. For that reason, we choose not to publish the kinematic information for our bikes. We feel it is more important to provide customers with the most accurate setup information possible through our Ride Aligned setup guides to ensure they experience our bikes in the same way that we designed and tested them. Altering leverage curve characteristics like Cascade Components is doing with their aftermarket links is something we do extensively during our development testing. We believe the leverage curves we land on after development testing, when combined with other kinematic parameters, provide the best ride characteristics possible across a wide rider weight range. However, we are often working with some additional constraints that Cascade may be less restricted by, rider weight being a good example of that. - CR

 @norcobicycles: thank you for answering that question and in a way for everyone to understand!

Big fan of Cascades stuff and what they do. Lot of people have a misunderstanding of it thinking that Cascade simply thinks they are smarter than the bike companies engineers. You summed it up beautifully that you are hitting a wide ride weight range and found the best possible set up for that but cascade is working with less constraints and is less restricted in what they do.

Much respect for answering that how y’all did

 @norcobicycles: please publish kinematics some where. It is important information around selecting what style of spring you want and can give a good idea on setup.

 @Beyond-The-Tape: linkagedesign.blogspot.com/2021/11/norco-range-29-2022.html

 @Beyond-The-Tape: Check out our Ride Aligned setup guides. For any of our stock suspension specs you should have all the info you need to setup your bike to suit your height, weight and skill level.
www.norco.com/bike-setup-guide/bikes - CR

 @jaydawg69: I know that site exists and it pains me that we have to use a 3rd party site to find information on a $10,000 dollar bicycle in 2022

 @norcobicycles: that only provides me setup options for the stock shock on the bike (not complaining, it's the best info in the industry at this point by far) but, it doesn't give me an idea on whether an air shock might be better suited? Especially when I am 6kg outside your parameters and only get vague information after that.

 @Beyond-The-Tape: Paul Astons video on the Shore explains why they do it.... mostly because of Intellectual Property but do they the patent the kinematics? Weagle tried and lost in court. I think it's more marketing than science if you aren't putting up the numbers/graphs.

 @jaydawg69: Weagle patented a linkage design. VPP, maestro and Fsr(norco licensed fsr from specialised until the patent ran out) were all patents that have now run out. Patenting Kinematics would actually make them more public.

I will check out the video thanks.

And yes, I think the biggest reason is marketing don't want to be called out before a customer buys the bike.

For clarity, I also think norcos suspension Kinematics are some of the best on the market.

 @norcobicycles: Appears to be an amazing bike except for the weight...

 @Beyond-The-Tape:
+1

 Great question!

 @norcobicycles: If that's the case, why not just offer lifetime warranty?

 @HB208: I guess people take advantage of it, and/or some brands see it as an investment in the customers riding their bikes for longer. If X cracks their bike and has to pay full price for a new frame, there is probably a much higher chance they will switch to a different brand just to try something new. If you're getting a new frame for free, you're more likely to just build it up and keep riding that brand of bike.

Also, If your frame cracks after 5 years of riding, is it really a defect, or is it wear and tear?

 @leon-forfar: That depends on how much you are riding.

If you are riding enduro tracks 100 times a year, sure, maybe 5 years is just the lifespan of the bike. If you are riding blue trails on weekends, say 40 times a year, then maybe its not. Why put an arbitrary number on the bike? If it looks like user abuse, offer a at cost replacement for the frame. If it looks like the frame was defective, offer a free replacement.

 @HB208: exactly lol You will never get a straight answer

 @HB208: Totally. There are lots of variables that come into play. Given that most big brands these days offer some kind of lifetime warranty, I am surprised when a brand doesn't. I've worked in a shop here for 10 years, and I've also seen brands "abuse" their own lifetime warranties, deny warranty and offer crash replacement (discounted price) on things that should legitimately be covered. At the end of the day, I guess it matters what kind of mood your warranty representative is in on the day they process your claim. It would be nice to see lifetime warranty across the board from brands, so long as it is properly adhered to.

 @leon-forfar: I agree, its still an easier conversation when you crack your frame year 4 when there is a lifetime warranty vs when you have a three year warranty.

