Norco Fluid VLT Review | An Absolutely LOADED eMTB

Norco makes five different versions of the Fluid VLT. At the low end, the entry-level model, the Fluid VLT C3, goes for $5,999. At the high end, the Fluid VLT C1—our test bike—retails for nearly $12,000.

Without going into each and every spec change between the price points, here’s how to consider what you get for spending more: The Fluid VLT C1 features top-of-the-line SRAM components with electronic shifting and wheels with carbon fiber rims.

For half that price, you can choose the Fluid VLT C3, which comes equipped with Shimano’s Deore drivetrain, which, like the SRAM drivetrain on the C1, has 12 speeds over a roughly 500 percent gear range. The fork and shock aren’t quite as nice, but the TRP brakes (made by the folks at Tektro) feature a 4-piston design.

While the C1 comes with a full carbon fiber frame, the C3 replaces the rear triangle with one that is aluminum.

One unusual difference between the two is that while the C1 offers 140mm of travel in the fork and 130mm of travel in the frame, the C3 does increase travel by 10mm in both the fork and shock so that it is 150mm front/140mm rear.

These differences in the frame, fork, and components result in the C3 weighing 5.4 lbs. more. That’s the penalty for saving so much money. Also, the components on the C3 aren’t going to last as long as those on the C1.

But here’s the kicker, which is what makes the Norco Fluid VLT C3 an exciting buy at $5,999: It is equipped with the Bosch Performance Line SX motor and CompactTube 400 battery, just like its big brother, making this one of the more affordable options on the market for an eMTB with the Performance Line SX motor.

All e-bike range estimates come with the caveat that your mileage may vary. No two people or trials are alike, after all.

But to give you at least a ball park, we have a standard eMTB course where we take all bikes and ride them on their max assisted power setting. The loop itself is about 24 miles and tackles 2800 feet in elevation.

The Fluid VLT turned in a good run. It went a little more than one full loop hitting 24.81 miles, with 2,850 feet in elevation with just over two hours of ride time in the saddle.

Riding full blast for over two hours is always impressive. The most notable remark from our range tester Bryce was just how lively the bike felt on the climb. You can credit that to the bike’s relatively low weight.

Also, many e-bikes have a battery management system that begins to curtail power as the battery level drops. Bryce noted that it was giving full power right till the end.

Now, if you’re the type that wants more ride time and you’re not worried about being able to say you have the lightest eMTB on the mountain, you can easily add more range. Bosch’s PowerMore 250 can be fixed to the frame to give you a greater range for a few extra pounds.

When we ran the course a second time, our tester Asha managed another 12 miles out of our course and gained a total of 3266 feet in elevation. Three hours of Turbo mode is no joke.

Many e-bikes have a battery management system that begins to curtail power as the battery level drops. One of the features of riding Bosch-equipped e-bikes is that we don’t see any loss in power until right at the very end.

I’ve ridden the Bosch Performance Line SX motor before, but this marked its first time on our standard hill test. I’ve been curious to see how it would perform on a climb that I’ve done—literally—hundreds of times.

The motor is incredibly quiet. It didn’t feel quite like some of the full-power motors I’ve ridden, but it was definitely peppy.

The motor noise increased when I downshifted and got my cadence up. It felt very natural overall, though it definitely had more snap when I got my cadence up. This is exactly what Bosch intended, so it’s no surprise that it responded more immediately when I pedaled faster.

eMTBs get extra testing at a second location, dubbed the water tower, with a longer climb on a dirt trail. When climbing, what I noticed was that the Performance Line SX motor does not feel as powerful as the Performance Line CX motor, which is understandable. The Performance Line SX produces 55Nm of torque, which the Performance Line CX tops that by 30Nm with 85Nm of total torque.

On Hell Hole, I recorded a time of 1:46 for an average speed of 10.2 mph. On the climb to the water tower, I clocked 3:54 for an average of 13.3 mph. Compared to an eMTB with the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, the Norco Fluid VLT C1 took an additional 17 seconds, while on the water tower climb it was 19 seconds slower. That’s not a significant difference, especially considering what you gain in handling by being on such a light eMTB.

