Nick reviews the 2024 Norco Sight

The Norco Sight sits as the brand’s flagship all-mountain ripper, which in its previous form represented excellent all-round trail characteristics and brilliant value for money. Because of that, it has become very popular for beginners and advanced riders alike. Norco has truly jumped on the high-pivot bandwagon with the launch of its 2021 Shore and 2023 Range, so it was only a matter of time before the Sight jumped on board.

For 2024 Norco has updated both the Sight and its short travel sibling, the Optic, with the Virtual High Pivot suspension platform tailored for the application for each of the bikes. Various geometry and compatibility upgrades were also noted throughout, with all the initial details covered in our launch article.

Does the new Sight raise the bar from its predecessor? Nick has been testing a C1 MX model over the past six weeks to find out, and has been mighty impressed with its agility and suspension platform.

2024 Norco Sight Overview & Geometry

Apart from the obvious updates in suspension design, the biggest addition for the Sight is the compatibility with a 27.5in rear wheel, with all three models offered in Australia available in a mullet arrangement only. For those who don’t gel with the party-sized rear wheel or are 29in curious, Norco offers the ‘Missing Link’ kit for $199, which includes a new rocker link and lower shock mounts, converting the Sight into a full 29in platform.

New for 2024 is the shift to numbered frame sizing, moving away from ‘t-shirt’ sizing, which Norco claims provides a more accurate fit and increased overlap between sizes. The numbered sizing also prompts more thought into selecting the right size, rather than just reaching straight for the same labelled size each time.

In my particular case, coming in at 188cm tall means I typically opt for XL-sized bikes, however the numbered sizing made me look a little deeper into reach numbers to find the right size. Norco recommended either a size 4 or size 5 for my height, which I opted for the smaller of the two as the 25mm increase in reach and 34mm increase in wheelbase would be a a touch too big for my preferences. I find reach numbers in the ballpark of 500mm feel most comfortable, with size 4 being bang on at 497.5mm.

Norco has offered size-specific rear-centre lengths since 2011, and the 2024 Sight remains true to that philosophy. Size 1 frames feature a 420mm rear centre, lengthening all the way up to 436mm on a size 5, allowing riders of all sizes to experience the same handling characteristics regardless of what size bike they ride. Head angles remain consistent regardless of size at 64°, which seems to be right in the sweet spot for this category of bike.

Seat tubes steepen through the size range, starting at 77° on a size 1 and steepening to 78° on a size 5, allowing taller riders to maintain balance when climbing steeper trails. On the topic of seat tubes, Norco has opted for increased standover on all frame sizes with shorter seat tubes, allowing for longer dropper posts across the board, including a 210mm dropper on the size 4 tested.

The Sight has no adjustable geometry features (apart from the Missing Link 29in kit), so those who can’t help but tweak and tinker with geometry settings may have to look elsewhere. In my opinion, though, the geometry package on the Sight is dialled, and I would be unlikely to change it even if the option was available.

Other notable features include a threaded bottom bracket, moulded internal cable routing with a clamped entry port on the downtube, room for a single bottle on the downtube and bosses on the underside of the toptube for additional frame storage. Norco is yet to jump on the in-frame storage bandwagon, and while it’s not an essential feature, it sure is nice to have.

 Virtual Pivot Suspension | High Pivot suspension

The most notable update to the Sight over the previous generation is the introduction of Norco’s Virtual Pivot Suspension | High Pivot suspension or VPSHP layout, sharing bump-devouring similarities with the high-pivot platform of the Norco Shore. While the big Norco Range is also a high pivot, it’s a slightly different platform and design. We have spent a fair amount of time on high pivots in recent years since their explosion in popularity, and have covered all of the general principles in our high-pivot mountain bike deep-dive for those who are curious as to why that is the case. Front and rear travel numbers have remained the same for 2024, with the VPSHP layout delivering 150mm of rear travel, paired with a 160mm fork.

