Review: BikePerfect - Norco Optic Bike

BikePerfect has reviewed the Norco Optic Bike. Here is what they had to say:

I tested Norco's all-new Optic with its trendy high pivot suspension DH tech in a short travel downcountry package

125mm rear wheel travel might have you imagining something of an XC bike, but think again, as Norco’s latest high pivot Optic blurs the boundaries and brings maximum downhill attitude to the short travel trail bike segment.

While never really liking the name, I’ve been a long-time champion of the downcountry category, even racing a couple of enduros on a 120mm short travel trail bike because I like the way the best ones ride so much. Many happy miles have been spent on every generation of Evil’s Following and I’m now bombing around on a Santa Cruz Tallboy for a lot of my testing; all the while continually bleating on to mates (or anyone that’ll listen) that it’s all the bike you need for most UK trail riding.

On paper then, with short travel pumped up with extra downhill attitude, Norco latest Optic couldn’t really be more up my street. It follows the familiar formula of the best downcountry bikes of geometry edging towards an enduro bike for high-speed stability, but with less travel to enhance the hop-and-pop factor you rapidly start to lose once too much suspension starts smoothing out too much energy from rider inputs and terrain.

Not happy with being just any old downcountry bike, the Canadian brand is looking to build on the older Optic’s reputation as one of the most aggro bikes in the category by going full gravity vibes and adding a high-pivot and idler setup that, so far, has only really been common on DH and enduro bikes. It’s no stranger to the concept either, having an Aurum DH bike for six years already that Greg Minnaar is now racing on, and also a really refined Range enduro rig that’s also one of the most aggressive in its class.

With the added drivetrain complications and presumably built tough enough to handle a hammering, it’s not exactly light though and clocks just over 15kg even with all the posh kit. UK distributors, Silverfish, currently only sell the much cheaper C2 model, but that bike looks a better deal anyway with sorted gear for £6,999 including a RockShox Pike Select+ fork, Performance Elite Fox shock and alloy wheels. This cheaper C2 bike also mysteriously gets far more fit-for-purpose Code R brakes than the SRAM Level stoppers here, which I’ll talk about more later on.

Design and geometry

I’m going to go a bit tech-heavy for a minute here, so bear with me. Pretty much the only other short-ish travel high pivot bike I can think of is Forbidden’s popular Druid, and while the two bikes look vaguely similar and share a 4-bar suspension design (upside down in Forbidden’s case), there are still significant differences.

Norco’s 5mm shorter travel HP design has 125mm of rear wheel travel and is called VPS-HP. It combines a 4-bar chainstay pivot design (like an FSR) with a much higher main pivot and then a 19t idler to manage the extra chain-growth (pedal kickback) this brings with it.

It's not that simple though, as with the idler mounted inside the Optic’s angled carbon chainstay, the upper chain line can change position relative to the cassette and the bottom bracket/front chainring as the suspension cycles. This gives even more bandwidth to tune preferred anti-squat and anti-rise characteristics, while still benefitting from the high pivot’s more rearward axle path (and better bump absorption). In total, the new Optic’s rear axle moves approximately 6-7mm rearward between full extension and sag to get out of the way of hits.

With less travel than the latest Trek Slash I tested recently and a more rearward idler, there’s no need for an extra lower guide here, but the way Norco lays it all out (with the idler non-concentric to the main pivot) means it has had to license the suspension design from i-track. It has apparently done loads of testing on the ideal idler position and reckons that “through extensive testing using an i-track configured idler location, anti-squat has been tuned for efficiency and responsive feel under power”.

Components and build

Norco’s priciest C1 build uses Fox Factory level suspension front and rear including a totally dialed Float 34 (that is probably still my favorite trail fork), and a Float X with climb switch. The shock has a trunnion mount and 5mm more stroke than the outgoing Optic model to retain the same 125mm rear wheel travel while adding extra progression. Norco says hard-charging riders should now be less dependent on volume spacers to get support.

Aside from the gold-coated top-tier Fox kit, there’s plenty other gear of the pricey variety including SRAM’s electronic T-Type AXS drivetrain. It’s the lighter and more expensive XO1 version with SRAM’s posh rounded-out-inside chain and longer-lasting chainring finish, rather than cost-saving GX Eagle too. The whole setup proved as solid and smooth as I’ve experienced elsewhere, and I reckon T-Type is a real advantage on these high pivot bikes where the slow and precise gear shift and every extra bit of chain smoothness can help counteract having a longer, more circuitous routing and an extra cog to spin through.

Ride and performance

Talking of those We Are One wheels feeling zippy and snappy, it’s a good job too, as while this new Optic could be considered to pedal OK for an enduro bike, I really didn’t rate pedaling efficiency and drive under power here compared to other short travel trail bikes.

I don’t know if this is because I’m a flat pedal ‘stomper’ rather than a clipped-in circler, but instead of a smooth continuous power band you get on some bikes, the Optic’s back end bobs under hard pedaling and I just couldn’t get the chassis to sit still when cranking and getting about the place. It feels like a chunk of energy is wasted on the downstroke and, rather than driving you forward with each crank, there’s kind of a soft and uneven pedal cycle that even moves too much for my taste when the Float X shock is locked out.

During testing, I back-to-backed this sensation with the Santa Cruz Tallboy on the exact same climb to see if I wasn’t imagining things, and I reckon that thing runs rings around the Norco in terms of converting energy from pedal power into positive forward motion. No one else is moaning about a spongy feel under power and pedaling efficiency has been widely praised elsewhere and obviously works for other testers like my MBR colleague Jamie who rides clipped in and is lighter than me. I’m sticking to my story though – the new Optic is significantly slower and less efficient at climbing than many in class, including its lighter predecessor I tested last year.

On top of this, there’s also a sense of extra drag here compared to many bikes and the idler setup is both noisier and feels less smooth than some high pivots like Trek’s latest Slash, which is especially odd, since that has the same XO1 T-Type drivetrain and also runs through an extra lower MRP guide and chain wrap that should potentially make it worse. Norco’s upper idler also developed an annoying squeak during testing to add to the chain rumble that you had to put up with while pedaling unless you kept it freshly lubed.

I’m aware that’s a lot of complaining already, but this is a nine grand bike after all, and to balance it out a bit, the new Optic is clearly really good at winching up steep technical climbs on looser surfaces. There is great grip and bite and I also felt really comfy with the seated pedaling position everywhere, despite this test bike being slightly larger than I’d usually prefer.

Verdict

This new Optic with high pivot suspension and an idler is a downcountry bike with amazing bump-swallowing capability that absolutely sings flowing down choppy trails, but it also pedals, climbs and weighs similar to an enduro bike, which makes its unique capabilities less appealing. This C1 version is very expensive, has underpowered brakes and I reckon Norco’s new changes to the suspension design haven’t been 100 percent successful in every department.

The older and lighter version of the Optic shared the modern, slacked-out geometry here that allows you to ride safely at speed and also offered sublime rear suspension. Overall though, it had a much more energetic attitude and sharper handling. With some killer deals still kicking about online for that bike, it’s likely where I’d be putting my cash if I was buying a new Optic right now.