11/22/2008

It's late February, and winter is slowly beginning to fade. For those who live for the snow and the good times it brings, it's been a tough season to say the least. For those who live for two wheels, we are that much closer to another epic spring and summer of riding.

We save our bucks while it's dark out, and spend the snowy days inside looking at all the things we are dying to have when it all melts. The editorial crew at nsmb has been going full steam through it all, and this issue of Gear Shots brings you a selection of new bikes for 2005.

We've got everything from long-travel single-crown bikes to full-on downhill sleds. Take your pick, and as always, stay tuned to nsmb for the full review of these babies.

Norco Six
Words and photo by Stuart Kernaghan

6” in the front and rear is just about perfect for my riding style. I like to go fast, rip it up on the trail, hit some half-decent sized drops, and be able to throw in a bit of climbing for good measure. Nothing too crazy, just your average ride on the North Shore or Whistler. Or Moab, or SoCal, or pretty much anywhere else you need something more than an XC full suspension ride but the single-ring DH bike is overkill. And the Norco Six is the type of bike that makes all of that possible.

Norco has been producing the Six for a couple of years now, and the bike is becoming increasingly popular with riders looking for a go-everywhere, do (almost) everything kind of ride. Check out the spec and you’ll see why. A matte grey hydraformed frame is kitted out with your choice of Marzocchi Z150 or the higher-end 66 VF fork, a Fox DHX-3 rear shock, Hayes HFX-9 hydraulic discs, Truvativ Hussefelt cranks and bashguard, stem, and bar, SRAM X-9 shifters and rear derailleur, and a Titec 'Scoper seatpost and Berserker saddle.

The 2005 Norco Six (size XL) just waiting for its inaugural run around Alice Lake in Squamish

Changes for this year include a wider rear end so you can run a bigger tire, hydraformed tubing for a really clean profile, and a 150mm thru-axle on the back wheel for increased stiffness. The bike comes stock with Nokian 2.3" tires, so those are going to be swapped out for something a little more appropriate for the Shore. Other than that, the Six is pretty much ready to hit the trails once you leave the bike shop.

Weight on this baby comes in at around 43lbs., depending on which of the five sizes – extra small to extra large – you choose from. Rear wheel travel can be set at either 5.3” or 6.1”, but thanks to the four-bar linkage suspension design the 6” setting works well in virtually every type of terrain.

Iron Horse 7Point7
Words and photo by Corey Anderson

Iron Horse Bikes is a name that those of us in the Great White North are not used to seeing. Most of the Iron Horses I've seen in person have not been the high-end bikes, and the only top shelf models I've seen have been pinning it under the Iron Horse Mad Katz team riders in my favourite bike videos.

When I got the call from Cam [McRae] asking if I'd be interested in saddling up on the new 2005 7Point7, I was giddy and itching to try something new.

Ready for deployment.

The 7Point7 is an all-new design from Iron Horse, featuring the raved-about DW Link rear suspension riding on a Progressive Suspension 5th Element rear shock. This is a 7" travel freeride machine in a package that pedals like a bike with half its travel. The radically sloping top tube and swooping frame design makes for a low standover and a very flickable, playful feeling bike.

Other highlights on this bike include the Manitou Sherman Breakout Plus 1.5 fork with 170mm of travel, SRAM X.0 rear derailleur with X-9 triggers, an E-13 Components DRS chainguide, and FSA Gravity Xtreme cranks.

We are going to bring this review to you with a unique twist; we have myself riding one here on the North Shore, and nsmb's Pete Roggeman taking one to the hills in Switzerland. We'll have two different perspectives from two different sides of the world.

2005 Norco Team Race
Words and photo by Corey Anderson

With such little snow, you can begin to hope that our lift-accessed hot spots are going to open early. Gravity junkies unite - we are only a few months away from another fix.

One of the first big bikes I bought was a 2001 Norco Team DH. Last summer I got to test the 2004 Team DH, and this year I'm testing the 2005 Team DH. It's been a great way to watch the same model evolve and change to meet the requirements of this demanding sport.

This package arrived just before Christmas 2004, and right before all of our trails got buried under our first snowfall, and then washed out from some of the heaviest rains I've seen mixed with a rapid snow melt. Now that things are getting back to normal, I've been able to get a leg over it and a few rides under my belt on it, and a serious craving for some vert.

Begging to get dirty.

New for 2005 is a hydraformed top tube, technology that creates a seamless piece of tubing with equal wall thickness. It's shaped from a burly box tube transforming to a massive round tube that would make the pipes on a souped-up Chevelle look like pea shooters. A refined frame design brings an adjustable ground hugging bottom bracket height for a low centre of gravity and cornering stability.

The rear end has been beefed up and includes a dedicated thru-axle drop out securing a 150x12mm hub and features an adjustable 9" of travel floating on the new Fox DHX 5.0 rear shock. The build is going to be tough to beat, from the smooth E-13 Components chainguide, dual Hadley hubs, Race Face Diabolus cranks to the SRAM X.O rear mech and Marzocchi 888RC fork.

The red and gold on this bike are reminiscent of a factory CR250 moto-cross bike and will be hard to miss.

Previous Gear Shots
Gear Shots #9 - RockShox Boxxer Ride, Camelbak Havoc, and Race Face Impact carbon gloves
Gear Shots #8 - e.thirteen DRS replacement roller and Ridge Sports carbon gloves
Gear Shots #7 - Roach's TV Hydration pack and Rally DH arm / leg armour
Gear Shots #6 - Light & Motion ARC Li-ion Light, Mace Swat Jacket, Cannondale Nebula shorts
Gear Shots #5 - Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR tires, Gravity Racing Components Shorty replacement levers, SixSixOne Racebrace Pro ankle brace
Gear Shots #4 - Dangerboy CNC Replacement Brake Levers, e.thirteen DRS Chainguide, Trek Energy Cell EXP 350 Dual
Gear Shots #3 - SRAM X-7 Triggers, Chris King SteelSet, Shimano XT discs
Gear Shots #2 - Roach Rally Shorts, NYC Freeride Stem, Pryme AL Full-face Helmet
Gear Shots #1 - Yakima RimRoc, SixSixOne Wrist Wraps, Evil Bikes SRS Chainguide