2014 Norco Mountain Bikes, Cyclocross Overview – New Fat Bike & More 650B

For 2014, most of Norco’s road, cyclocross and mountain bike lines mostly see slight updates and almost everything grows to 650B or bigger…the only non-entry level 26″ bike in the range is the Aurum downhill bike (and the DJ bike).

That said, there is the new Bigfoot fat bike we teased, and the Threshold ‘cross bike gets two models with hydraulic disc brakes.

Shown above is the alloy Sight (bottom) and Range, both of which get slightly revised cable routing, still external save for rear derailleur routing through the chainstay. The lower rear chainstay pivot gets new slotted hardware that makes everything serviceable with a single allen wrench.

The black tear-drop shaped chip just below/behind the rear derailleur exit is new, requiring only a single allen wrench to service.

The Aurum (bottom) gets a Fox 40 up front with a little bit longer, slacker geometry. Both the top tube and chainstay lengths were bumped up slightly. Those changes came about due to feedback from their racers.

The Rampage alloy DJ bike now comes available as a complete bike in two trim levels from $1,000 to $1,575.

The Sight Carbon is still the show stopper, and we covered it in depth at Sea Otter.

The Nitro (top) switches from alloy to carbon, giving them a mid-level race 29er hardtail that’s just $1,815 CDN. it’s based on the old Team 9 and comes with a Shimano triple and hydraulic brakes, SRAM X5, Manitou Marvel fork and Alex rims with Schwalbe tires.

The higher end Revolver switches to a 142×12 rear end and gets a 650b option to complement the 29er shown.

All if their mid-level ($600 and up) hardtails are now 650b, no more 26″ bikes except for the Aurum, Rampage and entry level hardtails. They’ve been testing 650b DH bikes, but so far their team prefers 26″ in that discipline.

Their new fat bike rekindles the Bigfoot name (it uses to be an aggressive trail hardtail mountain bike) and turns it into a winter monster.

They wanted to make something more appealing to the typical rider. Well, as appealing as a fat bike can be. To that end, it has a super low stand over, regular 2×10 Deore drivetrain and Elixir 3 hydraulic disc brakes. To keep fatty purists happy, they gave it a lightweight alloy frame, drilled rims, and massive tire clearance for up to a 4.7 in the front and maybe a 4.25 in the rear – it’s spec’d with 4.0 treads.

Retail is $1,415 US. Available in October.

The 120mm Fluid (right) and 100mm Faze are now available in 27.5″ and 29er for 2014. Both are in the $1,500 to $2,500 range, giving lots more people access to some really good trail bikes. Compared to 2013, the Fluid upgrades to a tapered headtube and a one piece link arm. The Faze wasnt offered in 2013, but comes back this year. Spec is mirrored across both wheel sizes, prices are about $20 more for 29er. Little features like dropper post routing and 15mm thru axle forks add value and make ’em worth upgrading.

The Indie gets a new internally geared Alfine 11 Di2 model for about $2,700. It’s a 4130 steel frame with drop bars and mechanical disc brakes. Rack and fender mounts front and rear and good tire clearance make it a solid city commuter.

The Threshold cyclocross bikes get two hydraulic disc brake builds, the C1 with Rival and their 10-speed S-series hydraulic shifters, and the SL with a full SRAM Red 22 hydro build. Below that, the C2 has a lower modulus carbon with Shimano 105 and mechanical disc brakes.

All use 135mm rear spacing, have max tire clearance for a 700×35 depending on the tire brand (it’s spec’d with UCI-friendly 33’s). It has hidden fender mounts and dual water bottle bosses, making it a bit more practical despite the racy geometry.