Have ordered the Norco Search S3 – chromoly steel, Sora 9 spd, Hayes CX5 discs, was £650 now £520 at Evans and bought on R2W.

Looks like its nearl half price of the similar specced Specialized Awol.

Not much info on them out there and they seem overlooked but will report back when it arrives.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/search-s3-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec072577

Collected the bike arrived at my local (ish) Evans store last night.

First impressions are that its heavy! Just throwing it in the van to bring it home and I’m a bit bothered, also the tyres are a little thinner than I remember a 28C being as its a few years since I had a road bike so I’ve forgotten how narrow a 23, 28 etc tyre actually is).
Otherwise looks good, frame is nicely finished, plenty of rack and guard mounts.

A quick googling shows a Specialized awol to be 31 lbs with racks – my 61cm model weighs 28.2lbs with pedals.

Had a quick fettling session at work before riding home. A point to note is that the paint finish looks like shot blasted aluminium with a rough textured finish – the problem is that tape doesn’t stick to it!

The cabling is a little awkward around the headtube area hence the temporary taping job until I figure something better.

Ride wise – and this is comparing it to my regular commuter (Kona 29er flat barred steel mtb/cross/hybrid thing running 35c WTB tyres.)

The forks are pretty harsh compared to a 35c and Project 2’s, my fingers were getting numb on a rough gravel railway trail.
You can feel the weight climbing but then this works in your favour when descending. It feels good though smashing through rough potholed tarmac – it doesn’t deflect or bounce off line.

Sora group is fine and the brakes seem okay so far although not bedded in yet.

In summary – pretty good value at £520 for a solid adventure/touring bike, it’ll hopefully make a good all year round commuter, but its a little heavy for ‘crossing or anyone a little out of shape.

What size is that / sizes are you?

Its a 61cm frame and I’m 6’5″
The flat portion of the bar is the same as my 22″ Kona hack bike.

I’ve got an 2013 Indie Drop which is the older version of the Search, slightly different seat & chainstays but otherwise the same. This year I got an AWOL Comp and I really like them both. The main benefit of the AWOL is the ability to put bigger tyres on, otherwise the ride is fairly similar, nice tall headtubes mean a comfy ride position.

The stock parts on the Norco aren’t the lightest, I replaced the wheels and cranksets which made it feel more sprightly and you’re right about it being a bargin. Spend some money on simple upgrades and you’ll be a lot happier I think.

I’ve done some long rides on mine loaded and unloaded and while I agree it’s not a racer, it’s a workhorse bike . FYI, I got the 57cm and I’m 6’1″

The Indie Drop was the first Norco adventure bike that popped up on my radar but I was still happy using my Kona.

I read somewhere that Norco is discontinuing steel framed Search’s / adventure bikes next year and Evans 20% sale discount (+£25 to spend on accessories) tempted me.

After a 7 mile ride home Im fairly happy with the weight – its a little slower on long grinding climbs but makes up for it on the flats with being ale to get on the drops and it has the gearing to spin out and get some speed on when descending.

It was bought on Ride2Work so a bit more of a bargain.

The main reason I got mine was because the AWOL wasn’t available at the time, also looked at the Croix de Fer but price wise the Norco was hard to look past! If you’re planning on loaded touring, do youself a favour and stick a 32t cassette on the back, it work pretty well with a little bit of adjustment on the rear mech. It also rides really well front loaded – with a rear rack the back end felt too flexy. I’ve got a Tubus Tara which was really easy to fit.

It’s a shame if they’re discontinuing it as it’s a bit of a hidden gem in their range…

That looks awesome, for that money may have a look, great post, off to check them out. Enjoy

gratuitous morning commute pics!

As originally thought – the steel frame is being discontinued,

IB15: 2016 Norco road, gravel & cyclocross bikes – more disc brakes, more adventure!

Tried to persuade my Wife recently that I really needed another bike that I could fit guards to & use as a winter bike, rather than faff around with taking guards on & off my current road bike.

That Norco Search from Evans was top of the list. But, my persuading skills aren’t very good, so I won’t be getting one any time soon…

😥
😆

Get rid of the wife and get the bike?

So, 6 months in – still happy with it?

In a similar position in terms of being able to get it on R2W but for £422 – cheap as chips!

Waiting for it to come in to store for a test and just hoping it doesn’t feel like a barn door. I’ve been commuting in Manc on a single speed steel Harry Hall for years but now looking for something with more versatility and disc brakes.

How is the Sora groupset, wheels and brakes doing?

I’m used to 105 on the road bike so also a tad concerned about the longevity of these bits.

Alternatives considered would be a Genesis of some sort or an alloy CX – Pinnacle Arkose 3 (105) felt pretty sweet up and down the road, but both would be double or more the price.

Thoughts appreciated!