Better? Worth It? High Pivot Norco Sight Review 2024

[@robhaskins3068]

Is all this high pivot guff really worth the trouble. It seems to me thats it's all marketing. You are a very touchy-feely rider .Everyone thinks they have the best dog (bike) and none of them are wrong 🤔 But E=Mtb²

[@chriswallace3650]

If you like 480ish on non e-bikes, what do you prefer on e-bikes and why different reaches e vs non e??

[@TheLoamWolf]

Hey thanks, you've given us a great idea for a video! In short, weight of the bike is a major reason i have two preferred reaches, as do several of our testers. A heavier bike is inherently more stable, due to the weight. This keeps it more planted and on-line. Many people rely on long reach numbers to create a longer bike overall and give a more stable "safe" feeling bike. The flip side to a longer bike is center of gravity, weight distribution and playfulness. On an eMTB, a longer front end means a heavier front end, so direction changes, manuals, playfulness and other quicker corners suffer as it makes the bike feel drastically heavier. For example, the same eBike in a medium and large, may only be 1/2lb to 3/4 lb heavier, but it could ride 2lbs heavier due to the much longer reach putting the weight further in front of you. On a non-eBike, the weight is less, so rider strength and input will be manageable on a longer front end, and you will appreciate the added stability at speed or on steep, gnarly trails. Hopefully that gives you a quick, dirty run through? At 5'11 I like 475-480mm on eeb and 480-485 on non-E.

[@stephenkrause6059]

Hahaha..trust engineers more because "they know what is best". Total agree with Loam Wolf that absolutely, they do not know. I am an engineer and work in the area of how humans interact with their industrial environment. There is so much work for me because engineers have done such a terrible job for the past 30 years (street design, computer design, bike design, etc) I am 5'5" (165 cm) and ride a size S1 (xs) in one of the big bike mfg to give you an idea of what I think about bike size.

[@bradcomis1066]

Like he says in the voice over "if you are riding in Squamish then..." Different trails need different bike fits. There isn't one solution that fits everyone. If he would have had a bike that had the reach he liked then there wouldn't have even been much of a discussion around this. The Norco website puts someone at 5'11" right in between the size 4 (498mm) and size 3 (472mm), so the recommendation is in the zone. Its tough when a company just sends a bike whereas a real buyer would be able to choose which size they want.

[@jlcousineau]

I ride the size 3 optic and was worried about the size down in reach from the typical “large” I’m really enjoying the slightly shorter reach. @5’10”

[@peterhaworth6859]

Brilliant thoughtful review.. good stuff Drew👌

[@TheLoamWolf]

Much appreciated! Thanks for watching.

[@jm_syd_kid]

Wouldn't the extra stack height compensate for the reduction in reach? You wont need extra stem spacers avoiding loosing reach, add a 45mm stem and you would have been pretty good on the smaller bike.

[@Coerced]

I'd very strongly have preferred a rider to review this bike that actually fits it. Ride any bike at the wrong size and the remarks are gonna be similar roughly. So much of what you say is about the size.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Per Norco’s Ride Aligned, at 5’11, I do fit this Bike. The issue is that I also fit the smaller size, and while I personally don’t like longer bikes, there’s probably at least a handful of riders out there who would want exactly this reach, or even bigger for their preference or terrain. Everyone has different tastes and rides different types of terrain which will make longer or shorter bikes better.

[@Coerced]

@@TheLoamWolf sure but 5'11 can be someone with long arms or all legs or mostly torso etc. Fact is you rode a size you would never buy it at. That makes it the wrong size to review unless you're doing a video on oversizing. Demoing normally filters out this problem for those who besides following size recommendations, also follow demo recommendations. The bike at its intended proportions largely remains unreviewed now

[@philippk9954]

@@Coerced cry me a river. only clueless consoomers follow size recommendations blindly. this video shows us, that "longer lower slacker" already was on a pinnacle 2 years ago and norco simply a) overshot that by a large margin and b) made the big mistake by believing its a good idea to slap idlers to already ultralong bikes. (wont even start on the optic, lmao) i know many big dudes at 6'5 and none of them would choose a S5, and would even be almost hesitant to grab a S4

[@Coerced]

@@philippk9954 you're making my point exactly. Common sense would normally put people on the right size when simply demoing and not only blindly following a chart. AFTER finding the proper size, you can begin telling what the bike is like. That wasn't done here. So wrong size to review

[@brookmiller2427]

I so appreciated your take on sizing and how individual this subject is. Excellent review! Thank you for the open minded feedback 👍🏻

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for watching and you are very welcome!!

