Norco Range VLT C1
Bigger and burlier is better
With Norco’s third generation of Range vlt, the company continues to deliver a consistent ride quality, just in a more refined – if burly – package.
The main change for the Range vlt is the addition of a removable battery unit. No small feat in a carbon-fibre frame, this feature drove a series of updates to the Range from the previous generation. The Range vlt battery unit slides out of the frame near the bottom bracket. The frame remains strong and provides the convenience and versatility of a removable battery pack while avoiding the torsional issues of some drop-out battery designs.
Batteries are custom-made for Norco in three sizes. The largest, an industry-leading 900-Wh battery, ensures you’ll have juice for the most ambitious adventures. The 540-Wh and 720-Wh batteries allow you to tune the Range vlt to shorter rides and save weight when you don’t need the big wattage.
Norco upgrades to Shimano’s latest motor, the ep8. Shimano improved the torque of the new system while making the motor quieter than the previous model. To fit with the removable battery, the motor is tilted up, away from the bottom bracket where it is more protected from impact and damage.
To accommodate these changes, Norco revised the suspension layout of the Range vlt. The look of the bike might be new, but the 170-mm travel has a suspension kinematic and ride feel similar to the previous generation.
With the powerful motor, the option of a 900-Wh battery and 170-mm coil-driven suspension, the Range vlt takes a bit of a Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor approach to pedal-assistance on the trails: more power, more fun. Instead of a punchline, though, Norco delivers the big mountain emtb with a solid spec sheet of e-specific parts.
Norco’s final change to the Range vlt is with the hoops, up to 29" wheels from 27.5". The bigger wheels keep the bike rolling fast once it’s going, but they do extend the wheelbase. Now the Range vlt has a preference for speed, stability and momentum over playfulness.
Norco prioritizes durability to suit the bike’s big mountain and enduro purposes ahead of any short-term weight savings. Up front, there’s a Fox 38 Factory E-tuned fork. Grounding the bike are DT Swiss 1700 Hybrid emtb-specific wheels, with tougher rims, spokes and hubs. Powerful fourpiston Shimano XT Trail hydraulic brakes with big 200-mm rotors work hard to reign in the Range’s speed.
While not the lightest rig, the Range vlt is actually quite balanced. The e-rated Fox 38 fork and the coil shock work together to keep rider weight centred through the travel, even with the added weight of the motor. You can ride confidently, without having to think about how the emtb will handle compared with an unassisted bike. The Range vlt is more comfortable airborne than some eMTBS and happily stays planted when you want to plow through the most demanding terrain.
The Range vlt is a lot of bike, although Norco does offer two shorter travel e-mountain bikes: Sight, an allmountain bike, and the Fluid. But, if you looked at the Sight vlt and thought, nah, I need more, the Range vlt is your rig. With big travel and a burly build powered by a 900-Wh battery, there isn’t much – up or down – that the Range vlt can’t handle.