boog

So I was at the LBS picking up a new pair of gloves and saw this bike:

https://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Road/...view=1&deets=2

I am looking for a new commuter/around town bike and one of my criteria is disc brakes. I am waiting for the local Trek dealer to get some of the new SOHO's in stock to take a test ride, and will be trying out the Kona Dew soon as well. I haven't heard too much about the Norco line before, I just know they are Canadian, and that this bike looks sweet. I will be going back to test ride later this week, as the shop wanted a credit card to hold and I didn't have mine with me.

So, to get to the point, are these quality bikes? Will the hydraulic brakes be the bane of my existence (and my apartment floor)? Anybody who's ridden or owns one of these, or Norcos in general, who wants to chime in I would greatly appreciate it.

boog

porq

I tried out the VFR and the DR Dew and both were very nice bikes. I ended up buying the Dr Dew because I found I was in too much of a sitting / leaned back position on the VFR and it made climbing more difficult. If you are comfortable on the bike, I don't think you can go wrong.

I've got hyraulics on my Dr Dew and I'll never go back to mech or v-brakes for a commuter (especially in the rainy season).

I've never owned a Norco, but I've got quite a few friends who ride Norco mountain bikes (mostly hard-core huckers) and they're very happy with the quality and ride.

Jay.Money

I haven't had a Norco since I was a kid (back then it was a bmx). That said, they are very popular up here in Canada. My impression of them is that they are a mid grade maker that ventures in to the high end market with some of their models. There have always been a million of them on the road here in Canada (not sure if that speaks to their quality or just their popularity).

oneredstar

Norco makes decent bikes. There line up runs the full range from an $75 kids bike to a $3000 road bike. I at one point had a Norco road bike and it was pretty decent. They are a huge company in Canada and have a great warranty on their bikes. If the price is right and the bike fits, I would say go for it.

rajman

I've had a number of Norcos in the past (the last one was stolen ), and I've invariably been happy with them. Of course my experience is several years out of date, but my wife has a 3 year old norco (Yorkville hybrid), which she is very happy with.

I agree with the mid grade label - they seem to be very strong in the middle range, with a few options at both the high and low end.

I've never had a problem with a Norco frame, either.

mercator

I have owned a few norcos, in fact my winter bike was made by them. Quality and price have always been good.

dynaryder

Don't know about the alloy fork,but otherwise looks good. I'm surprised that hydros are showing up on bikes at this price point(the new Dew Deluxe has Shimano hydros for $100 less).

boog

Thanks all!

I will be making the rounds to different shops in the next week or two for test rides. It will boil down to which bike fits me best, has a flat bar and disc brakes, and looks cool. I hadn't seen a Norco before, but had heard the name here on BF a few times. It sounds like I can't go to far wrong with them, though I agree the price is a touch high for the components, at least in the drive train.

I tend to keep my rides around for years, so I will be test riding several bikes to find the one I love. If anyone has one of these VFR 4s in particular and can comment on it's long term durability, it would be appreciated. I'm in love with the pictures of the Trek SOHO, and I am worried about how well the bike I pick will take fenders and a rack with the discs, so it will be a process finding my new commuter.

Don't worry, when I find it, pics will be forthcoming!

boog

boog

What are the pros and cons of hydros? Being an apartment dweller I am inclined to go with mechanicals for cleaner servicing, but if hydraulics are vastly superior I will have to consider them. All of it is secondary to the actual ride of the bike itself, but I am curious.

boog

andymac

Norco are an excellent deal in my experience and their warranty in Canada is second to none, I live in Vancouver where they are located which no doubt helps. They will replace a broken frame without batting an eye. I ride a Norco BMX race cruiser and a Norco hardtail mountain bike, both well equipped for what I paid for them and completely trouble free to date.

A guy I work with rode a VFR (non-disc) version as his commuter for awhile last year. It was a nice bike,but as was pointed out by one of the earlier posters, it had a more upright position than some of the other bikes in the flat bar commuter group. I have a Dew Deluxe as I could not find a Norco or other model that had a frame that fit comfortably (I am 6' 7"). My favourite in this group is the Rocky Mountain (also a Canadian company) RC70 or RC50. They have nice components, nice wheels, and road bike gearing but they are also too small for me and more dollars. The Treks I tried were odd, I rode an FX series in their XL size that was listed as 25 inches, the top tube seemed too short for the bike.

Crazy Cyclist

I own a Norco Cherokee mountain bike. It is about 8-9 years old and if still runs well. I have been more than satisfied with the Norco brand.

Top quality bikes IMO.

stokell

Our family owns 2 Norco's: a tandem and my son's mountain bike. Good value for the money and I get excellent service from my dealer.

Aloyzius

I like their commercial with santa sliding down the hill in the electric razor. Didn't know they made bikes, though.

1ply

You won't find anyone with a VFR4 that has ridden it for the past year. The vfr4 last year did not have discs. I have the 5 from last year, which is a mix of the 4/5/6 of this year. I'm happy with it. I have over 2000kms on it as of today and my only problem was that I broke a spoke somehow.

I've added touring bars (see nashbar) and a rack. Now that the wet weather is about to start, I'm on my way to add fenders - I've removed the front derailer so the rear fender will fit (beware if you like your 3x9)

Personally, 98% of my commute is in one gear. I've been toying with the idea of converting this bike... so far it's a 1x8

If you're after something slightly different, check out the LRT express, which (IIRC) comes with a disc for 2008 (there are two models) - they are not on the net yet, but the dealers have the catalogues.

W.

dynaryder

Dews will take fenders no prob. The forks have rack baze-ons on the sides for the front struts,and the rear eyelets are far enough to the rear that clearing the brake shouldn't be a problem. Sohos also have the fork braze-ons plus the rear caliper is in the V of the stays so it's out of the way.

Hydros can be a pain to service because unlike motorcycles,they hardly have any reservoir. This can make bleeding them tricky. But you only do it like every 2-3 years,so they actually take less regular maintenance than cable units. You just keep an eye on the pads and replace them when they wear down(the pads are self adjusting).

Commuting year round with cable units,in a hilly area,in all weather,and playing polo,I can get 8-9 months out of a set of front pads and a year out of the rears.

WillisB

That's Norelco. We are talking Norco.