Price: $2,479


Weight: 25.8 lbs. (frame 1,420g)

Components: Shimano LX/XT, Mavic, Hayes, SRAM

Frame & Fork: X Alpha Superlight XC butted Aero tubeset with AFS stays

Geometry: 70.5º head tube, 73º seat tube, 564mm top tube

Sizes: 15″, 17″, 18.5″ (tested), 20″, 22″

Comments: “Light, fast, and priced in reality.”

www.norco.com

Canadian Pride: All adult Norco bicycles are designed and assembled in
Canada. The frames are welded and painted outside of Canada.

The Norco Fireball-don’t let the name fool you. The saddle on this puppy is
actually pretty comfy, which is important when rear-end travel equals zero.
That’s right! The Fireball is a hard-ass cross-country machine with a
wicked penchant for flat-out, eye-watering, scenery-blurring speed, and
Norco is proud of it! With all the hype surrounding the North Shore and
the trend toward cycling as a motorsport, it’s nice to see that Norco, one
of the top producers of Shore bikes, has not lost its ability to create
lightweight race machines, fast enough to peel the logos off your
shorts-Lycra lovers rejoice!

This is not to say the Fireball is a race-only bike; it can also be used
for nice quiet jaunts through…hey, who are we kidding? The Fireball is a
speed demon. It practically searches for the finish line before you throw
your leg over the top tube.
The 2002 Fireball is much different from last year’s model. The frame is
now designed with Norco’s new X Alpha Superlight XC butted Aero tubeset
with AFS stays. The new X Alpha is a metal matrix material with a much
higher tensile strength than the Easton Elite material that made up the
frame of the 2001 Fireball. This allows Norco to create thinner-walled
tubes without sacrificing strength or durability in the frame. The Fireball
tubeset features teardrop top and down tubes, with large footprints at the
head tube for a stronger, sturdier front end. These modifications, along
with a few tweaks in the geometry (including a longer head tube for a more
stable position and feel when descending), allow the 2002 Fireball to
better adapt to the newer medium- to longer-travel forks.

Norco also made some significant changes in the component package on the
2002 Fireball. This year’s model features a 80mm RockShox Duke SL up front,
taking the edge of the trail. Last year’s Formula B4 hydraulics have been
replaced with a set of low-maintenance Hayes mechanical discs front and
rear, and the 2001 Shimano Disc specific wheelset has been replaced with a
hot new pair of Mavic Cross Roc UST’s . The drivetrain of the Fireball is a
healthy mix of SRAM chain and chainrings, Shimano XT rear and Deore front
changers, Deore Rapid Fire shifters, LX brake levers, and LX splined
cranks. Easton also makes an appearance on the Fireball, providing an EA 50
bar, stem, and seat post. Selle Italia Triamatic 2 supports your butt, and
a set of Kenda UST XC tires supports the rest of you. All the right bits
in all the right spots keep the cost down and the durability up on the 2002
Fireball.

The Fireball was a rush to ride. You feel every inch of the trail under you
as you zip through the singletrack at tear-inducing speeds. Not to say that
the Fireball is a rough ride; the 80mm Duke handles the terrain very well,
but anyone who is a hardtail veteran will appreciate the full feedback the
Fireball provides on the fly. The bike is sturdy and light on the climbs,
with no front-end drifting on the steep grades. When you stomp on the LX
cranks, you feel this bike drive forward hard, all power being driven into
the trail and not into an energy-zapping rear suspension.

Granted, you may not feel as comfy-cozy at the end of a long ride or a
tough race, but you will get to that end faster, which may be an advantage
if there is prize money involved! The component package is excellent, given
the price you pay for the Fireball. Although the Hayes mechanical brakes
don’t have the same modulation power as a hydraulic system and tend to feel
more like V-brakes, they do have the advantage over the V’s by providing
better performance in the wet and muck and ensuring your rims and pads have
a much longer life.

For those who love the feel of the trail below them and the speed of a
lightweight hardtail at a price that’s based in reality, the Fireball hits
the mark. Norco has supplied all the right “stuff;” all you need are the
lungs, legs, and licence!