Bike Attack puts the Norco Aurum 1 Dorado to the test at Big Bear for the Downhill Review.

One of the best places to enjoy mountain biking in continental United States is Southern California. There are many options for enjoying the sport in this region in relation to scenic beauty and difficulty of terrain, you may want to check out one of our previous posts all about the best bike trails in SoCal. The varied bike trails cater to the requirements of every kind of rider with different levels of mountain biking expertise. This year we’ve seen some great improvements in mountain biking models and one such bike is the Norco Aurum 1 Durado.

All 3 Norco Aurum models utilize the Norco 5 point system, which include:

1. Beautiful, stiff, light yet strong custom hydro formed tubing 2. Efficient A.R.T. suspension is helpful in bump compliance, effective braking and a great bottomless feel. 3. Gravity Tune - The optimum body for weight distribution and full control. 4. New fork bumps to accommodate a wider range of forks. 5. The Syntace X-12 157mm axle system provides better handling on rough terrain.

The specifications included in the new model of the bike make it outstanding equipment that stands out from its competitors. There are 2 suspension spec options available with the Aurum -1. We were running the Manitou Dorado Expert double barrel recently on Big Bear Adventure Park for real DH testing. The Double Barrel is available since last year as LE model, which is nice. You can also get it with RockShoxBoxxer / Fox DHX RC2.

Manitou’s Dorado Expert is slightly heavier than the Dorado Pro, but still has the air springs with TPC+ compression. Team Bike Attack was pretty happy with the Dorado Expert as everyone was able to calibrate their own compression preference and we’re sure it will be a favorite among riders.

The Aurum 1 comes with a 45-50-55 adjustable Easton stem, a tiny head tube with Shimano i-spec integrated mount and shifter making for a clean setup on the bar. Aurum-1 has the trusted trickle coil system.

We were impressed with how well the Aurum handled — it was light, responsive and agile; plus at Big Bear things tend to move pretty quickly and this bike was definitely built for speed. The Aurum also gets props for manufacturing, because on bumps and jumps this bike did not feel cheaply made.

The Aurum-1 has some upgrades in colors too, not sure if you noticed, but this bike is bright. The Aurum LE has a beautiful faded paint, which has become common to all high end models this year. The Aurum-1 has had great reviews from racers this first season and is the most chosen and liked machinery for racers. The Aurum models are known for their sleek look. The Aurum 3 starts at $2,859, Aurum 2 is $3788, Aurum 1 sells for $ 5299 and the super high end Aurum 1 LE has a price tag of $7299. The frame set is also available for $2300.

The Norco Aurum 1 proved to be a true performance bike that actually backs up manufacturer’s description of being a “A purpose-built DH bike, it is designed to be fast and controlled over the steepest, most technical terrain imaginable. The Aurum earned its name by turning the most challenging terrain features into advantages over other riders.”