2025 Norco Sight VLT CX

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Told myself I would resist going long shock/fork and enjoy the bike as-is for a while. Made it 3 days. It really rode great in stock form, but in my experience every bike I have long shocked has only gotten better so I could not resist any longer.

4 rides in (2 on new suspension), so far so good. Not really much to say that hasn't been covered here and in the reviews... super quiet indeed which is lovely. Mavens are an insane improvement from Codes. Not sure I'm sold on these Conti tires for my dry dusty trails, but will give them some more time. Thankful Norco specs long enough dropper posts on stock builds, refreshing to not have to immediately swap that out like with most bikes.

Yes my battery door is open, latch on the door was busted upon purchase. The shop I bought it from (was a used demo bike) has a replacement on order. For now I've been taping it shut, unfortunately forget to re-tape after taking it off the charger this ride.

I've been experimenting with running no handlebar controller for the bosch system. Anyone else going that route? I love the ultra simplicity of having absolutely nothing in the cockpit and just some LEDs on the top tube. Certainly can not switch modes amidst technical terrain, but I don't switch modes much anyway and I find removing the option only simplifies the equation.
 
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Blownoutrides said:
View attachment 174287

Note that this is with a 48mm offset crown so the stock 52mm offset will turn a little further.

No real difference in steering angle between the Sight and the Dreadnought based on head tube width.

I've never hit full lock on trail FWIW. If the wheel gets turned that far I'm either off the bike or about to be ;).

On that note, doubled up on the steering bumpers to spread out the load. Cheap insurance.
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Looks good!
I also got the display but when pushing top buttons it falls into the frame.
Did you purchase as a kit with some special frame mounting adapter or did it simply fit snug using the one bolt /machine screw?
 
Spudley said:
Looks good!
I also got the display but when pushing top buttons it falls into the frame.
Did you purchase as a kit with some special frame mounting adapter or did it simply fit snug using the one bolt /machine screw?
Click to expand...
Went overboard and made a little 3d printed shelf for the front end of the display to sit on. Massive PITA getting it in but ultimately it did the job.

Here's the link to the file if you want to try.


IMG_4327.jpeg

IMG_4323.jpeg


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A few install notes:

-Bridge ends get gorilla double sided mounting tape

-Zip tie goes through the holes and gets tightened to create the outward thrust to keep it secure

-Ended up having to snap off the "leg" extensions to get it to fit (kept catching on the internal cable tubing)

-That extra piece in the file is the depth jig so you can get it set at the right height. I ended up gluing 1/16" of material to it to set the bridge slightly deeper. YMMV
 
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venturavin said:
View attachment 175339

Told myself I would resist going long shock/fork and enjoy the bike as-is for a while. Made it 3 days. It really rode great in stock form, but in my experience every bike I have long shocked has only gotten better so I could not resist any longer.

4 rides in (2 on new suspension), so far so good. Not really much to say that hasn't been covered here and in the reviews... super quiet indeed which is lovely. Mavens are an insane improvement from Codes. Not sure I'm sold on these Conti tires for my dry dusty trails, but will give them some more time. Thankful Norco specs long enough dropper posts on stock builds, refreshing to not have to immediately swap that out like with most bikes.

Yes my battery door is open, latch on the door was busted upon purchase. The shop I bought it from (was a used demo bike) has a replacement on order. For now I've been taping it shut, unfortunately forget to re-tape after taking it off the charger this ride.

I've been experimenting with running no handlebar controller for the bosch system. Anyone else going that route? I love the ultra simplicity of having absolutely nothing in the cockpit and just some LEDs on the top tube. Certainly can not switch modes amidst technical terrain, but I don't switch modes much anyway and I find removing the option only simplifies the equation.
Click to expand...
No bar remote here either. Whatever convenience it might offer was eclipsed by the very real problem of accidentally switching modes while pounding downhill.

There are a few jumps/drops that require some clutch pedaling on the run in and I absolutely do not want to discover I've accidentally put myself in turbo (or worse in eco/off). No bueno.
 
Blownoutrides said:
No bar remote here either. Whatever convenience it might offer was eclipsed by the very real problem of accidentally switching modes while pounding downhill.

There are a few jumps/drops that require some clutch pedaling on the run in and I absolutely do not want to discover I've accidentally put myself in turbo (or worse in eco/off). No bueno.
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Never thought about that. Good one. On the eeb before jumps I brake and then pedal towards the jump before the assist cut out.
 
venturavin said:
Couldn't agree more with this. I find the hair-splitting scrutinizing of geo charts to be akin to the patients in hospitals using google to tell their doctors what to do... just trust the bike manufacturers. At 6'1 I have always bought bikes in size Large (or Large equivalent, s4 in this case) and never thought twice about it. Will usually need to adjust stem length, bar rise, and slide the saddle up or down to get comfy, but that's it.

