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Long Term Review

2022 Norco Sight VLT C1 eMTB Review*

Photos Deniz Merdano
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I've now been cohabitating with the 2022 Norco Sight VLT for longer than any eMTB I've tested. I'm getting used to having it around and enjoying the options it provides; sneaking out for a quick burn when my window of opportunity is impossibly short, or going for a longer, tougher adventure starting and finishing from home, and doing it all in less time. The more I have access to one of these bikes the more I'm convinced they are simply another fun way to enjoy riding bikes in the forest, and I vastly prefer eMTBs to all the futzing, loading, and retrieving involved in shuttling. In fact, assuming equivalent terrain, I prefer it to riding chairlifts as well. It's not for everyone, and certainly not for me all the time, but it's a blast and a great alternative for this 56-year-old bastard.

Norco made a bold move by making the batteries modular and giving these bikes three capacity options; 540, 720, and 900 watt hours. These are purchased separately from the bike and Norco would be happy to sell you more than one. If you only plan on doing quick blasts, grab the 540, if you're hungry for watts, distance, and boost-level climbing, the 900 is for you. If you're somewhere in the middle there's a 720 as well. I've spent most of my time riding with the 900 and despite its extra girth, it's the one I'd choose because it opens up so many options.

I'll dig into details and (hopefully) more nuanced impressions below, but overall I have really enjoyed riding this bike and I'm impressed by what Norco has accomplished in this sphere.

*If you missed my First Impressions on the Sight C1 VLT you can find them here...

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Climbing on an eMTB isn't quite half the fun, but it can still be a blast.

E-Tech Climbing

A more advanced element of eMTB riding, that I've been slowly getting better at, is tackling technical climbs that I'd never consider under my own power. Watching some of the local experts at this, namely Wade Simmons and Olympian Andreas Hestler, is inspiring. It's not just that they can get up ridiculous obstacles and pitches; they can also string these together in short succession without time between to get sorted. If you think riding an eMTB isn't a good workout, or physically demanding in general, find riders who are doing this sort of thing and tag along. I don't recall being as spent in recent years as I have been trying to follow Wade and Dre's impossible climbing routes.

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Get up! Get on up!

This sort of riding is a subtle art that involves learning what the bike can do, carefully timing your bursts of power using an aggressively forward body position much of the time. I haven't ridden a trials moto, but tech climbing on an eMTB often feels to me the way trials looks; calculated bursts combined with accurate wheel placement and weight shifts for unexpected results. Solving a challenging up for the first time is almost as gratifying as completing a previously unconquered drop or rock face. These revelations have amplified my e-riding pleasure further and this often influences my chosen route. I've got a long way to go, and while being on a new learning curve has been confounding at times, the satisfaction has outweighed the frustration and the Sight has been keen on the task despite its seemingly downhill-focussed demeanour.

Suspension

I thought my set up was pretty good initially but over time I began to notice some harshness in the fork during repeated high intensity impacts. I added some more pressure and even more high speed compression (the 36 seems to love lots of compression damping) and the bike began to feel great, sitting higher in the travel but still responding well to heavy bottoms and lower intensity hits. The rear end has been sorted from the get go using Norco's Ride Aligned setup guide, and it got me close for a solid starting point. Both the Fox Factory Float 36 and the Fox Factory Float X2 are world class dampers and an excellent match for this ride.

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From these initial settings I pushed my fork to 90 psi and lowered the shock to 204. I've since ramped the HSC up front to 0 out (full compression) pumped the fork to 95 and pushed the rear back up to 110. The fork in particular has really come alive since making these changes. I've also put on (ahem) a little weight since I completed that form.

A Peril of eMTB Riding

When I saddle up an eMTB, particularly a burly one like this, there is an adjustment I have to make to prevent mayhem. Unfortunately I always forget until I get slapped to the ground several times. With a bike that's between 30 and 35 lbs, bailing out is second nature. I can put out an outrigger when I'm having difficulty and balance myself quite easily even in precarious situations. I have a good sense of how to reel it in on my mountain bikes, but the extra mass of bikes like the Sight VLT changes that equation. I wondered what was up several times. It used to be that I'd have a similar kind of fall if I was out of shape, and particularly when my core strength was poor; I'd plant a foot after losing my balance, feeling like I was safe, and then find myself flung to ground like a cartoon rabbit. I've been better about that kind of strength in recent years so I'm rarely afflicted, unless I have yet to adjust to the weight of an e-bike. And these can be nasty falls into rock gardens, onto fallen logs with knots sticking out, or off something high. Once I make the adjustment and remember to look for more stable islands of safety to stop and plant a foot, I'm generally okay, but I need to be vigilant.