 Maybe with bike parks popping up everywhere and downhill becoming more popular this warranty strategy is no longer cost effective. I would be satisfied and even surprised if my current frame withstood 5 years of abuse.

 @FlexWillard: Here is the thing, providing a good warranty is just good business. Most people that are riding bike parks every weekend move on from a bike sooner than 5 years anyways. Since warranties are not transferable, typically, you really don't have an obligation to service the sale for a long time. But it provides reassurance for someone purchasing an $8k bike that they won't be left out to dry at year 3.5 if something does go wrong.

 @norcobicycles:

 Whaaaat? It’s only three years? I thought my Optic had five years on the frame

 Protip: Lifetime warranty doesn't mean what you all assume it does in the bike industry.

 @m47h13u: I know, however, it does mean more than a 3 year warranty.

 @irck: Optic does have a 5 year warranty. 3 years is for DH / Freeride / Enduro. Details here: www.norco.com/warranty

 @HB208: Look up bathtub curve under manufacturing failure rates. Most specifically the bit about infant mortality. This is what Norco's 3 year warranty covers.

Traditionally, warranties are usually listed as "lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects". They aren't set up to replace wearing out the product (there is always extra-ordinary circumstances). It seems like many people want the warranty to cover replacements on the products that they wear out... but when Norco makes the Range to not wear out, they also want to complain that the bike weights 37lbs. It seems like Norco is making the right call here for the earth and customer, just not the consumer.

 @skinnie-master: There's always that person JRA that wants a new frame when they were an idiot sure. But I don't think the majority of riders are looking at lifetime warranties as replacing a "worn out" frame. They are looking at a frame doing what it's supposed to for "it's" lifetime which based on cost alone should be more then 3 years.

My .02 is short warranties are used to push riders to buy new bikes so they are always in warranty. Period.

Though for sure I 100% think that a LOT of frames these days are way overbuilt and heavier then optimal so they don't cost the company future frame warranties... catch 22.

 @stiingya: The real kicker is when companies offer a 3 year warranty on frames and also overbuild them. F that.

 @huckbuckit: Thanks mate. I didn’t realise the warranty was variable depending on the model.

 @entirepopulation Our team has been working on the Optic next generation, but we can't give you guys too much information at this time. From our side, we feel that the Optic suites a more rowdy or shorter travel trail bike and not really the "down country" market. That category lines up more with our 120/120 Revolver. Just stoked that the bike will be updated and more dialed for the intended use. - JJ

 @norcobicycles: Hell yeah! The Optic is awesome! Favourite bike I've owned in 15+ years of riding. I just wish you had more dealerships in Germany.

 @norcobicycles: I am going to go ahead and call it now, 2022 Bike of the Year.

 A guy predicted the answer and his comment is deleted LOL

 Wow....my prediction comment was deleted? What's up with that? There was nothing negative about it. And last time I checked it had plenty of upvotes.

 @norcobicycles: not sure how the Optic could be any more perfect than what it is now. I'll never not own an Optic!

 @norcobicycles: Will the updated optic include an alloy version?

I feel like there is a gap between the Fluid FS and Sight if shopping for an alloy bike.

 @JDFF: wanna send me what your predictions were for the optic? I'd love to know .

 Would be interested to hear your general views on the review and the ultimate refund, given how unusual a refund for a mountain bike is

 Also wanted to ask similar.
Not seen the youtube, but his comments on the downtime podcast suggest that he thinks the lowest spec bike never actually gets tested prior to release, they are just a spec sheet build to hit a pricepoint, and this sometimes causes issues.
Is this actually true?

 We reviewed each of the issues identified in Paul's videos and have worked through each of these issues in turn, initially recreating them where possible, and then completing a root cause analysis of each issue. From this analysis we have then developed and tested a containment to the issue for the Shore Park, and where appropriate also the Shore Trail. These containments will be rolled out into future productions of the Shore, and also provided as a complimentary upgrade package to any current Shore owners, the date when this will be ready is still being confirmed.