As you sit there in your chair, move your upper body such that your shoulders move 1 cm towards your screen, then 1 cm away. Feel how utterly insignificant that movement is. Now tell me a bike is unrideable because the reach is 10mm too long.

Think less, ride more. Swap stems.
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So don't worry about your reach number but definitely worry about your stem length?
 
psychonaut said:
Never thought about that. Good one. On the eeb before jumps I brake and then pedal towards the jump before the assist cut out.
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I hit the same stuff on the pedal bike so it's not about the assist it's more just knowing what to expect when you do have to throw in a few quick pedals.
 
Blownoutrides said:
I hit the same stuff on the pedal bike so it's not about the assist it's more just knowing what to expect when you do have to throw in a few quick pedals.
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A normal bike is way easier to crank. On high speed the ebike feels bad. But yeah we can only go 25 kmph here.
 
psychonaut said:
A normal bike is way easier to crank. On high speed the ebike feels bad. But yeah we can only go 25 kmph here.
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Wow I never really thought about how that 25kph European cutoff would affect jumps etc. kind of a bummer. I don't think I'd be too fussed about it for climbing, but for DH it would put a real hitch in my giddyup, literally.

That said, I would happily trade our 20mph cutoff for a leader who's not a fascist climate change denying pedophile.
 
Blownoutrides said:
Wow I never really thought about how that 25kph European cutoff would affect jumps etc. kind of a bummer. I don't think I'd be too fussed about it for climbing, but for DH it would put a real hitch in my giddyup, literally.

That said, I would happily trade our 20mph cutoff for a leader who's not a fascist climate change denying pedophile.
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Haha
 
Blownoutrides said:
So don't worry about your reach number but definitely worry about your stem length?
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I’d say my philosophy would be more like don’t overthink any of it, but if you feel uncomfortable try a different stem. Geo matters no doubt about that, but as long as it’s in the right ballpark your body position and technique matter a LOT more. I get that it’s also good fun to dig into the numbers, but I guess it starts to bother me when I see people ruling out buying a bike entirely due to 5mm this or that or blaming problems like washing out in corners on their geo.
 
venturavin said:
I’d say my philosophy would be more like don’t overthink any of it, but if you feel uncomfortable try a different stem. Geo matters no doubt about that, but as long as it’s in the right ballpark your body position and technique matter a LOT more. I get that it’s also good fun to dig into the numbers, but I guess it starts to bother me when I see people ruling out buying a bike entirely due to 5mm this or that or blaming problems like washing out in corners on their geo.
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My experience has been that a long a reach paired with too short a rear center will want to wash out the front in corners due to F/R weight imbalance. Particularly an issue with XL / XXL sizes for geo-conservative larger brands (Specialized, Santa Cruz, etc.) who have inexplicably resisted growing their rear centers proportionately with reach.

This is what put the Levo at the bottom of the pile in the recent PinkBike field test.

Seems like a real thing for tall dudes to worry about.

Does it make bikes unridable? No, but it does make cornering sketchy or at the very least more difficult as you have to consciously weight the front.
 
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Blownoutrides said:
My experience has been that a long a reach paired with too short a rear center will want to wash out the front in corners due to F/R weight imbalance. Particularly an issue with XL / XXL sizes for geo-conservative larger brands (Specialized, Santa Cruz, etc.) who have inexplicably resisted growing their rear centers proportionately with reach.

This is what put the Levo at the bottom of the pile in the recent PinkBike field test.

Seems like a real thing for tall dudes to worry about.

Does it make bikes unridable? No, but it does make cornering sketchy or at the very least more difficult as you have to
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That is true indeed,

However again I'll say this bike is not really one to analyse the numbers and judge. It needs to be ridden.
I thinking Norco have it right.
I have come off the previous range vlt with 462 mm chain stays and it had loads of front end grip.. This may have less but I've not descovered any sketchy feint grip loss. I've had zero front wash pucker moments so far.

Im really happy with the playful geo.
Blownoutrides said:
consciously weight the front.
Click to expand...
 
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Spudley said:
That is true indeed,

However again I'll say this bike is not really one to analyse the numbers and judge. It needs to be ridden.
I thinking Norco have it right.
I have come off the previous range vlt with 462 mm chain stays and it had loads of front end grip.. This may have less but I've not descovered any sketchy feint grip loss. I've had zero front wash pucker moments so far.

Im really happy with the playful geo.
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Agree the numbers don't tell the whole story. There is something really special about how playful and smooth this bike is.
 
Now that the Range is available... would folks still go the "Right" route?

