This was awesome to see. I just got a Revolver FS120 and this inspires confidence that I'll be able to keep up with my friends on trail bikes when we're off the XC track.
@@DaleStone Yea, I'm just waiting for it to Dry up a bit in Ontario so I can get out on it! But I wanted an XC race bike for racing, and a trail bike for riding with friends - but could only have one so...
If I had to buy one bike in Ontario it would absolutely be the FS120. Minimal compromise for everything but the occasional trip to Blue! You're gonna love it. 😃
It looked very smooth😎🤙 Really like your way of trying things, it's inspirational👌 And yeah, i like to see more of this bike. Very nice combi of trails too, saw a lot of nice features to build myself at my little project😁
I bought the 2021 FS120 version for here in Ontario and I am loving this bike. I ride a ton and run only 1 mountain bike and I feel like this will do anything I would ever want to do with it.
That was an awesome perspective seeing how capable the modern XC bikes are. But also really impressive to see how quickly Nick disappeared once out front with the big bike. Great video.
Good stuff Dale, YES, definitely show more rides on this bike down all the steep and gnarly trails that people say they "need" a long travel, slack HTA bike for ;-) Now you may not have been as fast and able to keep up with your buds on their longer couches, but I'll put money that you still had a big smile plastered across your face, guessing bigger than usual, because of the actual skill and attention to always being in charge and piloting compared to those long travel rigs. As someone who's played around and loves short travel, might I suggest you extend the fork out to 120mm. I say this because I've always felt with the shorter travel bikes especially, having mis-matched travel seems to feel better, kinda like a HT. If you put the fork to 120mm, you'll be very close to the geo of the 120mm version, but with a more XC feel for the climbs - looking at the geo of the 100 vs 120, it seems that that's kinda what they did, but then guessing changed the rocker or rear tri/drop out to make it 120 F&R.
Hey now, other than chasing Nic around berms I did keep up! 😉 Truthfully I have already put an order in for a 120mm fork haha. The way we adjusted this bike between rear travels for spec is just a longer stroke shock with the same static eye to eye and a different tune. So 120/120 is definitely an option in the future! Will definitely show this thing off more.
LOL. Well yes, on the more tech stuff, I have found keeping up with the longer travel bikes isn't an issue, but when speeds pick up with intermittent rocks and roots that they just smash over without a care, I find on the shorter travel you tend to drop back some. Really need to engage the brain better in the morning, of course, obvious and simple solution. So I was right, the 120 is just the 100, with a 100mm fork which slacks everything out. Everything seems roughly inline with my calcs, but all the numbers are just slightly slacker than I would calculate going to the 120mm fork - I normally equate a 20mm bump in fork travel with about a .9-1 degree change in angles.
Agreed, I quickly found the limit on Severed yesterday. Body not willing to keep up with the abuse of fast chunder. The reason it's 1.1 degrees slacker is because 20mm is a much larger percentage of 100m than it is of 160-200mm. Higher percentage difference ~~ greater change in angle...I think, it's early...
Yup, should try it on a rigid, you definitely know you've ridden after riding one of those on some fast, rough stuff :-) But I love it, you get an absolute full body workout on the shorter travel FS/HT/Rigid than on those longer travel, slacker bikes. Yup, was sort of thinking the same thing. Also as you get the longer travel, the HTA is also slacker, so the increase is going to be more forward as well as upward compared to on a short travel 100mm bike with steeper HTA.
NIce! My first trips to Fromme I was riding a 100mm 26er XC bike, the small wheels and steep HTA weren't great but I didn't have the skills to push more travel anyway. Confirmed that when I came back with a 170/160 trail/enduro bike, haha
@@DaleStone Oh I hear ya! Not that I'm a pioneer by any stretch, but I arrived in North Van in '97 with 2" of travel upfront on an XC bike, spandex shorts and off kilter helmet and asked "where are the mtb trails?". Someone directed me to Severed D and I was sure I was lost! Great videos and thanks for doing them!
