Pretty much bang on a year ago, Norco unveiled the all new 2018 Sight and Range. It was a big announcement for the Canadian mountain bike brand, given both the Sight and Range were already well established bikes, having proven very popular within the trail and enduro scenes thanks to their robust frames, active four-bar suspension designs, and value-oriented build kits.
Thankfully Norco didn’t stray too far from the formula with the new 2018 models – the Sight remains as the trail bike in Norco’s full suspension line, with 130-150mm of travel, while the Range is the bigger enduro bike with 150-170mm of travel. But there have been some key refinements and additions to the Sight and Range platforms to bring their specs up to the minute. As well as the move to Metric-sized rear shocks, Boost spacing and a general stretching-out of geometry, the biggest change was the offer of wheelsize options, with each bike now available in both 27.5in and 29in versions.
In Issue #115 of Singletrack Magazine, you may recall that Barney tested the alloy Sight 29er as part of a 3-way group test (which you can now read online here). He was mighty impressed with the comfort and capability of the Sight platform, and particularly with how well the redesigned A.R.T rear suspension behaved on all sorts of rocky nastiness.
What we’ve got here is a smaller, lighter and more expensive version of what Barney tested. It’s also a 2018 model, but it’s the carbon fibre version of the Sight and it’s got dinky 27.5in wheels. It can be had in sizes from X-Small through to Large (whereas the 29er version is Medium to X-Large only), and the C2 we have here sits smack-bang in the middle between the flagship C1 and the cheaper C3.
“The Sight Carbon is a versatile trail killer, featuring modern All-Mountain geometry and suspension kinematics for a fast, stable and playful ride on a wide range of terrain. Balanced climbing and descending capability combined with grin-inducing playfulness and nimble handling make the Sight the ideal accomplice for any aggressive All-Mountain rider” – From Norco.
Norco Sight C2 650B Features
- 27.5in full suspension trail bike
- Carbon fibre frameset & hydroformed alloy chainstays
- Four-bar A.R.T suspension design
- 140mm rear travel
- 150mm fork travel
- 66.5° head angle
- 74.5° seat tube angle
- ‘Gravity Tune’ geometry
- Chainstay length: 420mm (XS), 425mm (S), 430mm (M), 435mm (L)
- PF92 bottom bracket
- 148x12mm rear thru-axle
- Available sizes: X-Small, Small, Medium & Large
Whereas the Sight 29er features 130mm of rear travel and 140mm of fork travel, the 27.5in version clicks up the travel by 10mm at either end. The frame shape and geometry is very similar between the two Sight platforms, and they’re basically designed for the same thing. Fundamentally, the Sight is pitched as a versatile trail bike – it’s meant to be light and efficient enough to spend hours exploring the woods and gaining vertical metres along the way, while having the suspension performance and capability for properly letting it loose on the way back down.
If you prefer to get between the race tape on a weekend at a local enduro race, the Range is likely your better option. Likewise, if you want to rack up miles and tackle the odd marathon race or multi-day stage race, the shorter-travel Optic is likely the better pick. But if you just want a fun bike for riding Red and Black runs at trail centres, as well as hitting up rugged and technical natural singletrack, then this puppy is what Norco reckons you should be on.
I’ll be riding the 2018 Sight C2 over the next fortnight during a trip back home to Australia, so make sure you stay tuned for updates on the website and on our Facebook page as I get accustomed to the matte black beauty on some fresh new trails dotted around Victoria.
This particular test bike was kindly provided to us by Norco’s Australian distributor Advance Traders, though it’s Evans Cycles that distributes Norco back in the UK if you’re chasing availability and British pricing on other Sight models. For more information on the Sight and the wider 2018 Norco lineup, head to the Norco website.
2018 Norco Sight C2 650B Specifications
- Frame // Carbon Fibre w/Hydroformed Alloy Chainstays, 140mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Pike RCT3, 150mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Deluxe RT DebonAir
- Hubs // DT Swiss 350, 110x15mm Front & 148x12mm Rear
- Rims // Race Face ARC 30, Tubeless Compatible, 30mm Internal Rim Width
- Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF 3C EXO 2.3in Front & Minion DHR II 3C EXO 2.3in Rear
- Chainset // SRAM GX Eagle, 32T X-Sync 2 Chainring
- Rear Mech // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed
- Shifter // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed
- Cassette // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed, 10-50t
- Brakes // SRAM Guide RS, 180mm Front & Rear
- Stem // Race Face Aeffect R 35, 60mm Long
- Bars // Race Face Turbine R 35, 20mm Rise, 800mm Wide
- Grips // SDG Stage 1 Lock-On
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 31.6mm, 100mm Travel (XS/S), 125mm (M), 150mm (L/XL)
- Saddle // SDG Fly Mtn
- Size Tested // Medium
- Sizes available // X-Small, Small, Medium & Large
- RRP // £4200 GBP / $6799 AUD
Comments (6)
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Just look at the dry trails ,sunshine ,feel the warmth.no mud , not cold not dark no need to wash the bike just ride around in the dry , kick up some dust then go home and have a cold can’t remember how that feels.why do we live here? Why does will live here?
@reinswood – Technically, I do have a return ticket 🙂
The classic two year working holiday visa…? I’m still in aus having done it the other way round!!!
@andycruickshank – Not quite. I’m actually a half-blooded muggle with dual citizenship. So depending on the cricket scores I alternate between being British or Australian 🙂
Hi Wil – have you got a weight as tested?
@sok – Certainly do! The weight for the medium size that I’ve been riding (without pedals) is 13.54 kg / 29.78 lb.
ST Wil.