that color is freeking awesome - truly!! I'd buy it - but can't "swap frames" without the wifey noticing in that color. Make it black or silver? yeah - I can work w it .

Post up some ride reports as well if you don't mind??

 

I’m not sure if anyone noticed but the rear if the 2021 is completely different. Another 3 weeks and mine should be here.

Erik

 

I'm not sure if anyone noticed but the rear if the 2021 is completely different. Another 3 weeks and mine should be here.

Erik

What exactly is different?

 

You can see it in the parts diagrams.It appears stouter and the way the bearings in face for the Horst link look different. Also take a look at the chainstay brace. Much thicker.

2021

https://www.norco.com/cmsb/uploads/bikes/bikes/nb-069-assembler-doc-revd-my21-2020-12-02-customer_004.pdf

2020

https://www.norco.com/cmsb/uploads/bikes/bikes/2020-optic-frame-assembly-service-parts_001.pdf

Erik

 

Hi,

I love these norco documents. Is there a way of finding a similar document for my bike? (2021 Fluid HT 1)

 

I have a 2021 optic C3 that should be delivered in a couple weeks. I was wondering what the approximate weight of the wheel set is (without tyres). The C3 comes with stan's rims and a shimano hubs.

Thinking of upgrading to carbon wheel set if the weight reduction is significant enough.

 

I pulled the stock wheels and weighed them without tires without riding them at all. With tape, they were 2183g together.

 

If you look at a sideview of the '20 and '21 rear swing arms you will notice the lower swingarm on '20 is not symmetrical driveline vs non-driveline side. On the '21 Optic the swimarm is symmetrical driveline vs non-driveline. Kinda cool!

They also changed the derailleur hanger thread pitch on the '21 models. Boo!!

 

I thought it uses the Sram universal derailleur hanger (UDH), which was supposed to be, you know, universal.

Universal Derailleur Hanger - AC-DRHG-UDH-A1 - SRAM

Universal Derailleur Hanger, AC-DRHG-UDH-A1, SRAM. The Universal Derailleur Hanger consolidates thousands of hanger options across the industry. It protects your derailleur against chain jams by pivoti...

www.sram.com

2020 optic is V2 and the 2021 is V2.1.

If someone could explain what's going on it would be appreciated.

 

The 2021 Ride Aligned settings so far have been very good. The fork might be a bit too stiff as I haven't used anywhere near full travel yet, but overall it still feels very good.

On my local trails there are a good number of small jumps and drops that I've become familiar with. On my Jeffsy (2018 version -- before the redesign), there was always a feeling of "oomph" upon landing whether the suspension bottomed out or not. I can't tell if it's the bike geometry, the suspension, whether my old suspension settings were just bad, or whether the Ride Aligned settings make that big of a difference, but it now feels like I just glide over these same drops. It's certainly not as light and nimble as the Jeffsy, but it does feel more stable and still plenty of fun.

So far I'm really impressed overall. It's kind of cool to not have the climb switch. I used to always think about flipping it when climbing and whether it would be more efficient to switch to pedal mode on smooth stuff, but now I just ride, no messing with anything.

 

Thanks!

 

I have Kovee Pro 30's on mine which is a 1500 gram wheelset. The difference isn't that noticeable on the scale (my XL with MUCH lighter parts than stock only clocks in at less than a pound lighter than Goldfly's Large at stock), but when you put the pedal down there's a big difference in the "get up and go" of the bike. Whether or not its worth it for you will depend on how you ride the bike. For me, this is replacing a 26 pound trail hardtail. If I were doing another build that would totally be justified on the platform (similar to a stock C2) meant for smashing stuff, I'd be hard pressed to spend the extra cash on carbon hoops.

 

2021 C3 owner here. I’m thinking about swapping the MT401 levers out for something better. The lever doesn’t really agree with me and I much prefer the deore levers I had on my previous bike. The calipers feel great and for me there is no shortage of stopping power. Has anyone swapped them out? I’m thinking of putting on some zee or SLX levers. Thoughts?

