Darcy Turenne riding the new Norco Vixa .
Photo: Used with permission of rider

Darcy Turenne is a Canadian freerider closely involved with the design of Norco’s womens specific freeride bike, the Norco Vixa. Check out her latest riding video ‘Island Styles’ below. We caught up with her to find out what ‘island styles’ is all about:

My first downhill race was on a tiny hippy island called Hornby Island nearby to the island where I grew up. I was 15 years old and rode a fully rigid xc bike and wore full spandex and rollarblade pads for it. I was so beyond stoked to ride DH because it took months to convince my mom to let me enter and I was getting bored of riding uphill in xc races all the time. I lived for the downhill sections and what could be better than a whole downhill race right?

Anyways, the island has had a huge trail network on it since the mid-90s and back then there was an annual bike fest where thousands of people camped on this one guy’s farm at the epicenter of the trails, partied, and rode bikes. Back then nobody specialized and everyone rode the xc, dual slalom, and downhill, usually on the same bike. There were also no shuttles for the downhill so my dad would help me hike my bike to the top of the course.

For my web video I wanted to go back to the place that started it all for me. I camped on the same farm and remembered the same trails from 10 years ago…and they were still in amazing shape because the people on the island take great care of them. We rode for a few days and it felt like stepping back in time. It was the essence of mountain biking that I hadn’t felt for years. No scene and no pressure, just being out in the woods with friends hooting and hollering over rolling singletrack. So fun.

Nice! And how ’bout that new bike.So what’s new on the Vixa for 2010?
This year’s Vixa is very similar to last year’s, but with a few small tweaks I thought would be good after riding it so much last year. We have lengthened the top tube 5mm because some of the taller girls were saying the largest size was too small last year, but we wanted to keep the wheel base the same so we shortened the chainstay 5mm as well. That way it’s nice and snappy in the rear end too. I love it snappy! Obviously, the graphics have been overhauled too. They were ski inspired and attention to detail was taken when part colour matching.

So it’s now a ’series’, along with the Phena. Can you tell us about what you and Norco were aiming for with this new bike?
The Phena was a bike a long time coming. The “Forma” series is the women’s series of bikes from Norco, and the “Phena” is it’s latest addition. Norco has been making an all-mountain long travel cross country bike called the Fluid for years now, and it’s gotten insanely good reviews and rides like a dream. A lot of girls were emailing me telling me they want an all-mountain bike because downhill and freeride wasn’t their thing, so I talked to Norco and told them there was a big demand for a women’s all mountain bike. Norco listened (because they are rad like that) and we designed the Phena with similar graphics to the Phena, and similar geometry to the Fluid, only with a lower stand over and smaller sizing.

What’s your actual role in the bike design, and how much free reign do the regular bike designers at Norco let you have?
I don’t have total free reign when it comes to the Forma series, but at the same time, there hasn’t been one suggestion that I’ve given that they’ve left on the cutting room floor. So either they’ve liked my ideas, or my power is more than I know. Haha. Basically, I work with the product managers and engineers, sit down and go over every aspect of the bike and what I’d like to see/be improved upon. Then they make it happen. As for graphics, the graphic designer I work with is a beast on photoshop and can make anything happen. I do mach-ups for ideas I like and then she makes them look amazing. The two of us are great friends and have a lot of fun with the bikes.

What are your aims when you’re coming up with ideas for these bikes?
1) Make a bike that feels amazing to ride and that I can do anything on because ultimately, I have to ride it. 2) Make a bike that girls are stoked on and would help improve their riding.

How does it feel when you see people riding them?
Seeing people riding my bike is probably the most rewarding feeling ever!!!! I saw a girl riding one in Germany and I took about a million pictures. It was so incredibly cool to see the reach of the bikes go so far.

Cheers Darcy! And good luck at Slope Sistair.

Vixa Specs:
Frame: VIXA ladies frame , 161mm travel
Rear Shock: Fox DHX AIR 4.0
Fork: Marzocchi 55 TST 2 Air
Headset: FSA TH-857 1-1/8″ threadless
Crans:FSA Moto X mega ex Bottom Bracket
Pedals: Wellgo LU-204 D
Chain: KMC Z-9000 9 speed chain
Cassette: Sram PG-950 11-32 T 9 speed
Rear Derailleur: Shimano X-7 medium cage RD
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Shifter Pod: Sram X-5 trigger
Handlebar: FSA HB-FR330A-OS
Stem: FSA GAP OS
Grips: Norco Grips
Brakes: Shimano BRM-575 180 mm rotor
Front Wheel: Front hub: Norco Sealed Bearing-20mm Alex DP-20 double wall
Rear Wheel: Norco Sealed Bearing 135×12mm, Alex DP-20 double wall
Tires: Kenda Nevagal: 26 x 2.35
Saddle: WTB Deva womens saddle
Seatpost: Alloy telescopic 2 bolt

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Published on 22/08/2009 by Martha Hucker.