2008 Norco Atomik Review
Intended use:
DH Race –World Cup and entry level race bike
Price as tested: $2775
Features at glance.
8”-9” Adjustable travel
Low Standover
Adjustable BB height and Head tube angle
Forged Headtube
150X12 mm Clamp down through hole dropouts
New Forged link arms
Large sealed bearing pivots
FSR licensed technology
Neutral under pedal and braking forces
Easy to service ( cartridge bearings)
Light weight
More vertical rear axle path with less chain growth and a more neutral feel.
Component Highlights:
Rockshox Boxxer Race fork, 203mm
travel, with Motion Control - Fox DHX-3 rear shock with Position
Sensitive Boost Valve and factory tuned ProPedal - 150 x 12mm rear and
20mm front KT hubs with Sun Single Track rims and DT Swiss Champion
spokes - Truvativ Hussefelt cranks with 36 tooth ring and Truvativ Box
Guide chain guide
Triple clamp forks
Single front rings with Chain guides
150X12 rear hubs
DH casing tires
Deep Cup headsets
Coil rear shocks
First Impressions:
Right out of the box you can clearly see
that Norco has created a bike that is both highly functional and great
looking. Though the paintwork and color matching of the parts is
subtle, the design stands out from the others with class.
Hop onto the brand new 2008 Norco Atomik and you feel immediately at
home. With the frame as last years Team DH and a solid component line
up, you are almost over confident. The Rock Shock Boxxer coupled with
the new Fox DHX 3.0 coil put uncomfortable bumps and hard hits to shame
as you roll away asking, "Have I hit it yet?"
Thanks to the Kenda
Navegal tires, the bike drifts through corners with ease as the Avid
Juicy three's supply that added amount of security if you get sideways.
The bike feels heavy at first, but once you rip down the hill any
doubts that this bike is not a killer intermediate downhill machine
whip by. The drive train is smooth and reassuring with no slippage and
pinpoint shifting thanks to the Sram X7 rear derailleur.
Anyone that is looking for a first or even new downhill ride should definitely check this one out.
Consumers will get a large bang for their buck at $2775.00.
In Depth
On the trails the Atomik feels like an
extension of you. Riders won’t feel nervous about pinning it through a
flat corner thanks to the super plush suspension compliments of Rock
Shock and Fox. Since the Atomik frame is designed from the 2007 Team
DH, this bike feels right at home on the downhill circuit. The Atomik
accurately absorbs all the bumps and rocks without compromising heavily
on the pedal performance of the bike. The Sram drive train allows you
to pedal hard through flat sections smoothly and helps greatly to keep
your concentration on the trail, not the bike. The brakes, provided by
Avid, are another perfect example of Avid's quality product line up,
showing that you don't need top of the line brakes to have great
modulation stopping power when needed. In corners the suspension and
Kenda tires team up to create a near "on rail" like experience that had
our testing team devoting mass amounts of time to "railing berms".
We used several riders on our reviews of varying heights and weight.
We noticed that for heavy riders under larger amounts of load (10 foot
plus drops) the bike’s seat scuffed off of the rear tire on landing,
which in turn made an unpleasant flatulence sound. Of course preventing
this is as simple as getting a heavier spring for the rear shock or by
cranking up the seat height, but lets face it the main goal here is
feeling comfortable on the bike.
The 2008 Norco Atomik is an excellent value because is it race-ready
out of the box and can satisfy almost any rider. If you are one who is
curious about, or new to downhill racing, or if you simply love to rip
the local trails, this bike is at the top of my list for a first look.
The Atomik is a no compromise, from the balanced suspension to frame
set up to its stand over and even to the parts it is built with. Simply
put we couldn't keep testers off of this bike while out on the trail.
Sum up:
-Super smooth
-Perfectly balanced
-Slick looking with the crome S-type wheels
-Pedals well
-Handles even better
-Did we mention great value, out of the box race ready machine?
Specs:
Frame Butted al, 198-225mm travel, adjustable BB height, 150x12mm dropouts, forged headtube, Fox DHX-3
sizes S/M or M/L
fork Rockshox Boxxer Race, 203 mm travel, 20 mm axle , motion control
headset FSA TH-872, chromoly, deep cup
cranks Truvativ Hussefelt, 36T ring, Howitzer Spline BB, Truvativ Box Guide bash guard & chain guide
pedals Wellgo LU-313 flat pedal, chromoly axles
chain KMC Z-72
freewheel Shimano HG-40, 8 spd, 11-30
rear changer SRAM X-7, 8 spd, medium cage
shifters SRAM X-5 trigger, 8 spd
handlebars Truvativ Hussefelt, 35mm rise, 31.8mm
stem Truvativ Hussefelt, 31.8mm, 40mm extension
grips Pro Palm lock on grip
front brake Avid Juicy 3, hydraulic, 8" rotors
rear brake Avid Juicy 3, hydraulic, 8" rotors
brake levers Avid Juicy 3
front hub KT 20mm axle, sealed bearings
rear hub KT Q-Lite 150x12mm, 9 spd, sealed bearings
rims Sun Single Track silver, 32 hole
spokes DT Swiss Champion stainless black 2.0
tires Kenda Nevegal 2.5 front and rear, Stick E Rubber
saddle WTB Pure V race saddle
seatpost Truvativ XR, double bolt, 27.2
For more info go to NORCO.COM
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