11/22/2008

I received my test version of the revamped Fluid from Norco not quite knowing to expect. Billed as the high-end entry in Norco's "all-mountain" series, the Fluid series is intended to be used for aggressive cross-country riding. Aggressive cross-country? Marketing-speak? ... one might well wonder.

The re-designed Fluid One abandons the characteristic Norco frame shape that has been used on the Fluid since it was introduced in 2003, in exchange for a more traditional front-triangle that accommodates a water bottle holder.

The new bike is an attempt to marry uphill and downhill performance - to use technology and wise selection of componentry to reach a happy medium - yet not compromise performance unacceptably. It is not a budget bicycle, retailing at CDN$3,369 and US$2,825.

The ultra-shiny Fluid One, just waiting to be beaten down on a wide range of trails

With this price tag, one would expect a decent frame and nice components. The Fluid One's frame has a clean look with tidy welds, and integrated cable stops for disc brake lines. Norco has developed an industry reputation for intelligent component spec and the Fluid One does not disappoint.

Gear-shifting is provided by a mostly-SRAM drivetrain. Marzocchi's All-Mountain SL (adjustable from 130mm to 150mm) and the Fox RP3 (adjustable by linkage from 110mm to 135mm) provide adjustable front and rear suspension. The wheelset is the eye-catching Mavic Crossride. Goodies like FSA handlebars and cranksets and the SDG I-beam post and saddle are bonuses.

Over the spring and summer, I will be testing it in as wide a variety of conditions as possible, from pure cross-country on buff smooth trails, riding it hard on technical trails in North Vancouver / Squamish / Whistler, and long multi-day epics. I may likely push the bike beyond its design parameters, but such is the lot of a bicycle tester.

Marzocchi 66 RC2X fork
Words and photo by Stuart Kernaghan

I'm not going to waste much time talking about Marzocchi's history with freeride forks. They were there at the start, they've been there all along, and they're still turning out single and double crown (DC) forks for big-hit bikes. Last year saw the introduction of the 66, a 150mm / 170mm single crown fork. The fork was popular with riders who wanted longer travel without having to run a DC fork. One drawback was that the 66 used the same lowers as the 888, a 200mm DC fork. As a result, the fork was tall and the front end of riders' bikes were sky high. Marzocchi went most of the way back to the drawing board for '06. The most noticeable change was the dropped crown and new magnesium monolite lowers, which decrease the axle-to-crown height by 40mm. Internally, the fork got new Hydraulic Low Speed Compression and Rebound Damping (referred to as RC2), as well as the new High Speed Compression Adjust (the X part of the equation), which combine to make up the RC2X cartridge damping system.

The 66 RC2X clean and waiting to do its thing on the trail

The steel steerer on last year's fork was replaced with an alloy one, and the disc brake mount was changed from international standard to post mount. Stanchions are the same 35mm that they were last year. Weight listed at a certain weight-conscious site pegs the 66 RC2X at 3020g; for comparison, the 170mm RC fork from '05 is listed as 3320g.

This coil-spring fork uses open bath lubrication, with an external air preload system. On the right fork leg, you'll find the compression knob at the bottom and rebound adjust on the top. The top of the left leg is home to the high speed compression adjustment. Pricing on the 66 RC2X is set at CDN$1,275 and US$875, and you can choose between a flat black or limited-edition pure white gloss fork.

I'm going to be running the 66 with the factory settings for a while and then go back to the Marzocchi Canada Factory Service Centre in North Van for the Works tuning. The final review will have impressions on both set-ups.

Mojo Suspension 999R
Words and photo by Corey Anderson

Mojo Suspension has been around since 1996. Anyone who spends any amount of time with their eyes glued to the computer monitor or nose buried in bike mags will have heard of them. Mojo Suspension, based in the U.K., is dedicated to building products that turn your regular suspension equipment into factory equipment. Downhillers will have heard of their Boxcart kit, a complete kit that replaces the stock internals of the Boxxer forks and replaces them with a custom tuned kit designed to breathe new life into your forks. This product has evolved and just became available for the Marzocchi 888 forks as the 999R kit.

The 999R kit replaces every single part inside the 888. Using data acquisition technology and extensive rider testing, Mojo has designed a gas-charged cartridge that squeezes every bit of potential out of the 888 platform. The 999R kit offers factory tuned speed sensitive high and low speed compression and speed sensitive rebound. The kit is designed to improve the ride characteristics of the 888 fork by minimizing fork dive, increasing compression dampening and by using a more aggressive rebound circuit to allow the fork to recover more quickly from heavy hits and hard cornering.

Ready for insertion...

Stay tuned, as we will be running a long-term test on this product, putting it through the ringer to see how it behaves in the dirt.