- Intended Use
- All Mountain, Enduro
- Motor
- Bosch Performance CX 85 Nm
- Battery
- 750 Wh
- Fork Travel
- 160 & 180 mm
- Rear Travel
- 150 & 170 mm
- Price
- U$ 6.999-9.999
How many full-power emtbs have been launched this year? Yeah, Merida did one. Norco is here to fix this by introducing two bikes, the new Sight VLT and Range VLT. These have powerful motors and big 750 Wh batteries. The Sight and Range VLT aren’t new models for Norco. So, what’s the deal with the 2024 models?
What immediately sets the bike apart is the high pivot-point for the rear suspension. The advantage of such a design is minimal chaingrowth as the bike moves through the suspension. A downside can be reduced pedaling efficiency. That might be less of an issue on an emtb, and Norco says “anti-squat has been tuned for efficiency and responsive feel under power”.
The Range VLTs too have the high-pivot rear suspension design, as described above. Suspension travel is 180 mm front and 170 mm rear. All Range VLT models get sram 12-speed drivetrain. The range topping C1 gets Sram AXS Transmission wireless shifting. The C2 gets GX mechanical gears while the cheaper alloy A1 get Sram NX.
The Sight too gets short chainstays that extends on the bigger frames, ranging between 428 and 440 mm. Those are som short stays for an emtb these days. The head angle is nice and slack at 64*.
Motor system
The bikes being launched today all have the Bosch Performance CX Smart System motor. Yeah, Norco too adds Bosch-powered ebikes to their line-up currently dominated by Shimano-motors. They also get the Bosch PowerTube 750 Wh battery. A battery that is detachable. That’s nice to see in a time when many brands offer internally fixed batteries.|
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The Norco Sight VLT – U$ 9.999
It appears the shorter travel Sight VLT only comes in one version, the Sight VLT C1. And it comes in green. This is a 160 mm travel front, 150 rear bike with a carbon frame. It’s nicely specced with a Sram AXS X01 Transmission wireless gears.What immediately sets the bike apart is the high pivot-point for the rear suspension. The advantage of such a design is minimal chaingrowth as the bike moves through the suspension. A downside can be reduced pedaling efficiency. That might be less of an issue on an emtb, and Norco says “anti-squat has been tuned for efficiency and responsive feel under power”.
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The Norco Range VLT
The longer travel Range VLT comes in 3 versions, two with a carbon frame and one with an alloy frame. The Range VLT C2 does not appear in the price list. The VLT C1 does though, with an RRP of U$ 8.999. The alloy Range VLT A1 has a U$ 6.999 price tag.The Range VLTs too have the high-pivot rear suspension design, as described above. Suspension travel is 180 mm front and 170 mm rear. All Range VLT models get sram 12-speed drivetrain. The range topping C1 gets Sram AXS Transmission wireless shifting. The C2 gets GX mechanical gears while the cheaper alloy A1 get Sram NX.
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Geometry
All bikes come in 5 sizes. The Range VLT alloy and carbon versions have 63* head angles and a chainstay length varying between 428 and 444 mm depending on frame size. Varying the rear end length should ensure similar riding characteristics between sizes. The geometry for the alloy and carbon frames seems identical, except for the seatpost insertion length on the alloy version.The Sight too gets short chainstays that extends on the bigger frames, ranging between 428 and 440 mm. Those are som short stays for an emtb these days. The head angle is nice and slack at 64*.
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My take
The industry hasn’t given up on full-power emtbs it seems. I don’t expect the new Bosch powered Norcos to be particularly light, but they could still be relatively agile. And being Canadians, I have little doubt they’ll be stable and confidence inspiring going fast down rough trails.|
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