More importantly for us as an engineering team, we have used this analysis further - to develop a resolution to the issue; a change to our engineering processes that is aimed at preventing this issue occurring again on any of our future bikes. These resolutions are being instigated now and we are confident that these changes will lead to a tangible improvement to our future bikes. - DC

 @norcobicycles: Thanks for replying! One thing that should be noted is that when he fixed the issues he was having he absolutely loved the bike

 @norcobicycles: Fair play.

 @norcobicycles: as a Shore owner (x2) I am all ears. I have not viewed Paul Aston's video, but am about to.

 @norcobicycles: consider paying Paul for his "help"?

 @norcobicycles: why wasn't this done beforehand? It's really not rocket science... the engineering/qc was/is abysmal Pauls vid.

 @norcobicycles: I had the same problem as Paul with my 2017 Norco Optic. Not a single pivot bolt had loctite on it. The frames BB92 shell must have been out of spec as ever BB I put in it walked out until I used retaining compound. When is Norco going to go back to threaded BB?

 the real question is, what's going on with that mural of his?

 @norcobicycles: alright, viewed Pauls vid. I disagree with his negativity, but agree with many of his comments. For the full monty, I wrote on his final YT vid... but the short version is; he's nailed it on many items. No rubber pad, trunnion washers, no loctite, and ride aligned being whack were all true for the Shore as a whole. I still love it, and I still love Norco. Blaming it all on COVID! Nothings been easy for me, the challenge for a multi national business must be insane!

 Love that guy! Zero attitude.

 Absolutely! Give him a high five if you see him on the North Shore! - DC

 @norcobicycles: I would, but can't catch him...

 I am curious if this is a possibility as well! Looking forward to the next iteration of DH bike regardless. Keep up the great work!

 Yes! Are there any plans to release the dropout/link kit to the public?

 Adapting the Range for our Norco Factory Team to race on was always intended to provide us with a test platform to advance our understanding of what makes a high performing DH race bike rather than to develop a commercial product. We've learned a ton over the last two seasons with the team running different versions of this bike that we'll be looking to apply to a dedicated DH race bike in the future. - CR

 When the Range was designed it was a complicated bike to make from carbon and almost impossible to make out of aluminum. At that time, we realized that the Shore model or "freeride" category had been missing from our line up for several years, so this was a chance to redesign the new Shore which was aluminum and 27.5 wheels, so different from Range. An aluminum Range could be something we consider again in the future in alloy. – JJ

 @norcobicycles: id be very interested in one if it came in aluminium!!

 @norcobicycles: feel as though the product launch for these two was introduced backwards. Would have been nice for the Range to drop first as the surgeon and shortly after have the Shore arrive as the wildchild. Owning the latter of the two, I'm not unimpressed - but I would have much rather had the Range for it's climbing prowess over the Shore. Jumped on the Shore simply because I didn't know the Range was coming. Hindsight 20/20.

 @tankthegladiator: everyone else knew the range was coming

 @toawd: unlike you nerds, I wasn't on here daily leading up to my purchase and it shouldn't have to be that way.

 Range owner here also. I completely agree with your comments on cable routing. I built my frame up myself and added the foam sleeves on all the cables, then went back and stuffed some moto foam in the top tube and down tube to try to silence the bike, wich seems to work.
Side note. Check that little plug on the seat tube that the 2 cables go through. It's secured with a small 5mm (I think) screw. If it's not tight or the cables are not in it correctly or missing it will cause Alot of cable noise

 Check the Enduro warranty claims issues and you'll see why this pedalable downhill bike weighs an extra kilogram or so. Adding 1kg to a bike adds less than 5 minutes over 8 hours of purely pedalling uphill, assuming total system weight of 100kg. You don't even get an extra run in on the lighter bike, you just get less fit.

 @L0rdTom: personally I'm not that worried about the weight of the range. It weights less than my dh bike and this has more gears and a dropper. Also if I need to drop some Weight I'll start by cutting out some of the beer I drink.
Also it's really not that heavy of a bike for what it is. I think mine is 36lbs with double down tires, 223 rotors and no other carbon bits

 Thanks for the kind words, me too, its an absolute animal!

