Your buddies will hate you on the way to the trailhead because you’ll always be a few meters ahead of them aboard this bike. With its fast rolling tire combo, the Optic quickly gets up to pace and is perfect for sprints. We never missed the lock-out lever on the shock as there’s almost no pedal bob to speak of. Nevertheless, the bike accelerates willingly with its firm rear suspension. This position is comfortable and pays off on steep and technical climbs.
Instead of being stretched, you’re sat upright and central on the bike. The Norco Optic doesn’t exude the trail bike feeling that we’ve gotten used to in recent years. The Norco Optic is one of the boldest and most progressive mountain bike concepts we’ve seen in a long time and that is exactly what makes this bike so good! Size The angle of the seat tube is steep at 76° while its length is kept short at 445 mm to perfectly round off the bike’s modern geometry. In order to optimise the bike’s weight distribution, the chainstay length increases with frame size and with a 38 mm drop, the bottom bracket is very low. Geometry of the Norco Optic C1Īt 480 mm, the Norco Optic has the longest reach on test and no bike could outdo the 65° head tube angle of the Optic either. But that is exactly what makes the bike so comfortable and adds a lot of control on steep, technical climbs. The riding position on the Optic is very upright and more reminiscent of a modern enduro bike than a lively trail bike. The stem and the seat post aren’t the nicest looking but neither of them gave us any room for criticism in terms of functionality. So, despite the reasonable price of € 5,499, the bike is really well specced. With the Optic, Norco have focused on the essentials and saved wherever possible. We would add a little more tape nonetheless, just to be sure. However, the chainstay drops low enough that there was no damage to the paintwork. The additional cable tie on the down tube doesn’t help either – it slipped into the frame during testing.Īt first glance, the chainstay protector seems too short. However, we were annoyed by the sound of rattling cables as soon as we hit the trails. At first glance, the chainstay protector seems too short, though the chainstay drops down far enough that there was no damage to the paintwork. That said, we didn’t suffer any flats with a slightly increased tire pressure of 25 psi up front and 29 psi in the rear. While the light SnakeSkin carcass of the Schwalbe Magic Mary tire up front and Hans Dampf at the rear are okay, with good grip and low rolling resistance, they don’t offer the best puncture protection. The silver, 140 mm travel RockShox PIKE Ultimate suits the bike perfectly both in its looks and performance. The spec includes a specially developed RockShox SuperDeluxe DH shock without a climb switch, Shimano XTR four-piston brakes, a 45 mm stem and a 780 mm handlebar. It features long and slack geometry and robust componentry. Leaving the suspension to one side for a moment, the Norco Optic looks like an all-out enduro bike at first glance.
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