I bought the norco storm 1( hardtail xc bike) because im new to mountain biking its good to see that XC bikes as you build up skills can handle the harder stuff too
@@DaleStone im honestly super excited to start mountain biking. Earlier this month i got started on a 15 year old 26er from when i was a teenager and decided to get a quality hard tail and build my skills to start taking it more seriously and your videos are some of my favourites you always seem so in control even on your XC
Noice! Let's see more videos with this bike. Although, it will be a bit harder to spot you on the trails on this rig. I mean, besides the fact it's not yellow you'll be going even faster!
Don't tell my boss 🤫. But actually, loading-wise this isn't wildly different than a world cup course! Just keep that fork below 120mm and stay out of the park haha.
I have ridden Ned's and others runs on a NO suspension bike. Admittedly prefer my fluid HT but it's not impossible the suspension just means I don't need the muscle/speed to do provide the flow with my hips, legs and shoulders.
Nice vid!!! did u feel the limitation of a steep hta on steep section or it’s all about riding skill? Because u were so smooth and never seems to risk the “over the bar” feeling. Nice ride bro
@@DaleStone Admitedly, I am 64 years old and have had 17 episodes involving ribs so am quite adverse to falling off my bike. Very difficult as my brain seems to still be in my teens and the two are in a constant battle. The remedy is to armor up and use as much travel as I can. LOL, sucks growing old.
Surprisingly it was not! I really wanted a race ready speed demon, and felt that the Optic would be a bit close to my Sight for how I ride. Personally feel that Revolver 120+Sight and Optic+Range are the best pairings for two bike people.
@@DaleStone ha, sorry I meant 68.5, must help out a lot AND maybe you are running more pressure in too! Gald to see I was right. Great riding, wish I had those skills!
I wanna see this bike but on the triple black diamond trail, forgot the name of it. lol Make your own "Into the Gnar" but you know.. with your XC bike. 🤣
How did you become a design engineer at Norco? I don't live in NA but I still want to do that as a job, most of the places that I've looked say you need experience in the manufacturing industry, so how did you go straight from college to the job, any advice would be great.
I had a healthy variety of co-op/intern experience in 6 different industries. It was mostly "right place, right time" that it was my first job out of uni. Can't complain! Only advice I have is to network heavily as this industry is even smaller than you think (which is already quite small).
I recently came and visited you guys, well at least hit Squamish, and only brought my Hardtail. Although made for these trails(Chromag) It definitely slowed me down, and still pinch flated twice. So next time I will bring my Niner RIP nine but I will also bring my Hardtail again. Because I’m like a XC bike everybody notices no rear suspension. Certain things seems off-limits to me just due to my self-preservation gene.So I want to see what opens up when I look from behind the burly bike? So my test will be opposite of what you’re doing here. And I also notice everybody is on four bar, although I think I saw a Canadian belt DW suspension, but like my Rocky MountainIt seems like bike manufacturers of their lean to the floor bar. Thoughts?
Yep! 9point8 Fall Line R @150mm. Would not ride without one anywhere. Currently I have a 2020 SID (30mm?) on the front, but I have an "XC Trail" fork on order at 120mm. Mostly for the head angle compensation haha. 100mm works, but why not eh...
So is this the IMBY climbing machine you referenced building in one of your posts a few months back? Once you get fully dialed in on this new bike, I’m sure several more Lower Mainland KOMs are going to fall!
That's the beauty of this channel, I only upload what I want to watch. And dammit if I don't want to see some climb trails with nerdy data overlays. 🙂 As for Frank's, we'll see...
Depends what kind of abuse you're willing to subject yourself to. I've ridden most of the hard stuff on a hardtail with moderate success. The most popular ones are a good start: Expresso, John Deer, etc.
you ride XC to gain skills, confidence, endurance and general fitness you ride trail, enduro, dh, slopestyle and bmx for the fun of it, to do tricks, to hit bigger features with ease IMO
What jacket or jersey is your bright blue one? Have been looking for a good bright blue (higher vis) hoodless mtb appropriate jacket. Have some of Endura's hi-viz blue stuff but its all for road and it would turn to dust if I hit the ground in it on the granite out here in Halifax. Is it the 7Mesh Freeflow?
![Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 | เพื่อจักรพรรดิ ! [ตอนเดียวจบ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4M0ckYMA4-U/mqdefault.jpg)
Broken chain + a weird liking to suffering= new bike day. This is big brain time.
I thought this day looked familiar and then I remembered I was there 😂
PTSD will do that.
Same
@@DaleStone
Hi Dale,
I apologize for replying here, but could you let me know which tires you had on the XC bike?
Thanks!
@@findtherightbeat I think they were Rekons, probably 2.3-2.4". Ikons work well as a rear tire too! 🙂
great video !!I bought a transition spur for exactly this sort of riding in the uk , love the feel of a light bike and copes well in most situ
10:15 "oh we got some traffic here"
That was me and my friends begging people for a tube 😂
Your voice is so crisp I enjoy hearing you speak
This was awesome to see. I just got a Revolver FS120 and this inspires confidence that I'll be able to keep up with my friends on trail bikes when we're off the XC track.
Love it! One of my favourite bikes we make for sure.
@@DaleStone Yea, I'm just waiting for it to Dry up a bit in Ontario so I can get out on it! But I wanted an XC race bike for racing, and a trail bike for riding with friends - but could only have one so...
If I had to buy one bike in Ontario it would absolutely be the FS120. Minimal compromise for everything but the occasional trip to Blue! You're gonna love it. 😃
There goes any chance of anyone getting kom’s on climbs in the tri cities!
Hehe Leif and Cam are damn speedy, but I'll see what I can do this year!
@@DaleStone Anticipating your NIMBY to Manhandler time... to make myself feel even worse hahah
It looked very smooth😎🤙 Really like your way of trying things, it's inspirational👌 And yeah, i like to see more of this bike. Very nice combi of trails too, saw a lot of nice features to build myself at my little project😁
Nice! Bonus clip!
“Broken part? Yup, time for a new bike!!” 🤣 an excellent choice and way to challenge yourself!!
Also maybe legitimately easier than sourcing a Shimano chain haha. Ignoring the fact that I put one on this bike... 😅
I bought the 2021 FS120 version for here in Ontario and I am loving this bike. I ride a ton and run only 1 mountain bike and I feel like this will do anything I would ever want to do with it.
Love it! I'd be the exact same out there. And with Blue closed you can now do literally anything around, haha.
Didn't notice a handicap. Just noticed the shred. 🤟
That broken chain thing is very realtable.
That was an awesome perspective seeing how capable the modern XC bikes are. But also really impressive to see how quickly Nick disappeared once out front with the big bike. Great video.
Nic is an absurdly good jumper that I will probably never keep up with regardless of bike!
Wow, amazing riding - and nice cameo!
Good stuff Dale, YES, definitely show more rides on this bike down all the steep and gnarly trails that people say they "need" a long travel, slack HTA bike for ;-) Now you may not have been as fast and able to keep up with your buds on their longer couches, but I'll put money that you still had a big smile plastered across your face, guessing bigger than usual, because of the actual skill and attention to always being in charge and piloting compared to those long travel rigs.
As someone who's played around and loves short travel, might I suggest you extend the fork out to 120mm. I say this because I've always felt with the shorter travel bikes especially, having mis-matched travel seems to feel better, kinda like a HT. If you put the fork to 120mm, you'll be very close to the geo of the 120mm version, but with a more XC feel for the climbs - looking at the geo of the 100 vs 120, it seems that that's kinda what they did, but then guessing changed the rocker or rear tri/drop out to make it 120 F&R.
Hey now, other than chasing Nic around berms I did keep up! 😉
Truthfully I have already put an order in for a 120mm fork haha. The way we adjusted this bike between rear travels for spec is just a longer stroke shock with the same static eye to eye and a different tune. So 120/120 is definitely an option in the future! Will definitely show this thing off more.
