Ready to buy: 2018 Norco VLT R 1

[andyJH]

Hello everyone.

After a couple of months of thinking/learning/dreaming along with a few short test rides, I am ready to buy.

I am going to rent a 2018 Norco VLT R 1 (I know Court would prefer the S 1) from my LBS for a day to calm my range anxiety issues. If everything checks out they will apply the rental fee to the purchase of a new bike.

There are no reviews to be found on the bike. I like Norco as a brand. My main ride right now is a (non-electric) Norco. They have not attempted to integrate the battery (or motor for that matter) into the frame but I still find the look pleasing to the eyes. It comes with the Bosch Performance CX motor and the 500 Wh battery.

It is fairy competitively priced. The other two bikes that I was considering were the Brose powered Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 and the Piaggio powered Wi-bike Active (Deore).

Is there anyone out there who has some real life experience with this bike or a bike of similar components that would be willing to give some advice?

Thank you.

 

[J.R.]

Nice bike! I like the relaxed body position for a commuter. They have a good YouTube ad. Really, how would you rather commute, asphalt and concrete or woods and trail?

 

[andyJH]

My riding (and I ride as much as weather permits) is almost entirely paved bike routes/shared roads with the occasional groomed gravel path.

 

[rich c]

I have that tire on a Haibike Trekking. I don't enjoy riding on rock one little bit. Especially after rain, even the day after a rain is not fun.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Is there anyone out there who has some real life experience with this bike or a bike of similar components that would be willing to give some advice?

I have no experience with the bike; I can only give you my opinion as a bicycle mechanic: it looks great! Big plus for it being a full Deore bike. A lot of the time a manufacturer will save some money by spec'ing cheaper parts that consumers do not pay attention to, like the hubs. Shimano hubs are super-smooth, and as a bonus, they are Center Lock and thru-axle hubs, meaning disc and wheel mounting is easier and better. Another plus over the other two bikes is no proprietary tech. The Bosch system is super common, and you will have much less worry about a part not being available in the future.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Hello everyone.

After a couple of months of thinking/learning/dreaming along with a few short test rides, I am ready to buy.

I am going to rent a 2018 Norco VLT R 1 (I know Court would prefer the S 1) from my LBS for a day to calm my range anxiety issues. If everything checks out they will apply the rental fee to the purchase of a new bike.

There are no reviews to be found on the bike. I like Norco as a brand. My main ride right now is a (non-electric) Norco. They have not attempted to integrate the battery (or motor for that matter) into the frame but I still find the look pleasing to the eyes. It comes with the Bosch Performance CX motor and the 500 Wh battery.

View attachment 20528
It is fairy competitively priced. The other two bikes that I was considering were the Brose powered Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 and the Piaggio powered Wi-bike Active (Deore).

Is there anyone out there who has some real life experience with this bike or a bike of similar components that would be willing to give some advice?

Thank you.

Hello AndyJH,

The Norco VLT R1 looks like a really fine bike, solid components and the Bosch Performance Line Power System is as good as the come.
I have two Trek e-Bikes with the same Bosch system and they perform flawlessly, powerful and extremely smooth. Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tires... I think they are great...

One of my bikes is a Trek XM 700+, with similar lines to the Norco VLT R1. I cannot say enough good things about my bike, I have over 1400 miles and just love it. If you haven't checked the Trek out and depending the price point of your Norco VLT R1, you might take a look. The link is below.

I can say first hand that Trek service is fantastic. I had a chain guard issue and my LBS and Trek solved the problem providing free parts.
Good luck in your endeavor.

Here's Court's review of the trek XM 700+ .....

John from CT

 

[andyJH]

Hello AndyJH,

The Norco VLT R1 looks like a really fine bike, solid components and the Bosch Performance Line Power System is as good as the come.
I have two Trek e-Bikes with the same Bosch system and they perform flawlessly, powerful and extremely smooth. Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tires... I think they are great...

One of my bikes is a Trek XM 700+, with similar lines to the Norco VLT R1. I cannot say enough good things about my bike, I have over 1400 miles and just love it. If you haven't checked the Trek out and depending the price point of your Norco VLT R1, you might take a look. The link is below.

I can say first hand that Trek service is fantastic. I had a chain guard issue and my LBS and Trek solved the problem providing free parts.
Good luck in your endeavor.

Here's Court's review of the trek XM 700+ .....

John from CT

That bike looks really nice John. I don't think it is available in Canada though. One of the bikes that I did a short test ride on was a Trek Super Commuter 7.

I liked it a lot but it was priced a full $1,000 dollars above the Norco. If the prices of both were closer I would be having a hard time deciding!

 

[John from Connecticut]

Andyjh,
The agreed $1000 more then the Norco is a lot of money. Should you go with the Norco VLT R 1 and if the ride is a bit stiff, especially
the seat there is a 'fix'... a good suspension seat post. I recommend the Cirrus Body Float. I have one on both of my bikes
and it makes all the difference in the world.

My Trek was like sitting on a stump ( for me ) I debated returning the bike, but installed the Cirrus Body Float Seat Post and it worked
wonders. There are other seat posts out there as well. I'm just familiar with them. The Cirrus isn't cheap, but it sure works. Good luck
with your new ride.

John from CT

 

[andyJH]

So today I took the Norco VLT S 1 for a ride that was just short of 60 K.

I weigh 82 Kg and am just over 6 Ft tall. There were gusty winds at times and was about 10 degrees Celsius. According to Endomondo there was 793 m ascent and 744 m decent, with an average speed of 17.75 km/h, and a top speed of 48.65 km/h.

I kept the bike in eco for all the level, downhill and slight uphill sections but used sport and even turbo on all the real hills or when the head winds got too strong.

*NOTE - when I knew that I was going to make it back to the bike store I put it in turbo mode*

Very happy with the experience and ordered the non-suspended model for pick up next week.

 

[J.R.]

Congrats! Welcome to ebiking.

 

[andyJH]

Just took delivery of the bike! What a gas to ride. Then the rains came and I had to high-tail it home. Right now I have a big grin on my face.

Thanks go out to Caps Bicycle New Westminster for letting take an extended ride on their demo bike. There is no way I would have felt good about dropping that much money on the bike if I had not had my range anxiety calmed.

 

[pokey]

I'm considering the same bike and this thread is literally the only review I can find. What are your impressions of the bike a few months out?

 

[steve mercier]

Just took delivery of the bike! What a gas to ride. Then the rains came and I had to high-tail it home. Right now I have a big grin on my face.

Thanks go out to Caps Bicycle New Westminster for letting take an extended ride on their demo bike. There is no way I would have felt good about dropping that much money on the bike if I had not had my range anxiety calmed.

Andy you have had the bike for 6 months now ...so how about an update?