[@JayThornton-r2g]

I found the focus on how the bike didn't fit would be a great other video on getting the right size / try before you buy. It would be great to hear another rider who did fit the bike's view as well.

[@dimimtb]

I'm on the older Optic platform and on a L (would be size 3 I guess). At 5'10", with a 35mm long stem vs the 45mm it comes with I end up in the 470-reach range, I'm looking at the size 3 Sight as a follow up bike to the Optic so think smaller is better in this case when on the edge between two different bikes. Great honest review as always and look forward to more of them.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you very much! We appreciate you watching too.

[@SwimmingBird846]

I had this exact problem with my Sight. Felt super comfortable on my size large MY 2021 @ 182 CM. I bought the new Fluid VLT in an S4, and it's just a little bit bigger than I would like. I think, at 5'10", unless you really like the long feeling, you definitely get the S3.

[@briannyob7799]

I bought the last gen Sight because I didn't want the new new high pivot design. To me, bikes are getting too big and long. 36lb for the lightest bike is nuts.

[@DQridesbikes]

The higher the socks the downer the foo.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Orale! You can take the foo out of LA, but you can't take the LA out of the foo...

[@Magic_crew]

I have this bike in size 4. Bigger than what I normally ride but by adding a short 32mm stem and shorter 165mm cranks it’s amazing!

[@daniel_fontaine]

Which trail are you riding in this video?

[@TheLoamWolf]

moon point, larison and dead mtn in Oakridge Oregon.

[@robhaskins3068]

You say the bike gets longer with the high pivot. But the bike gets shorter when the front end is compressed . I would say it stays the same length 🤔

[@skippylegrandgourou2069]

Hope they reinforce the front triangle, my 2019 Norco Sight cracked after 2 days in Whistler riding Crank it up. That is a joke, got my warranty voided because it is not design for bikepark and you are not supposed to jump with it LOL.

[@brodiesmith9556]

Sounds perfectly reasonable for them to decline warranty, you took a 6 year old trail bike to a DH bike park. What did you expect?

[@skippylegrandgourou2069]

@@brodiesmith9556Irrelevant comment my claim was in 2019 (5 years ago) and i just got the bike ( 1 week in the warranty basically). It is a joke a modern trail bike is not able to handle a blue trail and Whistler is a chill bikepark, it is not like i was riding Chatel, Champery or Morgins lol. Meanwhile my 2015 Scott Gambler has 200 bikepark days, my 2007 Santa Cruz Nomad around 100 and my 2002 Scott G-Zero around 70 and i was doing black trails in Morzine/Chatel with it. Got a cheap used Xprezo Ad hoc frame instead of the shitty sight, doing A-line and Dirt Merchant without any issue.

[@JoshAllenberg]

@@brodiesmith9556 I'd understand voiding the warranty if you were trying to hit A-line or Freight Train with it, but Crank it Up is nothing

[@JoshAllenberg]

@@brodiesmith9556 I'd understand voiding the warranty if you were trying to hit A-line or Freight Train with it, but Crank it Up is nothing

[@skippylegrandgourou2069]

@@JoshAllenberg Yeah and i was chilling, teaching mountain biking to my friends.

[@JoshAllenberg]

Ooof 4k for a carbon over 2.3k alum Does anyone actually care that much?

[@Yourmum1acock]

New to mountain biking but wouldn’t one want the bulk of the weight as low as you can get it in the frame?

[@grizzle13]

Oakridge?

[@TheLoamWolf]

You got it.

[@Trade2Invest-]

Bike looks amazing

[@TheLoamWolf]

It’s pretty rad!

[@aaronblonden6774]

5'10.5 and sized into a 3 on the 24 optic. Super happy with that decision and somewhat prefer a 40-50mm stem anyways. Great review, im over the moon with the kinematics and geo. Optic is amazing pumping, carying momentum and at traction up and down the mountain.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Right on

[@TheScramble8]

Looks sweet. I wanna go ride.

[@TheLoamWolf]

You and me both!

[@aceball7076]

I'd like see a e--Bike version on this bike. Anything comparable out there?

[@symmetricon1982]

RM instinct Powerplay

[@aceball7076]

@@symmetricon1982 I'm not understanding

[@BrandonWirick]

Do you wish you had gotten a size 3?

[@HelloHello-gv2gg]

What trail are you riding? Where your talking and has tight switchbacks?

[@TheLoamWolf]

Moon Point in Oakridge Oregon.

