Norco Bigfoot VLT Fat E-Bikes Bring Freedom to Riders During Winter Months

If you put two and two together, the above statement tells you that there's a bike out on the market meant to offer riders the ability to continue their favorite sport even though everywhere you look, nothing but snow can be seen.

It's called the Bigfoot VLT, but what it is is a whole different story altogether. The VLT is an electric fat tire bike meant to help you overcome winter wonderlands as if sasquatch himself is giving you a piggyback ride.

If you've never heard of Norco, it's never too late to learn something new. this cycling team has been around since 1964 and is based on the idea that the bike can be used as a sort of communion with nature. Having a look at their lineup and history, riders would say they succeeded in completing that goal.

Now, the Bigfoot VLT is available as two different bikes, the VLT 1, with its suspension front fork, and the VLT 2, with a solid front fork. However, since we have images primarily for the VLT 1, and because it's the most equipped of the two, I'll be focusing most of the attention on this specimen.

Overall, the VLT 1 features a 6061 aluminum frame with clean internal cable routing for the drivetrain, brakes, and dropper post. That's right, it's dropper post-ready. Like other solid e-MTBs on the market, the Bigfoot, too, is an e-bike with a mid-mounted motor and a battery pack installed into the down tube. By the looks of it, it may be a removable one meaning your range is easily extendable as long as you own another battery pack.

Since I'm already on the subject of electrical components, I might as well continue the story with battery and motor components. For the VLT 1, Norco throws on a Shimano STEPS E8000 with a whopping 630 Wh battery, and for the VLT 2, an E7000 setup with a 500 Wh battery. For the E8000 motor, 70 Nm (52 lb-ft) of torque is reported as being the peak output.

Since these bikes are hardtails, at best you'll have a suspension fork to help reduce some of the shocks of terrain. The VLT 2 does feature a solid aluminum fork, while the VLT 1 seems to be the more able of the bunch as it showcases a Manitou Mastodon Prop with 100 mm (3.93 in) of travel. Pair that with the new SFM from Tailfin, and this bike can be transformed into one mean bikepacking machine. The second obvious component that will be covering vibrations, shock, and grip, are the tires. Terrene Cake Eater studdable tires with 4.6-inch diameter should cover anything this winter season throws at you.

As for the drivetrain on the VLT 1, SRAM is the team chosen for the job, oh, and braking too. A SRAM SX Eagle shifter controls an NX eagle derailleur, shifting an NX Eagle chain on an NX Eagle Cassette. Dang, with so many eagles, this thing better fly, and with an 11-50T range and 12 speeds, it looks like it certainly can. Since it's a rather large bike, 200 mm (7.87 in) Centerline rotors will be your stopping power.

You should be aware of just one tiny aspect, nowhere on the manufacturer's website was I able to find a weight for these beasts, nor on any other reputable source; with an electric motor and battery, I don't think that matters much. Then again, more weight should help you stick to those icy winter roads a whole lot better. Don't forget those tire studs and a helmet.

If you like the 2021 Bigfoot VLT1, expect to dish out 5,800 USD (5,016 EUR at current exchange rates) or more, depending on your dealership. For the VLT 2, 5,300 USD (4,584 EUR at current exchange rates) is the asking price. I don't know about you, but to have a winter-crushing machine like this is a big step up from sitting around the house for god knows how many more winter seasons.