I began to imagine walking into the emergency department with my entire arm stuck inside a bicycle.
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Skinny bits, exposed sections, there wasn't anything I had to shy away from on the Sight including the most technical and janky local trails. Once I'd made the appropriate adjustments that is.

Parts

The components on the Sight VLT have been pretty much faultless. The Code brakes, with 220/200mm rotors slow things down effortlessly, the drivetrain, aside from a housing issue (see below), has been entirely up to the arduous task of dealing with all the riding I've done. The wheels have remained impressively true despite hundreds of kms of abuse (1180 total but I did some wheel testing for part of that time).

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The Maxxis Assegai DD MaxxTerra up front has been surprisingly durable considering the number of road miles that I've put in getting to and from the mountains.

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The Maxxis Dissector DD MaxxTerra in the rear has also stood up well, but I'd prefer to see a DHR II back there for better grip in varied conditions. These weren't mounted for all 1180 kms of this test, but I'd guess they have seen at least 650 of those.

The rear Maxxis Dissector isn't one I'd choose, and in situations where high grip was needed, it wasn't up to the task. The snow made it clear and it packed in and lost grip more than I'd like. The Assegai up front however was perfection. Both were double downs and the front tire is a MaxxGrip and both have been surprisingly durable, particularly considering how many road miles they've seen. The Shimano EP8 motor is quiet and powerful and uses less battery than the previous generation apparently. My only complaint about the entire spec. relates to the overly stiff Deity Skywire 35mm carbon bar. I replaced it with an old aluminum Bontrager that I have always liked and the ride improved noticeably.

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Adventures in Cable Routing

At the beginning of one of the rides when these photos were taken, I noticed my rear derailleur housing was down to the wire where it crosses over to enter the swing arm, possibly because it had slipped out a cable guide. It likely wouldn't have lasted more than a shift or two but Deniz had the idea to tightly wrap the affected area with a zip tie and then cover that repair with tape. It worked perfectly for that ride and several more but it was niggling at me this past week so I decided to dig into the repair. eMTB cable routing is a mystery to me but I assumed there were tubes to guide the housing the length of the frame. Just in case, I attempted to attach the new housing to the old so that removing the damaged housing would guide the replacement into place. Because of the damage I could only do this for the main frame, but I assumed the rest would be straightforward. To my dismay the old housing detached from the new immediately because of the need to negotiate some unguided curves. As I tried to guide the housing into the frame at the head tube it became clear this wasn't going to be simple. The housing came to a hard stop and it I realized it was in the void of the battery compartment rather than in a tube for guidance.

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This MacGyver by Deniz lasted for several rides and was still going strong when I decided to do the repair.

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Just reach all the way in there, up to the head tube, and guide the housing from one side of the battery compartment to the other and then through the exit tunnel. Photo - Cam McRae

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Here's a better view. It seems a little tricky, but at least you'll be blind. I could just barely reach the end and only with my slightly smaller left arm.

The next step was to remove the battery to get a view of what was going on. Turning the bike upside down and wearing a headlamp, I could see there was a short gap between the entry/exit port and the internal tubing where the housing needed to cross from one side of the massive down tube to the other in a short distance. Fishing the housing from the outside was clearly impossible so I was going to need to somehow reach from the battery opening near the bottom bracket all the way up the down tube. I rolled up my right sleeve but it wasn't long before my right forearm got stuck. Luckily my left arm is even less impressively masculine and with some swivelling and grunting I managed to reach my hand deep into the bowels of the bike. Working blind, I tried to manipulate the housing into the internal opening of the exit port. After about 15 tries I got the end into the opening of the port but no further. The angle was too great and the length of the opening meant there was another abrupt corner to manoeuvre. I kept trying of course but made no headway.

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The hose that came to my rescue.

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I now feel qualified to birth a calf or spay a heifer.