[@SsmAnyfeSt]

I want(ed) a Kavenz VPH16 mullet bike. I saw that Norco did something really similar and was tempted by this sight for a warranty thing (being in Quebec, Canada) but the main reason was for the higher bb height of the Sight vs Kavenz. I just spotted a huge deal for a black sight like I wanted but just cannot buy it because of the sizing! I'm about 6' but I like 480mm reach too and don't like long wheelbase because we have tight trails like in your video, here! Size 3 is really all perfect, geo wise, except for the 385mm seattube! Thats a bummer!! I have a Norco Fluid trail bike and the large has a 410mm seattube which is already super low but perfect! Now I would really be between that medium and large, or at least only a longer seattube. I would have put my 205x65 coil to have 160mm rear and maybe 170mm front, but wasn't sure because I dont want something slacker then 64deg headangle. But anyway, its a bummer as that shop is really far and would have to make it shipped so cannot even sit on one just to see. I guess I'll have to wait many weeks to have a Kavenz and hope that low bb wont bother me as all my newest bikes. :(

[@BlackFlag94]

Please can you reduce wind noise.. for a headphone user it's bordering unbearable

[@TheLoamWolf]

Yes we'll work on that.

[@sgt.sender1]

I was going to buy a norco fluid but the sizing really threw me off. Found a wild deal on a santa cruz hightower and just went with that instead.

[@mprox3431]

Wondering if you are going to review the e version of this bike. The 160/150 travel is what I'm looking for but the high pivot is just something that I'm not sure of. Curious as to how it would compare to the Pivot shuttle AM.

[@BrawndoDrinker]

Counterpoint on geo - I used to ride large frames from the 80s to the 00s, with modern geo I have only been buying XL frames since the move to slack front ends and steep seat tubes, feels like nearly a decade. Top tube length has not matched the reduction in cockpit space due to those two angles. Just built up a new XL yeti, still feels too short with a short stem. I do have long arms and I don't enjoy smashing my knees into the bars when I peddle so... even on XL bikes I am running 60mm stems. As for learning how to ride a longer wheelbase, well yeah we aren't on bmx bikes any more buddy. Understanding the difference in riding the old short cockpit bikes and a bike that you can ride "in" is the hurdle a lot of people don't pick up on. For fun, go ride a bike that is 1-2 sizes to small, then a bike 1-2 sizes to large (same model if possible), learn how to handle both. Skillz matter ;)

[@joshuaanothereraseddad]

Looks like someone at Norco like the last gen SJ Evo colorway. :)

[@maxthrust976]

I'm a more XC focused rider of last years Sight! I'm still a bit puzzled about Norco's sizing. At 5'9", their size chart and ride aligned system put me on a large, which seems insane. I bought a medium, and I think I wound up with the right bike. If I want to see how Norco's ride aligned system would have my bike set up, I have to lie to their webpage and tell it I'm 5'8". I'm glad I bought in when I did, I got the 2023 A3 on sale for like 25% off, and now this year they dropped the A3 and made the A2 the base spec, while also raising the prices across the board, making mine look like even more of a steal.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Nice work in scoring a deal and thanks for sharing your sizing struggles. We think the pendulum of long reaches may be at the outward point and working its way back in coming years, but… we’ll see!

[@danielray1558]

Great honest review. Sizing on this was a big question for me too. I’m 5’9” and would go s2. Which seems a little short. But the recommended s3 looks really long. Also QQ: you mentioned you have a reach measurement preference for non e-bikes- is you preference for e-bikes to go longer or shorter than on a non ebike?

[@TheLoamWolf]

We typically aim for 10-15mm shorter on an eBike. It helps to offset the lost agility from the weight of the e-system.

[@dustyvinyl6687]

Man oh man this action camera he's using is actual shit 😂

[@projectbora]

Seems really heavy at 34 lbs. I have a 21 Sight Alu and it weighs less than that. I do love the look of it, and great well rounded review.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed it.

[@tayloreubank1505]

@TheLoamWolf you mentioned that you do not like the Diety handlebar what do you prefer as a good option?

[@TheLoamWolf]

The OneUp Carbon eBar has been our go-to on all our personal builds.

[@MasterChronometer]

I don’t really understand why you would make a short or mid travel bike high pivot. If you want a more capable short travel bike, buy a mid travel bike.

[@here4therides]

I totally agreed with you until I tried the Druid. Incredible on New England chunky tech.

[@MasterChronometer]

@@here4therides do you think it has any advantages over a regular longer travel bike?