LOL. Well yes, on the more tech stuff, I have found keeping up with the longer travel bikes isn't an issue, but when speeds pick up with intermittent rocks and roots that they just smash over without a care, I find on the shorter travel you tend to drop back some.
Really need to engage the brain better in the morning, of course, obvious and simple solution. So I was right, the 120 is just the 100, with a 100mm fork which slacks everything out. Everything seems roughly inline with my calcs, but all the numbers are just slightly slacker than I would calculate going to the 120mm fork - I normally equate a 20mm bump in fork travel with about a .9-1 degree change in angles.
Agreed, I quickly found the limit on Severed yesterday. Body not willing to keep up with the abuse of fast chunder.
The reason it's 1.1 degrees slacker is because 20mm is a much larger percentage of 100m than it is of 160-200mm. Higher percentage difference ~~ greater change in angle...I think, it's early...
Yup, should try it on a rigid, you definitely know you've ridden after riding one of those on some fast, rough stuff :-) But I love it, you get an absolute full body workout on the shorter travel FS/HT/Rigid than on those longer travel, slacker bikes.
Yup, was sort of thinking the same thing. Also as you get the longer travel, the HTA is also slacker, so the increase is going to be more forward as well as upward compared to on a short travel 100mm bike with steeper HTA.
The bell man is back! 🥳🥳🥳
crazy to see how far the hydro cut guy has come
Hahaha, still love that place!
Wow thanks for this! I'm feeling a lot of pressure to go up from the Optic to the Sight but this shows me i dont have to.
so true, bikes made a huge leap forward ..aand rider skills also improve over time
NIce! My first trips to Fromme I was riding a 100mm 26er XC bike, the small wheels and steep HTA weren't great but I didn't have the skills to push more travel anyway. Confirmed that when I came back with a 170/160 trail/enduro bike, haha
Deer John with that head tube angle! Well played...
"the pioneers used to ride these babies for miles"
@@DaleStone Oh I hear ya! Not that I'm a pioneer by any stretch, but I arrived in North Van in '97 with 2" of travel upfront on an XC bike, spandex shorts and off kilter helmet and asked "where are the mtb trails?". Someone directed me to Severed D and I was sure I was lost! Great videos and thanks for doing them!
Love it haha, you sir are braver than I!
There's the 29er we've all been waiting for ;)
Touché.
I bought the norco storm 1( hardtail xc bike) because im new to mountain biking its good to see that XC bikes as you build up skills can handle the harder stuff too
There's less margin for error, but they are certainly more than capable!
@@DaleStone im honestly super excited to start mountain biking. Earlier this month i got started on a 15 year old 26er from when i was a teenager and decided to get a quality hard tail and build my skills to start taking it more seriously and your videos are some of my favourites you always seem so in control even on your XC
Awesome! Thank you for sharing! :-)
Nicely done!
Noice! Let's see more videos with this bike. Although, it will be a bit harder to spot you on the trails on this rig. I mean, besides the fact it's not yellow you'll be going even faster!
Counterpoint: I'm the only guy on an XC bike with a full face full time.
Jesus that chop stick feature looks gnarly. Would NOT want to fall on it, its got some serious impalement potential.
I think it's something like he said on 7th Secret: If you go off the shingles, i think you die😅😜
The hardest trail I've taken down my xc is 7th Secret, wish I had the skills to do Boogieman with it
What did the Revolver's engineers say about this idea?😄
Don't tell my boss 🤫. But actually, loading-wise this isn't wildly different than a world cup course! Just keep that fork below 120mm and stay out of the park haha.
@@DaleStone Sending my regards to the XC wheelset that will have to take the shore's abuse😅
I have ridden Ned's and others runs on a NO suspension bike. Admittedly prefer my fluid HT but it's not impossible the suspension just means I don't need the muscle/speed to do provide the flow with my hips, legs and shoulders.
And you're still alive to tell the tale???
@@DaleStone yes though it helped that I was 30 at the time the body was lot more resilient back then.
