Bike: Norco Sight A1
Year: 2023
Size: XL
Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate 160mm
Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate DH 150mm
Dealer: Moruya Bicycles
Watch my first impressions video on YouTube here.
First Impressions of the 2023 Norco Sight
I had my eye on the 2024 Norco Sight, which looked incredible. But when I saw the 2023 model at 40% off, I couldn’t resist the deal on such a high-performance bike.
Recently, I’ve been riding steeper, chunkier trails, and my shorter-travel bikes were starting to hold me back. The Norco Sight seemed like the perfect all-rounder—capable of handling rough, technical terrain while still being relatively easy to pedal uphill.
Aesthetics
On the website, the bike looks like it has a chrome finish with gold highlights. However, in person, it’s more of a dark grey, and the gold logo is subtle—only really noticeable when the sun hits it just right. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it still looks fantastic. I do wish the gold was a bit more prominent. To keep the bike in good condition, I wrapped it in Ride Wrap, which has been great for preventing scratches and dings.
Sound and Ride Feel
Initially, I was impressed by how quiet the bike was. It made me realise just how rattly my other bikes had become. Unfortunately, it quickly developed a creaking noise after the pivots got dusty. Cleaning them and torquing everything to spec fixed the issue for now, but I plan to pull the bike apart for a full clean and regrease soon. I’ve heard that some bikes don’t get enough grease from the factory, so I want to be thorough.
Suspension Performance
The suspension has been fantastic so far! It’s given me the confidence to hit chunkier sections of the trail at higher speeds. However, it did take some time to get the rear shock dialled in. I used the Norco Rider Aligned setup guide, but their recommendations were way off. I had to max out the rear shock to get 30% sag. Now that I’ve got it set, it’s performing well. I might experiment with adding volume spacers in the future to fine-tune the performance even further.
Grips
Since I’m a tall guy with big hands, one of the first changes I made was swapping the stock grips for thicker ones. Bigger grips help with hand and arm cramps, making longer rides much more comfortable.
Dropper Post
The 210mm OneUp dropper post has been a game-changer. My other bikes have 170mm posts, which just aren’t long enough for my lanky legs. The extra travel on this post has been a revelation, and it operates smoothly every time. It’s by far my favourite dropper, and I don’t see myself using anything shorter than 210mm in the future.
Conclusion
It’s still early days, and I need more time to put the bike through its paces, but so far, I’m incredibly happy with the Norco Sight. It took some time to set up and get dialled in, but once I did, it started feeling fantastic. I’m excited to see how it performs on more rides.
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