Just got a 2021 Norco C2 Shimano and I'm totally pumped about it!
I've seen some questions about sizing - I'm 185cm (6'1") and I got an XL. Fits me perfectly. I sat on a Large and it seemed cramped for me. I lean towards more XC style riding so that might factor in too.

I took it for a very short ride today to shake things out a bit. Everything seems dialed except for the rear XT hub - when free wheeling it randomly goes from a normal ratcheting sound to being silent. I wouldn't mind one or the other consistently but it's a bit disconcerting to have it changing. Anyone else experience this? Is it anything I should worry about? It's obviously not enough to sour my feeling for the bike - it's a sweet ride - but I also would like to know now if this could become a problem and have the dealer address it right away.

 

Sweet bike!

That's normal for the XT hub.

 

Just picked up my new wheels today, unfortunately my Large came with a 150mm dropper. Upgraded to a 180mm OneUp. Can't wait for riding season to begin this year 😁

 

Just picked up my new wheels today, unfortunately my Large came with a 150mm dropper. Upgraded to a 180mm OneUp. Can't wait for riding season to begin this year 😁 View attachment 1911957

So sweet - I love that color! Congrats!

Did you swap out the wheels? What are those?

 

I don't really concern myself with weight on the Sight (ok that's a lie it's 35.2 with burly tires and Cush Core), but swapping to Nobl TR33/101 (I had the rims from a previous wheel set) dropped 450g from the stock Flow/XT on my Optic. It's quite noticeable.

 

So I'm just realizing that with this new 2021 Fox 36 fork there is a ton of clearance for bigger tires. Not sure if I'd want to run anything bigger than the 29x2.4 that came stock but good to know there are options.

 

Front suspension question for C3 owners...

I just picked up a 2021 Norco Optic C3. Have not has a chance to ride it yet. It's fitted with a Pike Select with the Charger RC Damper. I was counting the front suspension rebound clicks and there were about 24. Is this normal? It has a way more clicks than my similar spec Yari which has the same Charger RC Damper.

Thanks for the advice

Dan

 

I thought the same thing. Normal. Ride aligned is from a fully closed position.

erik

 

Keen to hear as much about the 21 optic as possible! I've just secured the last large 2021 C1 here in NZ (i think there were 2 !?! in the whole country, thanks covid-19...) but I won't be able to pick it up until the start of Feb, so it's a painful but exciting wait! So looking forward to this bike. I would have happily gone with the C2, but it sold out instantly, and the C1 is a beautiful looking bike, with insanely good specs. What's really blowing me away is how the optic is priced so much better than anything else around at the moment, even the giant trance can't compete. anyway, it's Christmas v.2 for me!

 

Congrats - I saw a C1 at the shop when I got my C2. It is a beauty and amazing spec. I had the same observation about price and the competition - if you look at Specialized and Trek you don't get anywhere near the same value. Plus for me anyways the fit of the C2 was just perfect. While I have mine I can't ride it yet as there is still snow on the ground. Be sure to post pics when you get yours!

 

My optic came with a third piece of rubber frame protection. Any idea where this goes?

 

is that a 'shuttle' guard for the upper end of the downtube, behind the fork? where you'd hook it over the tailgate?

 

This is my first shock with low speed compression. (RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate DH). Using Ride Aligned my compression is 12. Do you count 12 clicks from the negative or positive start position?

Solved. I turned my brain on and figured this one out.

 

has there been any updates between the 2020 and 2021 models? Frame wise. They are using Sight rear ends now, if i remember correctly. Is this a slightly burlier rear?

any other changes?

 

Other than that, a new axle and dropout.

 

anyone else catch this DVO build Optic??

 

Sick build. Makes me wonder if I can flip my DPX. That compression switch is wayyy down there.

 

My 2021 C1 just arrived. I was lucky enough to find one in stock in my size at Fanatik. I cant wait to get it out on the trails. Its going to be a bit of an upgrade from my Roscoe 7.

 

looks so good! can't wait to get mine. the colour is superb. I noticed in that pinkbike bikecheck that the green of the rear alu triangle looked different to the green of the carbon frame, but maybe it's a trick of the light? your bike looks like the green changes based on light direction? looks beautiful!

 

Sweet pictures. Love the frame geometry & that orange color is fire ?

 

When I bought my Optic C2 Shimano last week it had a price tag of $6299 CAD. I told them I would take it and left a deposit. I went home to research it a bit more and confirm my decision and noticed that the price on the Norco website was $5999. I called the shop and they said that Norco had just sent out a notice to dealers with price adjustments (up) but that they would honor the price online. So I'd say prices are going up, at least here in Canada, any day now and prob by about 5%. It makes sense as I know that Trek and Specialized both put up there prices for 2021.