Cable routing is actually no simple task. We elected not to use tube-in-tube on Range because it does not easily allow for riders to run moto/reversed brakes cleanly. Saying that, we have had minimal issues in testing but we will look into it, a noisy bike is infuriating! Fit & finish is a key area of focus for the engineering team and you will see continuous improvement in this regard.

Weight is always a compromise. Frame weight is a balance of durability, strength, stiffness, kinematic, packaging and cost. Component spec makes up the majority of the bike weight, and we wanted to make Range race ready out of the box, with a spec that can withstand the rigors of enduro racing. - DC

 @pdxjeremy: Not calling you a liar, but 36 is impossible without making compromises and or spending a ton. I’m at 38 with exo+/dd, carbon hoops, cockpit, 30.9 dropper, and alloy cranks that are 100g heavier than NextR.

 @pb-kg: I guess I will check the scale calibration when I get home. Thanks for giving my inner ocd something to do. And really even 38 isn't bad for that the bike is.
I did forget to mention mine has Ewings on, but I don't think that will make that much a difference

 @norcobicycles @pdxjeremy @pb-kg: My original point that was missed here is that the Range is 3+ pounds heavier than an equivalent bike. My 180/180 Megatower with the exact same spec was 35 lbs, vs 39lbs for the Range. A Spire in a similar build would be around 33lbs. That's all frame weight, not components. If you compare any Norco frame (Optic/Sight/Range) to the equivalent bike from a different manufacturer, the Norco is always 2+ pounds heavier. I haven't seen any of those lighter bikes break (despite some thrashing), so maybe the safety factor at Norco is a bit excessive?

 @tcks: They may be in the same category, but those bikes don't ride similarly at all. Not saying the Range is unequivocally better than either of those bikes, but it's certainly better at some things. I wouldn't mind it being 3 pounds lighter, but I'm doing 5000' days on it just fine, and I don't think weight is an outright negative thing. All things being equal, a heavier bike is going to track a little better than a lighter one. I will say, though, as a matter of practicality though, if it were my only bike I think I'd probably look elsewhere. Bottom line, there's room for this bike to be a specialist.

 @pdxjeremy: @vanillarice19 got his C2 down to 36, but he's got pretty much the lightest of everything on his build. Carbon everything, EXO tires, high end drivetrain...

 @pb-kg: My Range is currently at 33.4lbs without pedals but I’m running EXO DHRII tires as I’m a lighter rider than most. When my broken arm heals and I’m able to ride faster, I’ll toss a DD out back so just under 34lbs

 @vanillarice19: Dang! Maybe 36 is doable for @pdxjeremy then. Maybe it's my scale that's off?

 @vanillarice19: do you mind running through the components you used to drop the weight. Have a range on order so interested to see how you addressed the weight.

 @IMeasureStuff:
Got a bike of the day with it. Could have shed more weight with a Zeb or even more with a Fox36
www.vitalmtb.com/community/vanillarice19,46465/setup,45005

 As you can imagine, we get a huge number of applications whenever we post a job. So when I am going through resumes, I’m obviously looking for candidates that demonstrate their engineering knowledge and experience, but the ones that really stand out show experience out of the workplace – designing something, making something, being involved in something in the community. Our engineering team is not full of industry veterans, but have a diverse background which brings new ideas to the table. - DC

 @norcobicycles: very interesting to hear! Thanks.

 Trunnion shocks offer the ability to package shock stroke in a shorter eye-to-eye when compared with standard eyelet shocks which offers some packaging benefits especially on small frame sizes. Vertical shocks and the need for short seat tubes and long droppers on small frames are a good example of where that shorter eye-to-eye can be a real benefit. That being said, shock performance and durability is also high on our priority list and standard eyelet shocks as well as spherical bearings can certainly help improve both of these things. In cases where we can't package the additional eye-to-eye length of a standard eyelet shock we take steps to minimize side loading of the shock and pay particular attention to shock durability during development testing. As a result, we haven't seen many failures of trunnion shocks on our bikes. That being said, in instances where we can package standard eyelet shocks and achieve our desired geo and component clearances that's the way we'll go moving forward. - CR

 That's an easy one, because it's never me taking my pants off..

