The Range is designed more around the seated, steady climbing typical of enduro races. It goes when you’re adding speed downhill, but flat sections and mid-track uphills can be a slog. The drawback of this trophy truck feel is that the Range is not especially efficient when you’re standing on the pedals. Which, for a bike designed to go fast – whether that’s at races or just because fast is fun – means the Range is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. That lets you look farther ahead on the trail instead of worrying about, or reacting to what’s happening under you, and ultimately ride faster. It means landings are smoother, the bike seems to just plant the second it hits the ground, and trail impacts don’t bounce the Range off line. The Range has a trophy truck feel, where the wheels are moving to absorb impacts but the chassis, and rider, stay stable. On the trail, this produces stability and traction, especially when carried out by the excellent combo of a Fox Factory DHX2 coil shock and matching 170-mm RockShox Zeb Ultimate fork. To allow the rear wheel to move freely through its travel, Norco adds an extra pulley wheel, and chain guide, next to the upper pivot point. This combines the rearward axle path of high pivot with tuneable kinematics of a floating pivot. The size-specific geometry Norco’s been pushing for several years steps up to new levels with the new bike, as well as a host of smart frame details.Īt the center of the Range is Norco’s new Virtual High Pivot suspension design.

But it’s not the only important feature on the Range. Norco’s Virtual High Pivot suspension design attracted all the attention when the Rage was released. What makes the Range stand out? Well, lets dive in.Ģ022 Norco Range – Virtual High Pivot, real world speed But all around, this is one of the most exciting bikes we’ve tested in a while. There are a couple drawbacks, depending on your perspective. In the six months since first swinging a leg over the modern Range, we’ve only grown to appreciate the Virtual High Pivot design more. From the first ride, this 170-mm travel enduro or all mountain bike impressed. Turns out the Range is much more than hype and good looks. The radical looking frame is completely different than the generation of Range that came before it, and different than, well, most other long-travel bikes on the market when it was released. Just from looking at it, it’s not hard to tell why. When Norco released the all-new Range earlier this year, it caused quite a stir.

Norco range