Ryan Stuart, explore's gear editor
Ryan Stuart's tell all blog spot on his gear addiction and life and times as explore magazine's gear editor
Sweet 16 suspended in history
The first Norco VPS with 100 to 140mm of rear squish. It was the downhill race bike of its day. Today it would be called an XC bike.
Norco Bike's rear suspension program is turning sweet 16. Isn't that special? That's right, it was 1993 that the first Norco full suspension bike went on sale at retail. I can't say I remember the moment. I bought my first mountain bike, a Raleigh Portage, in 1988. But I didn't have front forks until at least 1996. And I've only owned one full suspension bike, a Giant XC full squish bike that really didn't have that much squish - like maybe 3 inches. I still have the frame in my basement - I'm taking offers.
But while I can't say I owned any of the Norco full suspension bikes I do remember coveting them. In particular the VPS bikes of the late 90s, with their Y-shaped frames, are etched in my mind. More recently I've ridden some of Norco's popular downhill bikes like the A-line. These are super fun for going down, jumping off stuff and scaring yourself silly.
This year Norco has another stellar line up of sick looking mountain steads. I'll be testing a couple in the next few months. Watch for reviews in the magazine. In the meantime, what was your first mountain bike? And what was the best mountain bike of all time?
I'd have to say it's a toss up between the Specialized Stump Jumper and the Rocky Mountain Hammer. Both icons. If you want to see more on 16 years of Norco's rear suspension history click here
It seems just like yesterday... not 16 years ago!
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