 This^^

 @Compositepro: When I got my 2017 Sight A7.1, it was in the showroom facing a carbon Mondy Foxy, now there's an optic 9.3 in a dark corner along side their own badged open-mold HTs. Such a sad decline, but M.Ashley bought Evans in 2018 so it all makes sense.

 @ROOTminus1: sorry dud someone in the offended police looks like they deleted my comment

 We do have a new partner in Tredz who have certain models in stock right now, but we acknowledge that the UK needs more Norco’s and we're working to make it happen as soon as we have the inventory to do so - JJ

 @norcobicycles: unfortunately the Uk trade don’t highly regard tredz , hopefully a willing partnership will evolve

 @Rosser73: never had an issue with tredz when I’ve bought parts but I must admit I was disappointed with how my sight arrived. Frame protection left in the bottom of the box, brakes needed bleeding and had to trim a good foot of dropper cable off. In all fairness they reimbursed me for the brake bleed but after a mates patrol arrived from another shop all set up ready to go(including suspension and tubeless) I think there’s room for tredz to improve or another shop to give a better service.

 In recent years we have started to address this. We know the bike industry, in general, is not close to other industries but globally moving in a good direction. Making bikes that allow riders to get years of service from their bike makes sense to us, as we know and see riders that are still out exploring trails on some of our earliest Norco mountain bikes dating back to the 80's. For example, one small step is more sustainable packaging and materials that are recyclable where possible. Kudos to Trek for their recent sustainability report, setting the bar for the bike industry awareness. - JJ

 @jamesbrant: I literally didn't say anything about identity politics. you're being part of the problem by emotionally reacting with vitriol at something that should be a meaningful discussion.

it's 2022. be a better person already. and stop being "a stupid son of a bitch" - Joe Biden.

 One of the most complicated areas to package is tire to chainstay to chainring. Superboost allows you to run a wider chainline, giving more space in the area, but one of the major drawbacks is heel clearance. We haven’t needed to go to superboost due to some clever design of chainstay yokes and our kinematic layouts on some platforms. However, I’m confident that a new “standard” will appear to increase clearances without compromising back end width! Pinkbike loves a new “standard”! - DC

 We apologize for the difficult situation you and a lot of other stoked Norco riders have been facing related to delivery for bikes and having to wait patiently. Things are slowly starting to get back to normal so there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. It will also depend on what bike you are waiting for, as there are still certain components that we all rely on that have really long lead times. - JJ

 Kids you got dropped a pearl of wisdom here....use this advice

"good communication and managing expectations is way better then telling them nothing at all."

@heretodestroy Hoping your not fat biking all summer

 @norcobicycles: Thanks for the reply. I didn't expect some kind of update or resolution here. But I seriously hope you take comments/questions like this seriously and try to take something away from it to help improve how these situations are being handled. Telling my local shop (Hub Cycle) that you don't know when they will see a bike is better than silence. So get a rep on the phone and start providing regular updates, even if the news isn't great.

 excellent advice communication is key. three summers for a warranty replacement is rough going, your lucky to be on a reliable fat bike in the meantime at least.

 We do a lot of test riding behind the scenes. Over the years, there are models that we have tested and did not make it to production. In some cases it may have been that the market was too small and in other cases the bike did not pass through our testing. Generally, we don't show these off but way back we had a model called the 420 which was a steel single pivot full suspension bike with pegs and a gyro designed for the Whistler Bone Yard. That bike actually made the catalogue but was never released - JJ

 Bring back the 420 without pegs & release !!!!!@norcobicycles:

 It’s fun to run the gauntlet in the warehouse - DC

 I am super interested in the shore, but I dot want a high pivot for jumps. But mostly a cheaper spec would be sick

 Regarding 27.5 wheels, we could address that with the Shore model that was a dedicated 27.5 wheel bike. It was designed for trails and jump lines. That's been our vision for this style of bike but with our team riders Matt MacDuff and William Robert we will keep an eye on this category in the future - JJ

 Are you referring to Ibis and the deletion of the HD 5 on there website??

