First Look: Blue Norcross Shimano GRX Cyclocross Bike
Blue Competition Cycles was back in a big way in 2021, and in 2022 we have its workhorse Norcross test out for both 'cross and gravel
I was recently talking with a friend about the “perfect bike.” When we finished joking around, I thought about it a bit, and at least for me, the perfect bike may actually exist. That bike is the 2012-ish Jonathan Page Blue Norcross. That bike was a ‘cross-discipline ‘cross bike, back when those existed.
It was responsive and fun, while also having plenty of tire clearance to throw on some 40mm tires and do some spring gravel. That iteration of the Norcross came right before the disc brake revolution, but if I wanted to look hard enough for one, I would still gladly spiffy one up and use it as my freeroading bike.
That iteration of the Norcross no longer exists and Blue Competition Cycles has been through a lot, but it has been hard to not notice, especially on the cyclocross scene, Blue Competition Cycles is back in a big way.
This is a review, yes, but given where the sport of cyclocross is right now, I think it’s worth at least giving a nod to those who still support the sport. Blue is one of those companies not only making an actual cyclocross bike but also sponsoring a team that includes two of the top young talents and one of the sport’s most popular riders in the U.S.
While the team is run by Eric Brunner, the energy behind the program comes from Blue owner Orli Chinea. “I love 'cross,” he said. “Out of all the disciplines in cycling, 'cross is number one for me. I am terrible on a 'cross bike. I can ride ok, but I don't have the finesse to mount and dismount. But I just love cyclocross. When Grant Holicky approached me about the team, it was a no-brainer. It's just who I am.”
The company’s flagship team had a weekend to remember at the 2021 U.S. Cyclocross Championships, with Eric Brunner winning the Elite Men’s race, Scott Funston the U23 Men’s race, and Sunny Gilbert the Women’s Single Speed race.
“This year was incredible,” Chinea said. “Think about it, we've had more success in this past year than all previous years combined that Blue was sponsoring riders. Even dating back to JP.”
After I did a profile of Brunner’s Nationals-winning bike, Blue owner Orli Chinea approached me about doing a review. I knew the bike had strong cross-discipline appeal from my review of Brunner’s bike, and my history with the original Norcross has made me a strong proponent of ‘cross bikes as the do-it-all bike option. It was seemingly a chance to ride a new bike and have an option available for both ‘cross and gravel this coming summer and fall.
Today’s post is a first look at the revamped Blue Competition Cycles Norcross. Folks who live literally anywhere in the Midwest know this has been quite possibly the worst spring ever, so I will have a full review when Smarch finally ends, most likely sometime in July.
Blue Cycles … is BACK
I mentioned this in my profile of Brunner’s Nationals bike, but Blue first caught my attention at the Unbound Expo in 2018. I could not help but stop and see what was up with the company given how much I have loved riding my vintage Norcross.
The story owner Orli Chinea was certainly an adventure. Chinea started working for the company in 2004 and continued onward through the company’s sale to Tommy Chen in 2014 and subsequent move to California. The “new” Blue added disc brakes to the Norcross and updated it based on industry trends and first showed the bikes in 2016.
Then, in 2018, Chen looked to get out of the bike industry. Chinea explained what happened: “Tommy said, ‘Orli, this is your gig. You've been with Blue since the beginning, this is your company. You need to take over.’ Back in 2018, Dean Meyers and I bought the company together, and we continued as we were doing.”
When Chinea bought the company, he moved its headquarters to Colorado and set about revamping the company’s designs. “The whole idea with Blue is to keep it simple and do the best with the models we have.”
One of those bikes that needed a redesign was the Norcross cyclocross bike. The previous edition had post-mount brakes, and the industry was already heading in a more gravel direction. “We knew we had to take advantage of that momentum. We came out with the Hogback gravel model, and we also updated the Norcross,” Chinea said.
The new Norcross started to come together in late 2019. It was also at that time Chinea formed an important partnership for the company.
Shortly after Eric Brunner won the 2019 U23 Men’s National Championship in Lakewood, the two met to discuss Chinea’s new design. “When Eric and I met the first time, we were already working on the plans for the new Norcross. I showed it to him, this was back at Lakewood Nationals in 2019, and we were talking and I showed him the drawings for the new Norcross.”
“I was a little concerned I was going to get chewed out by Eric the first time I showed it to him. I was a little concerned with the bottom bracket drop and the front of the bicycle. Eric was like, ‘Orli, cyclocross is changing. The sport is changing, and the bikes are changing.’ He told me, ‘I don't think you should change the way this bike is setup.’”
I was admittedly hopeful to see my beloved 2012 Norcross in disc-brake form, but the new Norcross does not have much in common with that workhorse bike. Per Chinea’s desire to capture the gravel momentum, the new Norcross has a slacker front end, with a head tube angle of 70 degrees (compared to a more traditional 72-ish degrees).
One way the bike stays true to its ‘cross roots, however, is its high bottom bracket. Bottom brackets on cyclocross bikes have been trending downward, but the Norcross keeps it high with a drop of just 6.9cm.
