I'm currently bikeless for the first time since I was around 3 years old. I've also got no appetite for ridiculously expensive exotica. Not at the minute anyway. I just want to get back riding and remember how to enjoy it before I go wild.
I'd pretty much decided I wanted to find a used Specialized Status. They're cheap and cheerful and designed to take loads of abuse. They look good for my kind of crawling uphill to shred back down type of riding and will be useful in bikepark/uplift situations. Might not be the best for clocking up miles in the Peak but it'll get me back out there. Used bikes hover around 2k but I've been waiting ages for an S4 to come up close enough to home.
Then, a wild spanner appears in the works.
I was in my local Evans cycles yesterday and they had exactly 1 nice bike on the entire shop floor. It looked like this...
It's a Norco Sight A1. It's 3k in the sale and it's the last one in the company. I am quite taken with it.
Top spec for the money including a Lyrik Ultimate, some shock with a ridiculously long name, Code RSC brakes, GX Eagle, DT Swiss 350 hubs, and Exo+ tyres. It'll be my first 29er but from my brief blast around on it, it felt like a BMX compared to my G16. The last time I test rode 29ers 4 years ago they were just XC bikes with big wheels jammed in and I hated them. Now though, it's pretty hard to justify going full 27.5. I feel like this thing would be a blast.
They seem to be unanimously well reviewed. All the reviewers mention that it's quite heavy and in most cases they're riding the carbon version, so yes it's a hefty unit but not my top concern. Probably a better all rounder than the Status with the slightly longer chainstays and steeper SA.
I don't suppose anyone owns one and can talk me into, or out of it? I've never seen one in the wild.
Or should I just walk into 18 Bikes yelling YOLO and blow my load on a Bronson?
Forget Norco in the UK. Such a shame, great bikes, but you cannot get spares for love nor money, neither from Evans (spit) or from Norco themselves.
I have a fluid bought before Evans was sold to that arsehole, needed a pivot bolt, luckily found a Trek one that fits.
Bummer. Stuff like that is really annoying. Tredz have taken over distribution of Norco. I wonder if that improves things.
At least it's got one of those new universal mech hangers. Not sure how universal, or widely available they are having never needed one.
If weight is a concern don't forget you're comparing weight of Norco with weight of Status, not weight of the carbon Norco. I think Status might be heavier (internet says 15.6kg vs 15kg for Norco in NX spec) Have your ridden a mullet bike before (Status)?
Defo good news if Tredz now doing Norco!
No, never ridden a mullet. I thought this might be a cheapish way to try it out.
Mate as the norco, loves it, it’s basically a well proven frame design with decent kit attached, can’t see an issue really.
The status again is similar, Horst link as does the norco, decent enough kit and does the job well.
For me it’ll come down to what geometry you prefer and looks.
I had an older Status 2 for a few years. Was superb in bike park and uplift (chair or van) riding but I’d NEVER want to have pedalled it up even a slight incline for any length of time. Granted it came with Boxxers but was just ridiculously heavy and not geared as a winch and plummet bike.
The latest ones do look more rounded as bikes but I’d still probably look for something that pedals better personally.
I have a norco sight.
I like it
If Tredz now distribute Norco and that means spares will be available (although bearing in mind Covid has messed the entire industry up) I’d be very tempted to pick up that new Norco pictured above. Seems a good spec and Norco frames are usually decent. A second hand Status will probably have had a hard life given the type of bike it is.
The Norco looks to have an Eagle 10-52 cassette on it so geared well for winch and plummet. I assume it’s a 32t front chainring - if you need a lower gear than Sram direct mount chainrings come in 30t and 28t and steel chainrings from Sram are like £20 so cheap as chips.
Norco for sure!
Tredz have an exclusive agreement to sell Norco bikes this year, but they are ordering them in from a distributor. Don’t remember the name of the distributor from the Tredz online chat I had about the Norco sight that is now in stock BTW. I was looking for a replacement for my aluminium 5010 that was stolen a couple of weeks ago. Good spec on the Sight, but went for a deal on another 5010 instead.
I haven't bought the Norco yet, but after a little cooling off period, I think I might go back for it.
I visited some shops yesterday and looked at other options and they all said you have to decide what you want right now, get your order in and if you're lucky you'll have a bike by mid 2022 and lots of other stuff is nowhere to be seen until winter 22.
So since the Sight is in stock and suits my requirements it's my best chance of getting back out riding in the near future. It hardly matters if it's not perfect, I don't think you can be that picky right now.
Bird AM9
If the Norco's in a sale then I'd snap it up.
