First Look: The Norco Search Found a Massive Downtube Storage Hatch and More Tire Clearance, Too

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After a few quieter years in the gravel space, Norco is back with a completely redesigned Search platform, available in both carbon and alloy. Norco says its new Search lands somewhere between race-ready and adventure-capable, targeting the broad middle of gravel riders who want one bike to do a bit of everything.

Gone is the “XR” branding, and with it the more off-road leaning tone of Norco’s earlier gravel efforts. In its place is a more refined, arguably more focused platform that shares little in common with its predecessor beyond the name.

Photos come courtesy of us finding the new Norco Search before its release at the Sea Otter Classic. Let’s dig in.

Quick hits: Seven things to know about the new Norco Search gravel bike

• Norco Search is the latest generation of its gravel bike
• Geometry: longer, slacker, and taller for stability rather than being focused on smooth gravel speed.
• Sizing: Five sizes (labeled 1–5), replacing traditional cm sizing
• Tire clearance: up to 700c x 50 mm across all sizes
• UDH-compatible for SRAM Transmission builds
• Total of 7 models split between carbon and alloy
• For more: norco.com

The Search found some internal downtube storage

The Norco Search is separated into two platforms: the Search carbon gravel bike, and the Search A in aluminum. There’s an internal storage compartment in the downtube of the carbon frame, with two included bags and a CNC-machined handle. That’s a welcome evolution, and the hatch itself is actually quite big. Riders get both upper and lower top tube bag mounts, depending on frame materials, as well as fender and rack mounts to boot.

Tire clearance is solid: 45 mm tires come stock, with up to 700c x50 mm possible — more than enough for most gravel setups, though not mind-blowing in 2025. The threaded BSA bottom bracket is a welcome change for anyone tired of press-fit headaches, as is the inclusion of a SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) which makes finding a replacement derailleur hanger much simpler.

Carbon models get internal downtube storage with a water-resistant 2-piece Ocean-X bag set. They also receive one of the largest storage hatches I’ve seen on a gravel bike, well as external cable routing into the frame’s downtube.

Alloy models skip the storage but add extra bottle cage mounts, cage mounts on the fork blades, and smoothed-out welds for a cleaner look.

All models offer suspension-corrected geometry to make swapping to a suspension fork much easier. Oh, and they all get this custom fork crown-mounted fender. I personally don’t see the point of it, but hey, maybe you dig the style.

Geometry

Norco’s updates reflect broader trends in gravel design: longer reach, slacker front ends, and a taller stack for added confidence on sketchy surfaces. The geometry numbers are notably progressive — all bikes share a 69.5° head angle and a relatively steep seat angle that ranges from 74.5° to 73.5° depending on size. Trail sits at a consistent 80 mm, which puts it well into the high-stability zone.

Wheelbase increases across the board (e.g., 1037 mm on size 1 up to 1132 mm on size 5), while rear center length grows slightly with size, from 425 to 430 mm, helping maintain balance across frame sizes.

The 80 mm trail figure across all sizes is nice to see for the sake of handing consistency across sizes, even if that figure feels quite high for even an MTB-centric gravel bike.

Builds, specs, and pricing

Pricing jumps quite aggressively to this SRAM Red XPLR AXS bike, but all other models found here are quite competitively priced.