Review: MBR - Norco Optic Bike

VitalMTB has reviewed the New Norco Sight and Optic Bikes. Here is what they had to say:

It’s been more than four years since we’ve seen a Norco for sale in the UK, after distribution through Evans Cycles fell apart, but now in 2024 Norco is back with two new analogue bikes, the Sight and Optic. And what a change the US brand’s made, embracing a high pivot idler on its longer-travel Sight and on the 125mm travel Optic.

Need to know

• Carbon frame trail bike with high pivot suspension and idler.
• High pivot suspension design with idler delivers 125mm travel.
• Idler gets around 19 teeth, narrow profile and coating to reduce drag.
• Size-specific chainstays and seat tube angles, that grow with the sizing.
• 29in wheels, or switch to mullet with the Missing Link Kit that swaps out rocker link and shock mount.
• Frame gets space for bottle on each size, gear hangar, sleeved internal routing.
• Meaty chainstay and seatstay protection to quiet the chain.
• C1 Fox Factory build with SRAM XO T-type drivetrain unavailable in the UK.
• C2 build is in the UK, at £6,999 with mix of Fox and RockShox suspension.

That makes the Optic pretty unique, we’ve only seen the high pivot idler idea used on one other short-travel bike in modern times, aboard the 130mm Forbidden Druid. It took the Canadian brand two goes to deliver the right balance of small-bump sensitivity and support, but by the second generation we rated it as one of the best short travel trail bikes around. It’s a high bar for the Optic to clear then.

High pivot proposition

There’s a good reason why most brands don’t attempt the high pivot and idler design on the short travel bike, traditionally it’s added more noise, drag and weight. This is less of a problem on downhill or enduro bikes of course, where weight matters less, and which partly explains why there are a shed load of brands sporting the idea, with the Trek Slash the latest to the pile.

The other reason is suspension performance, of course. A high pivot design and its rearward axle path is said to make bikes better able to swallow big hits, more composed on rough terrain and generally feel like they’re delivering more travel than the numbers suggest.

Norco’s Virtual Pivot Suspension | High Pivot suspension design

There’s plenty to talk about with both the new Sight and Optic, but I’ll dive straight into the most interesting feature, the suspension. Norco’s calling it Virtual Pivot Suspension | High Pivot, a design that sends the wheel more rearwards than a conventional low-pivot design… although by how much we don’t know as the brand hasn’t shared this information.

The idler is mounted to the chainstay, it’s there to manage the chain growth and stop the pedal-kickback that would plague any high-pivot idler bike if left with a regular chainline. There’s no second idler pulley below the chainring, like on the Trek Slash, and this is because the Optic’s idler is positioned more rearward. In short, there’s enough contact with the chainring not to need one.

The Optic’s Idler is a biggun, there are around 19 teeth to the idler, which obviously makes sense in terms of reducing noise and improving pedalling efficiency. Norco says there’s a new coating and tooth pattern that further reduces noise, and certainly the teeth are all narrow rather than mirroring the traditional SRAM narrow-wide tooth profile… Norco must have designed its idler to fit this without slipping or – worse – dropping the chain.

Norco Optic frame

You can get the bike with an alloy or full carbon frame, and either material gets all the features listed here. That was complemented by a bottle mount on all sizes, tool mount bosses under the top tube, and internal cable tubes for silent running.

Norco was an early pioneer for proportional geometry, and it’s rolled it out onto the new Optic, which impressively features different swingarms for each of the five sizes. The bike gets some of the best standover height I’ve ever seen too, with enough space for a 240mm dropper on the biggest S5 size. And the seat tubes get steeper too as you head up the sizing, meaning tall riders will have decent climbing performance on steep climbs, without the shock sinking too far into its travel.

I can’t stress enough how much I like these design features because it means I can ride an S4 or S5 and get the right saddle height for pedalling. More importantly you don’t end up with an out of proportion front end on the biggest size because the chainstays grow enough to keep up.

Geometry and sizing

The Optic comes in five sizes, Norco doesn’t bother with the small-XL nomenclature here though, opting instead for S1-S5. The sizing is definitely on the large size, which is great when there are so many options to pick from, with the S4 here perfect for my 185cm height. I measured the bike at bang on 500mm in reach and a 755mm downtube, which puts it on the more progressive end of the market.

The head angle is slack for the short travel trail bike, and while the bottom bracket height is actually pretty high at 341 that matters less in a bike designed to sit deeper into its travel, which we’ll get to in a minute. The 435mm chainstay length is also misleading on a bike with a rearward axle path because it naturally grows when you’re actually riding the bike.

Norco Optic Components

The Otic C1 is top of the range, with Fox Factory suspension, a SRAM XO Eagle T-type drivetrain, posh We Are One carbon wheels on Industry Nine hubs, and a Deity carbon bar. The really bad news though is that the new distributors Silverfish aren’t bringing this bike into the UK, probably because the price would be over £8,000 by our estimates.

I like pretty much everything about the parts list then, the controls are perfect in terms of feel and sweep (although I’d cut the 800mm bars down by 20mm), the dropper post is the right size for an S4, and the trail bike tyre choice of Maxxis Minnion and Dissector is ideal for a short travel bike. I didn’t even miss a 200mm rotor on the rear brake (my usual gripe) because the braking grip is all there.

Verdict

The Optic is a modern masterpiece, the sizing and frame details like proportional chainstays are stellar, and the geometry perfect for aggressive riding. It’s just about the fastest trail bike I’ve ridden this year too, it’ll devour the climbs on your local loop and let you scream down the descents with pinpoint accuracy. Just be careful not overcook things though, the flat and composed suspension and rock-swallowing poise are nerve shattering, and I came in too hot in plenty of places. You’ve got to be strong to make it work though, the bike isn’t exactly plush… but perhaps I’m expecting too much from the snippet of travel on offer.