Also of note with the Norcross is it definitely runs long. After perusing the geometry specs, I asked Brunner what he thought about the best size for 6’1” me. He quickly pointed me to the Medium Large, which has an effective top tube length of 56cm. (I typically ride a 58cm frame).
The ML has a reach of 39.5cm, which, for a quick comparison, is longer than the 58cm Trek Boone I have been riding for a number of years.
It is also probably worth noting that if you are interested in checking out the new Norcross, you can probably holler at Brunner and let him know you’re a Bulletin reader and he’ll be more than happy to help you out.
Blue also makes triathlon bikes, and Chinea said he wanted the Norcross frame to embody that aero look. The bike incorporates an integrated cockpit and the fork has flat, thin blades. Additionally, the steerer tube is a straight 1.5” tube.
The Norcross has a dropped rear triangle designed to provide some additional compliance in the frame. The main triangle has two water bottle mounts, unlike the Cervelo Wout/Vos.
Part of the appeal of test riding the new Norcross for me, multi-disciplinary rider guy, is the ample tire clearance on the Norcross. The frame incorporates the dropped drive-side chainstay to provide room for more tire clearance.
The extra room in the front and rear helps with mud clearance during cyclocross season and makes the bike gravel-ready as well. Blue shipped our review bike with 40mm Schwalbe G-One All-Around tires and there is still room to spare. The company claims room for up to 700c x 45mm tires.
As of publication, Blue offers the Norcross in two primary colorways. There is the classic gray with blue lettering that Brunner and the Blue-Stages team rode this season, and then the very blue with green lettering version we are reviewing. Chinea said new colorways are in the works, so the options available are subject to change.
Blue works with factories in Asia to produce its frames, but it assembles all its bikes in Colorado. That means there is room to customize bikes both in terms of components and smaller things such as crank arm length and handlebar width. Blue currently lists six different builds on its website, giving plenty of options based on your desired build.
Our review bike is the Shimano GRX model. The bike features the 11-speed GRX 810 mechanical groupset (the higher of the two 11-speed mechanical options). The RX810-1 crank holds a 42t front chain ring, and the RX812 long cage rear derailleur provides room for an 11-40t Shimano CS-M7000 cassette. While there are drawbacks to running a long-cage derailleur for ‘cross, Caroline Mani did it last season and the 42t front, 40t rear makes the bike much more gravel-ready than a 34t max cog in the rear would.
The integrated cockpit uses the FSA ACR system—the bar and stem are separate, unlike the super-integrated system used with Canyon’s bikes. Cables route internally through the handlebar, through the stem, and then into the frame or into the fork through the headset spacers.
Since the cables route through the spacers, one drawback of the integrated system is adjusting the cockpit height is more difficult than with a traditional system. Blue ships the Norcross with 2.5 cm of spacers (see photo above) but will cut the steerer tube shorter on request. Once the steerer is cut, the ACR system does not allow spacers to be placed on top, but Blue said it is looking into producing its own stem that allows room for spacers on top.
The GRX model of the Norcross comes with Vision Team 30 Disc alloy tubeless wheels. The wheels have 24 spokes in the front and 24 in the rear. The wheels have a claimed weight of 1,900g, so they are definitely on the heavy side. Swapping in a lighter wheelset would definitely pay dividends during ‘cross season, although the wheels seem kind of bombproof, so you could probably do worse if you’re planning on using the bike for some gravel grinding.
Blue typically ships the Norcross with 700c x 33mm Donnelly PDXs, but I told Chinea about my desire to use the bike for gravel, and the bike shipped with 700c x 40mm Schwalbe G-One All-Around gravel tires.
The Shimano GRX version of the Blue is listed at $4,200. The full build with the stock wheels is a bit on the heavy side, with a weight of 20.0 pounds, but without the wheels and pedals, the frame and components check in at 11.2 pounds, which is competitive with other carbon cyclocross bikes. The carbon frame is light, but as always, the weight of the wheels can make a huge difference.
With Smarch finally ending (*fingers crossed*) here in the Upper Midwest, I am optimistic about getting the Norcross out on some gravel roads, a little singletrack, and the cyclocross course here soon. We’ll have a full review of how the bike rides in due time.
Blue Norcross Shimano GRX Specifications
MSRP: $4,200 (as reviewed)
Weight: 20.0 pounds (full bike, no pedals); 11.2 pounds (no wheels, no pedals)
Frame: Blue Norcross, BLUE-TEC high-modulus UD T-800/T-700 carbon
Fork: BLUE-TEC high-modulus UD T-800 carbon, 12mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc
Shift/Brake Levers: Shimano GRX RX810 Dual-Control Levers
Brake Calipers: Shimano GRX RX810 Hydraulic Disc
Crankset: Shimano GRX RX810-1
Chain Rings: Shimano GRX, 42t
Front Derailleur: None.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX RX812
Cassette: Shimano SLX CX-M7000, 11-40t
Wheels: Vision Team 30 Disc alloy tubeless clinchers
Tires: Schwalbe G-One All-Around, 700x x 40mm tubeless
Handlebar: Vision Trimax Aero AL, alloy
Stem: Vision ACR
Seatpost: FSA Energy SBS AL 27.2mm
Saddle: Sella Italia
More Info: rideblue.com