REVIEW - 2008 Norco Atomik
Burly enough for Whistler?
Words by Sharon Bader. Photos by Sharon Bader.
The Atomik is Norco's entry level downhill bike. With the same frame as the higher end Team DH bike but with lower end components the Atomik allows people who want to give a dedicated downhill bike a try an affordable option. As a downhill bike most of the expensive components are disposable anyway. Despite this, the bike performed well when pointed in the direction of gravity. The geometry and shortened seat post made riding or even small climbs laborious. Good thing that's not what the bike is for.
Burly slackness...
The Bike
I was on the Small/Medium frame which was a good fit for my 5'9" height. With the same frame as the higher end Norco Team DH, it comes with the same adjustable rear shock mount, low standover height and rear travel adjust from 7.8" to 8.9".
Like all Norcos, the Atomik comes with the Horst Link rear suspension. This is the Specialized patented suspension that has the rear pivot located on the chain stay, separating braking and pedaling from the suspension. This suspension prevents brake jack since the wheel moves freely in the vertical direction when the brake is applied. The suspension design serves up stable descending while also giving the rider the ability to control speed on those sustained downhill runs.
The rear wheel is bolted on and requires an 8mm Allen key to remove the axle. A pinch bolt on the frame holding on the rear wheel also needs to be loosened with a 5mm Allen key.
8mm Allen key is required to remove the rear axle. A pinch bolt is loosened with a 5mm Allen key.
Nice reflectors and bell!
Front end
The front end of the Atomik gets a RockShox Boxxer Race, a 203mm travel, 32mm stanchion, 6.89lb double crown fork. The Boxxer Race comes factory tuned for a 160-180lb rider. My sag was 30mm, which is within the optimal 15-25% of fork travel. The only way to change the spring rate would be to change the internal coil spring based on your weight. High speed compression adjustment is not available on this fork. Low speed compression is available through the Motion Control knob on top of the right fork leg. Rebound adjustment is via a small screw on the bottom of the right fork leg. It is accessed with a 2mm Allen key inside the 5mm Allen bolt knob.
Turning the 5mm Allen bolt will remove this bolt and also allow you to access the 2mm rebound adjustment screw. Front tire removal requires a 6mm Allen key to push the smaller axle out the opposite end, and then continue to screw the axle out. This is the Maxle design without the quick release lever. There are no pinch bolts on the Boxxer Race. Only four rotations of the allen key are available to adjust rebound marking one limitation of this fork.
Rear end
Providing 7.8-8.9" of rear travel, the 0.79lb (358 gram) Fox DHX-3 shock offers coil spring preload, adjustable tuning range via air in the Boost Valve, factory set Pro Pedal and rebound adjustment. Sag is adjusted via the coil spring. Rebound damping is easily adjusted via the small red knob at the bottom of the shock. Air between 125-200psi in the Boost Valve will control bottom out resistance.
The previously intimidating A-line rock drop became a walk in the park.
Miscellaneous
The Atomik is equipped with Truvativ Hussefelt components - Hussefelt riser bar (334g), crank(770g), Wellgo LU-313 pedals, and a WTB Pure V race saddle. I didn't feel the need to adjust the saddle since the saddle position didn't seem so important for downhill riding. For a climbing bike, I have always made adjustments to the saddle.
The bike comes with a single front chain ring with Truvativ chain guide, SRAM X-7 rear derailier and SRAM X-5 shifters. The chain guide was great on the fast descents keeping the chain on the ring but excess pressure on the chain made pedaling even more difficult.
Schleyer Rock drop, or is it a curb?
The Avid Juicy 3 brakes provided power and modulation. One of the brakes pumped up after sustained descents right away. Since the reservoir is facing up (which tends to allow any air bubbles to leave the lines and go into the reservoir) it was fairly easy to get the brake back into working order. Keeping the reservoir more vertical prevented the brake from pumping up. Accessing the screws on the reservoir to bleed the brake is difficult since it is behind the handle bar no matter where you move it to. I bled this brake right away and since then it has been performing well.
