2024 Norco Range VLT Review

Introduction:

2024 has brought big changes for Norco. They’ve revamped much of their line-up to entice buyers after a dismal couple of years of the post-COVID slowdown. While some brands are cutting spending and trying to keep their heads above water, Norco has taken a bold approach by developing a whole bunch of new bike models. Included in this wholesale, ground up revision is the Range VLT. The engineering team at Norco is investing heavily in high-pivot suspension designs and this newest big-hitting e-bike is evidence of that. Going with a high-pivot idler pulley could be argued as a risky move for a full-power e-bike, as the extra force on the drivetrain should accelerate wear. We’re here to see if their investment will pay off.

2024 Norco Range VLT C1 Highlights

● Carbon front triangle/aluminum stays
● Dedicated mixed wheels- 27.5” rear/29” front
● 170mm (6.7 inches) of rear wheel travel //180mm (7 inches) fork travel
● Norco’s VPS-HP suspension design
● 63-degree head angle
● 76.50 to 77.50 degree-effective seat tube angle. This changes per size. This size 3 has a 77-degree effective seat tube angle.
● No geometry adjustments
● Internal cable routing
● Boost hub spacing
● The static rear centre on each size is different, ranging from 428mm on the S1 up to 444mm on the S5, but these numbers will grow under sag.
● 750Wh battery
● 85Nm Bosch Performance CX Line motor
● Customizable power delivery through the Bosch Flow App
● Sizes: S1 through S5
● 57.6lbs/26.13kg (S3, no pedals)
● MSRP: $8999.00

Strengths
● The entire Bosch ecosystem is stellar
● Upright seated climbing position
● Superb descender, as long as the trails are fast
● Small bump compliance (high pivot voodoo)

Weaknesses
● Tall, heavy bike. A handful on slow, tech trails
● Questionable component selection
● No 29” rear wheel option
● Awkward SRAM AXS shifter pod

2024 Range VLT C1

Norco’s engineers and product managers set out to revamp the newest Range VLT for the 2024 model year. Outward appearances may hint that it’s a refined version of the previous model. However, upon further inspection, this new Range is a complete redesign from the ground up. The previous generation was a good bike, but it had some flaws that kept it from being a great bike. The previous generation Range VLT was a little unrefined, quirky, while not the most reliable.

At the heart of the 2024 Range is a different motor and battery. They’ve ditched Shimano in favour of the venerable Bosch Performance CX Line. This system is well-engineered and best of all, wireless. Gone are the cables that tended to hook on things and get ripped out. The result is a clean-looking cockpit with minimal clutter. Bosch is well known for providing a very sensical and smooth motor, which is probably the main reason for the change from Shimano.

Continuing with a trend seen in other Norco models lately, they’ve gone with a high pivot suspension design with this, their flagship Enduro e-bike. The Range is offering a newly designed frame and a new motor, and they set out to improve the suspension kinematics as well. According to Norco, by going with a high pivot, they say they can better tune the axle path. Senior Product Manager, Paul Burnett states,  “The Range VLT is supposed to be ridden in steep, rough, and challenging terrain where having a more rearward axle path helps to maintain rider confidence and control.” We’re not sure if this is true or just marketing mumbo-jumbo, but we’re here to find out.

Size-specific stays keep the relatively short rear centre manageable, in theory. Also gone are the dual 29” wheels in favour of a dedicated mixed-wheel setup. Norco claims they have done extensive testing with a 27.5" rear wheel to provide more control and maneuverability. Whether or not those claims speak to the bike’s trail manners is yet to be seen.

2024 Range VLT Models

This is Norco’s flagship C1 build, featuring a carbon front triangle and aluminum stays. There is also a C2 with a more modest component spec and an aluminum version that offers even more affordability. All models each feature the same Bosch Performance Line CX motor with 85nm of torque combined with a 750wh battery. The battery is upgradeable if you desire extra range, but there is also a range extender available. This C1 model comes in any color as long as it’s purple, which seemed to draw opinions from onlookers. People either loved it or hated it. While we don’t judge a bike by it’s color, purple wouldn’t be our first choice.

The Numbers

Here are a few key takeaways:

1. Norco has gone away from tee shirt sizing. Instead, bikes range from 1 to 5 and can accommodate riders from 5’1” up to 6’5”. Our test bike is a size 3, which is meant for riders from 5’7” to 5’11”. The longish 467.5mm reach meant that the sizing was close to perfect for our tester’s 5’9” stature. 
   
