Norco's New DH Bike: World Cup Speed for Your Local Trails?

Robert Wilson · 2026-09-25

### From World Cup Podiums to Your Backyard Norco just dropped their new Team DH, and it's been a long time coming. After nearly five years of development, countless prototypes, and hundreds of days of testing on the World Cup circuit, this downhill machine is finally ready for the public. With 200mm of travel front and rear, five frame sizes, and the refined HVP6 suspension, Norco aims to bring race-proven performance straight to your local trails. We got to test it in Val di Sole, and here's what we found. ### The Making of a Race Weapon This bike didn't just appear overnight. Norco's engineers have been tweaking geometry, stiffness, and suspension kinematics for years, with feedback from top riders like Greg Minnaar and Gracey Hemstreet. Kirk McDowall, who races World Cup and works as an engineer at Norco, even gave the final sign-off after racing it in YongPyong in May 2026. That's about as real as it gets. What's cool is how they developed it. Norco partnered with an external company to build custom telemetry and kinematics software. Those mounts that look like bottle cage bosses? They're actually for attaching data acquisition systems. This lets engineers see exactly what the suspension is doing on the track and compare it to rider feel. That blend of hard data and rider feedback also feeds into their Ride Aligned setup guide, which is one of the best in the business. ### Why Mullet Only? You might wonder why the Team DH only comes as a mullet (29" front, 27.5" rear). Well, Greg Minnaar originally preferred full 29" and thought it was faster. But after countless back-to-back tests, the stopwatch showed no advantage. The mullet setup, on the other hand, gives you more agility and freedom of movement over the rear. So Norco decided to offer the production bike exclusively in this configuration. That also refines the ride feel and keeps things playful. ### The Specs That Matter - **Travel:** 200mm front and rear - **Frame sizes:** Five options - **Suspension:** HVP6 six-bar design - **Weight:** 19.0 kg (41.9 lbs) in size S3 (claimed) - **Price:** $7,999 USD ### What This Means for You You don't need a race mechanic to benefit from all this tech. Ride Aligned gives you a solid starting point based on your height, weight, riding position, terrain, and preferences. It won't replace those final few clicks of fine-tuning, but it takes the guesswork out of setup. So whether you're racing or just hitting your local downhill tracks, the Team DH promises to deliver a ride that's been honed at the highest level. > "The Team DH is the culmination of everything we've learned on the World Cup circuit. It's not just a race bike; it's a bike for anyone who wants that level of performance." – Kirk McDowall So, is it worth the hype? From our first ride, the Team DH feels planted, agile, and ready to charge. It's a serious machine for serious riders, but it's also surprisingly approachable. If you're in the market for a downhill bike that's been proven at the highest level, this one should be on your radar.