 

2021 C3 owner here. I'm thinking about swapping the MT401 levers out for something better. The lever doesn't really agree with me and I much prefer the deore levers I had on my previous bike. The calipers feel great and for me there is no shortage of stopping power. Has anyone swapped them out? I'm thinking of putting on some zee or SLX levers. Thoughts?

I think the issue with the 401 levers on the C3 are the hoses. The base deore (and then higher spec levers) use the BH90 hoses but the 401s might use a BH59 or BH80 hose. I'm not sure if the hoses are cross compatible. I don't have my C3 yet and I was thinking the same as you. I'm definitely no a fan of that large lever.

I guess the first thing you can do is check what the hose is fitted to your 401s and then drop the same question into the dedicated break thread to see what they say and then report back here with the answer, as I'm definitely interested in this too!

 

I don't think the inner/outer diameter is different... there's only one olive/barb hose for Shimano stuff if I recall.... I'll check at work in a couple days and get back to y'all if the Shimano brake kit has multiple options for barb/olive/nuts. That should determine it. I thought the difference in hose fitment was mostly at the caliper end, which if you are willing to shorten the hose a bit to put a different nut on - won't matter.

 

Thank you! I sure hope all it takes is a swap and quick lever bleed...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Looking forward to hearing what you find!

 

just my .02c... ditch the Shimano and grab some codes, Hayes or TRP's... Shimano have stopping power like a lead anchor, but you can't finesse em or get ay real modulation... my RSC's are best I've ridden, TRPs on my other bike are close. Im hearing from riding friends that went to Hayes that didn't like any others their newest dominions are stellar.

 

If you want finesse on a Shimano brake pick up MTX red pads.... best of both worlds. Goes from some to excellent modulation and increases the stopping power even more.

 

I'm having no luck getting the chainstay protector to stay adhered to the frame. The original double-sided tape failed very quickly. I've replaced it twice, using high quality 3M tape, but it keeps coming loose. It's very very hot here currently... maybe that's why. Maybe because I wash the bike so often.

Anyone else had issues and have a product/method to recommend? I've been considering ditching the OE protector and just using mastic tape.

 

I'm having no luck getting the chainstay protector to stay adhered to the frame. The original double-sided tape failed very quickly. I've replaced it twice, using high quality 3M tape, but it keeps coming loose. It's very very hot here currently... maybe that's why. Maybe because I wash the bike so often.

Anyone else had issues and have a product/method to recommend? I've been considering ditching the OE protector and just using mastic tape.

No problems yet, but it doesn't surprise me. Mine came uninstalled, and when I installed it I remember thinking there's no way this thing will stay on long-term. I guess we'll see.

 

I ziptied my OE protector on my Aurum HSP. Same problem.

 

I'll try this when it comes back in stock VHS 2.0 Slapper Tape

 

I'll try this when it comes back in stock VHS 2.0 Slapper Tape

I just bought the vhs 2.0 tape for my fluid ht. being shipped from NZ. It will replace the cheap norco adhesive chainstay protector that is already peeling off.

 

There was some discussion about a week ago about the 2021 Optic derailleur hanger. Can anyone confirm it used the SRAM UDH? I picked up a spare hanger when I bought my bike but the little baggie says it’s for the 2020 Optic, which I believe is not compatible with the 2021. I would just email Norco directly but I can’t find an email address on their website. Thanks!

 

There was some discussion about a week ago about the 2021 Optic derailleur hanger. Can anyone confirm it used the SRAM UDH? I picked up a spare hanger when I bought my bike but the little baggie says it's for the 2020 Optic, which I believe is not compatible with the 2021. I would just email Norco directly but I can't find an email address on their website. Thanks!

I have a '21 Shimano build Optic. Can't confirm if the hanger is SRAM UDH (does the UDH work with shimano xt?) but I can confirm that the hanger is different than the '20 model.

This was the response from Norco
"Thanks for reaching out to us. Our 2021 Optics use a different thread pitch for the thru-axle than our 2020 models, and require the part number ending on -007. These are available to order through your local Norco dealer. "

So I'm not sure if non Shimano builds use the same hanger...

