The All-New Norco Revolver - A Perfect Modern XC Bike?

Date:2025-08-15 02:54:17 Category:Car Views:4 Comment:0

The All-New Norco Revolver - A Perfect Modern XC Bike? originally appeared on BikeMag.

An update to the Revolver line sees a bump in travel and modern trail-adjacent geometry.

The Norco Revolver hasn’t seen a major update in over 5 years, and the legendary Canadian brand has injected some new life into the Revolver family tree to create a seriously rambunctious ripper that doesn’t want to be held back.

An XC Bike for those who want more than just an <em>XC bike. </em> — An XC Bike for those who want more than just an *XC bike.*

For 2026, the Norco Revolver is getting a redesign that embraces the demand for an XC-ish bike that isn’t just happy on the rough stuff - it craves it. After spending some time on this new breed of Revolver outside of Pemberton, British Columbia, I have some pretty stellar impressions to share with anyone who still believes in earning turns in the most efficient way possible without throwing a leg over an eMTB.

The new Revolver is the lightest full-suspension frame Norco has ever built, and the team of engineering wizards at Norco has knocked 450g off the gross weight of the previous iteration. But don’t let the svelte silhouette fool you, because although it might froth at the sight of a techy, steep climb, it is also chomping at the bit to be unleashed on the descent - and if it's got the cosign from Greg Minaarr, it's got to have a little something special under the hood.

First Impressions

With its modern and aggressive XC geometry, lightweight and incredibly minimal flex-pivot suspension design, the new Norco Revolver might look like a bike made for extracting sweat and expletives during hard climbs, but it's no slouch when the trail gets messy.

<p>The minimal linkage does major duty.</p> — The minimal linkage does major duty.

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“This bike was about more than just getting it lighter,” says Jim Jamieson, Product Manager at Norco. “We wanted to build something for how XC riders actually ride. They’re not just chasing seconds - they’re chasing miles, terrain, and challenge. The new Revolver gives them a platform that can do it all, and more.”

The team behind the new Norco Revolver is getting things dialed before the next ride.

When talking with some of the key players behind the new Revolver, it became clear that they wanted to create a bike that isn't just for the XC purist, but also for those who like to push the limits on distance, tech, and don’t mind blurring the set standards for what an XC bike should be used for.

I’m definitely someone who has a deep fondness for pushing an XC bike further than it should be pushed, and when I caught wind of the new Revolver, I was keen to see what this machine could do - and it didn't disappoint.

The seatstays are about the thickness of my pinky finger and the tucked tiny little tucked away inline shock, Fox 34 SL fork, and XC tires are the pomp and frill of speed uphill, but the 2026 Revolver won me over on the steep and technical trails of Whistler, which is a clear suggestion that BC really does XC a little differently.

Despite the new Revolver being a genre-bending XC bike, it is also available in a more traditional XC configuration with a 120mm fork and 115mm of flex-pivot rear wheel travel for more pure cross-country riders. Although the more conventional, short-travel numbers of the RockShox builds aren’t what you would expect to carry you through the chunk and chunder, no one on the shorter travel offerings was complaining about the ride as we descended double-black tech in Pemberton.

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There are some slight differences in terms of geometry for the two offerings; they share much of the same DNA, and even the linkages are the same, and the travel changes are done with a different eye-to-eye shock, each with a specific tune to complement the shorter travel numbers. I spent my time on the “longer” travel Revolver, and for only having 120mm of travel in the rear with a flex-pivot, the bike feels much more capable than it has any right to.

<p>The new Norco Revolver doesn't use any through headset cable routing or — The new Norco Revolver doesn't use any through headset cable routing or "electronic-only" gimmicks.

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The bike was set up using the Norco Ride Aligned Design system, which is a method of holistically getting a bike set up for each individual rider, style, weight, and height and offers a reasonably tailored suggestion for setup - of course some tweaks need to be made to dial it in - but it was damn near ideal from the start.

Ride Characteristics

With only one real ride on the new, fourth-generation Norco Revolver, this is truly a first ride impression, but I do look forward to spending more time on the bike in the coming months.

Right from the get-go, the Revolver felt balanced, incredibly modern in terms of geometry, and overall, really familiar. I have spent a lot of time on bikes similar to the Revolver, but nothing as light or eager to descend. Climbing was inspired, and the inspiration carried over once the trail began to angle downward.

The first ride was far from the average XC route, and with plenty of technical descending, rock slabs, and a lot of other terrain that most riders wouldn’t consider riding on a bike sporting longer travel and slacker angles, the Revolver held its own. While the prowess uphill is something you would expect from a cross-country bike, going downhill on the Revolver was surprising.

The riding position is centered, and there was never an instance where I felt too far over the front of the bike or unstable on steeper sections of trail. I also never felt as if I was blowing through the travel at every abrupt g-out or trail feature. For a 120mm, flex-pivot XC bike with an inline shock, I didn't get the sensation that I was being too rough with it.

Suspension Performance

The custom tune on the Fox Float SL, paired with the recently implemented flex-pivot, offers a pleasantly plush and active feeling in the open setting for rougher terrain, while the middle setting has a more supportive and snappy feel that is perfect for when the trail is less aggressive.

<p>The braced seat stays and sleek linkage</p> — The braced seat stays and sleek linkage

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“Removing the pivot allowed us to reduce weight and tune the flex character of the rear triangle to enhance suspension performance for each platform," explained Colin Ryan, Suspension Engineer at Norco. “They both pedal more efficiently without giving up compliance or traction for technical climbing and descending.”

I played around with the settings on the first lap with the Revolver, keeping the shock in the middle setting. This lap was full of slabs, steep chutes, and plenty of other features that seriously pushed the limits of what an XC bike should be riding. I never bottomed out the shock entirely, but I also felt comfortable with the tracking and support that was on offer when I was deep in the shit and had more chunder in my sights.

The second lap was more of the same terrain, but with the shock in the open setting, everything felt much less abrupt, and it was much easier to get the full 120mm of travel. The open setting of the Fox Float SL made the Revolver ride a lot more like a shorter travel trail bike and opened up more opportunity for finding alternate lines through sections that demand a more active rear end.

Geometry

In terms of geometry, the Revolver is decidedly modern for an XC bike, and a 66-degree head tube angle, 32mm of BB drop, an effective seat tube angle that steepens with size increase, and a rear center that also grows with frame size the Revolver is everything I’ve wanted from an XC bike since I began tinkering with the evolving concept, and I look forward to enjoying the new Revolver and exploring just how stupid I can get on an XC bike.

As mentioned above, the 120mm offering does have some slight geometry differences, as it is positioned as a more XC-focused machine, but it still retains the feel and geo of a modern cross-country bike.

The Gen 4 Revolver is available in two distinct travel options: XC with 120mm of travel in the front and 115mm of travel in the back. Or the more trail-ish offering with 130mm of front travel and 120mm in the back. Both have the same flex pivot suspension layout. However, there are three build options for each; the Revolver 120 gets RockShox suspension, and the Revolver 130 receives Fox Suspension packages.

Build Kits

I rode the C1 build of the fourth-gen Revolver, which came equipped with a Fox 34SL Factory Float, Grip X fork, Shimano Deore XT Di2 drivetrain, Fox Factory Float SL shock, RaceFace cockpit, and Zipp 1Zero Hitop S wheels. This configuration left very little to be desired, but if I were to have this as my daily bike, I would likely mate higher-rise bars with a shorter stem and slightly longer dropper post to get the saddle out of the way on steeper trails.

Thankfully, the 4th Gen Revolver still has builds with mechanical drivetrains, albeit only on one of the 130mm builds, but hey - it's something.