Norco’s latest Sight joins the Optic in the brand's latest round of updates that have graced both bikes with a high-pivot suspension platform. This platform was honed and proven aboard the Range enduro bike and the brand’s downhill bike. Sitting in the all-mountain category, the Sight C1 has a real penchant for descending, providing a planted and controlled ride. However, its all-round performance is stifled by its slow-going character when ascending.
- Best mountain bikes 2024 - top options from cross-country to Enduro
- YT Industries Jeffsy Mk3 Core 4 mountain bike review
- Types of mountain bikes: every MTB category explained
Norco Sight C1 - Technical details
The Norco Sight is said to be capable enough for enduro racing and even big days out on the bike. It’s built around Norco’s VPShp (Virtual Pivot Suspension/High Pivot) suspension layout that was first seen on the Range enduro bike.
Handling 150mm of suspension at the rear, VPShp brings a high-pivot layout complete with an i-Track configured idler pulley to the Sight while utilising learnings and characteristics of the brand’s original VPS system. That’s all to boost rear suspension performance through technical terrain but without losing the dynamism and response.
With a heavily tested idler pulley, Norco has tuned the Sight’s anti-squat to make the bike efficient while the idler helps to sort out chain growth that’s so common with high-pivot setups.
The Sight C1 boasts a carbon frame kitted with all of the mod-cons and a little more. In the front triangle, there is space for a bottle and an accessory/tool mount slung underneath the top tube. There’s plenty of chain and seat-stay protection, a downtube protector and even a shuttle pad also slapped onto the downtube. Norco even provides a bash guard installed out of the box.
Adding to the feature list, the Sight employs internal cable routing and all sizes get very low seat tubes that welcome super-long travel dropper posts. For example, this S3 frame gets an impressive 210mm of drop but there's space for an even longer dropper. Additionally, the bike can be switched from a 29er to a mullet bike with the swap of the main rocker and lower shock mount.
To dive into the geometry, an S3 Sight (equivalent to a medium) gets a 472.5mm reach, a 64-degree head tube, a 77.5-degree effective seat tube, and a 434mm chainstay. However, if you wanted to convert the 29er into a mixed-wheel-sized bike, the chainstay would shrink to 428mm.
Norco Sight C1 - Componentry
There is a bit of an elephant in the room that needs addressing. At the moment, this C1 build isn’t available in the UK, although we’re told that might change in the next year or so. Because of that, I don’t have a UK price for this very bike, but in Canada, it retails at $9,999 CAD.
The bike available in the UK is the C2 build which is £6,500. There's an alloy framed Sight that’ll set you back £6,000 and a frame only at £4,000.
This Sight C1 gets a Fox Factory Float 36 fork with 160mm of travel and damping the rear 150mm is a Fox Factory DHX2. The bike runs a mix of SRAM’s Transmission with a cassette but with an XO derailleur. SRAM also sorted the brakes with a pair of Code Silver Stealths with four-piston calipers and they’re mated to 200mm and 180mm SRAM Centerline rotors. At this price point, it would have been great to see SRAM’s HS2 rotors, as those boost braking power and reduce noise.
On this S3 frame is a 210mm OneUp dropper post with an SDG Bel Air V3 saddle perched atop. There’s then a Deity Ridgeline 35mm bar, DMR’s Deathgrips, and Norco’s own CNCed stem.
Race Face and Stan’s handles the wheelset with the former’s Vault hubs laced to Stan’s Flow S2 rims and those are home to a Maxxis Minion DHF with an EXO+ casing and 2.5in width as well as a Minion DHR II at the rear in a 2.4in width and EXO+ casing.
The C2 bike you can buy in the UK runs RockShox suspension with a Lyrik Ultimate fork and a Vivid Ultimate air shock, and that air shock is the main difference in the spec here. The rest of the build is fairly similar, aside from the SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, SRAM Code Stealth Bronze brakes, and Race Face Trace hubs on Stan’s Flow S2 rims.
Norco Sight C1 - Ride Aligned
Something that can’t go without mentioning is that Norco’s Ride Aligned bike setup/sizing guide is exceptional. By simply plugging in your details, height, and weight the system throws up every kind of bike sizing metric from bar width to spring rate.
One of Ride Aligned metrics that was useful is the spring rate recommendation. Although the bike comes with Sprindex as standard, it takes all of the guesswork away from the bike setup and it results in a very solid base to work from. For me, Ride Aligned suggested that I go up in spring rate for the coil shock. I usually run a 500lbs spring, but the system recommended a 555lbs setting, and the spring swap certainly paid off with a ride that felt more right, as sag is correct with the heavier spring.
And that leads me nicely to Sprindex, which is a unique feature to find OEM on a bike. It’s essentially a bit of kit that allows for adjustment in a coil shock’s spring rate, something that can’t be done without. Not only does this allow Norco to offer some sag adjustment straight out of the box, but also provides the user with greater tunability than they would without the gadget. Thus, riders can go for a mega-plush downhill-focussed ride or something more spritely through the twist of a dial.