Wheelset is Sun Single Track 32 hole rim, with DT Swiss Champion stainless black spokes. With reflectors! While not known for its strength, the rim is standing up to my casing jumps and ramming into rocks.
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Even my husband Lee could ride this bike with my set up!
The Ride
Having never ridden a downhill bike before, I was impressed by the responsiveness of this bike. A 6" travel bike is the biggest bike I thought I would ever need since I'm not big on jumps and I don't like going that fast. This bike demonstrated where a responsive, smooth downhill bike performs.
The gnarly rocky trails of Cypress and the steep, long rough trails of the Whistler Bike Park are two places where 8" of travel are beneficial. While a 6 X 6 bike is great on the natural trails on Cypress and even in the bike park, having the extra 2" and slack geometry makes long days in the saddle even more joyful.
The Atomic loves the steeps...
The diversity of trails in the Whistler bike park allows for a diverse riding experience. From the straight out fast Whistler Downhill, to the technical Joy Ride, even A-line was fun for me on this bike. My preference is for the more technical trails consisting of rock faces, roots, drops and tight turns - where this bike did not disappoint. Even when I took the wrong line and stuffed the front tire into a deep root, it would bounce back at me then bounce over the root. With a smaller bike, you would have to avoid some situations the bigger bike would just roll through.
A-line, as I mentioned earlier, is not my pick of Whistler's litter. I prefer to stay close too the ground. I have learned the techniques to do table tops, but it seems my style is to soak up the jumps rather then get maximum air out of them. With the Atomik, I have been attempting to go a bit bigger and with the extra travel comes extra error compensation so I've been feeling more confident. Jumps where you just preload and loft off are easy on this bike. Coming back to earth is like touching down in deep loam on that old faithful hardtail, sort of.
...and so does Lee.
Overall, the Atomik is a confidence-inspiring bike that allowed me to ride comfortably in the Bike Park. The suspension took all the hard hits so all I had to do was sit back, point the front tire and enjoy.
Summary
Pros:
- plush suspension
- affordable downhill bike
Cons:
- need to carry 3 Allen keys to change a flat
- suspension is not very adjustable
Suggested retail of this bike is $2,779.
Specifications for the '08 Atomik are as follows:
Frame Set - Butted aluminum, 198-225mm travel, adjustable BB height
Fork - Rockshox Boxxer Race, 203 mm travel, 20 mm axle , motion control
Shock - Fox DHX-3
Sizes - S/M or M/L
Color - Silver
Wheelset - Sun Single Track silver, 32 hole
Tires - Kenda Nevegal 2.5 front and rear, Stick E Rubber
Stem - Truvativ Hussefelt, 31.8mm, 40mm extension
Bar - Truvativ Hussefelt, 35mm rise, 31.8mm
Post - Truvativ XR, double bolt, 27.2
Saddle - WTB Pure V race saddle
Headset - FSA TH-872, chromoly, deep cup
BrakeSet - Avid Juicy 3, hydraulic, 8" rotors
Crankset - Truvativ Hussefelt, 36T ring, Howitzer Spline BB, Truvativ Box Guide bash guard & chain guide
Pedals - Wellgo LU-313 flat pedal, chromoly axles
Front Derailleur - None
Rear Derailleur - SRAM X-7, 8 spd, medium cage
Shifters - SRAM X-5 trigger, 8 spd
Geometry for a S/M Norco Atomic is as follows:
Standover - 771mm/30.35in - 786mm/30.9in
Head Tube Angle - 63.6/64.5
Seat Tube Angle - 70.3
Effective Top Tube Length - 572mm/22.5in
Wheel Base - 1146mm/45.11in
Bottom Bracket Height - 361mm/14.20in - 376mm/14.80in
Bike Weight - 43.5lbs
Have you ridden a Norco Atomik? Is it the DH bike for those on a budget in your humble opinion? Don't be too humble - give us your thoughts.
The author taking a tight corner on her Norco Atomik...