I left the bike overnight and had an idea by morning. If I could find a length of hose that was small enough to fit through the entry port but large enough for the housing to slide inside, I might have a chance. Digging through various drawers I eventually found a short length of surgical hose that came with some sealant. Further inspection confirmed it met my criteria. Having a theoretical solution isn't the same as getting it done however and the surgery was just beginning. With my left arm rammed up the Sight's rectum, I was completely blind and it was difficult to reach the surgical hose from the outside by the head tube of the upside down bike with my free right hand, and similarly challenging to reach over my left shoulder to feed the housing through. Thankfully there were no witnesses because I'm sure this was a comical sight. I had pre-bent the housing to make the two turns and I put a curve in the hose as well. A camera would have helped this arthroscopic procedure but all I had was my left fingers and thumb as my eyes. I kept having to pull my arm out and re-evaluate things to determine why I was unable to thread this needle. Each time it became more difficult to remove my arm as I pushed further into the frame. I began to imagine walking into emergency with my entire arm stuck inside a bicycle. Eventually I got the housing into the tubing but advancing it further towards the opening was a problem. If I pushed from the bottom, the housing would simply push straight toward the front of the bike and buckle rather than making the corner. Eventually I managed to put some pressure on the hose and advance the housing inside with my thumb and forefinger, a couple of millimetres at a time. This failed more than once but eventually enough of the housing was inside and I could push the housing and pull the hose in tiny increments until both emerged from the port. At that moment it felt like one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

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I'm just about there. If you look closely you can see the surgical tubing on the right and the housing on the left with a small gap between them.

The final internal element of the routing proved to be even trickier and I had to abandon the task for the moment.* Hopefully I'll have another overnight revelation and get everything sorted. These discoveries were a little disappointing, but having never attempted to string cables and lines through any other eMTBs, I can't say that Norco is better or worse than the others. It's possible that Norco has novel solutions to these routing issues but I like to operate as a consumer rather than a journalist in these situations to provide a more accurate portrayal of what it's like to own the bike in question.

*I just had a promising strategy come to me in fact

Overall though the frame details seem to be solid. The paint has stood up to a stupid amount of abuse, the bearings haven't made a peep, and the action remains smooth. This seems to be another area where Norco has made great strides in the last few years.

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Norco's online documentation is excellent. Some of the best I've seen in fact and it's clear that the derailleur housing (green) is meant to span the width of the down tube from left to right as shown in the image. I'm not sure why the cable for the power button can't go to the right side but I'm sure there is some engineering rationale.

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As she sits now. Possibly a good candidate for AXS.

Democratization

One of my favourite elements of riding eMTBs is how it levels the playing field. Riding with a bunch of people whose fitness is varied, and being able to stay together, is like a party on wheels. If someone needs to work harder they can drop down a mode and if someone is struggling they can stay in boost, and everyone gets their workout. Of course this ability explains one of the veiled reasons some people dislike eMTBs so vehemently. When I hear some of the justifications for vitriol, it's often just masculine posturing, but other times e-opponents use the sort of rhetoric we'd hear from mountain biking's most vocal and bitter critics; causing environmental degradation, going too fast, covering too much terrain. If your criticisms of eMTBs echo Mike Vandeman's complaints about all mountain bikes, there might be something going on in the background, and it's entirely possible that involves a bruised ego. Those who have both the genetics and the time in their legs to be first tier climbers with excellent stamina don't like to see others do what they can do, and while I sympathize with these feelings, I'm also aware that tying your self image to your ability to gain elevation on your own power, and letting that cloud your judgement, isn't a positive life strategy.

I'm not saying there aren't legitimate criticisms of eMTBs and those who ride them. Considering how much hard work has been put into the gains mountain bikers have made in the last twenty years, by a small and incredibly dedicated group of individuals, vigilance is vital. Examining how these new bikes and often new riders fit in with the rest of us, with the general public, and in particular with the advocacy sphere is, vital. But it also makes sense to be careful about our conversations and not be consumed by infighting. The general public sees us all as mountain bikers and giving ammunition to those who would love to see mountain biking banned globally isn't good for any of us.

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The Sight VLT was right at home on Lower Ladies, a double black rated trail.