2. Norco’s engineers say that the static rear centre is rather short, but because of the high pivot, those numbers grow while the suspension compresses. According to Paul Burnett, he says, “The rear centre grows by 11mm from extension to ride height (sag). It continues to grow up to a max of 15.5mm of total growth at roughly two-thirds of the way through the travel where the axle path transitions to forward for the remainder of the travel.”
   
3. The effective seat tube angle changes with each size. Our size 3 test bike had a steep 77-degree seat tube angle, which placed the rider in a comfortable and upright climbing position.
   
4. The head tube angle is a slack 63 degrees.
   
5. Its weight is listed at a rather hefty 57.6 lbs. 
   
6. Estimated pricing for a battery extender is about $500.
   
   

The Testing Areas

We set out to test this bike in the most varied trail types we could ride. We rode the 2024 Range VLT over three months in North Vancouver, Squamish, and Kamloops, British Columbia. We also used it to compete in The Mega Volt - an e-bike-specific event held in Naramata, British Columbia. The combination of these areas offers the perfect mix of tight, technical, and slow singletrack, along with high-speed downhill trails and steep climbs. While the coastal region is generally wet and technical, the interior region of British Columbia is semi-arid, loose and super fast. We sessioned double-black diamond rated trails as if we were riding a downhill race bike. While conversely, we took the big Norco on cross-country type trails to test its’ versatility. The Range was put through the wringer, raced, ridden hard, and put away wet. Literally. Trail conditions were a mix of everything you could have, which is a perfect way to round out the testing period.

Bike Set-up

Norco’s Ride Align is a very useful tool to get you in the ballpark of setting up your bike. Their newest version is pretty slick and vastly improved over last year’s. Our first ride was before the new Range was released on Norco’s website, so we had to set the bike up the old-fashioned way. Turns out, our educated guesses were bang-on with their Ride Align settings once the team made them public.

It’s worth noting how easy Norco’s engineers have made it for the consumer to set their bikes up. It takes all the guesswork out of suspension settings and gives you appropriate recommendations for bar width and tire pressure. Setting your bike up the old-fashioned way seems archaic in comparison to what the team at Norco has provided. You’ll feel spoiled by how easy and accurate they make the process of setting up a new bike. Other bike brands should take note, as Norco has set the bar with Ride Align.

At five foot, nine inches and 185 pounds, our tester’s recommended Ride Align settings were as follows:

Tire pressure - 23 to 25 psi front and 25 to 30 psi rear, depending on trail type and conditions. For racing purposes, we went with 25 front and 30 rear.

Fork
- 74 to 76 psi
- 7 clicks out rebound
- 7 to 8 clicks out low-speed compression

- 0 to 2 clicks out high-speed compression

Shock
- 240 to 242 psi
- 8 clicks out rebound
- 0 to 3 clicks out compression
- 2 to 3 clicks of hydraulic bottom out

We stayed with these recommended settings for the first few rides and adjusted them based on trail type and weather conditions. Norco’s engineers were very accurate with their suggested recommendations. However, while riding steeper trails, we could have used another token or two in the fork.

Riding the Norco Range VLT C1

Climbing

The Range’s high pivot seems to help technical climbing, as the suspension design mutes square-edged bumps which seems to propel the bike forward. It caught us off guard a few times, as we expected the bike to get hung up but it kept going, undeterred. As with any full-power e-bike, it can take you up some very steep climbs. Technical climbing became a fun challenge to look forward to. However, the short rear centre with a slack head angle allows the front wheel to wander and sometimes get airborne. Although the steep seat angle puts you in a comfortable climbing position, it’s good practice to lean over the front to keep the front wheel stable. The rear wheel has so much traction that you’ll be looking for impossible climbing routes. Rear end grip, combined with 170mm of travel made us straight-line rooty climbs where normal bikes would get bogged down.

The Range allowed us to chase uphill Strava segments - e-bike-specific ones of course. The power delivery in combination with the bike’s climbing efficiency opened new opportunities while making ascents fun again.

Continental’s Kryptotal tires also assisted in instilling climbing confidence. The Range’s climbing prowess owes some of this to the traction of those Contis.

However, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention how large this bike is, and how awkward it becomes when the trail is tight and twisty. The Norco, with its combination of a long front center and a short rear center, made switchbacks challenging. This bike also feels tall, like you’re sitting on top rather than in it. We found the Range easy to get along with most of the time, but occasionally, this awkwardness on tight trails caught us off guard.

