Grendel
Veteran
A review I published on my blog...
My latest Cycle to Work acquisition was the Norco Fluid 2 mountain bike, and I’ve been testing it for the last couple of weeks and have to say I’m impressed. In recent years I’ve been using folding mountain bikes, but I’ve been eyeing up some of the newer designs for a while and the pull of this was just too much.
With so many folk being into bikepacking these days this seems like a design that would be more than suitable as there’s a massive reach on the handlebars, which is ideal for mounting bags. The first thing which caught my eye though was the gears, with the tiny single ring chainset and dinner plate sized rear cassette. As someone used to having a range of between 21 to 27 speeds this would be somewhat of a change, but I was interested in seeing how it would fare. In use I’ve found it to be a fairly decent range for climbing, and can manage some pretty steep hills with perhaps a tiny bit left if required. Descending and on the flat is a different matter though and I’ve found myself spinning out, leading to me laying off slightly, but I can still get a reasonable speed from it. With 27.5 wheels and 2.8″ tyres it’s not a fat bike, but its fatter than I’m used to, and it’s worth remembering that you’ll need larger replacement tubings in your repair kit.
Chainset detail and flat pedals
Rear brake disc and gear cassette
The hydraulic disc brakes are sharp and effective, and the 120mm suspension is easily switched to locked for running on roads. One of the most surprising features for me was the dropper post, something I’d not used previously, and apparently not a standard feature in many bikes in this price range. Operated by a handlebar mounted thumb switch, it allows you to raise the seatpost while riding and is rapidly changed with practice, although it does take a bit of getting used to when first ridden. Attempting to change gear and finding the seat dropping can be a bit alarming! If there is one negative I’ve got about the bike it’s that the saddle is rather unforgiving and it’s possibly the first component I’d swap out.
Dropper post
The lack of front derailleur gives it a clean, uncluttered look and the small chain set gives a higher clearance than you would get on a traditional two/three ring set up. Retailing at around £1000, all in all this is a lot of bike for the money (more so if you use cycle-to-work or similar) and it’s worth serious consideration if you are looking to upgrade.
My latest Cycle to Work acquisition was the Norco Fluid 2 mountain bike, and I’ve been testing it for the last couple of weeks and have to say I’m impressed. In recent years I’ve been using folding mountain bikes, but I’ve been eyeing up some of the newer designs for a while and the pull of this was just too much.
With so many folk being into bikepacking these days this seems like a design that would be more than suitable as there’s a massive reach on the handlebars, which is ideal for mounting bags. The first thing which caught my eye though was the gears, with the tiny single ring chainset and dinner plate sized rear cassette. As someone used to having a range of between 21 to 27 speeds this would be somewhat of a change, but I was interested in seeing how it would fare. In use I’ve found it to be a fairly decent range for climbing, and can manage some pretty steep hills with perhaps a tiny bit left if required. Descending and on the flat is a different matter though and I’ve found myself spinning out, leading to me laying off slightly, but I can still get a reasonable speed from it. With 27.5 wheels and 2.8″ tyres it’s not a fat bike, but its fatter than I’m used to, and it’s worth remembering that you’ll need larger replacement tubings in your repair kit.
Chainset detail and flat pedals
Rear brake disc and gear cassette
The hydraulic disc brakes are sharp and effective, and the 120mm suspension is easily switched to locked for running on roads. One of the most surprising features for me was the dropper post, something I’d not used previously, and apparently not a standard feature in many bikes in this price range. Operated by a handlebar mounted thumb switch, it allows you to raise the seatpost while riding and is rapidly changed with practice, although it does take a bit of getting used to when first ridden. Attempting to change gear and finding the seat dropping can be a bit alarming! If there is one negative I’ve got about the bike it’s that the saddle is rather unforgiving and it’s possibly the first component I’d swap out.
Dropper post
The lack of front derailleur gives it a clean, uncluttered look and the small chain set gives a higher clearance than you would get on a traditional two/three ring set up. Retailing at around £1000, all in all this is a lot of bike for the money (more so if you use cycle-to-work or similar) and it’s worth serious consideration if you are looking to upgrade.