Going Down

It's not surprising that a bike that weighs upwards of 57 lbs (with 900wh battery) likes to be manhandled. Bold inputs are rewarded, particularly in the slower speed situations common on the North Shore. This changes at speed and the bike feels less different from a pedal bike as the velocity increases. This horse loves to gallop, but it can also walk over obstacles, jump and trot /analogybeaten. Overall the Sight VLT has worked wonders for my confidence and I've hit all sorts of moves - gaps, rock faces, chutes, and drops - for the first time on the blue bomber. The one exception is the low BB. While the previous statement remains true, the Sight almost claimed me on a move (seen below) I'd only done a couple of times before. It's not particularly high, but it's very exposed and blind and frankly, it scares me. Despite this I rolled in brimming with confidence in front of Deniz' lens, only to hang up the bike with a hard hit on the motor bulkhead, pitching me forward for a moment. I straightened my arms and pushed the bike forward, certain I was about to land in a heap, but the fork saved me and I rode it out and even hit the next step-down without catching my breath.

The Sight impressed me in the air initially and that impression has only grown. The platform is nicely balanced and the low slung weight seems to boost my confidence and ability off jumps and drops. Cornering is another big strength and the bike loves to be tipped over hard, even on uneven surfaces. In berms in particular, this thing is a tracking monster, and again the excellent grip comes into play.

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User Interface/Battery

Trevor solved his issue with the Bluetooth connection to his phone (quite easily), but I never bothered. I was happy with the settings and nothing needed to be adjusted. I mentioned in my first impressions that I was pleased with the charging interface and the magnetic port that keeps the battery connected either to the charger or the motor. A proviso is that the door can be tricky to open with gloves or with cold fingers because the ledge designed to give you some leverage is both narrow and sharp on my dainty digits. This was made worse for a time when I lost one of the bolts that keep the motor cover in place, but replacing the bolt has improved it some.

Swapping the battery isn't as easy as you'd expect. It's easily disconnected and removing the bolt is straightforward, but it gets a little tricky after that. It's easiest to remove the battery fixing bolt with the bike upside down, but the battery won't slide out in that orientation because the bolt remains nested in the indent where it threads in. Doing it upright works but there isn't enough room for the battery to slide all the way out without lifting the rear wheel. Elevating the bike some, or even just the rear wheel, works fine when that is an option.

Replacing the battery can be even trickier. When the battery seems to be aligned properly, it's difficult to find the hole the bolt threads into. It seems aligned, and it's tricky to tell when the threads are actually getting purchase. This has required futzing for me every time. It's not the end of the world, but it's the sort of operation that should be slick for quick and easy execution.

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The Sight hits most of the right notes for me. It's burly enough to handle any terrain on earth, but not unwieldy or brutish. The range afforded by the massive 900wh allows you to climb in boost mode for the duration of a big ride, but those who need less power can choose lighter and less expensive versions, while those who would like to double up can swap out batteries based on the day's adventure.

Recently I've also been riding the Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay C70 and there are some interesting points of comparison. The Dyname motor on the Rocky is more powerful and provides a more progressive power curve. You can really feel more power coming on when you increase your effort, while the Norco feels more linear. Both are fast and powerful however, so it's hardly a big issue unless you are trying to dust your buddy. I prefer the spec on the Norco in terms of suspension and brakes, while the finish and details on the Rocky frame are superior.

A significant difference is the Dyname's multi-pulley, semi-high pivot suspension system. It's noisier than the Sight and, while better than the previous generation, it doesn't pedal nearly as well without power. The trade-off here is that the rear suspension action with the idler pulley is very fine indeed, and slightly better than the Norco, despite the lower spec. dampers. It's very close for me but one thing that tips the scale in the Norco's favour is the availability of the 900wh battery. You can get a piggy back for the Rocky but that's not as clean and integrated as the Sight. The Sight motor and interface was also less finicky, particularly in the cold weather, while the lower spec Altitude C70 can be yours for 11,400 CAD, battery included, which is comparable to the Sight C2. The user interface on the Rocky also gets the nod over the Shimano display and controls.

If I imagine myself owning an eMTB, the Sight C1 hits the target quite nicely for me. The geometry, suspension kinematics, component choices, and most of the fit and finish are very well sorted for the kind of riding I do normally, and yet easily adaptable to more mellow terrain. It's comforting to know that as I get older I'll be able to keep having epic adventures and huge climbs with my buddies while enjoying the descents as much as ever.

