Nothing excited me more than the ability to race test a frame that not only is made by one of the world’s top Mountain Bike manufacturers (Norco of Canada), but also just landed on the shores of Australia. Norco have been making BMX bikes for some time now, but all lower end frames and parts. This is their first step towards a pure bred racing machine.

The Look

At first glance I thought nothing quite looked like the unique Norco monocoque, it is quite a bulky frame and fork set and only available in a Kawasaki green colour, needless to say it really stands out both in the streets and on the race track. This frame was made to do more than turn heads, it is a full-bore racing machine. It has huge gussets to make sure the two piece front section wont come appart, it also has the cleanest welds I have ever seen anywhere. It also has a slick sticker set which complements both the design and the overall look of the frame. The head tube is taller than usual, putting the front end up a little higher than normal. The strangest part about the tall headset tube is the absence of a badge or sticker, I would have thought it would be the ideal place to advertise.

The Ride

With the 20.5 inch top tube the frame is aimed at the 14 plus age group. It has “slower” steering but feels well balanced for jumping and coasting. With the frame being as stiff as it was I couldn’t help but think I was getting a lot more power to the ground than I do from my custom cro-mo frame. The bike was certainly awesome for the all important gate start and performed well over jumps. I did feel a little let down when it came to cranking out of corners, but I’m sure that a little more time on the Norco machine would have made a world of difference.

The UltraMeter Rating

The Norco Monocoque certainly has a distinctive look which I have rated a 4 out of 5 on the UltraMeter, maybe they could have gone for a choice of colours.
The great feel as a race bike can not go unrewarded, I would also rate it a 4 out of 5 on the UltraMeter, a slightly longer front end would have made the ride a little more comfortable for the taller rider.
I have probably been a little harsh in rating the Monocoque frame but, it will give me room to move in future tests. The overall score of 8 out of 10.