NORCO OPTIC CARBON C2

Norco sets out to garner big grins from short travel. Will the Optic Carbon fit the bill?

- Mick Kirkman

Norco’s latest Optic is a short-travel trail bike that aims to let you extract maximum fun from minimal travel. So even though it only has 125mm of travel on the rear, it forgoes any XC racing ambitions. Something that’s instantly apparent from the 140mm fork.

Less obvious are the lengths that Norco has gone to in order to balance the handling. Like Norco’s Ride Aligned concept, which aims for perfect balance regardless of rider height and frame size. As such, the chainstay length on the Optic range grows in 5mm increments from 430mm on the size M 29er to 440mm on the XL. If you’ve read the Geometry 101 feature on page 68 you’ll already know why these changes are so important. But has Norco nailed this fine balancing act with the Optic? You bet. In fact the rear suspension felt absolutely spot on for me at 82kg on our size large test bike.

The front end of the Optic has significantly morphed from the previous generation too. Reach has grown around 20mm per frame size, so the large is now a generous 480mm. There’s also a welcome (much steeper) 76° seat angle delivering a pedalling position that’s effective even climbing up the steepest gradients. Feet and hips sit sunken and stable too, thanks to a healthy 37mm BB drop that yields a 336mm static height, even with chunky 2.35in Schwalbe tyres.

In fact, these Orange-striped Addix Soft Magic Mary and Hans Dampf tyres chime well with the C2’s overall vibe. They roll fast, but don’t sacrifice too much capability in tough terrain, in the same way control and durability are prioritised over sheer weight saving throughout.