The Sight C1 has increased in price by 1000 CAD to 12,450 CAD since it was released, as prices for raw materials and components have also gone up. The final price must be calculated with between 1150 and 1700 CAD for a battery.

2022 Norco Sight C1

cam@nsmb.com
Cam McRae

Height - 6'/183cm (mostly legs)

Weight - 165lbs/75kg

Inseam - 33"/84cm

Ape Index - 0.986

Age - 58

Trail I've been stoked on lately - Sam's Dad's Trail

Bar Width - 760mm

Preferred Reach - 485-500mm

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Comments

velocipedestrian
+7 thaaad Shoreboy Abies Etacata kcy4130 Matt L. bighonzo

Tell me again why external routing is bad?

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trumpstinyhands
0

Plus you'll probably have to drop the drive unit to replace the dropper post cable / housing. Hopefully none of those cables are touching the steerer....

Time and again it seems like bike designers get to two days before the deadline and have an "oh fuck we have to route cables through this thing!". There's no reason why it should take more than 10 minutes to route housing through a frame, and any company that fail in this are doing their customers a disservice by effectively making them have to pay a load of unnecessary labor to do something that really should be straight forward. It's all fine if this discussion is had during the bike sale, but how many sales humans are going to say "the bike is great but the cable routing is a fucking disaster that'll cost you a load of grief and / or money."?

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cam@nsmb.com
0

I did remove the motor and it wasn't bad at all actually. Now I'm working on guiding the housing through the chainstay, which is proving tricky as well. There are no internal guides and there are two exit holes, one for SRAM and one for Shimano, although the Shimano one is blocked. My plan is to get an old piece of housing in there, with some bending to get it to reach the proper exit, and then attach the replacement housing and thread it through. 

It shouldn't have to be done too often but it does indeed seem to be challenging. Knowing that removing the motor isn't such a huge operation is a relief.

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trumpstinyhands
+1 Cam McRae

Just in case you don't know (and often bike factory employees seemingly don't.....), the drive side drive unit bolts need tightening first ;) Re-installing the DU easily depends on frame design and cable management. I'm not ranting about any particular brand :D 

https://si.shimano.com/api/publish/storage/pdf/en/dm/EP800/DM-EP800-03_ENG.pdf

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andrewbikeguide
+1 Andrew Major

I did not have to drop the motor to install the dropper (One Up so runs a cable) but the kink between the down tube inner tubing and the "up and over" on the front of the motor required some gorilla gripping as the cable outer definitely does not slide like it should. The sizing the correct outer length exercise to fit the dropper took over two hours rather than the 10-15 minutes it should take (measure three times/ cut once).

When it comes times to replace the cable outer for dropper and derailleur they are both getting the AXS treatment.

Agree with the other poster that it sometimes appears that the engineers have not really thought through the servicing of the bike (or component).

And don't even get me started on the incompatibility with the three 1.8" steerer lower bearings/ crown race parts (One from ACROS and two from FSA) that are available but within a framework of a total lack of publicly available information and clear part number labelling. I think I have Canada's supply of ACROS 1.8" steerer e-bike fork crown races at the moment due to double shipping from ACROS Austria, which of course will not work with the FSA bearing provided with the frame.

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chris
+4 Cam McRae Velocipedestrian Garrett Thibault bighonzo

I had similar routing problems on a 2018 Commencal Meta Power.  I finally gave up, refusing to drop the motor to perform routine service.  I externalized the derailleur and dropper cables and secured with zip ties.  Ugly AF - yep.  5 minutes to do a 5 minute service vs  frustrating hours - hell yes!

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realtortechguy
+2 Cam McRae Dan

Awesome write. Was exactly what I was looking for in terms of long term review. Thanks.

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cam@nsmb.com
0 Sandy James Oates cornedbeef

Thanks to each of you for the kind words. This sort of considerate feedback keeps the wind in my sails! Cheers!

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xy9ine
+1 Cam McRae

i had a similar near death experience on that rock roll on the marin (the distended downtube hooked the top edge of the rock resulting in a very not welcome forward pitch). gotta love those "holy shit i didn't die" moments.

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cam@nsmb.com
+1 Perry Schebel

It's easy to imagine how nasty that fall would be. I'll either be very cautious or riding around next time. Launching it might be the best solution but I haven't seen anyone do it.