Nice vid!!! did u feel the limitation of a steep hta on steep section or it’s all about riding skill? Because u were so smooth and never seems to risk the “over the bar” feeling. Nice ride bro
I never felt in danger of getting hung up, but it's certainly less confidence inspiring than an all mountain head angle haha.
Ahh nope, I'll take the full squish as cushy as possible. lol Didn't look bad until that rock roll. ekkk.
Fair enough! Rock roll worked surprisingly well, have hit it five or six more times since with more confidence haha.
@@DaleStone Admitedly, I am 64 years old and have had 17 episodes involving ribs so am quite adverse to falling off my bike. Very difficult as my brain seems to still be in my teens and the two are in a constant battle. The remedy is to armor up and use as much travel as I can. LOL, sucks growing old.
dang, the empress looks killer. well everything did, but you know...anywho I'm starting to consider an MTB now LOL
One of us! One of us!
I want to see Nick "HAMMERFEST" on an XC bike!
So do I, dude's quick!
Noice!
Was the Optic a consideration / best of both Worlds?
Surprisingly it was not! I really wanted a race ready speed demon, and felt that the Optic would be a bit close to my Sight for how I ride. Personally feel that Revolver 120+Sight and Optic+Range are the best pairings for two bike people.
What camera are you using . The view is awesome !
Hero 8!
68.5 head angle... my 160mm enduro bike has a 68 degree head angle, I even ride park with it!
Im Buliding A SUPERXC 😎 Till I Get My BC Edition
68.5 degrees must help out a lot. Maybe a bit more pressure in the forks to get out jail.
Then I'd be running no sag at all!
@@DaleStone ha, sorry I meant 68.5, must help out a lot AND maybe you are running more pressure in too! Gald to see I was right. Great riding, wish I had those skills!
What revolver? HT, FS? 100mm or 120mm? You know what viewers love? Bike checks, geometry and components talk. Keep shredding.
FS100. Those take too much time to routinely make...
i have no clue wtf an XC bike is.. im just amazed at what you guys can pull off, its almost inhuman
Oh nice im actually from Waterloo. Did you ride the Hydrocut while you were there?
Tons!
@@DaleStone I'm like a 10 minute bike ride away from there so it's all I ride lol. Still have yet to get out to BC tho
I always thought from the footage that the sight was beating the shit out of ya.. this ride looks WAY smoother..
Both bikes do when we only ride the gnar! 😂
I wanna see this bike but on the triple black diamond trail, forgot the name of it. lol Make your own "Into the Gnar" but you know.. with your XC bike. 🤣
I love this idea.
@@DaleStone I love you...
Too soon? :/
How did you become a design engineer at Norco? I don't live in NA but I still want to do that as a job, most of the places that I've looked say you need experience in the manufacturing industry, so how did you go straight from college to the job, any advice would be great.
I had a healthy variety of co-op/intern experience in 6 different industries. It was mostly "right place, right time" that it was my first job out of uni. Can't complain! Only advice I have is to network heavily as this industry is even smaller than you think (which is already quite small).
Another amazing video! How many km’s did you have on your chain when it snapped?
~2300km, but I was less than diligent with replacing the chainring halfway. It didn't technically snap, just had a roller slide out... Super weird!
@@DaleStone Oh...that is weird!
When are you going to show the clip of the Revolber off the Toonie Drop? 👀
Going live on my Only Fans at 100k subs.
I recently came and visited you guys, well at least hit Squamish, and only brought my Hardtail. Although made for these trails(Chromag) It definitely slowed me down, and still pinch flated twice. So next time I will bring my Niner RIP nine but I will also bring my Hardtail again. Because I’m like a XC bike everybody notices no rear suspension. Certain things seems off-limits to me just due to my self-preservation gene.So I want to see what opens up when I look from behind the burly bike? So my test will be opposite of what you’re doing here. And I also notice everybody is on four bar, although I think I saw a Canadian belt DW suspension, but like my Rocky MountainIt seems like bike manufacturers of their lean to the floor bar. Thoughts?
Try the Niner and see how it performs and see what more you would want out of it. And don't get hung up on suspension layouts.
