We just spent the day riding the brand new Norco Aurum, a new downhill bike designed to replace their Team DH. Inside you'll find a few of our initial thoughts and the full details on what the bike will look like come production.
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Words and Photos by David Peacock
Norco have taken things in a different direction for 2012. They've always had a presence in racing, but this year marks a departure from their previous designs. Having input from the Dirt/Norco riders, Dan Stanbridge and Ben Reid, has clearly made the all-new Aurum into a purebred race bike.
The 2012 Norco Aurum 1.
200mm of race ready travel. Vivid Coil RC2 comes stock on the Aurum 1.
The Aurum 1, pictured above, is the bike Norco had at today's launch. It will be the second Aurum model below the World Cup level/spec Aurum L.E. Riding the Aurum 1 was a great experience from start to finish. It's geometry is definitely geared towards going fast, with the head angle set at a slack 63.5 degrees and the bottom bracket height at 355mm. Thanks to its low center of gravity and slack angles the bike hugs the ground off rollers and drops, but is still a capable jumper that felt more than comfortable on Crabapple Hits and Dirt Merchant, two of Whistler's finest jump trails.
Reliable, predictable FSR suspension.
Head angle at 63.5 in all models.
One of the most notable things about the Aurum was its ability to eat up braking bumps. Whistler is overrun with these little devils right now, so having a bike that whispers over them is a treat. The engineers at Norco decreased the forward axle path by 330% over the 2011 bike. This change in axle path is called "A.R.T." and is immediately noticeable on square edge hits, like braking bumps. It also deals exceptionally well with corners, sitting into the turn and snapping out of it.
The Aurum 1 comes stock with an XO short cage derailleur, Truvativ Descendant cranks, and an E-13 LG1.
Integrated fork bumpers are a nice touch, something that's becoming more and more common.
While it's tough to say exactly how a bike will handle over time, I was initially very impressed with the Aurum. It was easy to get used to, inspired confidence and loved to go fast. Often times faster than I was willing to go. Below are more photos and the full spec on both the Aurum 1 and the top of the line Aurum L.E.
The Holloform link is a one piece link arm which translates into a stiff back end.
The stock Easton Havoc bars, at 760mm, were a little skinny for my taste but were easy enough to get used to.
Spec: Aurum 1 (pictured)
Fork: Rock Shox Boxxer R2C2 Cl 200mm
Rear Shock: Rock Shox Vivid Coil R2C
Headset: FSA #57E-1
Handlebar: Easton Havoc DH, 760mm
Stem: Easton Havoc direct mount
Seat Post: Norco Lite 2 bolt
Saddle: WTB Silverado Race SL
Front Brake: Avid Elixir 9 20mm rotor
Rear Brake: Avid Elixir 9 200mm rotor
Brake Lever: Avid Elixir 9
Shifter: Sram X9 10 Speed
Derailleur: Sram X0 DH short cage
Cassette: Sram PG-1070 11-28t
Chain: Sram PC 1051
Cranks: Truvativ Descendant 36T
Chain guide: E-13 LG1
Pedals: Black Spire low profile
Hubs: Sun Jumping Flea
Spokes: DT Comp stainless butted
Rims: Sun Inferno 29 Welded[/I]
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5
Spec: Aurum L.E.
Fork: Rock Shox World Cup solo air
Rear Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel
Headset: FSA #57E-1
Handlebar: Easton Havoc Carbon DH, 760mm
Stem: Easton Havoc direct mount
Seat Post: Norco Lite 2 bolt
Saddle: WTB Silverado Team
Front Brake: Sram X0 200mm rotor
Rear Brake: Sram X0 180mm rotor
Brake Levers: Sram X0
Shifter: Sram X0 10 Speed
Derailleur: Sram X0 DH short cage
Cassette: Sram PG-1070 11-28t
Chain: Sram PC 1071 hollow pin
Cranks: Sram/Truvativ X0
Chain guide: E-13 LG1
Hubs, Spokes, Rims: Easton Havoc DH[/I]
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5
That's all for now on the 2012 Norco Aurum!
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