In the early days of my e-bike experiences, when Direct Current was getting started, I mostly wrote-off lightweight e-bikes. It wasn’t that I necessarily wanted or needed the extra Newton meters of a full-power drive unit. More than anything, I wanted battery range to go out for more than a couple of hours without needing to limp home in Eco mode.
But Bosch insisted on sending me a test bike with its recently released Performance Line SX drive unit, so I thought I’d see if my tastes had changed over the last couple of seasons.
I set aside my trusty full-power Specialized Levo and took an honest crack at riding this Norco Fluid VLT on the regular. After a month of riding, I found that its nimble, active personality made it a little more fun than most beefy full-powered e-MTBs. But would I ride this bike full-time? Well, that depends…
Riding the Bosch SX Drive Unit
No surprises when it came to initial set-up — like any Bosch e-bike motor, you connect to the Flow app and choose your assist modes. In the case of this Performance Line SX unit, I could pick four from the eight options. I went with the new Sprint mode, then the familiar eMTB, Tour+, and Eco.
The Sprint mode is a fun option, especially on a lighter bike like this. In this setting, the motor reacts more quickly to higher cadence accelerations. With a bit of practice, I got a feel for how I could rev up the motor assist by spinning it up. Typically, I’d do this on the approach to a technical uphill, or upon exiting a slow corner.
The other assist modes felt predictable and smooth. With 55Nm of maximum assist, this bike is understandably mellower than full-power e-bikes. Overall motor noise seemed quieter than the CX Performance drive unit I’ve ridden in the past, which is nice. Most of the time, I would ride in eMTB mode, which felt plenty powerful on most climbs. For rolling terrain or downhills, I’d dial it back to Tour+ or occasionally Eco.
This Norco had a tidy System Controller built into the top tube, which I prefer to the larger Bosch displays. On the bars, I could toggle between assist modes with the Mini Remote, which is also nicely discreet. My only gripe is that the Mini Remote button action is too light for off-road riding. Sometimes I would toggle two modes, when I only wanted one click. This light action is something all Bosch controllers have, so I’m afraid I just have to get used to it and be more deliberate when I reach for those buttons.
Riding the Norco Fluid VLT C1
Norco was one of the first brands to pair up with Bosch to build a lightweight e-MTB off of the Performance Line SX drive unit. This Fluid VLT is quite pared down to make for an overall package that’s very squarely in the “Trail” category of the constantly shifting and confusing hierarchy of mountain bike definitions.
Norco Fluid VLT Basic Specs
| Front Travel | 140mm |
| Rear Travel | 130mm |
| Head Angle | 65 degrees |
| Weight | 40 pounds |
| Battery Capacity | 400wh (without range extender) |
Norco has a nice online set-up tool that lets you input your weight, terrain, riding style, and more to spit out baseline suspension settings. They were pretty much right on. Impressive.
On the dirt, it’s apparent that this is a short-travel trail bike. In a positive light, it’s easy to pop this bike off of little jumps, float over bumpy bits, and dive into corners. With a less rosy perspective, the limited travel and lack of a piggy-back reservoir on the rear shock makes the Fluid a bit of a handful on really rough and steep terrain. Manageable, yes, but it has a very different personality than the longer travel e-MTBs I’ve been riding lately.
Probably the biggest drawback is the braking. In a quest to hit that magic 40-pound benchmark (I presume), Norco chose SRAM Level Ultimate brakes for this bike. While they have four-piston calipers, these brakes are frighteningly underpowered. On a cross-country bike they’d be fine. However, this bike encourages aggressive descending with its geometry and wide handlebars. And I never felt entirely comfortable letting it go as fast as it wanted.
Does the Bosch SX Have Enough Battery Range?
For a quick n’ dirty pre-work ride, this Norco with the Bosch Performance Line SX is ideal (minus the brake complaint). I can use whatever assist mode I like, knock out a quick ride and come home with enough battery life to avoid range anxiety. For example, I did one of my typical loops from home, 16 miles, 1,600 feet of climbing, and about 1:20 of riding and ended up with 27% left in the battery. Decent.
But that sort of range wouldn’t allow me to do a solid weekend ride, like I would on a full-power e-MTB. The Bosch PoweMore range extender could be the answer. It fits into the water bottle cage and adds another 250 watt-hours, so basically 63% additional battery capacity.
Would I try it to extend this bike’s versatility? Certainly. But to me, a range extender of any kind — Bosch or otherwise — is an inelegant solution. It also means you can’t carry a bottle.
The Norco Fluid VLT with the Bosch SX drive unit is fun, but it still comes up short of the versatility you get from a full-power e-bike with more travel. For the type of terrain I ride — rocky, rough, with long climbs and descents — a bigger, more capable bike still wins out.