I’d buy the Norco. Their support is superb, it’s a very versatile bike (more so than the Spesh in my eyes) and it’s in stock right now. You could be thrashing it this weekend. Conversely you could be waiting weeks or even months for the right s/h Status to come up.
I'd go for the Norco. It's a bloody great bike. Bearings are easy enough to get hold of from any bearing manufacturer, pivot bolts you *may* have to order from the US but if you look after the bike you hopefully won't need to. Spare mech hangers I'd always go via Wheels Manufacturing so don't worry about OEM ones being available.
I think the 2021 bike has a SRAM universal hanger. The MTBR Norco forum is worth a read. One UK rider has been waiting eight months for a replacement frame. Probably no better with a lot of other brands at the moment though.
It may be worth checking the pivot bolts if you get one as there have been reports of warranty claims due to bearings rotating in the frame as a result of the liberal use of loctite during assembly on some bikes.
Thanks, I've checked MTBR and found the thread. It looks like they've got a great reputation in Canada and a pretty awful one in the UK. I'll look into it a bit more and if I get the bike I'll strip the pivots and grease and torque everything before I ride it.
I was also thinking that because the build kit is so good if I fall out of love with it in a year or so, I could swap the frame for a Sentinel or Hightower or similar. I'd rather not be forced into it by a broken frame.
I'd probably have the bloody thing by now if I wasn't stuck at work. Not sure when I can get back there for a second look.
I'd buy that Norco, looks the business
I guess the bad UK rep is cos Evans. I did email Norco direct for my parts and had no reply.
Check it over carefully. Evans Gatwick had rounded off the NDS main pivot bearing cover bolt somehow.
You'll be right to strip grease and torque on arrival. When I changed the main bearings (after 2 yrs) one had welded itself somehow to the bearing shaft so needed carefully cutting off to avoid having to source another impossible to find part. All the other bearings were not too bad though and easily replaced.
Norco are a billy bargain in canada, waaaay cheaper than here and a local brand over there so great support. Theres no reason to buy anything else in canada!
Here we get inflated prices and Evans...
I carefully considered the '21 norco this time last year but bought an am9 not least because I didn't want Mike Ashley getting a penny of my money.
Bear in mind the '22 is coming soon, but likely just a different colour frame given it was new for 21.
The AM9 is a uk brand with great local support and although not cheap is very good value.
Soo... i would say get the used Status (as i have one for sale, but its an S3), but seeing as you want an S4, so there is no chance of buying mine..... i would probably go for the Norco.
I am the already mentioned person who waited 8 months for a replacement Optic frame. pics can be seen here of the rebuilt bike: https://www.pinkbike.com/u/v7fmp/album/2020-norco-optic-c2/ . It was a long and painful wait. The pandemic played a big part and Evans were useless. Luckily i had comms with Norco directly and it eventually turned out ok, despite a few hiccups at the bitter end.
I like Norco and they make great bikes. Lets hope Tredz can support the brand properly in the UK.
As mentioned, the Sight gets great reviews, so i dont think you can go far wrong.
Wow, so you're both of those people. What are the chances?
Yes I've seen your Status for sale and I would have had it if it was a little bigger. I'm already downsizing quite a bit as it is.
Your new Optic looks nice.
haha, small world huh?!
I really enjoyed the status and if i had room for it, i would probably keep it. even tho it looks like a 'park bike' it is really rather versatile.
And i deliberated if i should sell or keep the optic, went through a million replacement options, but came back to keeping it.
Either way you go, you will end up with a nice bike! 😀
Absolute eyeballing here, but it seems to me that the Status shares some of the frame hardware (bearings, pivot castings, etc) with the late aluminium Stumpjumper Evo. Having owned one of those for a year, I can report that those are essentially made of cheese, the bike was a wreck after that period. I wouldn't touch another Specialized after that experience.
So, it would be Norco for me.
On the other hand, a couple of people already endorsed the Bird AM9, which I fully subscribe. Top notch geometry, super reliable and durable frame, awesome climber. You can build it either as a trail or AM bike or as a full on enduro tank. With an angleset they are the poor mans Geometron
With an angleset they are the poor mans Geometron
It's a Geometron that I've just had stolen. If I was going down that road again I'd just order a G1 with all the trimmings.
I just feel like trying something different for a while and also spending less than half the money.
I'm not sure about the Bird. They look alright but plenty of people on here have complained about them creaking and squeaking. The G16 got battered for 4 years and it still felt brand new.
with the late aluminium Stumpjumper Evo. Having owned one of those for a year, I can report that those are essentially made of cheese, the bike was a wreck after that period.