This Bosch motor rewards a slower cadence and more torque from the rider. It’s quite a smart system. In the Bosch world, more effort equals more power. It feels as natural to non-assisted riding as you can get. Spinning results in less power and less battery usage. With a max torque of 85nm, we rarely used the “Turbo” mode, as it was almost too much power. We mostly used the eMTB and Tour+ modes, as we wanted to extend the battery life and put in some longer mileage. All modes are tuneable in the Bosch Flow App, and this allows the user to customize the bike’s power delivery any way they want it.

As for battery life, as long as we didn’t max the power output, we could confidently achieve between 1200 and 1500 meters (4000-5000ft) of climbing before range anxiety kicked in. It was sufficient, but on occasion, we would have loved an extra lap. On a good day, we could ride about 25 miles (40kms) with enough juice to get us back to home base. If max power output of the Turbo mode is your jam, then like with most batteries, you’ll be in for a prematurely short ride. Still, you can get a decently-sized climb out of Turbo, but we’d recommend staying in eMTB for the climb, and go for a second lap.

It’s worth noting that our rides on this bike consisted mostly of big climbs and long descents. If you’re riding areas are less steep, or you like to get a good leg workout, you’ll be able to get more battery life from the Norco.

Descending

The Range is a big bike - a heavy, girthy unit. At first sight, you’d think that it would be a handful and difficult to maneuver. That’s only partially correct. It becomes a handful when the trails are slow and technical. Tight corners are where this bike suffers the most, but any downhill-oriented bike would be in the same predicament. On our first outing, we made the mistake of riding a very tight, technical North Shore trail, and it left us questioning our decisions. Maybe it’s our general disdain for riding tight, janky trails, but we don’t think this is where this bike shines. To be fair, this is true for any bike of this length, weight and suspension travel.

We like fast trails as much as the bike does, so our janky frown immediately turned upside down as soon as we were able to open it up. The Range comes into its own at higher speeds. The difference in enjoyment is immediately apparent the moment the speed picks up. This bike also likes to get airborne and this trait improves the faster you ride it. Its agility comes into play at a fast pace and becomes easy to toss around despite its weight. Its 57+ pounds of mass disappears at speed, which then had us reminiscing about the good ol’ days of racing downhill. It could be an added effect of a smaller rear wheel, but whatever is going on, it works extremely well. This behemoth likes to plow and that gives the rider confidence to hit things straight on. We took lines that would normally make us cringe, yet the big Norco championed on. The Range also holds a line through loose corners better than any bike we can recall. It is such a fun bike to blast downhill laps on that we didn’t want to stop riding.

Speaking of weight, there’s no getting around the sheer heft of the Range VLT. You feel it no matter what you’re riding. Hitting berms at pace made the tires collapse, despite running higher air pressure. These Continentals are hard to find fault with, but there’s a lot of force of nearly 250lbs of combined matter smashing those turns. Honestly, it’s the fact that this bike is a very capable descender more than anything, as you’ll find your average downhill speed will most likely increase aboard the purple Norco. Those corners come up quicker than you might expect and panic braking will likely come into play. Expect some squirm in your rubber. Even with the motor turned off, our average downhill speed was greatly increased over a regular mountain bike. That weight is an advantage when you’re carrying momentum and it shows in how quickly you’re moving. You’ll want to straight-line sections of gnarl instead of riding around them, because the bike is really that capable.

Stack height is worth paying attention to if descending over climbing ability is your aim. We tried slamming the stem onto the top headset cap and found that this made the bike’s fit seem way too off. It had lost some of its downhill prowess. We then placed 20mm of spacers under the stem and voila! The Range was comfortable again. Bar width had a role to play in this of course, as the bike came stock with an 800mm wide handlebar. Cutting it down to compensate for the frame’s long reach would have helped fitment, but it was close enough that we left it alone.

While we could notice the Range’s surprising agility at speed, the smaller rear wheel seems to get hung up more than we like on rough trails. We grew accustomed to unweighting the rear wheel to keep forward momentum. It made our forward weight bias more prominent. While not a bad trait, it was something we noticed. A smaller rear wheel might benefit some downhill racers, but this bike is rarely being raced. The main reason for going with a smaller rear wheel is for agility and directional changes. Although the smaller rear wheel may help in some situations, the Range is a plow and deserves a large rear wheel, or at least the opportunity to try one. However, this may be indicative of how and where we like to ride. We like carrying momentum over natural trails and fast sweeping turns instead of tight or abrupt directional changes. A 27.5” wheel may be beneficial on certain trail types, but given the choice, we would pick dual 29-inch wheels every time. It’s not a deal-breaker, but our curiosity left us wondering “What if?”

