New for 2012: Norco Valence

Looking for a bike to ride this year’s Victoria Gran Fondo?

Endurance road bikes have been amazing for BC road riding, training, and the charity ride/fondo circuit. This year Norco has a new offering that, despite possibly being named after this guy, is actually incredible. The Norco Valence is available in aluminum as well, but it’s in the carbon version (above) that the bike comes into its own. Here’s some of the stuff we really like:

• Tonnes of tire clearance. It looks like you could easily run 28c tires and fenders on there, which is rare for a carbon road bike.
• Fender mounts. Again, rare on a carbon road bike but incredibly useful in the pacific northwest.
• Lots of vertical compliance. Norco calls its seatstays ARC and they’re quite flat and wide, making them super stiff laterally but still giving you a nice supple ride over rough roads.
• Fantastic geometry. With a slightly longer wheelbase than the Specialized Roubaix (another fantastic option and generally the reference endurance road bike) and an ever so slightly higher front end, the Valence is spot on for endurance riding. They all come specced with a medium drop handlebar, so you can still get aggressive when you need to.
• It wont break the bank. The Shimano 105-level Valence Carbon 3 (pictured) is the least expensive of the carbon models, and it comes in at just $1825.

On top of producing one of the most fondo-worthy bikes out there right now with the Valence, Norco is also doing a fantastic job supporting the Ride to Conquer Cancer by donating $150 towards anyone’s RTCC fundraising when they buy a Norco road bike. That’s a stand-up thing to do, and you can follow their RTCC blog here.