In December, I was lucky enough to spend some time test riding the yet-to-be-released updated Norco Revolver. At a glance it looked really similar to the current frame, and that’s why their Factory Team were able to race it without too many people noticing. Look closer and you realise how much has changed.
Sneaky. Haley Smith raced the 2020 Norco Revolver from about August 2019. It just had a 2019 paint job.
From a head angle that is about 3 degrees slacker, to a reach that has increased about 30mm, shorter chainstays, a steeper seat angle and 40% greater stiffness – a fair bit has changed.
We have just bought our new team frames, so here’s a closer look at the frames themselves – we’ll have them built by early August (fingers crossed!) in time for the Swiss Epic and other upcoming major events.
The headtube shows how big the downtube is, and the frame has a port on each side that can take two hoses or outers. Or plugs if you’re wireless.The outers and hoses run internally, and pass this hole on the downtube. There’s a plug supplied, and you ziptie the outers and hose to the plug for a silent ride. It’s not too tricky to set up, although replacing a single outer may prove tricky.The main pivot is wider as the frame is purely a 1x specific design. It can also be adjusted if need be from the non-drive side, with an 18mm spanner and an allen key. No need to remove your cranks.What? Like many new frames there are 3 bosses on the down tube. You can mount your cage higher or lower, or use it for other aftermarket accessories. You can also see the really square profile of the down tube.The frame has Boost spacing, and the hanger is also the thread for the rear axle. This means a spare hanger is bulky (and needs an 8mm allen key to replace it) but it is also very stiff, which is great given how far the derailleur is from the hanger when shifting into a 51t sprocket. The rear pivot is also a little closer to the dropout, which will change the suspension a little.
The chainstay now has internal routing for the brake hose and cable outer. They feed through with some guidance, but there aren’t internal tubes to guide them by any means.The frame uses a PF92 bottom bracket standard, with ISCG mounts for a chainguide – it’s a versatile frame! You can also see how tall the chainstay is, part of making the back end a lot stiffer.
The frame weight with hanger, axle and stock shock is 2.55kg in a medium. It’s not a super-light frame but it should ride really well. Like most modern full-suspension frames, the idea of the geometry change is to keep the rider more centred on the bike, reducing the need for as many weight shifts fore and aft.
This same frame is used for the 100mm travel and 120mm travel versions. It’s just a different fork (obviously) and a shock with a different stroke. The eye to eye length remains the same.
We’ll have ours built up with Shimano XTR M9100 12-speed group sets, Fox Factory suspension and EIE carbon wheels with Maxxis tyres shortly – let’s see how they look then!