 @regdunlop: I was not, no. I’m reluctant to say which brand because I don’t want to distract from the question of 27.5” wheels and riding styles. However, that is interesting to know re: Ibis, thank you.

 We are in the process of updating models as they arrive in stock. In some cases, due to the disruption in the supply chain we have had some models carry over from 2021 into 2022. More models will be added in the future. Keep an eye on our site for the new models to be added in the coming weeks and months. As far as fat bikes, there are new models that will be added to our site soon with updates to spec, geometry, and other details. - JJ

 Norco are distributed in Australia by Advance Traders, and sold largely through 99 Bikes, both part of the same company - Pedal Group. Pedal Group's majority owner is Flight Centre, which, despite being a travel agent two years into a global pandemic, still has a market cap of over 3 billion AUD - several times the annual turnover of the entire Australian cycling industry.

Transition are distributed by SuperSports, who appear to be run out of an industrial space in Murrarie that is worth less than a single 99 Bikes store (of which there are almost 60).

So Transition bikes are imported at a tiny volume, by a tiny independent company, that sells them to other tiny independent companies (your LBS), while Norco bikes are imported at a relatively huge volume, by a huge company, that sells them to itself, before selling them to you.

This is not an indictment of any of the aforementioned brands or companies, but a reality of the fact that you live in Australia, which may feel like a developed nation that should have all of the same fun toys and opportunities for consumption as other developed nations, but is actually a tiny country, as far away from every other developed nation on Earth as it can possibly be.

So understand that the bike brands didn't decide the price difference of the bikes for you, geography did.

 @cmrn: Thanks for your Fantastic reply! That puts everything into perspective.

Being an big island with a small population in the middle of the ocean definitely has its downsides when it comes to value for some products. It's something you come to accept, but also appreciate it when you find a product that's well priced when compared to the USA.
Cheers
Dan

 @IMeasureStuff: No worries, I hope it came off as more educational than reprimanding. Some more context if you're interested:

I can't speak to the case with Transition or their distributor, but some small importers and retailers go to great lengths, and repeatedly accept significant financial risk, to import and stock products from brands that wouldn't otherwise be in Australia.

In the case of the small distributors who pick up a single bike brand, they're often literally banking their financial futures on that brand year after year, and making commitments years in advance; some small distributors are already heavily committed to bike orders through 2024.

The bike brand barely gives a shit, because Australia is some tiny fraction of a percent of their global market on the other side of the world, and they make more margin on those bikes in the US anyway, but to the Australian distributor it might be half of their projected revenue for that year. So if that bike brand decides they want a few hundred more bikes to sell in the US, guess who's laying off a third of their workforce (i.e. one employee) and remortgaging their house?

If that distributor gets part of a bad run with higher than usual warranty cases, guess who's eating the (now obscenely inflated) transport costs, spending hours on the phone and email negotiating with unhappy retailers and bargaining with the bike brand for replacements?

Again, I can't speak to the situation with Transition, but I'd bet money that the distributor takes a bigger risk than Pedal Group does on Norco. Usually a distributor of any size tries to mitigate that risk by diversifying their product range and importing some parts and accessory brands so they're not entirely beholden to the bike brand, but they're up against similar geographical and market challenges with those too, which is why your high-end CNC machined crank or boutique bikepacking bag that got a great review on The Radavist is 50% more than it costs your cousin who lives in Utah.

So some cool bike stuff costs more here, but it's often a small miracle that we can even buy it in the first place, and we can also ride more because we get more days off, and it's sunny about twice as often, and when that extra sun gives you a melanoma you probably won't go bankrupt paying to have it cut out by someone qualified

 Check out our answer to @pat-jaq's question above.

 Get into Formula SAE or Formula Electric, especially suspension or frame design. The mechanical fundamentals are similar to bikes, and the go-to damper used to be (maybe still is) a custom-valved Cane Creek MTB coil shock. You'll learn important but boring sounding details like proper fastener and joint design and design for manufacture. You'll also get to play with the sexy stuff like custom carbon layups and data systems. Hayes has a pic floating around of a test mule for their Dominion brakes, instrumented with the same data logging setup we used for the FSAE cars when I was in college.