Sight C3 vs. Range C2 (within $500), both base level RS suspension. My original thought was Sight C3 and upgrade quickly to ZEB, either 160 or 170... based on my weight and past experience with running a 38 at my weight.

Though that $500 delta buys a lightly used ZEB select +. I have no experience with the Vivid and the base SD I ran prior was fine and had good pop.
 
If I was buying again I would still go for the Sight, as the colours are better 😀

Sadly mine got stolen recently so I’ve decided to go a different way this time. Still was a great bike however, just time to try something else.
 
Hob Nob said:
If I was buying again I would still go for the Sight, as the colours are better 😀

Sadly mine got stolen recently so I’ve decided to go a different way this time. Still was a great bike however, just time to try something else.
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That’s a bummer. My latest Firebird is white and I was set on the C3 sight, but never really loved the color. More so practicality of price and upgrade components later.

If it was all white or purple’y white… in talking with a buddy it’s actually a good thing they went with the raw carbon stays for the recall. The original two-tone, across the whole bike wasn’t doing it for us.
 
bmwpowere36m3 said:
Now that the Range is available... would folks still go the "Right" route?

Sight C3 vs. Range C2 (within $500), both base level RS suspension. My original thought was Sight C3 and upgrade quickly to ZEB, either 160 or 170... based on my weight and past experience with running a 38 at my weight.

Though that $500 delta buys a lightly used ZEB select +. I have no experience with the Vivid and the base SD I ran prior was fine and had good pop.
Click to expand...
Are you buying new or used? As a used guy it was a no brainer to go sight since it's been out longer so there are many more available. If buying new I'd probably demo both configurations to be sure of which one I preferred, then buy that one. I don't consider it "wrong" or bad at all to have a converted Sight, if anything I think it's cool and I dig the raw/purple color. But with how much I saved buying used it's also much easier to justify the cost of the new suspension. Found a Fox 38 for $700 on Jenson and an X2 from some random website for $350. Hope to recoup around half of that selling the take offs.
 
venturavin said:
Are you buying new or used? As a used guy it was a no brainer to go sight since it's been out longer so there are many more available. If buying new I'd probably demo both configurations to be sure of which one I preferred, then buy that one. I don't consider it "wrong" or bad at all to have a converted Sight, if anything I think it's cool and I dig the raw/purple color. But with how much I saved buying used it's also much easier to justify the cost of the new suspension. Found a Fox 38 for $700 on Jenson and an X2 from some random website for $350. Hope to recoup around half of that selling the take offs.
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Please show me ALL these Sights (Gen4)... nothing locally on Marketplace, nor PB the last couple months I've been keeping an eye out. Only once did I see a few for sale, demo fleet from bike shop in AZ. I was close to buying, but the price with tax/shipping wasn't super appealing for no warranty AND a demo bike.
 
bmwpowere36m3 said:
Please show me ALL these Sights (Gen4)... nothing locally on Marketplace, nor PB the last couple months I've been keeping an eye out. Only once did I see a few for sale, demo fleet from bike shop in AZ. I was close to buying, but the price with tax/shipping wasn't super appealing for no warranty AND a demo bike.
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Indeed, I stand corrected. I guess I just got lucky when I looked for mine. I guess to amend my post, it was a no brainer to go Sight since I did find a used one. Without that factor, I personally would probably go straight to the Range.
 
Spudley said:
Looks good!
I also got the display but when pushing top buttons it falls into the frame.
Did you purchase as a kit with some special frame mounting adapter or did it simply fit snug using the one bolt /machine screw?
Click to expand...
I emailed Norco about the Kiox 400c, they shipped me a molded plastic surround (as shown in the photo) at no cost.

IMG_2010.webp
 
My size S4 C1. Made the following mods and she’s perfect:
•Hayes 220 rotor in front
•Moved Shimano 203 front rotor to back
•Swapped in Kiox 400c display (see post above about bezel/surround from Norco)
•Super Deluxe Ultimate coil shock
•PNW carbon 38mm riser bars
•3M glossy vinyl wrap over top tube (I believe the all white top tube makes her look more proportional.
•Powermore range extender (we have huge vert out the door)

I am 6’ 0” 210 lbs, and the reach on an S4 is a nonissue for me. IMO Norco has it right. Spring rate on the coil shock is 500 lbs.

Previous emtb was a gen 1 Transition Repeater.

IMG_1958.webp
 
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peep said:
Found another pic from before I applied the vinyl wrap to the top tube, if you’re curious. Super clean

View attachment 178207
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It is as clean as they could possibly make it. Emailed norco for mine immediately.

The only way to do it better would have been to go ahead and remake the S4 mold when they realized it was effed up 🤣

Update:

Norco told me to kick rocks and talk to my dealer lol

IMG_4853.webp
 
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