The 2024 Norco Sight High Pivot, Ridden and Reviewed in Sedona

After four years on the 4th generation Sight, Norco came out with new versions of the do-it-all Sight and the short-travel shred machine Optic at the end of February. Both bikes were released at the same time and share some of the same key updates. Both have gone through big changes and seem to have only improved upon the trusted bikes.

I had the chance to ride the Norco Sight and Optic for a day each in Sedona and here are my thoughts on the 5th generation Sight.

Norco Sight key specs

Rider Profile: 5’8” and 175lb with gear. Size 3 MX bike tested.
Suspension travel: 160/150mm front/rear
Frame highlights: C2 MX tested, available in full carbon or full aluminum, with VPS_HP (Virtual Pivot Suspension–High Pivot) suspension layout, mixed-wheel build or 29er
Geometry highlights: HTA: 64°, Reach: 472.5°, STA: 77.5°, Chainstays: 428mm, Wheelbase: 1,247mm
Price: $5,999 for the C2 build as tested
Buy from JensonUSA.

The biggest change on the new Sight–aside from revised geometry, which is always expected–is the addition of the VPS_HP, a high pivot and idler pulley with an increased rearward axle path.

Norco says the suspension is tuned for anti-squat, efficiency, and responsiveness while the idler reduces chain growth and pedal kickpack, an ever-present issue on many long-travel bikes. It’s not a surprising move really. A lot of bikes have added the feature over the past few years. It is however more surprising on the 125mm Optic since there are few short-travel bikes out there with an idler pulley and high pivot. A review on that bike is coming soon.

Frame

Norco’s sizing has transitioned to numbers instead of letters: sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 instead of sizes XS-XL. This is intended to help riders get away from thinking about bikes like a T-shirt or pant size, hence the numerical system that does away with “large” or “extra small” which some might be uncomfortable with.

I still can’t help but convert the numerical size in my head back to what a medium is. Maybe that’s just me since my mountain bike gear from head to toe is usually medium, but it might be helpful for folks who are on another side of the sizing spectrum.

Rather than a carbon front triangle and aluminum rear, the C builds are full carbon from axle to head tube and Norco has a series of aluminum builds too with an attractive price point–and they offer both a carbon and aluminum frameset. Many bike brands only offer their aluminum frames in a complete build.

There are downtube and chainslap guards that come from the factory and room for a bottle in the front triangle and a mounted tool beneath the top tube.

The Sight comes in either full 29er builds or a mixed-wheel (MX) build. There is no flip-chip on the bike so in order to do the wheel swap you’ll have to purchase the Missing Link kit, consisting of a lower shock mount and a rocker link for an additional $135. Norco says they went with the linkage kit instead of a chip to keep the geometry and suspension kinematics unchanged, though it does take more time and money to make the swap.

Other than that, there’s not much to talk about frame-wise, something I see as a good thing, as you never know what features mountain bike brands are packing into a new frame these days.

Geometry has progressed a lot. My size 3 has 472.5mm of reach, 636mm of stack, a 64° HTA and 77.5° STA (both basically the same as the previous gen we tested last fall), 428mm chainstays and a 1,247mm wheelbase, with a 685mm standover height.

Build

I tested the C2 MX (mixed-wheel) build, with a full carbon frame, a SRAM 12-speed drivetrain (mashup of GX derailleur, NX shifter and SX chain) and Code Bronze Stealth 4-piston brakes and a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork and Vivid Ultimate Air shock.

I thought the SRAM NX shifter would bother me more, but honestly it didn’t feel too bad. It’s not as snappy or precise feeling as a GX shifter, but it mostly became an afterthought on the trail.

The bonus is the Ultimate Vivid and Lyrik (with Charger 3 damper) suspension, which give you greater tunability.

Setup

Norco uses the Ride Aligned program to help riders find the perfect tune. It considers your height and weight, riding style and position, and the terrain to give you shock, fork, and tire pressure recommendations with compression and rebound numbers too.

In my experience on both the Sight and Optic it worked very well for the right suspension pressures, but I adjusted some of the compression and rebound damping on the trail. It’s not perfect, but it gets you in the ballpark much faster than guessing or going off of an estimated 20-30% sag.

I typically prefer a softer feel off the top, especially on trails like Sedona. I dropped a few clicks of compression damping on the fork during the ride, but other than that the Ride Aligned recommendations worked well.

On the trail with the Norco Sight

As part of trip to Sedona with Norco, Thule, Patagonia, and Smith I spent a day riding the Sight on the desert trails. We started the day with about 13 miles on the Dry Creek and Western Gateway trails, including Chuckwagon, Mescal, Cockscomb and Ground Control. It was a mix of pedally and punchy climbs with a moderate amount of technical maneuvers.

Climbing

Going uphill, the Sight’s suspension felt very supportive and responsive. Any squatting that does happen isn’t noticeable and it pedals admirably for a 150mm-travel, sub-enduro bike.

Even standing to pedal out of the saddle the bike didn’t feel wallowy and the Lyrik held its composure too without sinking into the fork’s travel.

For being a longer bike, the Sight was also pretty sharp and easy to handle going around tighter corners and up and over curb-sized steps and tree roots.

There’s a very distinct suspension feel between the Sight and Optic. Obviously there is a 1-inch difference in travel and while that might sound like a lot more to pedal, the Optic is responsive enough, predictable, and will let you keep traction and get away with going up techy rocks while you’re a little softer on the pedals. The rear wheel delivers gobs of traction.

I got along with the geometry too. We pedaled about 21 miles on the Sight and the angles are progressive without going too extreme. Again, the head tube angle didn’t change at all and the seat tube angle barely changed.

Descending on the Norco Sight

Once we headed downhill, the Sight immediately felt comfortable and confident. When a bike gets a little too aggressive with geometry it can take a while to figure out how it will handle, but I never felt uneasy because of the Sight.

The bike is stable and eats up the small, angular rocky ridges in the desert thanks to the rearward axle path. Some might be skeptical about the high pivot and that’s fair. Where I felt it was most noticeable was coming off of drops, where the suspension compresses and extends extremely smoothly and predictably.

The Sight felt best to me on faster, chunky straightaways where it can gallop over piles of rock. The bike was balanced and the reach didn’t feel too long for me. I get a little worried at my height when the size stretches past 460mm of reach, but with 472mm of reach, I still kept it in check, though it did feel a tad long around tight corners and switchbacks, and there are a lot of those in Sedona.

Pros and Cons of the 2024 Norco Sight

Pros

Composed, predictable suspension feel, up and down the hill with support and traction
Light and responsive for a 150mm-travel, high-pivot bike
Moderate but confidence-inspiring geometry