Issue #010 Review

Grouptest: EWS Race Bikes – Norco Range Carbon LE Review

20.08.2014
by

The enduro bike of the Canadian firm Norco is just like the standard bike, but it can’t be bought in Germany with this specification. This is because the LE model is exclusive to Canadian customers.

Norco Rage Carbon LE (1 von 14)
A glimpse of exclusivity: The Norco, as equipped, is not available for sale in Germany.
2‘02.03
Because of the Norco’s plush ride, it reached an astonishing time of 2’02.03.

Norco stated clearly: “On the Limited Edition we only used parts that the product managers and Norco employees would put on their own bikes.”

Norco Rage Carbon LE (6 von 14) e_norco_data e_norco_price

The best was good enough here: The Range Carbon has an almost complete SRAM XX1 groupset, a Cane Creek Double Barrel CS shock and a RockShox Pike fork as well as high quality No Tubes ZTR wheels. The carbon frame saves about 20% weight compared to the aluminum version; although the total weight for the bike is 13.05 kg, this only puts it in the bottom third of our test bikes.

When seated on the bike, the first thing that strikes you is the stretched position, mainly due to the 70mm stem. This means that, despite its otherwise balanced geometry, the bike can only be maneuvered slowly in tight sections. The Norco needs speed! Its biggest strength is its stability, but tight bends require more rider input. A shorter stem would definitely enhance the performance of the whole bike and increase its agility.

The extremely sensitive rear end complements the fork wonderfully; the bike remains glued to the dirt and evens out bumps smoothly while still providing good feedback from the ground. Thanks to the nicely progressive rear suspension and well-designed suspension curve, the rider remains constantly informed about what is happening below him, allowing him to accelerate quickly out of berms and maintain speed on undulating sections. What we really missed was a tubeless set-up; after the first descent we had a double flat at the end of the trail. The ZTR Flow rims made it easy to change to tubeless on the spot, though.

Hit the target. To protect the bike from being damaged by rocks, Norco put an extra protector on the carbon down tube of the Range.
Hit the target. To protect the bike from being damaged by rocks, Norco put an extra protector on the carbon down tube of the Range.
Pretty clunky. The seat stays of the otherwise attractive Range Carbon don’t really fit in with the rest of the bike.
Pretty clunky: The seat stays of the otherwise attractive Range Carbon don’t really fit in with the rest of the bike.
Outstanding. The performance of the Cane Creek Double Barrel shock with climb switch can be safely described as outstanding. If you take the time to set it up properly, you will be rewarded with a first-class performance. Not without good reason did this shock win the 2014 Design & Innovation award.
Outstanding: The performance of the Cane Creek Double Barrel shock with climb switch can be safely described as outstanding. If you take the time to set it up properly, you will be rewarded with a first-class performance. Not without good reason did this shock win the 2014 Design & Innovation award.
On the rack: The 70mm Race Face stem stretches the rider a long way over the bars and compromises agility. Tuning tip: swap the stem for a 50mm one to get more control and security.
On the rack: The 70mm Race Face stem stretches the rider a long way over the bars and compromises agility. Tuning tip: swap the stem for a 50mm one to get more control and security.
e_norco_geometry

The Norco rage Carbon 7.1 is available for 4.999 EUR.

Conclusion: The potent suspension and balanced geometry are impressive! By tweaking one or two spec details the rider can make the Norco a top-class race bike.

Go back to the article: Grouptest: Enduro World Series Bikes

You can read an in-depth feature about the EWS Race Bike test and our conclusions in the ENDURO issue #010! As usual it’s free & only digital for iPad, Android-Tablets and Online-Viewer: Issue #010.

Text & Photos Christoph Bayer

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