A few weeks ago I walked into a few bike shops expecting to decide on one or two favourites. I planned to research them the way I did sixteen years ago.
You sit on a few. You like one. It likes you back, and you buy it.
Instead, I walked out of each shop feeling like I’d accidentally enrolled in a graduate course on mountain bike taxonomy: trail bikes, enduro bikes, XC bikes, dirt jumpers, fat bikes, E-bikes.
Somewhere along the way the bike world had quietly reorganized itself, and nobody told me. So I did some learning and soul searching to find my category and my new fit.
In this post, I’ll walk through what surprised me while shopping for a mountain bike after more than fifteen years — including how bike categories have changed, how modern entry-level mountain bikes compare to older models like my Devinci Cameleon, and why I eventually chose the Norco Storm 120.
The event that sparked my shopping goal
What triggered the idea of buying a new bike was a memory from years ago.
A friend once let me try his Yamaha dirt bike for a day of riding deep-forest trails on Vancouver Island. I never really caught the powered dirt bike fever, but last summer I decided to dig my mountain bike out of storage so I could ride it until it wore out.
I did not feel confident however on my mountain bike, even though I did when I first bought it. Those big squishy tires on the Yamaha spoiled me rotten. My bicycle felt spritely and energetic rolling over smooth, hard dirt but was not easy to control over rocks and roots. And ruts – those were just plain dangerous.
Meanwhile I delightfully remembered how I was able to ride over huge rocks, ledges, cracks, loose gravel, and areas with no trail at all on that Yamaha. It just rolled over everything.
Imagine my shock when I saw the bikes at my local bike shop
I wasn’t even trying to buy a bike yet when I was in a bike shop looking for lights last winter. I saw a Devinci Kobain out of the corner of my eye. Wow! Huge knobby tires! The staff said 29″ tires roll over everything. Those were the magic words, for me.
I want something that feels like that. Which led me to bikes like the Devinci Kobain. As I searched for a cheaper version of this, I learned the Kobain and bikes like it are “trail” bikes with bigger wheels (usually 29″) that easily ride over crud, whether going uphill or downhill. Not a bike you’d commute to town with. It’s over-built for that.
It rode like a dream in the back parking lot.
But about $2,500 CAD.
When bike shopping turns into anthropology
At that point I started doing something I hadn’t done sixteen years ago: research. And this is where things got interesting.
The bike world I remembered had quietly evolved into something much more specialized.
The old freeride category, which used to sit somewhere between trail and downhill, had basically vanished. I thought I’d be shopping for a freeride bike as I knew it in 2010 roughly (for my purposes, it would be “go anywhere” category).
In its place were a whole new set of labels:
- Trail bikes
- Enduro bikes
- Downhill and dirt jumper bikes
- XC bikes (cross country, meaning efficient and light)
- Fat bikes (fat tires for snow and sand)
- E-mountain bikes
Each one has its own geometry philosophy and its own purpose. For people deeply immersed in mountain biking this probably feels normal.
For someone returning after a long break, it felt a little like visiting a city where all the street names had changed.
Side note: BMX categories have changed too
Even for BMX, the labels changed:
- “BMX” which seems to indicate race bikes for BMX tracks
- Freestyle/street for the skate parks and jumps (20″ wheels)
- Flatland (tricks without park features)
- Big wheel (26″) that can handle tricks or cruising
- Cruiser (usually 24″ wheels and more laid back like 1980s style)
- I’ve even seen fat BMX bikes with very wide tires, and e-BMX bikes for getting farther from home
For those who are unfamiliar, BMX bikes are terrible at going uphill. They are single-speed bikes meant for tricks or short hilly race courses, very often on pavement. Back in my childhood, BMX was literally motocross without a motor. Boonie bashing and DIY dirt jumps, in my experience. That’s another likeable type of riding for me. Go anywhere. In BMX, that means cheap simple bikes, but with limited utility for someone like me who wants more variety of riding surfaces, away from city noise.
I asked the question that simplifies everything
Eventually I stopped comparing bikes and asked a much simpler question. What does my riding look like?
Not the heroic version. The real version.