[@here4therides]

@@MasterChronometer I didnt ride it long enough to evaluate the axle path characteristics, but the lack of pedal kickback is incredible for reducing rider fatigue. You notice it on everything; big hits, braking bumps, rock gardens,etc.

[@Hhhhkhhhhhhh]

150mm rear travel????

[@tademutrie9990]

@@here4therides yup, I think people don’t understand that high pivot addresses a phenomenon that affects all ranges of suspension travel. I agree that this is a feature that is specifically downhill oriented but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used to improve the ride of a less downhill oriented bike

[@PeterCPRail8748]

This is why I despise anything over 145 rear and 150 front travel. They market them as all mountain or high trial bikes. But they suck on techy single track. Let's face it, this is a bike park bike nothing more. Build for speed and stability on groomed jump lines and wide trails. I always buy bikes with 130 to 140 rear and 140 150 front travel. This is the true Swiss army knife of tight gnar techy single track. Yes, you have to be more selective of lines and speed as it dosnt plow through like this bike can. But I will take the climbing and agility of the lower suspension bike compared to this albatross and others like it.

[@skippylegrandgourou2069]

My old sight was 150 Front and 140 Rear was okay on tech trails but cracked after 2 days in Whistler. Warranty voided by Norco because not designed for Whistler lol, Found a cheap Canadian Made Xprezo Adhoc frame 150 Rear and 160 Front, ultra light (12.5-13 Kg) and i can send A Line / Dirt Merchant. meanwhile Crank it up was too extreme for the Sight lol.

[@bradcomis1066]

Where do you normally ride? How steep are the trails?

[@SsmAnyfeSt]

@@skippylegrandgourou2069 watch out, a lot of guys including me, broke their Adhoc! And Xprezo no longer exist... Nothing extreme, just some average Bromont, QC, dh for me... But I liked their bikes!

[@jawzzy3]

they missed an opportunity not including in-frame storage

[@TheLoamWolf]

It would have been a nice feature for sure. But not something we personally use a lot.

[@Daver-2000]

I am 6’2” and have the new Sight in C1 spec….. in S5. There’s no denying this is a big bike. I race xc( not on the sight) race enduro, trail ride, I was between the S4 and S5. Glad I went S5. I have no issue getting the bike through tight sections and switchbacks. My only issue with the bike is the tune on the Fox DHX2. I have to run the high and low rebound full slow and the high/low compression almost completely open. The included 500-550 springdex is perfect set at 500, but the tune seems off. I’ll send it off in the winter to get the-tuned, but I feel a $10k CAD bike should have a shock with a proper tune.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for sharing and glad you're enjoying the bike overall. I see you listed your height, if you don't mind, what is your weight? Drew is around 180lbs.

[@Daver-2000]

@@TheLoamWolf Usually between 190 and 200.

[@erictrelz3519]

Liked the review. It answered many of my questions. I can tell you know what your are talking about. You don't just throw figures and jargon at me but really explain yourself in understandable terms. I come from a XC racing background and am now really enjoying All Mountain riding. I still, however, prefer a great climbing bike. After this review, I see I probably don't want this bike. Thanks; your frank assessment of the bike saved me from purchasing the wrong bike for my riding style. It is near impossible to ride a NORCO in my area before purchase. You did it for me.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you very much. We appreciate the feedback and strive to be as helpful as possible in our reviews without using too much jargon or BS language. While the Sight may not be for you, the shorter travel Optic, could be worth a look! We also have that bike and while it's still a high pivot, it does pedal a bit better but still offers some pretty impressive descending traits for a bike in that travel category!

[@erictrelz3519]

@@TheLoamWolf Thanks again. You all are the best. Keep up the great work!

[@harleyharrison9180]

Love my set of loam wolf handgards!

[@TheLoamWolf]

That’s awesome to hear!

[@andersonsridebikes]

I remember that you didn’t like the high pivot Range for the trails that you tested it on, but I could tell from that review that the Range would make a great high speed park bike and it certainly did! I like how you don’t just say a bike is good or bad, but you specify that it’s intended for a certain type of trail. It does seem that most high pivot bikes are pigeon holed to certain types of trails.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you. We definitely try to give our readers/viewers the best opportunity to Make a decision and spend wisely that we can! This bike has a much less radical rearward axle path, which for me, made it a lot more playful and fun.

[@moldywonkenobi]

I almost couldn't watch this video because of the handguards.

[@mikegeddie2263]

Engineers know nothing about bike fit.