2021 Norco Shore A1 Bike

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Vancouver, BC's North Shore has played a meaningful role in mountain bike history. For older riders, it may conjure images of skinnies and wheelie drops, a combination of circus acts and pushing the sport. These days, the trails are just as impactful. They are off-season training grounds for World Cup racers and zones for freeriders to keep pushing the limits. Some 20 years ago, Norco launched the Shore bike. The goal was to make a freeride machine worthy of tackling the harsh conditions from which its name was derived. Today, that bike has been reimagined with the same intent, for today's rider and style of trails. Grab your Roach pads and baggy pants so we can dig in.

Highlights

• Alloy frame only
• 180mm (7-inch) high-pivot, Horst-link suspension
• 180mm (7-inch) travel fork
• Park build has 200mm (8-inch) fork and 190mm (7.48-inch) travel
• 27.5-inch wheels only
• Size-specific frame geometry
• Internal cable routing
• 2.5-inch Maxxis Assegai DoubleDown MaxxGrip tires
• 200mm (8-inch) brake rotors
• Coil-specific suspension design
• Standard water bottle mounting, accessory mounting on top tube
• Will make you want to find stair gaps

In 2020, 27.5-inch wheels are considered to be the smaller wheel (sorry two-sixers, I ain't mad at ya) and better for jumping and stunting, so that is what Norco opted for on the new Shore. We will get it out of the way right now, Norco does not endorse setting up the Shore with a mullet configuration. The Norco Shore is also an alloy frame only, riders will find no carbon here. With regard to suspension, the Shore is recommended to run a coil shock only, Norco suggests that an air shock will not play nicely with their suspension curve. To top it off, forget about flip chips or geometry adjustments, the Norco shore is configured one way only and with the clear intention of sending it.

Build Kits

This is mountain biking, however, and mountain bikers want options. What did Norco offer up? To start, the Shore uses Norco's Ride Aligned, size-specific geometry much like on the Sight and Optic. While the frames may not be able to be tweaked via chips and spacers, each size is catered to a specifically sized rider. There are also the build options, yes, there is only three of them, but each one hits a specific target. The A1 and A2 both have 180mm of travel front and rear. The $5,199 A1 (tested) has FOX Factory suspension with a SRAM Eagle drivetrain and the A2 uses RockShox suspension and Shimano's 12-speed group. Finally, there is the Shore A1 Park which implements a longer-stroke shock to get 190mm of rear travel and keeps geometry consistent with a 200mm RockShox Boxxer fork, which has the same axle to crown as the ZEB found on the A2. The park is rounded out with a GX DH drivetrain and regular seatpost. Across all three builds, riders will find 200mm brake rotors and 2.5-inch wide Maxxis DoubleDown MaxxGrip Assegai tires.

Get a look at the full Norco Shore line in Vital's Product Guide.

Norco's new Shore scores high on the shock value with its high-pivot design. Our tester, Jason Schroeder, had to take a pause when first laying eyes upon the bike. Norco decided to implement a high pivot for several reasons. Because the Shore is a gravity focused bike, Norco decided to embrace the rearward axle path, declaring the bike will maintain better momentum on descents. Norco also stated that the Shore's kinematics as a result of the high pivot design they've used, provide a progressive suspension curve with more mid-stroke support, thus making the coil shock application ideal. As your gaze moves on from the high pivot and idler wheel, you may notice the Shore looks a bit long...

Geometry

In the geometry department, Norco cut no corners and makes no apologies about the Shore. With a minimum of 180mm of travel, the 63-degree head angle puts the front wheel way out in front. The Shore's single-crown offerings use a 44mm offset fork, which is not as reduced as the 37mm found on the smaller, but not quite as slack (63.5-degree head angle) Sight. In talking with the development team at Norco, they explained they had tried a 37mm offset fork but the ride qualities were all wrong. The Shore's geometry is such that the front is weighted plenty already and pulling the front wheel in, resulted in a bike that would over-steer and grab too much in the corners. A 77.7-degree effective seat tube angle on our large test bike is intended to keep the front end in check during climbs, while a 410mm seat tube and 200mm dropper will get the seat out of the way for proper hucks. Compared to the trends of many 27.5-inch trail bikes, the Shore uses "longer" chainstays, 445mm on the large. In all, the wheelbase of our test bike comes in at 1286mm. For reference, Norco's L/XL HSP downhill bike has a 1270mm wheelbase. Norco said they did not intend to create a long bike, rather the long wheelbase is the result of the Ride Aligned approach to keeping the rider weight balanced on the bike. Regardless, these numbers had us wondering, would the Norco Shore "steer" rather than "turn"?

Reviewing the build kits, fixed-geometry, and materials selection paint a very clear picture of the Norco Shore's intention: a gravity-fed, steep terrain specialist. No doubt that sounds like a riot on paper but what about the real world? We were fortunate to have former professional downhill racer, Jason Schroeder on hand to put the boots to the Shore. Let's dig into his initial ride impressions.

First-Look Riding Impressions

After a weekend exploring the surrounding mountains and a bike park session, Jason found the Shore to be true to its intent. The new Shore likes its terrain steep and with plenty of downhill assist. While not as sluggish as a downhill bike on lower-grade trails, the Shore does show its weight when things aren't at their most rowdy. Taking the Shore airborn felt good, particularly as jumps grew larger. Jason suggests the jibbers look elsewhere though. This bike likes big moves.

Jason found the suspension to perform well, both up and down the mountain. Norco did not include a climb switch on the Shore, they were plenty confident in its performance. Our tester had no problems grinding it out on the climbs thanks to the 12-speed drivetrain. Chunky terrain, boulders, and loose rocks were all handled in short order thanks to the Shore's rearward axle path, which allowed the bike to keep its speed. While the Norco feels comfortable at high speeds, the long wheelbase and 39-pound girth make it a lot to manage.

Norco set out to create a long-travel, 27.5, aluminum brawler. They wanted a bike that would embrace the ethos of freeride and the revival of the movement by the next generation. When all the design work was complete and the idea was coming to life, they needed to give it a name. It was then that the Shore was reborn. There are no apologies from Norco on this one, and truly none are needed. Though our time has been brief with the bike, it would seem the new Shore performs exactly as intended. Keep up to date with our long-term review of the Norco Shore by keeping it locked here on Vital. In the meantime, head to Norco.com for all the down and dirty on the new Shore.