Unique to the 2024 Sight and Optic is a chainstay mounted idler pulley, non-concentric to the main pivot, made possible via a licence agreement with i-Track suspension. This allowed Norco engineers to fine-tune the anti-squat on the Sight throughout the travel, and position it to reduce pedal kick-back under heavy compressions and improve pedalling over mixed terrain.

So how did Norco make the call between the tried and true horst link layout, the high-pivot layout identical to the Range, and the combination of the two being the high-pivot horst link layout seen here? We reached out to Norco’s Senior Development Engineer, Colin Ryan, to find out;

“We considered sticking with the traditional horst link layout used on the previous generation Sight and also considered the high-virtual pivot layout we use on the Range. Ultimately, we ruled out the Range layout because we felt the axle path would be too rearward to suit the Sight’s intended use as the all-arounder in our lineup. We felt the more moderate amount of rearward axle path achieved by a high-pivot horst link layout could offer a benefit in rough and technical terrain while still keeping the responsive handling traits of the outgoing Sight but felt it needed to be tested before committing. 

We ended up creating test mules for the Sight based on the high-pivot horst link layout that allowed us to benchmark the performance against the previous generation bikes. The performance of the mules helped solidify that moving to a high-pivot horst link design was the right approach for the Sight and with the adjustability built into them we were able to further refine the geo and kinematics before pushing play on production tooling.”

“The new Sight runs a longer 60mm stroke shock compared to the 52.5mm stroke used on the previous generation bike. This allowed us to drop the leverage ratio to lower shock pressures/spring rates for heavier riders and also add considerably more progression. The new Sight is approx. 28% progression overall compared with 19% on the previous bike.”

To maintain the desired characteristics of the Sight, Norco landed on the 29/27.5 configuration’s rear centre length growing by 8-9mm at sag and a maximum of 17mm throughout the travel. The 29/29 variant has slightly less rear centre growth to maintain the Sight’s zippy characteristics, lengthening by only 6-7mm at sag to a maximum of 12mm throughout the full travel range.

2024 Norco Sight Price and Specs

For testing is the C1 MX model of the Sight, which is the top-tier model available in Australia.

You’ll have to shell out $10,499 for the C1 edition, but in return you’ll receive a full carbon fibre frame, Fox Factory suspension, SRAM Code Stealth Silver brakes, a GX AXS T-Type drivetrain, and a 210mm OneUp V2 Dropper.

An interesting choice was a Maxxis DHF/DHR2 tyre combination in the EXO+/MaxxTerra flavour, which remains consistent across all models — more on this later.

A keen eye might notice that our test bike has some minor differences from the stock configuration, which Norco stated was due to this being a pre-production model.

These part swaps are as set of Code RSC brakes, an XO AXS T-Type derailleur and orange lowers on the Fox Factory Forks, none of which impacted the overall review of the bike.

Thankfully, Norco is also importing two other models into Australia which we covered in our first launch article, which includes a C2 model with the same carbon frame as we see here paired with a Rockshox suspension package and a GX mechanical drivetrain which retails for $8,999. Alternatively, for those that prefer aluminium,  the A2 model delivers the same newfangled high pivot and geometry with a Fox Performance suspension package and a Shimano SLX drivetrain, coming in at $6,999.

Norco C1 MX Specifications

• Frame | Sight Full Carbon, Virtual High Pivot Suspension, 150mm Travel, UDH Hangerless Interface
• Fork | Fox Factory FLOAT 36, GRIP2, 160mm, 44mm Offset, Fender Included
• Shock | Fox Factory DHX 2 Coil, 60x205mm Trunion w/ Spindex coil spring
• Wheels | Stan’s Flow S2 Rims, Race Face Vault hub
• Tyres | F – Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5in 3C/MaxxTerra/EXO+ , R – Maxxis Minion DHR II 2.4in 3C/MaxxTerra/EXO+
• Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle AXS T-Type w/32T chainring & 10-51T cassette
• Brakes | SRAM Code Stealth Silver, 200mm/180mm SRAM Centreline Rotors
• Bar | Deity Ridgeline 35, 800mm, 25mm Rise
• Stem | Norco Alloy CNC, 40mm Length. 35mm Clamp
• Seatpost | One Up V2  34.9mm, 150mm
  (1), 180mm (2), 210mm (3, 4), 240mm (5)
• Confirmed Weight | 15.83kg