I was able to feel the difference in power between a full-power (i.e., an eMTB with the Bosch Performance Line CX or Shimano EP8 or similar motor) and the Bosch Performance Line SX. It’s just not quite as punchy due to having almost exactly two-thirds of the torque (two-thirds of 85Nm is 56.66).

For the rider planning to ride with friends who have full-power eMTBs, you won’t notice the difference unless they are running theirs at full turbo for 100 percent of the time.

Most eMTBs on the market feature travel that ranges from 150-170mm. Enduro is all the rage. These rigs can take big hits. We were a little concerned that the Norco Fluid VLT C1 might not be able to handle our rocky, chunky trails with the sort of travel we associate with a trail bike, not an enduro bike. Our concerns were unwarranted, as it turns out the suspension was remarkably capable.

It is unusual to see differences in travel between different price points of the same model, but it’s not hard to conclude that part of what Norco was up to with the Fluid VLT C1 was by going with less travel, they could choose lighter suspension components, which helped this eMTB crack the 40-lb. barrier.

When talking about lightweight eMTBs, people will sometimes say things like, “It feels more natural.” What they mean by that is that the difference in feel between a mountain bike and a lightweight eMTB isn’t as pronounced.

A lighter eMTB corners differently than a heavier one and it is easier to be more playful with it, which is to say that it’s easier to pop off rocks or ride up banked turns. Sure, a heavier eMTB feels more “planted,” which is to say that it has traction like the tires are made of duct tape.

Shave 5 lbs. off an eMTB and you’ll notice that landings aren’t as hard when launching off rocks or ledges. It’s also a little easier to accelerate and transitions into steep hills feel smoother. That extra smoothness is part of what allowed Norco to trim 10mm of travel off both front and rear suspension travel.

If it’s not apparent by now, we were thoroughly impressed with the Norco Fluid VLT C1. Because its suspension setup (140mm front/130mm rear) was shorter than we commonly see, we did anticipate that it might hold us back a bit on difficult terrain, like with the Zen trail, where most of the trail is rock and the drops are numerous. Due to the way the suspension was tuned, that proved not to be the case.

Arguably this eMTBs single most important feature was their decision to go with the Bosch Performance Line SX motor. Had Norco chosen the Performance Line CX motor, they would have needed to go with a larger battery to give it as much range, and those two changes would have resulted in a heavier eMTB that wouldn’t have been as easy to maneuver on technical terrain.

There is more than one way to make a sub-40-lb. eMTB, but most of them involve spec’ing a motor that can’t produce 600W when you most need that much help. What that means is if you’re on a ride with friends with full-power eMTBs, such as those with the Bosch Performance Line CX or Shimano EP8 motors, you’ll be struggling to keep up.

And because the Norco Fluid VLT’s carbon frame weighs only a few pounds more than a downhill bike, you can ride with friends on regular mountain bikes and follow them along the same lines; not many eMTBs offer this kind of versatility.

There’s almost nothing to knock about the Norco Fluid VLT C1. Due to the nature of the rock where we ride, pedal strikes are a bigger problem for us than for many riders, and for us, the bottom bracket was low enough that we did experience regular pedal strikes. This isn’t a huge problem, but we might sub out the 165mm carbon fiber Praxis cranks for a set of 160mm cranks if we purchase this eMTB.

Norco did an impressive job of spec’ing multiple versions of the Fluid VLT. We don’t often see an eMTB with both an affordable version (relative to eMTBs) and a total halo version. More impressive is that the most affordable version, the Fluid VLT C3, comes equipped with the Performance Line SX motor; Norco didn’t spec a less expensive/desirable motor and they deserve big props for that.

This is one eMTB we’d rather not give back at all, or at least not until the end of the summer. Rarely do we encounter an eMTB that combines so much power with such playful handling. Norco hit a home run with this.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Norco Fluid VLT C1 down in our comments section.