Although street and dirt specific bikes haven’t really been around that long the Two50 is a bike with a surprising amount of history.

Can you give us a brief history of the Two50?

Dave (Norco Bike Division): Sure. The first Two50 came out almost 8 years ago in 2001 and was a huge departure from anything that was happening at the time. I believe the first model won ‘Bike of the Year’ from Mountain Biking Magazine.

Why was it so different?

Dave: Well, at the time people were starting to market ’shore’ style hardtails as dirt jumping bikes, but no one really made anything specifically for street riding or dirt jumping, they all assumed kids like that would want a ‘do everything’ type bike. To be honest, that’s what most companies still do, there are very few dedicated bikes for this niche.

You seem very excited about the 2008 version in particular, why is that?

Dave: This year’s bike is FIVE pounds lighter than last years (30lbs)! We were able to find some new vendors and materials, so the frame and components are stronger and lighter than anything we’ve used in the past. I love riding a steel frame, for both the feel and the durability, so having a lighter bike in the material I prefer is pretty sweet. As well, we sourced some higher-end BMX components this year and used the lighter Rockshox Argyle 302 fork, while still keeping things simple with one rear mechanical disc brake and a single-speed drivetrain.

What about the graphics? They’re pretty eye-catching.

Dave: The aesthetic design of the entire series is very different than anything we’ve done in the past. We wanted to really break away from the traditionally dark, industrial look of these types of bikes and give riders a chance to express their individuality. We don’t expect everyone to love them, but we wanted to get people talking. One thing we focused on this year was really working to find exact colour matches to the frame with the bar, stem, pedals, and fork. We already spend so many hours discussing (and arguing . . .lots of arguing *laughs*) about parts and spec, so we wanted people to see that reflected in the bikes overall ‘look’.

Anything else you want to add?

Dave: hmmm . . . Did you know that the Two50 is the only mountain bike with a Spanish BB? When I said this bike really has BMX roots, I wasn’t kidding.

For more about the Two50 and other Norco bicycles check out: norco.com

source: Trisha Petrella, Norco