With the Sight, Norco have launched an eMTB with 160 mm travel up front and 150 mm at the rear. On top of this, the Canadian brand has managed to fit a 900 Wh battery inside the carbon or aluminium frame. Do the bike’s battery capacity options make it an all-round performer, or does it hide behind empty lithium promises?

Norco Sight VLT C1 | Shimano EP8/900 Wh | 160/150 mm (f/r)
25.52 kg in Size L | € 9,999 | Manufacturer’s-Website

The Norco Sight VLT C1 in detail

Canadian eMTB in sight! The new Norco Sight VLT rolls on 29″ wheels and offers 160 mm travel up front and 150 mm at the rear. When looking at it from the side, the eMTB with its Shimano EP8 motor cuts a very slender figure. But that all changes when you swing your leg over the saddle. From above, you’ll immediately notice the super-wide down tube, which has to accommodate a 900 Wh battery. The battery is held in place with a bolt and the tool needed to undo it is conveniently stored directly below the bottom bracket. Unfortunately, it’s directly in the front wheel’s line of fire and you might have a hard time finding it after a muddy descent despite the bright green colour. To call it a multitool would be an exaggeration, though its three different Allen keys are all you need to remove the battery.

The little green Allen key is located directly below the bottom bracket, right where you need it.
It’s huge: Norco have managed to fit a 900 Wh battery inside the down tube.

Norco haven’t done the neatest job of integrating Shimano’s latest EP 8 system with the Sight. The cables dangle loosely around the handlebar before disappearing inside the frame, and the plug connecting the battery to the motor tends to come loose when you pedal hard. So, if the display doesn’t turn on, first check the connection instead of assuming the battery’s empty. The shock is almost parallel to the top tube and Norco have rotated and offset it slightly to one side. That way it’s very easy to access and adjust, and due to the shock being offset, the reservoir doesn’t protrude and get in your way when pedalling!

Cluttered! The cable routing offers lots of room for improvement.
The shock is rotated and offset to the left, moving the reservoir out of the way so you can pedal freely.

The Norco Sight VLT is available in 2 carbon and 2 aluminium versions which, apart from the colour and weld seams, are hard to differentiate. Apart from the chainstays and the rocker arm, everything on the carbon models is made of carbon fibre. The 900 Wh battery capacity comes with a weight penalty, the bike weighing in at a whopping 25.52 kg. With a claimed maximum permissible weight of just 120 kg, according to Norco, you’re not allowed to weigh more than 94 kg including all your kit, which isn’t much room to play with. If you’re going to use the two bottle cage options available from size L and up, you’ll have to deduct a further 1.5 kg for two 620 ml bottles.

A slender silhouette: the battery is wide instead of tall.

Biggest eMTB battery in sight Sight

The 900 Wh battery is manufactured by BMZ and is one of the largest batteries currently available for eMTBs. If that’s too much for you, you can opt for one of the two smaller alternatives: 540 or 720 Wh. However, the smallest 540 Wh variant isn’t available to customers in Germany and Austria. Furthermore, it’s only on the aluminium models that customers from these countries can choose the smaller 720 Wh battery. As such, Norco’s promise of being able to choose the battery capacity to suit your needs doesn’t hold in the DACH region! They don’t seem to have analysed the market properly, only targeting long-distance riders. It’s a shame, we would have loved to review the Norco with the smallest battery! Regardless of the battery capacity, the Shimano motor is tilted upwards by about 45°. This allows the battery to slide out the end of the down tube, thereby keeping it intact and increasing the frame’s stiffness.

The tilted Shimano EP8 motor allows…
… the large 900 Wh battery to slide out the bottom of the down tube.

Components of the Norco Sight VLT C1

The € 9,999 Norco Sight VLT C1 is the flagship model of the range and relies on high-end components such as FOX suspension consisting of a 36 fork with the GRIP2 damper and an X2 shock. Very tall and heavy riders would benefit from the increased precision and stiffness of a FOX 38 fork, especially considering the heavy battery and its position in the down tube. For everyone else, the compliance of the FOX 36 is just right. The bike rolls on sturdy DT Swiss H1700 aluminium wheels and you’ve got a pair of SRAM CODE RSC brakes for stopping. These are paired with a 220 mm rotor up front and a 200 mm rotor on the rear, which is sensible and necessary on a bike that weighs 25.5 kg. The drivetrain is a misleading mix of components, combining the fancy SRAM X01 derailleur with a lower-entry GX cassette and chain. Unfortunately, the 1x remote of the OneUp Dropper on the Sight VLT requires a lot of force to actuate due to the tight kink in the cable in the down tube.