Dive in deep and you will get the kind of experience @norcobicycles mentioned in their other comment, and huge thing to brag about on your resume. Use it to get into whatever mechanical industry you want.

 When we developed our Ride Aligned philosophy, a big focus was to ensure our bikes fit the majority of riders in our target demographic, and we addressed this through 4 adult sizes. With our next generation of Ride Aligned we will increase both the spread of sizing and number of sizes. I think you'll be happy with what's coming! - DC

 @norcobicycles: that's really great to hear, thanks very much!

 I been impressed with Yeti's new Sixfinity system recently. Really clever way to package a suspension layout that gives greater ability to tune acceleration response independently from other kinematic parameters. Props to those guys on that one! - CR

 www.norco.com/about

 The name started as Northern Cycles Industries and then it was shortened to Norco

 Narco was already owned by Netflix.

 They mentioned elsewhere that an optic update is in the works but did not give a release date, but a number of 2022 bikes are going to be listed in the next couple of months.

 We tested with mixed wheel setups on Range but felt for the bikes intended purpose as an Enduro race bike and big mountain shredder, the 29" rear wheel offered the best tracking in really rough terrain.

We do feel there is a benefit to mixed wheel setups for other applications though. In keeping with our Ride Aligned philosophy we will be incorporating mixed wheel setups where we feel it makes sense in the future to allow customers to further dial in their desired ride characteristics. - CR

 Norco has definitely not given up on supporting the east coast and will continue to support all styles of mountain bikes. Through this pandemic we have tried to support our riders and dealers but within the industry there are some big challenges. We have to apologize for this and hope to get back to our normal level of Norco support and customer service in the future globally. - JJ

 Due to the linkarm pivoting concentric with the BB on the Range it was not possible to package this suspension layout on the Range VLT. The two bikes share the same name as they are both intended for big mountain, enduro type trails. But in order to package a motor and battery on Range VLT, we needed to define the suspension layout differently. - CR

 @norcobicycles: Thanks for the reply! I figured there was too much going on around the BB to fit a motor in there. I have owned many of your bikes since the late 80's, always thought you guys provided the best bang for your buck.

 Also would you ever come back and do a direct to market model here in the UK?

 They answered that one further up the thread:
"We are in the process of updating models as they arrive in stock. In some cases, due to the disruption in the supply chain we have had some models carry over from 2021 into 2022. More models will be added in the future. Keep an eye on our site for the new models to be added in the coming weeks and months. As far as fat bikes, there are new models that will be added to our site soon with updates to spec, geometry, and other details. - JJ"

 With Ryan Leech still on the team after I believe 20+ years it would be nice if we still offered a trails bike or frame. I believe the trails market changed a bit and pushed away from the style of bike that we made for Ryan so it was difficult to make a frame that worked for different riders. We did produce some prototype frames a few years ago with modern style but never released them. I thought you might be looking for BMX models to come back from Norco with your Rad name? - JJ

 @norcobicycles: I'd take a BMX model but it better have a sweet number plate and I'd take any color as long as it's chrome

Thanks for the reply....

 I would like to hear about some shorter travel high pivot from Norco!

 We generally find that relying on digressive tunes to stabilize the rider while pedaling has a negative impact on the rear wheel's ability to track the trail surface both on technical climbs and descents. We've found that a more linear compression tune paired with the right starting leverage and progression provide a better balance between stabilizing the rider under sustained pedaling, while providing excellent dynamics under rider driven inputs and unrestricted movement of the rear wheel through rough sections of trail. On the rebound side, we find something similar where linear and sometimes even progressive rebound tunes provide improved tracking while still controlling rebound pushback after deeper compression events. This definitely describes where our testing directed us in terms of tune and kinematics on Range. - CR

 @norcobicycles: thanks, this was exactly the reply I was looking for.

 I had the old gen Sight A7.1 i cracked it pretty easily, I rode the 2021 Sight A1 and Carbon they were both good and an improvement but I have no confidence in their durability. Got an Xprezo Adhoc Frame instead, way lighter and more fun than the Sight.