Component Check

Although Norco has chosen most of the components wisely, there are a few modifications that we would make. Here are some highlights and lowlights of the Range C1 build:

1. Mixed wheels. Although Norco’s engineers say they went with a smaller wheel for the sake of agility and to achieve such a short rear centre, we would like the option of trying a 29” rear wheel. The 27.5” may have contributed to the bike’s ability to change direction, but a 29” wheel rolls over rough stuff more easily. 
   
2. WTB Wavelength grips. We’re very picky about the touchpoints of our bikes. These offered little support near the end of the bar and felt like there was a bulge in the middle. This led to our hands cramping up almost instantly. We swapped them out to our beloved ODI Elite Pro grips after the first ride and the hand cramps went away immediately. 
   
3. AXS shifter pod. We’re trying to understand why the ergonomics had to change so drastically from a mechanical shifter to this. A mechanical SRAM (or Shimano) shifter is far more intuitive, and we never got along with the AXS version even after multiple adjustments. Riding technical terrain while shifting often resulted in mis-shifts. In addition, the non-chargeable battery went dead after four rides. Nobody we spoke to who has tried this shifter liked it either, saying that they had to reach to shift. This is not progress.
   
4. Continental Kryptotal tires. These are standout components on the bike. They were very predictable and supportive while offering good traction in most conditions. Cornering, braking, as well as climbing performance was confidence-inspiring. Considering the varied conditions they were used in, these Contis never faltered. We completely forgot about them, which is a good attribute to have. To top it off, these tires last a long time. Over three months of abuse, they’ve barely worn. They’re now up there as two of our favourite tires.
   
5. The Bosch Flow App. This is a proper customization tool that is both useful and easy to use. Bosch’s Flow App made the whole ecosystem that much better, as you can fine-tune your power modes. We started our first couple of rides utilizing all 85nm of torque but dialled it back to 65nm on day three. While tackling steep climbs, we never saw a need to bump up to the maximum power output. Although, it’s nice to know you have it on tap. Turbo mode was rarely used, as we stayed in e-mtb mode most of the time.
   
6. Bosch Performance Line CX. The Germans have produced a nearly perfect system for power delivery. It responds to the way you ride and exemplifies your power output. The only minor complaint would be ergonomics. The handlebar-mounted mode button of this system (as well as in other brands) needs a wholesale re-think. We never found a good spot to mount it that didn’t mean stretching our thumb to reach it. While attempting to push the dropper lever, we would frequently hit the mode button, which resulted in unexpected moments in power delivery. Perhaps someone smarter than us can design a trigger-style mode button, reminiscent of a left-handed shifter.
   
7. Rock Shox suspension. While the Zeb performed flawlessly, the real star of the show was the Vivid shock. It truly felt as supple as a coil but had the progressiveness of an air shock. The Vivid features Rock Shox’s Hydraulic Bottom Out control - a small dial that you can tune in the amount of bottom out on your rear suspension. We liked this feature and hope to see it on more shocks in the future. With only 4 clicks of adjustment, we increased the bottom out by one click and it made a difference. However, accessing it on this particular Norco proved to be a pain, as you have to unbolt half the shock from the linkage to access it. Still, the Vivid shock is truly that good and easily the best shock we’ve ridden thus far.
   
8. SRAM Code RSC Brakes with a 220mm front rotor. Stopping this 57-pound bike with our 190-pound tester was never an issue. The larger rotor provided instant power at all times. A pair of SRAM Mavens would be at home on this bike and make the Range an even better descender. Some would argue that SRAM brakes have too much modulation, and the larger rotor helps increase the on-off feel of the stoppers.
   
9. Norco’s house-branded dropper lever. It's nearly perfect and features very light action.
   
   

Longterm Maintenance

This bike arrived in early spring to be ridden hard in a coastal rainforest. While we only had it for about three months, we purposely didn’t maintain it with our normal level of veraciousness. We also rode the bike hard and never babied it, always choosing the rough line over the smooth one. The bike was jumped when it shouldn’t have been jumped, causing a few impacts to the bottom bracket area. Nothing broke nor did any bolt wiggle loose. There are a few battle scars underneath the BB shell and a dented rear rim, but otherwise, the bike came out unscathed.