Norco Sight VLT C1

€ 9,999

Specifications

Motor Shimano EP8 85 Nm
Battery Norco Custom 900 Wh
Display Shimano EM800
Fork FOX 36 Factory GRIP2 E-Bike+ 160 mm
Rear Shock FOX X2 Factory 150 mm
Seatpost OneUp Dropper Post 120 – 210 mm
Brakes SRAM CODE RSC 220/200 mm
Drivetrain SRAM X01/GX Eagle 1x12
Stem CNC Alloy 40 mm
Handlebar Deity Skywire 800 mm
Wheelset DT Swiss E1700 29"
Tires MAXXIS ASSEGAI/DISSECTOR DD 2.5"/2.4"

Technical Data

Size S M L XL
Weight 25.52 kg
Perm. total weight 120 kg
Max. payload (rider/equipment) 94 kg
Trailer approval no
Kickstand mount no

Specific Features

selectable battery capacity (depending on region)

Other Norco Sight VLT builds

In addition to the Sight VLT C1, the Sight will be available in 2 aluminium and one entry-level carbon version. The C2 comes with a carbon frame and relies on a RockShox Lyrik fork up front and a Super Deluxe Select+ shock at the rear. SRAM also supply the brakes and drivetrain components. On the two aluminium models, you get Shimano components here instead. The most affordable Sight model has to make do with a Shimano Deore drivetrain and for the suspension, you get a budget RockShox 35 Gold fork. Even with this entry-level spec, the Norco Sight VLT A2 still costs € 6,499. Our recommended model would be the Sight VLT A1, which comes specced with FOX Performance suspension and the flawless Shimano SLX drivetrain. It also allows you to choose between the two 720 or 900 Wh battery variants, priced at € 7,299 or € 7,499 respectively.

Helmet Troy Lee Designs A2 | Glasses 100% Glendale | Backpack USWE Shred 16 | Jersey Troy Lee Designs | Pants Troy Lee Designs Sprint Ultra | Shoes ION Rascal

The geometry of the Norco Sight VLT C1

The Norco Sight is available in 4 sizes from S–XL, catering to riders ranging in size from 155 to 195 cm. Depending on the frame size, the dropper post grows from 125 mm to 200 mm, and the grips on size L and XL frames are also thicker. Unlike Norco’s analogue mountain bikes where the chainstay length is adapted to the frame size, the Sight comes with long 462 mm chainstays across the board.

Size S M L XL
Seat tube 395 mm 415 mm 440 mm 455 mm
Top tube 567 mm 596 mm 624 mm 652 mm
Head tube 100 mm 110 mm 120 mm 130 mm
Head angle 64° 64° 64° 64°
Seat angle 77.0° 77.3° 77.7° 78.0°
Chainstays 462 mm 462 mm 462 mm 462 mm
BB height 350 mm 350 mm 350 mm 350 mm
Wheelbase 1,224 mm 1,258 mm 1,292 mm 1,327 mm
Reach 425 mm 455 mm 485 mm 515 mm
Stack 616 mm 625 mm 634 mm 643 mm

Norco Sight VLT C1 first ride review

The Norco Sight provides a balanced riding position which, together with the plush suspension, allows you to stay comfortable on long rides. If you want an even more upright position, you can lift the cockpit somewhat with the help of additional spacers under the stem.

On the climbs, the Norco proves to be capable and benefits from the long rear end. The front wheel only lifts when you want it to, staying planted even on steep inclines and ensuring that the Norco always stays on the line you choose. The Sight VLT feels particularly at home in alpine terrain and traction is only limited by the MAXXIS DISSECTOR tire on the rear.

As long you look ahead, the Sight follows almost blindly.

When it comes to the descents, the Norco remains just as composed and stuck to the ground, delivering tons of traction together with the soft 3C MaxxGrip rubber compound on the MAXXIS ASSEGAI tire up front. On steep technical descents, you’ll notice how the bike’s heft pulls the front end down and makes it difficult to lift over obstacles. The Norco feels just as cumbersome through tight corners where the long rear end feels like you’re driving a truck through a roundabout. The long chainstays means you have to slide the rear wheel out or do a nose pivot to navigate tight corners. On the upside, the long rear end results in very composed handling and instils you with tons of confidence and fast descents.

The Norco Sight positions the rider very centrally on the bike, making easy work of open corners.
As long as the corners don’t get too tight, there is little to criticise about the Norco on the descents.

Our conclusion on the Norco Sight VLT C1

With its huge battery capacity, useful features and balanced riding position, the Canadian brand have made a capable touring bike that generates a lot of traction and instils you with confidence on the descents. It’s an astonishingly beginner-friendly bike, especially on machine-built trails, offering intuitive and extremely composed handling. All in all, Norco have succeeded in creating a good-natured bike, though the innovative battery concept doesn’t come to fruition.


For more information, visit norco.com.


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Words: Julian Schwede Photos: Robin Schmitt

About the author

Julian Schwede

Juli is used to dealing with big rigs. Besides working on his bike, he also tinkered and worked on buses after completing his training as a vehicle mechatronics engineer. Since the development of large-scale electric motors was too slow for him, he went on to study technical business administration while building carbon fibre tables on the side. Though his DJ bike is welded from thick aluminium tubes, his full-susser is made of carbon and it's already taken him to the top of numerous summits. Apart from biking, he likes climbing via ferratas or vertically on the wall. Nowadays, his personal bike gets ridden less as he tests the bikes that get sent to us, pushing them to their limits to see what they're capable of. In addition to bike reviews, Juli also takes care of the daily news and thinks of himself as the Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent.