SHUT UP LEGS, WE’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT RATTLE IS. THE SINGLETRACK TEST TEAM GOES BEYOND THE FIRST RIDE SHAKEDOWN.

PHOTOGRAPHY HEATHER OLIVER AND CREDITED

Norco Optic C1

Price: £9,999.00

From: Silverfish UK

Tested by: Benji for 2 months

Just ignore the £10k price tag of this flagship ‘hero’ Optic build. It is entirely OTT. There is an Optic C3 with decent build for £4,999. Yes, that’s half the price of this one. The Norco Optic is a heck of a unique mountain bike. It’s a high-pivot idler, with the idler on the swingarm hence the ‘I-Track’ patent sticker and has ‘only’ 125mm of rear travel (the fork is 140mm travel by the way). How does this translate to the trail? Ultimately the Optic has incredible levels of traction paired with a high level of pedal response (the anti-squat is pretty high) and trail-pumping hustle. And it frequently gets you into a lot of trouble that the modest amount of suspension can’t cash the cheques for. There have been a whole load of “Woah Nelly!” moments on this bike. But, tellingly, no actual crashes. Which is both a positive and a negative trait. In my opinion, anyone buying this bike will see it as a positive. The Optic is one adrenaline-packed package. It’s bananas and I love it. I’m not sure I’d have one but I sure am glad fascinating and thrilling bikes like this still exist in a market dominated by homogenisation.

Industry Nine hubs add to the price tag

Neatly done routing

Perhaps the surprise/bonus of the Optic’s design is its climbing performance. You may suspect the idler introduces drag (and it does to an insignificant degree) and thus makes the bike better suited to gravity-assisted behaviour. But no, the super grippy rear end combined with the typically sorted Norco geometry makes for a bike that’s a fabulous technical climber. Mountain goat cliché stylee. In terms of descending, while I’d like to see a slacker than 65° head angle leading the charge, the immense standover and healthy reach and wheelbase of the Optic do really help to keep things rubber side down. The head angle and the not-long 433mm chainstays are best suited to riders who are willing/able to loft and hop their way out of trouble. This is not me. If it sounds like you, then take an Optic for a spin. Preferably one of the less expensive builds.