Norco Sight C1 - Performance
During my time with the Sight, I rode it through my local trails, through steeper more natural riding, and with a bit of bike park thrown in for good measure. I ran it as a full 29er 95 per cent of the time but also experimented with the mullet setup.
With a properly set up bike, there’s nothing to complain about on the geometry front. It’s good sitting on the bike as the seat tube is steep enough for climbing gradients. The bike is neither stretched out nor compact but, importantly, it distributes weight well between both axles.
However, when climbing, there’s a real sluggishness to the bike. Although geometry-wise, Norco has nailed it; there’s no get-up-and-go when getting the bike up a hill. The weight of the bike is up there, but the coil shock is super sensitive, so energy conservation under pedalling loads isn’t much of a consideration. That said, this spec does hint towards a focus on downhill performance, so there’s always a compromise somewhere and, if you’re after more of an all-rounder, the latest Optic will likely be a better shout.
Picking an air-sprung bike will likely help with this and running the bike in its mixed-wheel configuration does claw back a touch of zip when pedalling, although it’s still comparatively inert when pointed uphill. That and the shortened chainstay can make the front end feel light, requiring more management when climbing.
But when momentum is dictated by a negative gradient, rather than pedalling power, the Sight does come to life. Despite its rearward axle path and coil shock, it’s impressively dynamic, engaging, and superbly balanced.
Through Norco’s excellent suspension design, grip comes in spades. The rear wheel makes light work of tracking the ground while keeping feedback through the feet to a minimum. Where the rear end effectively mutes trail chatter, the bike remains super composed through the rough stuff which has certainly lulled me into a real sense of security owing to heightened control. As a result, the bike inspires confidence through a well-sorted suspension design, rather than a lengthy geo.
Although the rear end is beautifully sensitive and controlled, there is a good amount of support in the midstroke of the suspension, so there’s a great platform to push against in the corners and other compressions. This heap of support keeps the rear end communicative, propped up when necessary while performing rather well under braking loads, doing what it can to keep the bike level and the rider from being flung over the bars.
As mentioned before, the S3 is Norco’s equivalent to a medium frame and, while it’s still on the lengthy side for a medium, it’s a smidge smaller than I would usually choose. But this is no bad thing at all because the shorter geo balances the stability of the suspension with a healthy helping of agility. Of course, high-pivot bike chainstays grow under compression, which makes navigating very rough terrain easy through a boost in stability but this can come as a downside in the corners.
The Sight’s geometry in its S3 size combats this phenomenon effectively, making it a much more approachable machine and one that feels more akin to a low-pivot mountain bike. The slighter lower ‘high’ pivot will help this as the chainstay doesn’t grow as much under compression. But in its 29-inch configuration, there’s plenty of response in the Sight’s character, making cornering easy and loads of fun.
If you are keen on stability, sizing up will no doubt be a doddle, as even with the mega-lengthy dropper post equipped, I’ve got a fair bit of seatpost insertion to play with. Between the S3 and S4, there’s a 45mm growth in seat tube length. But again, Ride Aligned is one powerful tool and well worth diving into before committing to a size.
Norco Sight C1 - Verdict
Just to reiterate, this C1 model of the Sight isn’t available in the UK but the C2 is. At £6,500 it trades the Fox suspension for RockShox air spring kit across the board. There’s mechanical shifting and other bits aren’t quite as posh as what’s on the C1.
But to compare the Sight C2 to other high-pivot bikes, the Deviate Highlander II is certainly a player. In the Pro Build 0 we tested before, it’ll set you back £7,000 and it’s a better-rounded bit of kit in the climbing and descending department in that it’s simply easier to get up a hill. For the extra £500, you get Ohlins suspension and Shimano XT 12-speed shifting. There’s a OneUp carbon bar and a OneUp dropper post as well as Industry Nine Hydra wheels, so, for the additional money, you’re getting quite a lot in return. The only real difference is that the sizing is slightly different as the Highlander II has a 460mm reach on a medium frame, rather than the 472.5mm figure on the Norco.
Donning 10mm more travel at both ends is the Forbidden Dreadnought V2 and in its RS GX S setup. It’ll set you back £6,600 and poses some real competition for the Norco. It gets similar suspension choices, opting for a ZEB rather than a Lyrik, but for the additional £100, it brings SRAM GX T-Type AXS to the table, powerful SRAM Maven brakes and Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro wheels. This is an enduro/bike park bike, so it is somewhat different in its intentions but does offer slightly fancier componentry for the money.
It’s the Dreadnought’s geometry makes it a different bike with a slack 63.1-degree head angle and a lengthier 446mm chainstay, so when combined with the extra travel, its ride will be different.
Despite its lacklustre climbing efficiency, the Norco Sight C1 pays its dues in the descending department. When pointed downhill, the Sight strikes a real balance between all-out confidence and composure with a welcome and appreciable agility. To put it simply, it’s a flattering ride that keeps on giving the quicker and harder it’s pushed.
Add comment