I have just taken the opportunity and taken advantage of the "Ride to Work Scheme". Last year I bought my Boardman road bike. This year I decided to get a new MTB instead.
I settled on a brand that I had never really heard of, Norco is a Canadian company better known for its extreme downhill bikes. Now they've crossed over into more main stream bikes. The Nitro 6.2 model is a middle to top end bike that is definitely geared towards fast cross country riding. The frame is super lightweight, with the whole bike coming in at only 12kg.
A lot as changed in the world of MTB's since I last bought a good bike, namely disc brakes. They're Avid Exlir 3 hydraulic brakes fitted, excellent pieces of kit that stop perfectly. The forks are Rock Shox Recon Gold TK air action, these were dialled in at the shop to suit me. The 2 major differences that I noticed on the ride were that there only two chain rings on the front instead of the usual three. This is made up for with a massive 11-36T rear cassette on the rear. I must admit, I didn't notice a difference. Also the gear shifters are a push push system unlike the push pull shimano system I'm used to, this will take a bit of time to get used to.
Overall, the thing that impressed me most was the lightweight feel to the ride, I've raced on heavier road bikes in the past.
After the first ride I give it 7.5/10, hopefully after my fitness gets something like I'll appreciate this lean, mean machine.
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