I’ve been spending the past couple days unwrapping and building Norco’s new Optic trail bikes, and am quickly beginning to see what all the fuss is about. For those of us who live in the land of fast, rolling singletrack with punchy climbs and quick descents (sound like anywhere familiar?), we often find that 160+mm enduro bikes which are “so hot right now” are a bit overkill.
Cue the Norco Optic, a 120mm(ish) trail bike platform which seems like it is custom made for the Columbia Valley. The Optic was released only a few days ago at the Sea Otter Classic, and a few lucky journalists had the chance to throw a leg over and put it through its paces on some trails that seem eerily familiar to some of Invermere’s classic XC loops.
What did MTBR think? “Having spent time on both platforms, it’s remarkable how well Norco hit their intended goals. The Optic isn’t designed to be a super gnarly trail bike; that’s what their Sight is for. But it is more than capable of blasting technical cross country trails. On the other hand, it’s not quite as efficient as the XC race oriented Revolver, but it’s not far off.”
Read more about what MTBR thought HERE, and be sure to swing by the shop and check one of these beautys out in the flesh!