Norco Ride Aligned 2.0

The overall bike and suspension setup process on the Sight was as simple as it gets, all thanks to Norco’s Ride Aligned setup guide. We have been mighty impressed with the Ride Aligned guide in the past, and Norco has revised the inputs to include the desired suspension feel, trail grip and trail type. This allowed us to tailor the baseline settings for the desired riding style and local trails, which was appreciated given the number of clickers available on the Fox suspension package.

Ride Aligned Inputs

• Rider Height | 188cm
• Rider Weight | 80kg
• Rider Position | Slightly rearward
• Suspension Feel | Halfway between neutral and firm
• Trail Grip | Medium
• Trail Type | Tech

The spring rates for both the fork and shock felt spot on, although the Ride Aligned system suggested a 515lbs spring for my 80kg weight, which wasn’t achievable with the adjustable Sprindex coil which maxed out at 500lbs. The recommended tyre pressures were a bit soft to what I prefer and I settled at 22psi up front and 26psi out back. Compression and rebound settings on the fork were a brilliant baseline, with only a few minor adjustments to the compression and rebound.

Related:

• Simplifying The Unsimplifiable | Norco’s Ride Aligned demystifies suspension setup

Following an initial shakedown ride, I found the recommended high-speed rebound settings for the shock quite fast, to the point of feeling unsettled on faster repetitive hits, and a notable top-out from the rear shock when recovering from high-speed compressions. Slowing down the HSC by a single click made a notable difference to the ride, and resulted in the chassis being far more settled. After six weeks of testing, I landed on the following settings, with all clicks counted from the fully closed position.

Fork Setup

• Pressure | 88 psi
• Volume Spacers | 1 Installed
• LSR | 6 clicks
• HSR | 3 clicks
• LSC | 13 clicks
• HSC | 3 clicks

Shock Setup

• Shock Spring Rate | 500lbs
• LSR | 10 clicks
• HSR | 4 clicks
• LSC | 12 clicks
• HSC | 7 clicks

What we dig about the Norco Sight

Norco categorises the Sight as an All-Mountain bike, well suited from all-day epics to steep enduro stages and everything in between, and as such should be able to get you to the top with little fuss. Keen readers might remember that the Norco Range we reviewed back in 2022 was an excellent descender but struggled on the climbs due to its hefty weight and slow-rolling Maxxis MaxxGrip tyres. The weight of our C1 model test bike came in at a respectable 15.83kg, and while it’s no featherweight, it certainly didn’t feel like a slouch when heading to the top of the trails.

We were impressed with its sprightliness on the climbs, with the high-pivot platform delivering brilliant traction and stability on technical ascents, and the smaller rear wheel never made it feel as though I was losing efficiency. The rear suspension was settled during seated climbing, and the climb switch went mostly unused for the entire test period. Out of the saddle sprints prompted a little more movement from the shock, although still propelled the Sight efficiently up the hill and without wallowing into a bottomless abyss.

A common gripe with high-pivot designs is the increase in drag and noise from the idler pulley, and while the Sight was impressive in this regard, I still knew it was there. With a freshly lubed chain, there was minimal noise from the pulley, but once this wore off on longer rides the noise increased. On the work stand, you can feel the additional resistance compared to a conventional system, but on the trail, it is difficult to perceive. While that doesn’t mean losses in efficiency aren’t there, it’s also not like riding with a draggy brake either.