We begrudgingly left it dirty and didn’t oil the chain at normal intervals. Our goal was to cause premature idler wear. The usual culprit in accelerated idler wear/noise is chain alignment. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Range. When asked, Norco’s engineers promised they’ve spent a long time designing and manufacturing their pulleys with longevity in mind. Thus, they went with stainless steel over aluminum. They suggest replacing it at the same time as you would a normal drivetrain. It’s worth noting that the idler pulley is the same one featured on the Sight and Optic. They did this to provide the end user with simplicity at a lower cost. Inside, the pulley has a common size singular bearing, again to reduce cost and be readily available at most shops. The idler pulley never made any noise nor seemed to cause drag. We wouldn’t have known if this bike had an idler from riding it (in a good way). Over the testing period, there were absolutely zero issues with the idler. No noise, nor any wear to speak of.

The frame developed a little creak but it was determined it was a dry contact point in the headset. It was remedied with a slathering of grease. This isn’t uncommon in a lot of brands and isn’t worthy of chalking it up as a fault to Norco. It’s a good habit to strip your brand-new bike and apply grease to your contact points, and it’s something that we do on our personal rides.

While the TransX dropper goes up and down quickly and efficiently, it has developed considerable fore and aft play. We decided to leave it alone and see how it would fare over three months of abuse.

The SRAM AXS GX derailleur wasn’t that fortunate either. The shifting went out after a few rides and made us cringe while shifting under load. We followed SRAM’s instructions about micro-adjusting it which fixed the issue. The shifting did, however, get better as time went on, probably due to the chain and cassette wearing in together. Unfortunately, the shifting issues appeared once again, which isn’t as simple as turning a barrel adjuster. Trailside calibrations of an electronic derailleur aren’t as straightforward as adjusting a mechanical unit. Speaking of derailleur issues, we mistakenly took the bike out for a ride without checking the AXS battery. Whoops. We drove to the trailhead and discovered the error, meaning for the rest of the day we were stuck in one gear. It was our misfortune, but still worth noting that a mechanical unit wouldn’t have been faced with such a problem. These initial issues went away as time went on and eventually, the AXS deraiileur became more reliable.

The SRAM shifter pod is straight-up abysmal. The watch-style battery failed after 4 rides which meant we had to buy more batteries. Shifting while riding on technical terrain often leads to misshifts because of bad ergonomics and how sensitive it is. We wished it came with a cable-actuated unit. The style of this shifter left us wondering why SRAM got away from the more intuitive design of a trigger shifter. Electronic shifting is something we can live with, but please give us a better shifter. This is not progress.

The Crank Brothers Synthesis wheels stayed true and strong without any damage other than from user error. We put a significant dent in the rim but the wheel stayed true. These are the types of alloy wheels that would sway people from their carbon cousins. We cased numerous mistimed jumps and went nose-heavy into rock gardens along with the sounds of spokes “tanging” under pressure. The best products are the ones you never notice, and these wheels completely disappear beneath us.

We tested this bike in as many real world scenarios as we could - racing included. We embarked in the three day long Megavolt e-mtb race in Naramata, British Columbia. The best way to evaluate products is racing, and this was the perfect way to accomplish it. After day one, the charging port on the bike mysteriously stopped working. Fortunately, we had a team from Bosch at the ready to diagnose and (hopefully) repair the broken part. To their credit, they got the bike working again after spending several hours chasing demons and fixing error codes. We lucked out by having Bosch technicians there, but if they weren’t, then we’d be sitting by the sidelines with a busted bike. It did mean that we missed day two’s festivities, which was very annoying. By the third and final day, the bike was working and got our tester onto the podium in the e-Enduro race. This instance, although not ideal, didn’t affect how much we we loved riding the bike. Any e-bike can leave you stranded, and in this case, we hope that it was an isolated occurrence.

Conclusion

The 2024 Norco Range VLT is made for reformed downhill racers and riders who want to smash high-speed descents, over and over. It appeals to hard-charging riders who crave speedy descents with an easy way to climb to the top. This bike rewards people who can let go of the brakes and open it up. It’s very confidence-inspiring as it plows through rock gardens and stays stable when the trail is rough. The Range’s climbing position is nearly perfect as it tackles most things you throw at it. It’s a PR slayer that will have you frothing for more downhill laps and chasing KOMs. Even with the electronic assistance turned off, you’re still going blisteringly quick aboard the Range. The Range VLT is a very fast, confidence-inspiring e-bike.

There are a couple of minor shortcomings, like the lack of a 29-inch rear wheel, along with hefty weight. It also suffers when trails are tight. The malfunctioning charging port gave us cause for concern, and to our understanding it is rare. However, given the choice of any e-bike on the market right now, this Range VLT is near the top of the pile.