Most of my riding looks like this:
- Slow trails
- Some rocks and roots
- Nothing too technical for a beginner, or when tired after work
- Mostly riding for exercise, experiments, and fun
I don’t dream about bombing downhill runs. I don’t want to clear big jumps. I mostly want to roll along rough trails without constantly stopping to walk over obstacles.
When I looked at it that way, a lot of affordable bikes were suitable, and the expensive hardtail (no rear suspension) bikes suddenly looked like solutions to problems I don’t have.
How modern entry-level mountain bikes compare to older bikes
The other thing that surprised me was how much entry-level bikes have improved.
When my Devinci Cameleon was built, affordable bikes often meant tolerating a few weaknesses. The brakes weren’t amazing. The geometry could feel awkward. Tires were narrower than they should have been.
Modern entry-level bikes are different. They’re comfortable. Stable. Capable. And tires aggressive enough for the difficult parts of neighbourhood trails, and even the intermediate trails at bike parks.
The industry has poured so much engineering into high-end bikes that the trickle-down improvements have quietly transformed the affordable ones too.
For you and me, this means a “basic” mountain bike today is actually a really good bike.
Still shopping, and getting closer to my match
A few days ago I visited another store. This time on the way to Sooke B.C. I was introduced to the Norco Storm 100 and 120. These bikes took my breath away. This shop had a bumpier, dirtier back yard so I tried out the bikes. I felt just as confident as the Devinci Kobain, at a much lower price.
The Kobain was awesome, and the Storm was, for me, awesome. Hmm, eh?
On a Storm, especially the 120 model which has a dropper seatpost (a button lowers the seat without effort), I can go downhill, over rocks, curbs, ruts. Just not jumps and getting airborne. It’s not built for that stuff (but my Kink BMX is!)
I probably have found my match.
A small mental trick that saved me thousands
Another new way of thinking about my bike choices came along at that time.
Let’s say one day I decide I want to ride serious downhill trails with jumps, gaps, and long segments of nothing but lumpy, rocky trail. My future Storm 120 isn’t ideal for that, and probably would be an unsatisfying ride at best.
One of my local bike parks (Jordie Lunn park in Langford) rents full-suspension downhill bikes for about $55 for two hours. This year, the fleet is from Specialized, and good stuff everyone tells me.
That’s a pretty good deal. Instead of owning a very specialized bike that sits in my garage most of the year, I could simply rent the perfect bike when I need it.
Suddenly, owning a very expensive mountain bike isn’t appealing to me. But renting one is on my to-do list, for when I’m ready.
A satisfying choice became clear
After wandering through all these possibilities, I’ve landed somewhere much simpler than a downhill gnarly-stuff bicycle.
The bike I’m most likely to buy is the Norco Storm 120.
It’s affordable, capable, and comfortable. It looks very modern. And it will handle the rough stuff that comes once in a while on trails and paths I actually ride.
In other words, it’s the kind of bike that quietly does its job without trying to prove anything.
Interestingly, these bikes are flying off the shelves right now, so if I want one I’ll probably need to put a deposit down early this week.
What surprised me most about this whole process
When I started shopping, I assumed I’d end up buying something far more powerful and specialized than my old bike.
Instead, I ended up appreciating something else entirely.
The bike industry didn’t just create more categories. It raised the floor.
Even entry-level bikes today are more comfortable and capable than many mid-range bikes from fifteen years ago. (My Cameleon was a great entry level bike and I’ll save it for short commutes).
You don’t need an advanced machine to have a great ride. Any recent bike model will meet the needs of casual riders like me, plus commuters. Anyone who just wants to get out the door and ride without fuss.
And for me, right now, that might be a Storm 120. $1100 CAD roughly. Totally reasonable for a capable bike.
A final thought about how I make decisions like this
If you read my blog regularly, you’ll probably notice a pattern in how I make decisions.
I start with curiosity, then explore possibilities, then startle myself with a question: What problem am I actually trying to solve?
Once that question becomes clear, the answer often becomes surprisingly simple. This bike shopping adventure turned out to be another example of that.
If you enjoy these kinds of practical experiments, where everyday choices turn into little investigations, you’ll probably enjoy some of the other posts here too.
Bikes are just one of the many things I like to think about.