Having been a cycling aficionado for nearly a decade and ridden all kinds of two-wheelers, from fully rigid mountain bikes to “fixies “, the twenty-nine inch wheel is just about the last “uncommon” kind I had yet to try. Coincidently, Cross country just happened to be a part of the sport I had also still not tried. Norco performance bikes were kind enough to let me test out the Nitro’s big brother: The Nitro- Niner.



A triple butted and hydraformed aluminum frame make up the skeleton of this beast. Proportionately, the bike doesn’t look like a giant and it certainly does not handle like one either, granted the bigger wheels take a little bit of getting used to. Smaller wheels (24”) tend to have a higher rolling resistance than 26”.With this in mind, we would assume the 29” wheel to perform even better overall, that is in part true but the effects of rotating mass also play a major factor in acceleration, since there is a larger mass to get moving initially. The main advantages of a bigger wheel and also longer bike, is the clearance of objects, in descents for example, I found myself able to roll over larger obstacles then on smaller wheels, while also being able to keep a faster speed. These wheels are fast, really fast.


By endlesstrailz, shot with E990 at 2008-06-04

Norco bikes have always performed very-well for me in the past, and their low-cost / low-maintenance choice of high performance components is always the crowd’s favorite.


By endlesstrailz, shot with E990 at 2008-06-04

Norco sported Rock Shox’s popular Reba suspension fork in 29 inch specific in this bike. The Reba SL with Motion Control features two air valves on the left leg. Positive and negative which allow the rider to dial in the fork’s air sprung preload to their weight and riding conditions. The right fork leg features lockout on top for those long steep climbs and provides maximum efficiency when climbing out of the saddle as well as a fully functional rebound knob at the bottom of the fork.


By endlesstrailz, shot with E990 at 2008-06-04

Other features on this bike were Avid’s juicy 5 hydraulic brakes with 160 mm rotors. These delivered all the necessary power to stop my big wheels and always remained quiet. Although I tend to prefer a high-end Sram drive train, The Deore & LX shifter, derailleur and crank set combo worked efficiently regardless of the riding conditions.

On the downside, the Kenda Small Block 8’s would not have been my choice of rubber. In the rain, they did not shed the mud and lost their grip a lot quicker then in the dry which is where these tires perform at best. A comfier saddle would have also been nice.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay with the Nitro-Niner; it provided endless hours of new experience and cardiovascular training for my freeride/ downhill needs. Cross- Country riding is something I will definitely be taking up in the near future.

Special Thanks to Norco for this great experience!