As soon as I jumped on the Sight I immediately noticed the way it accelerated with ease, it just seemed to want to roll and would continue to do so with minimal effort. The MaxxTerra rubber might have come into play here, with the harder compound providing a little less rolling resistance compared to its gooier MaxxGrip sibling. The RaceFace Vault hubs may add to this perception with their smooth bearings and light action freewheel, seemingly reducing the overall rolling resistance.

Without surprise, the Sight shows its true colours on the descents, sharing a few ride characteristic similarities to the Range. The high-pivot platform delivers bump-gobbling comfort and the more you push the bike, seemingly the better it gets. In combination with the Fox DHX2, the rear suspension was impressively supple and remained composed even on the roughest of trails, providing an excellent platform to push and pump against to generate speed through corners or rollers.

With 17mm of rearward travel in the axle path, the rear centre of the Sight never felt too much to manage in corners or in tighter technical terrain. It’s not just the suspension that is doing all the work, the 27.5in rear wheel deserves some praise here too, improving the overall responsiveness and liveliness of the Sight on the trail.

In comparison with the previous generation of the Sight, the new high-pivot variant carries over a lot of the characteristics of being capable and playful, but improves on the suspension platform and cornering. On the topic of cornering, the Sight delivers a brilliant sensation of elasticity when pumping and pushing into corners, which seems more prominent compared to other high-pivots we’ve ridden. This results in a responsive ride that begs to be cornered hard and we often found the tyre combination at its limit, but rewarded you with additional exit speed.

Surprisingly, the MaxxTerra compound tyres performed well during the test period, particularly on the front, where we typically opt for the stickier MaxxGrip compound. That being said, things have been very dry up in North East Victoria during the test period, hence we didn’t get much of a chance to test them in the wet.

The mixed-wheel all-mountain weapon doesn’t shy away from getting airborne and, thanks to its supportive platform, is happy to pop and launch off-trail features, making for a fun and playful ride, even on mellower trails. When it came time for landing, we found the 150mm of rear wheel travel more than enough to soak up hits, and the progressivity along with the shock tune managed the travel well with no harsh bottom outs and avoiding blowing through the travel.

Any downsides to the Norco Sight?

Norco has nailed it with the revised and revamped Sight, there isn’t much they’ve missed. While in-frame storage and geometry adjustments are nice to have, I didn’t find the lack of these features detracting from my time on the Sight. With the shift to the high-pivot suspension arrangement comes the inclusion of the idler pulley, which adds another step to the maintenance regime and may turn some away. This one is hard to classify as a downside, more a trade-off from all of the suspension benefits the arrangement brings.

The biggest drawback I see is the cost of entry for the 2024 Norco Sight. The previous generation of the Sight offered exceptional value in both the Carbon and Aluminium variants, with the latter starting at $4,799 AUD, which is certainly a contributing factor to their overwhelming popularity. The newest generation however has a far higher cost of entry, with the base-level offering in Australia coming in at $6,999 AUD. A build-kit with a lower entry cost is offered overseas, hopefully it’s just a matter of time before this lands down under. Of course Norco AU is also still offering three versions of the Gen 4 Sight Alloy.

Component highs and lows

Coming in at a whopping $10,499, we had some high expectations for the build kit, and for the most part, the parts on the C1 model delivered. A fairly substantial shortcoming however was the build quality of the wheels, the rear in particular, which lost almost all spoke tension on the non-drive side during its sixth outing in Mystic.

The wheels themselves are built with some high-quality parts, with the Race Face Vault hubs being a standout, however the overall build quality let the team down on this one. After a 30-minute session in the truing stand and a drip of Loctite on each of the brass nipples, we had the wheel running relatively true and it remained that way for the duration of the test.

On the shifting side of things, we had a few little issues with the SRAM GX/XO Transmission drivetrain skipping, primarily in the 3rd gear (38t). We retraced our steps and went through the full Transmission setup process to no avail, but during the process noticed the GX cassette had a wobble in the larger cogs. We’ve seen this in our travels on pinned cassettes similar to the construction of the GX, but haven’t seen this on any of the other GX Transmission drivetrains we’ve had on test so far.