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cornedbeef
+1 Peter Leeds bighonzo thaaad

I've been riding one of these in the same spec with the 900 battery. Even though this handles surpringly well for its heft, it's really turned me off to this type of ebike. The center of gravity feels foreign - coming from someone whom typically does emtb rides on a Levo. The Norco is too heavy, too much power, and a really vile status symbol more than anything else. A friendly greeting to a couple while passing by resulted me overhearing "..ebike..." in a not so friendly way.

Visually, the Norco looks like a bloated athlete whom is taking too many performance enhancing drugs without any self awareness. It's visually jarring.

This doesn't feel like a bike at all, and I don't like what the Norco represents....a rich person's plaything to "enter" a sport whom I doubt knows trail ettique, any aspect of the communal nature of trail riding, or how to descend at all. This combination results in destroyed trails, injuries (that doesn't matter, they can afford the hospital bills anyways), and justified resentment from other mountain bikers.

It's seriously time to ask which ebikes serve to "democratize", which are for the outsider trying to buy the greatest/latest/most expensive eMTB as a status symbol, and which are plain unregulated motorcycles with the "ebike" slapped on it that were never designed for mountain bike trail infrastructure.

Just because there's a single (or more) bicycle component on some unregulated motorcycles doesn't erase the fact that the pedal power aspect can be easily removed to facilitate it being operated as a motorcycle. How far will "Boost" functions advance in nearing that distinction is a good question - as one day the blue chip manufacturers may allow for some yuppie to slowly pedal as they fly up a hill, with traction control to control wheelspin.

The dumbing down of eMTBs will be inevitable- the gradually increasing amount of power will necessitate traction control systems.

Reply

syncro
+4 thaaad impressedbyyourwokeness Cam McRae Sandy James Oates psyguy Dan Andrew Major cornedbeef

Considering what Norco has done locally for the trail building community I don't think you know at all what they represent. What does seem pretty clear though is that you don't like ebikes and have some pretty biased views of them and the people who ride them.

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LoamtoHome
+6 Andrew Major cornedbeef trumpstinyhands 4Runner1 Deniz Merdano Cr4w

no bike company is doing enough imo....

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syncro
0

Yeah, I've been saying that same thing for a long time now - but you know that. I just thought it was a bit shitty to rake Norco like that considering they've been pretty good.

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AndrewMajor
+6 thaaad Velocipedestrian LWK 4Runner1 impressedbyyourwokeness Sandy James Oates cornedbeef Cam McRae

> "What does seem pretty clear though is that you don't like ebikes and have some pretty biased views of them and and people who ride them."

From above (cornedbeef):

"I've been riding one of these in the same spec with the 900 battery. Even though this handles surpringly well for its heft, it's really turned me off to this type of ebike"

"coming from someone whom typically does emtb rides on a Levo"

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syncro
+1 cornedbeef

Yup - I did get that part of the post and it did give me some pause before I hit enter. My comment was made in the context of the entirety of that post tho, particularly the parts about labeling people a certain way.

Looking back I should have been more clear though and said "What does seem  clear though is that you don't  like certain types of ebikes and have some biased views of the people who ride them."

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syncro
+2 Cam McRae cornedbeef

In fairness to cornedbeef I was a bit quick with my judgement on some of your post. As Andrew rightly pointed out, you did specify your angst with the Norco C1 in particular. That said, I still found your comments a bit odd as some of your complaints about the Norco could be carried over to any type of ebike. I could even say the same thing about mtb's too as I've seen more than enough newbies making the same sort of mistakes you mention.

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cam@nsmb.com
0

I think your judgement was accurate. I think this was someone trying to disguise their animosity towards ebikes in general by suggesting they normally ride a Levo, which has similar power to the Norco by the way.

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dan
+1 Cam McRae

I agree with you Mark. @cornedbeef Your argument is kinda all over the place. First the bike has foreign balance, then it’s too heavy, too powerful, then it’s ugly, then it belies your assessment of what Norco is, then it’s destructive, dangerous, etc etc. Phew! I agree that it’s not a great looking bike in the least, I personally applaud the modular approach to battery options. I have yet to ride the Norco but I plan to test one out.

