British Columbia is home to some of the best riding in the world, with epic mountains, lush forests and technical trails. Any bike that was designed in this type of environment is sure to be a capable rig. The Sight Carbon 7.2 is a bike that was born in B.C. and has grown up to explore mountain bike trails all over while never forgetting its roots. We brought one of these Canuck-born-and-bred all-mountain machines stateside to see if it’s truly the kind of trail-ripping machine we would expect a company with access to North Shore trails to build.
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B.C.-born: The Sight has B.C. roots that are felt on every technical section of the trail. The more we rode the Sight, the more we realized how few boundaries this machine has.
B.C.-born: The Sight has B.C. roots that are felt on every technical section of the trail. The more we rode the Sight, the more we realized how few boundaries this machine has.WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
The Sight has a little something for everyone. Whether you’re an experienced trail or enduro rider looking for something that will climb better but still hold its own on descents, or a cross-country racer looking for a light all-mountain bike, this bike was made for you.
The price of this bike is competitive at less than six grand, and it includes a Reverb dropper post, X1 drivetrain, Guide RS brakes, Cane Creek DB Inline shock and Rockshox Pike RC fork.
WHAT’S IT MADE FROM?
Norco offers the Sight in carbon and aluminum frame options. The 7.2 offers a carbon front triangle featuring Norco’s Killer B technology built around 650b (27.5-inch) wheels. The rear triangle is carbon, with the exception of the aluminum chainstays, which is a plus in terms of strength and durability. Norco created the Killer B geometry specifically around 27.5-inch wheels and all-mountain riding. It enables riders to distribute their weight properly and enjoy the nimble feel that this style of bike has to offer. The geometry was definitely one of the features we appreciated most about this bike. Testers had several long days on the Sight and were impressed with its versatility.
Accompanying the carbon frame is a 12×142 thru-axle on the rear and 15-millimeter thru-axle up front. All of the cables run internally, resulting in a clean look that keeps cables away from brush and other trail obstacles.
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Bow it: The rear triangle has a unique shape that shortens up the chainstays and puts the rear wheel close to the frame for better handling. The close wheelbase felt right at home on tight trails.
Bow it: The rear triangle has a unique shape that shortens up the chainstays and puts the rear wheel close to the frame for better handling. The close wheelbase felt right at home on tight trails.WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Looking at the components that came on the 7.2, we initially thought it was a pretty high-end build considering the price. The Rockshox Pike and Cane Creek DB Inline definitely stood out. Norco included some solid rubber with the Schwalbe Magic Mary 27.5×2.35 up front and Hans Dampf 27.5×2.25 in the rear. Even though the bike comes with an X1 drivetrain that has a SRAM narrrow-wide chainring, Norco included an e*thirteen XCX chainguide. We don’t know many people who are dropping chains with the 1×11 kits, but a chainguide is always a welcome insurance policy. The tires and chainguide seemed to be subtle reminders of Norco’s roots and a hint as to how the engineers thought the Sight should be ridden.
Infinite adjustment: The Cane Creek DB Inline has an end- less amount of adjustments, but to get to the perfect settings will take some serious time and patience.
HOW DID IT PERFORM?
Prepping the bike to get out on the trail was a bit of a process. The Cane Creek DB Inline is not the easiest suspension to set up. Cane Creek provided an info card with base settings for rebound and compression, which was helpful but still a hassle. We kept a couple tools handy on the trail to make some adjustments when out riding, but once we were able to dial in the DB Inline, it was smooth sailing. The DB Inline weeped oil initially and collected a ton of dust in the dry California climate.
Moving out: The cockpit on the Sight is well thought out. The stem length and bar width in relation to the geometry were on point, making for a really comfortable ride and giving our test riders good leverage and control. Our bike came stock with 760-millimeter Race Face Turbine bars. We anticipate other riders wanting to go wider, especially given the capabilities of this bike.
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Take any corner: With a tight wheelbase, the Sight takes any corner with ease. The Magic Mary front tire hooks up well in loose corners and provides stability at speed.
Take any corner: With a tight wheelbase, the Sight takes any corner with ease. The Magic Mary front tire hooks up well in loose corners and provides stability at speed.Cornering: We were impressed with how hard we could push the Sight into turns. Whether perfect berms or loose off-camber corners, the Sight could hit its line with the right weight distribution. The Magic Mary up front definitely played a part in the bike’s ability to rip through turns, but the Killer B geometry was also noticeable, as riders could back into the suspension. Every corner was fun, fast and confidence-inspiring, which made us want to push harder every time.
Climbing: For an all-mountain rig, the Sight climbed surprisingly well and could hold its own up steep sections. The Hans Dampf isn’t the best-climbing rear tire we have used, but it is well-suited to this bike. Again, the geometry of the bike played its part. There were a couple rides where we focused on climbing and were able to achieve a more aggressive and efficient climbing position.
The suspension itself had some adjustments that made climbing better. We could adjust the stiffness of the Pike based on what kind of climbing we were doing, and the Double Barrel Inline has a climbing switch that stiffens up the shock to make ascending easier. Out-of-the-saddle climbing was a little awkward, but the bike was geared low enough that we could grind out the steep stuff in the saddle.
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Strong front end: Not only does the Sight have a solid build kit, the head tube has a unique shape that gives it extra strength and adds to the clean look of the frame design.
Strong front end: Not only does the Sight have a solid build kit, the head tube has a unique shape that gives it extra strength and adds to the clean look of the frame design.Descending: We could go on and on about how much we enjoyed descending on the Sight. The slack head angle, combined with the 140 Pike and Magic Mary tires, gave riders a ton of confidence. Every lip or bump on the trail became a jump or kicker that the Sight was more than happy to take advantage of. Flowing singletrack was swept under the suspension and made riders want to push their speeds. Pointed down steep rocky sections, the dropper post allowed us to sit back into the suspension and let the Sight float down the mountain with ease.
Though we’ve mentioned it already, we feel like we can’t give enough credit to the Killer B geometry. The technology really came alive on descents, allowing riders to rip down steep grades with confidence.
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Throw it down: The Sight will tackle any steep section with confidence. The combination of the RockShox Pike and slack head angle give the Sight endless downhill capabilities.
Throw it down: The Sight will tackle any steep section with confidence. The combination of the RockShox Pike and slack head angle give the Sight endless downhill capabilities.Norco’s ART suspension is designed to increase pedaling efficiency, increase square-edge bump compliance and improve braking power. The progressive suspension made hitting technical, rocky sections easy, and our riders noted that the linkage provided a smooth feel that did a nice job of resisting bottoming on jumps, chutes and drops.
TRICKS, TIPS, UPGRADES
The rear hub is a DT Swiss 350, and the front is a Formula, both laced to Sun Helix 25 rims. The wheels weren’t bad, but felt heavy and somewhat flexy. We upgraded to a different carbon wheelset for a few rides and noticed a drastic difference. This is the first thing a Sight rider should look to upgrade. While we liked the cockpit on the Sight, the bars are one area where a rider could save some weight and add more stability.
The Cane Creek DB Inline is ultra adjustable, but not on the trail. Plan to spend some time getting this thing dialed in before you ride rather than hoping to make adjustments on the fly.
BUYING ADVICE
A bike created in B.C. with B.C. riding in mind is a serious option any trail rider should consider, and the Sight does not disappoint. Some might find the price tag a little steep, but the Sight delivers rock-solid performance that’s certainly not overpriced. We would be hard pressed to find a bike in this class that outperforms the Sight.
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