2021 Norco Optic Review C2 - Best Short Travel trail Bike?

[@drayment100]

I have the 2021 C1 optic. Its a fantastic all round trail bike. I came from a Trek Remedy which was a good bike as well but very different character to ride. The optic really shines in fast man made trails I have broken every single personal best on Strava on every trail that I rode on the remedy.Its a bullet and its also alot of fun as it loves nothing better then popping off anything on the trail. It handles all but the real nastiest chunk well and even then it hold its line pretty well. It handles decent drops 4FT plus with ease. Its really comes alive the faster you push it and I have only found its limits in really chunky technical natural trails with tight corners as the length of the bike is not quite as nimble as my old remedy. It climbs pretty well and you are in an upright position which is great for balance. Im really happy with my Optic its just a fun , fast really capable trail bike that handle all but the roughest of trails and I think its almost supernatural ability is down to the great frame design and great quality component choices.

[@matthewchaston1218]

Great review Dustin. As the owner of a 2021 Optic, i completely agree with all your comments and the rider experience with this bike. Well done!

[@JohnSmith-mi8zy]

Solid review. I'm riding the C2 Shimano build with Fox suspension and have been really happy with it so far. It's not going to replace a full on enduro or XC but it's a great do everything bike.

[@blambmtb6189]

Great Channel! Thanks for taking the time

[@LoamRoamer]

Thank you !

[@MorryB]

I think you may have got the C1 (highest end standard build) and C3 (lowest end build) confused! I picked up the 2021 C3 (Shimano) recently and love it. The only items I may consider upgrading at some point are the stock Shimano brakes, just from an ergonomic standpoint, with the basic MT-420 levers almost needing two fingers for extra force. No real issues with stopping power on my local trails so far though. The other possible upgrade part (if and when it fails) is the Shimano FH-MT510-B freehub as the engagement isn't the best (36 splines?) and you can feel a little bit of lag sometimes. I'm impressed with the Vittoria tires and the bike feels much more stable on rough descents compared to my 2015 Trek Fuel Ex8 (27.5). It climbs great too despite being a little on the heavy side!

[@LoamRoamer]

Yep, I likely did mess that up c3 vs c1, great catch.

[@acoleyo]

I've just made the same purchase! Put a set of xt 4pots on and swapped the Vittoria tyres for an assegai up front and a dissector out back. Holy moly does this bike rip now.

[@russellmontez3936]

Nice review, I demoed an optic and really liked it. I wonder if this bike can fit a coil shock. That might be an interesting build with the a 150 fork.

[@MorryB]

You might be better off to look at the Norco Sight then. Its a little heavier than the Optic but better suited for trail/enduro type riding.

[@tobymills160]

Have you got mixed up between C1 and C3? You refer to the lower spec C1, however the C1 is the higher of the three C’s.

[@LoamRoamer]

video already edited a year ago with title over and comments made to the correction.

[@andreizian3993]

Hi. Thanks very much for this good review, which put the Optic in top of my choices. This year was launched the new Canyon Spectral 125, with very similar intend as the Optic, on the sheet there are a lot of similarities. Have you ever tried Canyon? It is hard for me to make a choice between the Optic C3, Spectral 125 Al 6 or CF 7 (my budget is 3500 €). It would be nice to have your opinion comparing these two bikes. Cheers!

[@LoamRoamer]

The new canyon looks awesome. In comparing them on paper, as I have not ridden the canyon, they are similar. For me, this decision would be the Norco, but I prefer a water bottle in the front triangle. The builds are similar and the geo is pretty close. I am guessing the longer reach on the Canyon will make it feel better on climbs to offset the chainstay. With the Norco you get suspension that is more trail-oriented, the shock on the canyon is xc oriented. Either would make a great bike. Let me know which way you decide to go?

[@andreizian3993]

@@LoamRoamer I am since friday the proud owner of a 2020 Norco Optic C3. It is the cheaper version, but for me it is my first new bike. So i am really proud of it. Didn't get to do just one lap because of the bad weather we had, rain&snow. The fit is perfect, I like the low standover, the frame is robust, looks like a clean design. I hope next weekend I can do more ridding. Again, thanks, your review was very helpfull 🤙

[@btentusscher]

Great review! You helped me out before with advice on the Stumpjumper 2021, but I stumbled upon an Optic C1 for a good price. How would you compare it to the SJ Comp 2021? My trails are pretty flowy with roots and a lot of flat climbs, some a bit more rooty. Hope to hear from you soon!

[@LoamRoamer]

I like it better, especially if there is technical chunk, it feels more stable and capable without having to manage that xc feeling rear of a stumpy.

[@btentusscher]

@@LoamRoamer Thanks! My fear is that the trails I can ride are too boring with a burly bike like the Optic… Whats your opinion about climbing compared to the Stumpjumper? The review of Guy Kesteven put my feet back on the ground, he is not happy with the SJ and I highly regard his judgement..

[@LoamRoamer]

@@btentusscher The stumpy is the better climber, and by a good margin.

[@btentusscher]

@@LoamRoamer Thanks! And now the final showdown: SJ vs Orbea Occam. What would be your pick for my style of riding?

[@ToddVess]

Looking at an Optic C1 what size you ride, I'm your size.

[@LoamRoamer]

Medium

[@walterkasper467]

You do really great reviews. I had a question. Do you thing there is a big difference between a fox 34 rhythm and a factory 34 grip2. With bikes hard to get I got a stumpjumper comp. I would have liked the expert more but could not get one I was thinking of upgrading the fork Thanks for the great videos very informative

[@LoamRoamer]

The biggest difference will be adjustability and the damper on a grip 2 will be a little smoother. That being said, once you get suspension dialed the difference is negligible. If I were looking at an upgrade here I would look at DVO Diamond or a Pike. Both are excellent, the pike and 34 are lighter. Also, you can just buy the damper and change it to grip 2 so not a whole fork needed. And the gold kashima looks good, but also not enough of a change to justify the cost IMO.

[@walterkasper467]

Thanks for the helpful advice.

[@radidoc4832]

Just curious if Norco Sight is too much bike for everyday folks. How does Optic compares to YT Jeffsy?

[@LoamRoamer]

I ride the optic on some very technical terrain, that being said the sight is a great all mountain bike. The Optic is good until it gets to be bigger jumps and drops. The sight pedals well, but for regular trails feels like a big bike. I prefer the optic for everyday riding. Does that help? I bought an optic myself after all these reviews.

[@darrenrayment3368]

@@LoamRoamer hi great review very clear and precise I have demoed the c2 lime green version I loved the bike so much I have ordered the 2021 C1 but have been waiting over 9months now. I currently ride a trek remedy 160/150 travel and I hit up to about 5 ft drops. Was wondering if you think the optic would handle this as I did not get to try the demo bike out on these types of trails

[@clmfilms8103]

@@darrenrayment3368 how's the optic going?

[@davidnguyen299]

Hi would you help me please? I have a norco optic c2 2021 and I like to buy new set of rims is any 29er will fit? Or are they have different sizes? Thank you

[@LoamRoamer]

this is a standard 29er Boost bike. so rear is 12x148 and front is 15 x110. I would look for rims with a 30mm internal width for that bike.

[@davidnguyen299]

Thank you.

[@lanceweatherburn6118]

Good video. But more views of the bike, rather than a small clip in the corner and the rest of the screen filled with you and three non related bikes may help with views/ subscriptions 👍

[@LoamRoamer]

I hate POV footage talk over so I don;'t use it. Also, POV footage is dyeing, views are way down fot that.