<stuck record> did I mention that my Secialized was on its fifth rear shock before I changed the chain or freewheel for the first time... </stuck record>
Interesting comments about the linkages etc. I have only owned and ridden mine for 6 months and there is no sign of any wear. The bike feels like its built properly. So i am surprised!
did you not have a good warranty experience with Specialized? As i have heard they are pretty quick with sorting issues out.
Not to de-rail the thread too much!
PS.... bought that Norco yet OP?! 😀
PS…. bought that Norco yet OP?! 😀
Stuck in an office staring into space! It might be Saturday morning.
On the Bird front I’ve had 2 of their full suss bikes now (Aeris and Arther 7) and minimal creaking / squeaking. The only thing I’ve worn out is the lower bush in the shock mounting which is a £2 part to replace. Buying a bearing mount shock would negate this issue.
I'd take the Norco. Frame looks pretty beefy in Alu with nice components and geo for the price. You still get a 2yr guarantee on frame / linkages etc but it looks unlikely to go unless you are doing some serious jumps / drops.
Well, never heard much fuss about Birds creaking, but can share my anecdotal experience.
I had a V1 AM9 in 2018. That frame now belongs to a friend. The frame is still running like new, only ever changed a set of main pivot bearings.
My current V3 AM9 was purchased in June or July 2020, about 3 rides per week, sometimes more, still silent and smooth.
This comes as an absolute contrast with the Stumpy Evo. After an year of 2 weekly rides at most, with the first lockdown in between, half the bearings were shot, everything creaked including headset. I wont touch Specialized with a yardstick after this
Fair play about your stumpy. Wasn’t doubting you, just not come across it before. Unlike say the numerous cracked enduro frames.
@sharkattack - don’t delay, buy today!
Decision made. My boss won't even notice that I'm gone.
It feels tiny. Time will tell if I regret going from 520mm reach down to 485 or whatever it is. But, I did wheelie the length of the street on the way home so that's one benefit already.
Forks feel mint even with zero setup. My 36's were never that slippery. Brakes feel wildly powerful after a few years on Hope E4's. Its got a really big, ugly stem on for some reason.
Anyway, what am I doing tonight? Fettling the new bike and going for a razz or fitting the lights in the kitchen which have been sitting on the bench all week....
Taking the reflectors off before anyone else sees them!
Reflectors are already in the bin!
Just stuck some black and copper DMR Vaults on it. The Vaults that were stolen on my Geometron were 10 years old and I'm pretty gutted to lose them.
Also have a gigantic motorbike chain and ground anchor in the post. This one is going nowhere.
Looks good! I was worried it would have already sold before you made a decision.
Enjoy, Norco have been coming up with some excellent bikes of late, add to that the fact that you've scored a bargain during a drought and you should have many smiles ahead
Looks good! I was worried it would have already sold before you made a decision.
So was the Mrs, she bullied me into it!
you’ve scored a bargain during a drought and you should have many smiles ahead
Yeah that's just it. It's the best bike I can get my hands on right now and the spec is mint for the price. Can't wait to get out and rally it.
@v7fmp no problem, just wanted to back up my claims with a little more detail. By the way, I just realized I didn't reply to you question about the Specialized warranty. They were always cool and quick (have I mentioned I was on my third front shock bolt?) but in the end I just wanted a bike that worked.
@sharkattack great move on the Norco. I was actually considering one of those AL Sight frames before I got the AM9, but then Norco apparently bailed out on those.
And don't stress too much about it feeling smaller, it's not like you're married with it for life and what better way to figure out what you really like unless you try around
Enjoy, looks awesome for the £ in the current market.
Good choice. Out of interest, are you going to get a hacksaw out on that fork steerer? It looks like you could pick up Radio Luxembourg on it.
Yes I can't wait to decapitate the steerer.
The enormous stem is the only thing I'd like to change. Everything else is bang on. They've fitted a nice Deity bar and an absolute house brick of an OEM stem. I might switch back to my favourite 40mm rise Fatbar and slammed stem probably in 31.8 flavour.
Do it, it is a bit chunky. Out of interest, how tall are you?
I'm 6'2" with my Five Tens on. If I was just looking at bikes online I probably would have discounted this in favour of an XL but I like how it feels. Now that bikes are reasonably sized and aren't shaped like 1980's road bikes anymore, I'm going to stop sweating over geometry charts so much and just ride what I feel like.
I also just did a buy on a Burgtec bar and stem. High bar=chopped steerer.
I'm not spending anymore money, I just need a few rides under my belt.
So after sending an email to Norco dissing Evans and asking for a couple small parts, in March, out of the blue a jiffy bag arrived yesterday from Canada with one of my requested bolts, yay!
Hopefully I'll get the other one in another random period of time so I can replace the Trek pivot bolt that sorta fits but looks odd next to the legit Norco one opposite.