Does it have a dropper post? Also are you using XC race suspension like a 32 or a SID, or XC trail suspension like a 34 step cast?
Yep! 9point8 Fall Line R @150mm. Would not ride without one anywhere.
Currently I have a 2020 SID (30mm?) on the front, but I have an "XC Trail" fork on order at 120mm. Mostly for the head angle compensation haha. 100mm works, but why not eh...
So is this the IMBY climbing machine you referenced building in one of your posts a few months back?
Once you get fully dialed in on this new bike, I’m sure several more Lower Mainland KOMs are going to fall!
Indeed. Sub 6 minutes will definitely happen soon. Unsure if I've trained hard enough for the top spot... motivation!
Not sure how your broader audience feels about watching a climbing video, but I’d like to see you post that. And maybe a new sub 9:45 on Franks?
That's the beauty of this channel, I only upload what I want to watch. And dammit if I don't want to see some climb trails with nerdy data overlays. 🙂
As for Frank's, we'll see...
@@DaleStone i will chase you up.
@@DaleStone "best trail on Burke" (starting a rumour)
Awesome, let’s arrange some trainings I’m XC racer.
Do The BC bike race!!!!!!!!!
If I had the money I'd be all over it! 😊
Hey what are some good XC trails for a hardtail on the north shore? Happy to spend more time climbing than descending!
Depends what kind of abuse you're willing to subject yourself to. I've ridden most of the hard stuff on a hardtail with moderate success. The most popular ones are a good start: Expresso, John Deer, etc.
North shore over Ontario everyday of the week
Depends what you're after! I definitely miss the slow speed uber tech rock crawling of the East. There is no substitute.
@@DaleStone and your parents in the East :)
you ride XC to gain skills, confidence, endurance and general fitness
you ride trail, enduro, dh, slopestyle and bmx for the fun of it, to do tricks, to hit bigger features with ease
IMO
Generally agreed, just that everyone has a different definition of fun!
@@DaleStone true that
i ride e-bikes because i'm old, fat, lazy, and rich.
Did you keep XC tires on or changed it?
Full XC race rear, trail front.
What jacket or jersey is your bright blue one? Have been looking for a good bright blue (higher vis) hoodless mtb appropriate jacket. Have some of Endura's hi-viz blue stuff but its all for road and it would turn to dust if I hit the ground in it on the granite out here in Halifax. Is it the 7Mesh Freeflow?
It's a MEC one. Been running it for 7+ years and still holding up well.
What are your cam settings for this vid.?Amazing
2.7k60 Superview as always!
Thanks Dale.
Now I have to ask myself why do I need 170mm in the front,but hey, bikes are fun
Xk bike with such a short stem? Is it the new geometries? My 2010 trail bike has like 80mm
Correct, gone are the days where stem length matches travel, thankfully!
@@DaleStone never ridden a Short stem but I hate my long one 😅 what's your bike tho?
2020 Norco Revolver FS!
@@DaleStone sweet rocket 🚀
+1 for more hammer fest content
I saw it on Fb Marketplace being sold😅
sure did
hi dale i was wondering what camera you used for this video?
Hero 8 Black!
Been lookin for a new ride is the xc race at norco worth it?
Probably one of the more capable XC bikes out there at the expensive of not being the absolute lightest. A tradeoff worth making IMO.
12:08 looks narly
Can confirm, was scared haha.
TBS has 6100/7100/8100 12spd chains in stock... but my god $70CAD for an XT chain... Seventy dollars for a mountain bike chain, painful.
Yikes, and not even for the top tier!
im demoing a carbon fluid vlt tomorrow LOL fromme climber here I come :D not buying though 😆
Have I ever told you about the skinniest skinny that I ever skinny'd?
What tires are you running?
2.6" Vittoria something front and 2.35" Maxxis Ikon rear.
What size did you go with?
I chose a medium. Test rode a large and it was a bit too big to be comfortable (but it's worth noting that I prefer a very small fitting bike).
I wish I liked to pedal
N+1
One bike check video and now you're voiceover guy 😬