To validate the diagnosis we threw a XO Transmission cassette from another bike, which resolved the skipping immediately. The SRAM team swiftly arranged a replacement cassette, and after going back through the Transmission setup steps, the drivetrain shifted flawlessly as expected. We did notice the replacement cassette also had a very minor wobble, significantly less than the original, which is potentially just a byproduct of the pinned construction of the GX cassettes.

On a more positive note, we’ve spent a fair amount of time on the Fox 36 and DHX2 in the past, and the Fox suspension outfit on the C1 continued to impress with super sensitive off-the-top feel and linear EVOL air spring. The adjustability of both the Grip 2 damper and DHX2 is superb but can be overwhelming, but with the help of Norco’s Ride Aligned setup guide we found ourselves at home right away.

Comparisons

The Norco Sight sits in a niche category of all-mountain high-pivots, one with few direct competitors. Norco’s big bruiser enduro bike, the Range, is similar in a sense due to its high-pivot platform, but differ significantly as to how they ride out on the trail, with the Sight being a much more lively, and in our opinion, a bike better suited to the majority of the Australian trails.

The previous generation of the Sight sat in the all-mountain category that went head-to-head with the likes of the Trek Fuel EX,  Specialized Stumpjumper Evo and Scott Genius ST , and despite the 2024 Sight now shifting to a more bump-gobbling suspension platform, we feel it still sits in the same category. The Stumpjumper Evo when launched in 2021 set the standard for geometry adjustability, and Trek followed suit in 2023 with the launch of the Gen 6 Fuel. However on the Sight, we see no flip-chips, adjustable chainstays, or headset cups, not to the bike’s detriment, but those who love to tinker may have to look elsewhere.

On the trail, all three bikes share similar all-mountain style characteristics depending on how they are set-up, although we feel the Sight has raised the bar when it comes to suspension performance.

While the Gen 6 Fuel EX and Stumpjumper 15 have excellent suspension platforms, the Sight delivers similar pedalling characteristics while being notably more stable and confident when things get rowdy which broadens the capability of where this all-mountain ripper can go.

Geometry wise the bikes all are within a hair of each other, with the Sight having a slightly steeper seat angle, 0.5 degree slacker head angle and 5mm shorter wheelbase than the Fuel EX. Weight wise, the Fuel EX and Stumpjumper Evo have the Sight covered by a mile, weighing in at over a kilogram less, and while there is certainly some weight to be shed on the Sight, the overall layout doesn’t lend itself to being a featherweight whippet.

Who is this bike for?

So who is the Sight for? We think the newest Sight is ideal for two types of people; those who have loved high-pivot platforms in the past but are looking for something more lively and responsive, or those who fell in love with the old Sight platform or similar all-mountain bikes, and are after something a little more capable but don’t want to sacrifice efficiency and playfulness.

Can you race on the Sight? Absolutely. The efficiency and responsiveness of the Sight lend it very well to enduro racing, and I’d be interested to try it in the full 29in configuration to improve its rolling efficiency that little bit extra.

Flow’s Final Take

Jono’s review of the high-pivot monster truck Norco Range back in 2022 left the Flow team wondering what Norco could come up with in a shorter travel high pivot platform. It seems Norco was listening, or maybe they weren’t but had the same thought.

Regardless, the 2024 Norco Sight delivers all that we loved about the high-pivot bruiser Norco Range, in a package far better suited to Australian trails. The suspension platform is excellent and delivers a brilliant mix of bump-devouring hunger and liveliness, and the geometry is dialled leaving us with minimal requests for improvement. The only let-down is the quality of the rear wheel build, which if addressed at the pre-purchase stage, shouldn’t be an issue in the long-term.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER - Nick Martin

Hometown

Bright, Vic

Height

188cm

Weight80kg