 @Ba1rog: Yeah, the Xprezo Adhoc must be great! Too bad they no longer make bikes. I had a Wuuu for many years and it was a fantastic bike.

 There are a few advantages that 4-bar linkages offer over single pivots that we believe warrant the additional complexity. If we're talking about a single pivot where the shock and rear axle are mounted to the same link (like Orange uses), a 4-bar provides the ability to define more progressive leverage curves which we've found to be key in providing the best balance of tracking and support. A linkage driven single pivot does allow for a similar increased ability to tune leverage curve progression but a 4-bar linkage still provides a greater ability to tune anti-squat and anti-rise more independently of axle path. This can be particularly useful on a high-pivot bike were a 4-bar linkage allows for greater control over anti-rise and resultant suspension performance under braking while still achieving significantly rearward axle paths. - CR

 @densign we are in fact. All of our job postings can be found here: livetoplaysports.com/en/careers

 And if the answer is cost related, how come Norco is able to deal with it?

 Depends on how chain stay length is adjusted for across frame sizes. On most of our bikes we adjust chainstay length at the BB by shifting its location relative to the rear axle. Implementing chainstay length adjustment this way doesn't alter the leverage curve, but it does have a small impact on anti-squat, although some of this is canceled out by different rider centre of gravity heights on different frame sizes.

The Range suspension layout didn't allow for chainstay length adjustment at the BB so we instead accomplish this with different size specific drop outs. Implementing chainstay length adjustment this way does alter the leverage curve though. Think longer chainstay -> higher leverage and vise versa for shorter chainstays. Our testing showed the effect was significant enough that it impacted the how well suited the shock basetune was to the bike and the resulting overall ride characteristics. So to counteract the leverage change due to chainstay length we decided to do size specific linkarms that shift the upper linkarm pivot location to maintain the same leverage curve across all frame sizes. - CR

 @norcobicycles: Cool thanks for the response. I was curious how you approached that issue on the range vs other bikes where the BB is translated.

 Norco Technical Stuff is found here....

norcobicycles.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

Here are the Fluid HT variants....
norcobicycles.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360031871832-Fluid-HT-Small-Parts-Torque-Technical-Specs

I think this is the pdf you need.

norco.com/cmsb/uploads/bikes/bikes/nb-042-assembly-document-reva-20200303-customer.pdf

 There has been some discussion with our marketing team about some new Bryn videos. The weekly "how to" seems like a great idea. We're sure you'll be seeing something from them soon. - JJ

 @norcobicycles: looking forward to it!

 @SEA5ONS The term "high pivot" generally refers to a bike that has a significant amount of rearward axle travel as the rear suspension is compressed. There can be quite a range in the amount rearward axle travel between different "high pivot" bikes though and that can result in significantly different ride characteristics. Defining a suspension layout to achieve a more rearward axle path generally results quite high levels of anti-squat if the chain is routed from the cassette directly to the front chainring. To better control the level of anti-squat on a "high pivot" bike, the chain is routed around an idler. This is where the "high idler" term gets thrown in but it is really just referring to the fact that an idler has been used to better control anti-squat on a "high pivot" bike. - CR

 No new plans to do the Torrent FS model. That bike was a plus tire size model that was only available for a couple years. Torrent hardtails will live on in the line in both aluminum and steel. - JJ

 See our answer to this up above in response to bikerider0985

 That bike had the option of running a front derailleur and one of the models came spec'd with Shimano 2x10 in the first year that bike was released. - JJ

 Unfortunately, I don't think we make bikes small enough - DC

 @norcobicycles: ;-)

 Sorry missed this when we did the ask us anything. Definitely make a trip out to Bike Zone whenever I'm back in Ontario. Hope you guys are doing well!

 Never say never - DC

 They mentioned they plan on expanding their current 4 size options on bikes.

 Christchurch

 How he massacred that shore

 naw #shortstaysfurlife

 Honestly it's a mid or low pivot. A high pivot would be above the middle section of the seat tube. Currently with sag settings, one still has minimal rearward axle travel when compressing further.