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cam@nsmb.com
+7 Perry Schebel 4Runner1 impressedbyyourwokeness gregster77 Garrett Thibault Pepe Sandy James Oates Dan cornedbeef

Nothing says "I'm a man of the people!" like riding a Specialized Turbo Levo. ;)

Reply

syncro
+1 Cam McRae

Good article Cam. Here's a couple questions for you. Do you think you'd be enjoying riding as much overall if you didn't have an ebike in your life? Do you think your riding abilities would be where they are right now if you didn't have an ebike? I think I know the answers to those already, but just thought I'd ask.

Reply

cam@nsmb.com
+6 Deniz Merdano impressedbyyourwokeness Pepe Sandy James Oates Mark Dan

That's an interesting question Mark and my answer is a personal one. I've been dealing with a weird and as-yet-undiagnosed health issue for some time that unpredictably impacts my cardio performance. I generally have bad days and okay days, with the occasional good day sprinkled in. This means that going for a big pedal ride with my buddies can be stressful because I don't know what to expect. Of course I'm working my heart and lungs on an eMTB but the impact of my issue isn't generally bad if I can keep my heartrate lower, which is rarely possible climbing under my own power around here if I want to stay with the group. 

So a nice element for me is knowing I can go for a ride, put in some miles and get a decent workout and do some downhill without being in the red zone and unable to move faster than a snail's pace. So from that perspective, I ride more and my enjoyment is increased as well, and probably more so than if I wasn't dealing with this. This also means my riding ability has been positively impacted because of longer rides and more downhill time.

Reply

denomerdano
0

Take this with a grain of salt as I've seen Cam pedal a dead YT e-bike up the mountain at a good pace. :)

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cam@nsmb.com
+2 Deniz Merdano Sandy James Oates

That was a good day!

Reply

syncro
+2 Sandy James Oates Cam McRae

That's good to hear Cam - that the ebike is helping to keep your riding alive with the people you like to be out with.

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sandy-james-oates
+1 Cam McRae

Excellent write up Cam!

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cam@nsmb.com
+1 Dan

I managed to sort the cable routing finally. the last step, through the chainstay, involved detaching the stay at the pivot and reaching in (chainstay is open at the pivot end)  with a tool to press the housing into the exit hole. I think the next time I could do it in an hour, if everything goes well, now that I know what needs to be done.

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dan
+1 Cam McRae

Great report, Cam. I have been eyeing the options on the ebike market more or less seriously for the last six months as the industry has begun to offer some appealing options after what seemed to be a Paleolithic Period of ebike development. Personally I classify the Norco’s appearance as “Brutalist” in comparison to the likes of the Canyon, Rocky, and Forestal, but the battery option is a unique feature that sets it apart. Personally I’d be inclined to select the 900W ‘fuel tank’. My backyard is a lot like yours - options for short lunchtime blasts, or all day adventures. 

Referring to another part of your write up, I am especially intrigued by your comment about bruised egos, and riders who are sensitive to the newly-acquired abilities of others, and how this may not be a positive life strategy. If I may delve into the sociological and metaphysical, I think this really distills what is holding us as riders, and humans, from greater enlightenment. Taken to an extreme, your comment really gets to the heart of what is further along on a spectrum that includes such traits as envy and pride… is this not also what underlies so many much darker thoughts about what some (erroneously) see as differences between races, genders, ethnicities, etc? “Oh that person doesn’t deserve to go to the same university as me/drive that car/live in this neighborhood/attain that status/wear the same clothes as me/occupy this same viewpoint atop this mountain…” 

Granted, there are land use- and access issues tied to ebike use, no doubt. And sadly there will always be a couple of bad actors out there using the same toys as us, but making bad choices about their use. And no doubt The Industry will offer options that many of us find reprehensible/destructive/out of line with our firmly held beliefs about what a bike is, but as far as the infighting about who ‘gets’ to use an ebike, we could all benefit from chilling out, and letting people do their thang. Let’s not contribute to elitism and BS white male privilege.

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cerealkilla_
0

Good review. Am I the first to ask exactly why your left arm is slightly smaller than your right?

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cam@nsmb.com
0

You are the first. Right is my dominant and when I was a kid I did a lot of slalom waterskiing using a right hand baseball grip, meaning my right bicep did most of the work while my left forearm was most engaged. Half Popeye.

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