 

Got my C3 Optic in Orange today. Long story short, the C2 Shimano is basically sold out for the year and the shop I had placed an order with was given a new date of May to June. I ended up being able to demo a Large C2 SRAM prior to purchase. Couple of observations. Bike was phenomenal. Cornered and jumped great. Shifted great. The rebound and air pressure in the fork based on ride aligned was a little low and fast. Added 5 psi and slowed the rebound by two clicks for my second descent and spot on. Shock recommendation was spot on. For the SRAM folks out there, the shifter downshift is in such an awkward spot compared to Shimano and the jump from 42-52 is huge but the quality of the shift was real good. I won't be able to ride my bike until the Ridewrap comes in and I'm able to protect the bike.

 

What was the original date the shop gave you and when did you place the original order? Just curious cause my delivery date is supposed to be March/April and I placed the deposit in October...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hey all,

Following up re: the brake lever swap situation. So without doing it myself (I traded brakes with my old bike), I'm very confident you can mount any Shimano lever you want on the stock hoses. You'll need to use different connection bolts and likely the rubber connection bolt cover as well - but the olive/barb is the same across the whole lineup. There's only 3 bolts in common use and 3-4 covers. The bolts and covers are typically included in the hose kits which of course you ideally won't be buying. The levers don't come with these.

We have a kit called "Shimano Brake Parts Kit A" or something that contains everything you need to make the swap to any other lever. Not to be confused with Parts Kit B. So before you buy levers, see if your LBS has the kit - and make sure the kit is reasonably well stocked. You don't wanna show up there with everything to find they only had one of the covers you needed.

 

The hoses that come stock for C3 Optic are Bh-90. I also have a spare BH-90 kit and the bolts appear to be the same. I'm thinking you can easily swap the levers when they come back in stock.

Erik

 

There are only 2 types of Shimano brake hose I believe: SM-BH90 for newer more powerful systems or SM-BH59 for older lower powered brake systems. There are a bunch of different connectors and banjos which shimano use to qualify the brake hose description identifier further eg SM-BH59-SB but there are only 2 different hoses.

you can find all the info on which brake is compatible with which hose at the shimano web site here --> 2020-2021 SHIMANO Product Information Web

 

One last thing before I go to bed is the 2021 Large chainstay length is 440mm which is different than the published 435mm. So with the redesign they extended the chainstay by 5mm and now matches the Sight dimensions.

Erik

 

I got out for my first ride on my C2 Shimano yesterday, I think it's going to be a fun bike (as pretty much everyone has said)! I'll need some time to get used to the longer and slacker geometry, plus the big wheels. I haven't been riding in the last few months due to injury and weather, so I'm definitely a bit rusty (plus the Vittoria tires are new to me, will take some time to get comfortable with them). My initial thoughts are that it climbs pretty well though there is some perceptible suspension bob (not sure it is actually affecting climbing much). Going down felt really good, very predictable on jumps and cornered really well. The ride aligned settings feel really good for the fork, but I was bottoming the DPX2 constantly. I'm going to pick up the air volume tuning kit and see if the next bigger spacer helps things. One thing that really bugged me was the finned Shimano pads, they rattle so much. I'll have to look into how people are quieting them down.

 

Adhesive backed soft side Velcro. Two thin strips per caliper, under the full length of the fins.

 

I have the M7120 4 piston brakes. I took the pads and spring out and bent the little spring arms wide open. It was a slight challenge to get the spring back between the pads and insert them back all into the calliper but I have not had any rattle since.

 

Thanks for the brake pad suggestions, that's pretty much what I found online. I'll try it out with some mastic tape I have instead of velcro. I also ordered 2 sets of MTX red brake pads without fins that I'll try out. Various reviews say they increase modulation for Shimano brakes while maintaining power.

 

Mastic will deaden the sound a bit, perhaps to your satisfaction, but the Velcro (which is thicker) takes up all of the play between the pads and caliper and still allows it to slide when the pistons push the pads in. Completely silent this way.

 

Just picked up my C2 Shimano. No ride yet as there is snow where I am

Weight for my medium came in at 30.74 lbs with pedals after some upgrades.