First Look: Norco Sight C 9.2 // a nimble 29er all mountain rig

I used to hear “29er” and all mountain riding was one of the last things that would come to mind. This was probably caused by the early years of 29ers being heavily marketed towards cross-country and trail riders. Obviously the winds have changed with them making their mark on nearly every kind of trail. That even includes bikes like the new Salsa Deadwood, a full suspension plus sized 29er. The title may have given it away, but this bike fresh out of the box is the new Norco Sight C 9.2.

The Sight is Norco’s current take on an all mountain 29er. The frame is loaded with Norco tech including Gravity Tune, ART Suspension, Size Scaled Tubing, Armor Lite, and more. It’s not plus sized, but it offers plenty of clearance for the stock 2.35 tires leading to a sizable base of control.

Continue for the full breakdown…

Frame & Geo

The Sight’s rear triangle has aluminum chainstays linked to carbon seatstays. The 148x12mm Boost spacing offers a stiff connection between wheel and frame in addition to allowing shorter chainstays, more tire clearance, and stiffer wheels (requires a 6mm wrench for wheel installation/removal). Alloy brake hose clamps give the rear chainstay a clean look.

The bottom bracket is a pressfit Shimano BB92, while the seat tube fits a 31.6mm post. The Size Scaled carbon tubes vary in width and diameters depending on frame size. This allows for similar stiffness and feel across the size range (M/L/XL). And would ya look at that cage mount!

The robust junction between top and down tubes feeds into a 1.5-1.125″ tapered headtube.  Norco’s Gizmo system creates clean transitions for cables and hoses entering and exiting the frame. Not only does it prevent dirt and grime from entering, it’s adjustable to keep housing taught suppressing any internal rattles.

The geometry shows not only aggressive head and seat tube angles, it shows Norco’s Gravity tune at work. Similar to how the Size Scaled tubes standardize ride quality, the Gravity tune system adjusts front center lengths across the size range ensuring similar ride quality.

Components

The front is cushioned by a 140mm Rock Shox Pike. It features 110x15mm Boost spacing and, similar to the rear, requires a 6mm wrench to install/remove the wheel. Race Face AR 30 rims come tubeless ready on Shimano XT hubs, and get Schwalbe Magic Mary [F], Nobby Nic [R].

The cockpit is completed with a Race Face Atlas 800mm bar, Aeffect 50mm stem, and Half Nelson locking grips. The Rock Shox Reverb Stealth drops* into the seat tube with 150mm of travel on sizes M and L (170mm XL).

The Sight 9.2 is equipped with the 1×11 Shimano XT drivetrain. A OneUp S3 chain guide keeps the gears spinning over epic terrain, and comes with interchangeable guides for different chainring setups. XT hydraulic disc brakes coupled with 180mm rotors keep the 29er momentum under control. 130mm of travel cushions the back-end thanks to a trunnion mounted Rock Shox Deluxe RT3 shock.

Weight/Closing

Out of the box it weighs in at 30.49lbs, which is decent considering the tire/wheel size and XT components. Price: $5,000

I’m stoked to see how the Sight handles fast downhills and technical climbs in comparison to other 650b AM rigs. There are a lot of switchback climbs and rooted descents that should be easy peasy on the wide 29″ tires. I do have some skepticism about how it’ll compare on the downhills with maneuverability. Keep the news feed in…Sight for the full review!

Norco.com