 

When I bought my Optic C2 Shimano last week it had a price tag of $6299 CAD. I told them I would take it and left a deposit. I went home to research it a bit more and confirm my decision and noticed that the price on the Norco website was $5999. I called the shop and they said that Norco had just sent out a notice to dealers with price adjustments (up) but that they would honor the price online. So I'd say prices are going up, at least here in Canada, any day now and prob by about 5%. It makes sense as I know that Trek and Specialized both put up there prices for 2021.

I know of one shop in Ontario that already has the higher prices on their site.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you left a deposit, then they should honour the old price - as far as I'm concerned, you have a contract at that point.


Prince increases are like 0-9% depending on the model across the board. Sucks but it's how it is. I think most optics went up on the higher side of that, like 8 or 9% for most of them.

 

If you left a deposit, then they should honour the old price - as far as I'm concerned, you have a contract at that point.

Prince increases are like 0-9% depending on the model across the board. Sucks but it's how it is. I think most optics went up on the higher side of that, like 8 or 9% for most of them.

Yeah, they said they couldn't and refunded me my deposit. He said it was actually going to $6399. I was lucky that there was another one in the area in XL (blue/black) and I picked it up at the original $5999 they had it at.

It sucks but bike prices are crazy this year. Im just happy to have gotten my hands on one! I was having legit anxiety over possibly not having a bike for the summer! I have an XTR brakes swap for it and few other bits to finish it off. Looking forward to riding once the snow is gone!

 

The price increase is probably not a money grab from Norco but is most likely due to the increase in costs of doing business right now. Shipping rates have gone through the roof, and components are hard to come by. Not sure where optic frames are made but the Taiwanese currency has strengthened which is pushing up the prices for anything made there.

 

I agree with you, many factors at play right now. It's too bad but even with the price increases, retailers will still sell these bikes.

 

pretty sure it was stated by Norco they were upside down to accommodate a water bottle in all sizes but I don't have the piece I read that in to copy/paste right now...

 

I have to say that I am super impressed with the 2021 Norco Optic. Prior to this bike I had sworn off 29'r. I'm 5' 7" 175cm normally ride a medium and never got along well with my prior wagon wheel bikes-Ripmo AF, Spec Enduro, SC Hightower LT, Process 111. I felt like my sweet spot was a longer travel 650B. My smashy bike is a 2020 27.5 Slayer set up for park and Enduro racing.

I pulled the trigger on this C3 with the Shimano build on a whim. I figured I would trust the reviews and give it a shot. It was the last one that I could find in stock at the time at Jenson. Ordered and patiently waited for it to be delivered. Straight out of the box I went to my standard tire setup-Asagai front, DHR2 rear. I have a set of XC 27.5 CushCore installed-yes they were a bit tight but I got it to work lol. Then I found a guy on FB Marketplace selling a longer X-Fusion dropper-170mm-for pretty cheap so added that to the build. Noroc is extremely conservative on the full insertion dimensions that they provide. I want to say it was at least 25mm more than stated but I would need to check that. I was surprised not thinking I was going to be able to fit the longer Manic. They are on the longer side for full insertion. So far the drivetrain I have left unchanged. I'm super happy with 12s Shimano-its a XT derailleur, SLX cassette and SLX shifter. Deore cranks but they are fine just a little on the heavier side. I added a OneUp chainguide too.

After that a rode it for a couple weeks and did not get along with the brake levers. The no name Shimano levers were too much for my hands. I had a set of Saint's laying around from a previous build so I tossed them on-much better. I ran the rear line external because I hate internal brake lines. And had to come up with a clamp for the shifter. New i:Spec is different then old.

Rode it a couple more weeks like that. But realized my hands and forearms weren't enjoying the Pike Select, the damper is just harsh. So I purchased and installed the RC2 damper upgrade and the Debonair air spring upgrade. I can say now with a couple hundred miles in I am thoroughly enjoying the bike. I had reservations about the 125mm of rear travel but for typical winter riding around North New Jersey it's been doing well. I just finished a technical rock ride and I think I'm hooked. I'll be interested to see if Cascade comes out with a link for it that maybe pushes the travel up a bit. And the Ride Align setting are pretty spot on. For my riding style, even with the fork upgrades I was still blowing through travel. So I have 2 tokens in the fork and have 85 psi at about 170lbs riding weight. I'm looking forward to warmer weather so I can get some longer rides in but I don't expect that I will be getting rid of this one anytime soon.

 

Great write up. Agree with everything you said about the C3. Those break levers are trash. Here in Australia shimano litterly have zero deore (6100, 7100 etc) levers stocked in their warehouse. Found an online retailer with plenty of XT8000 levers. The difference is night and day.

The XT8000 lever uses I-spec II, so picked up a Wolfcreek adapter to connect to the I-Spec EV shifter that comes with the C3. Beautiful solution and highly recommend.

The drivetrain is solid. Trimmed down the bars. My L frame came with a 170mm dropper which is almost perfect. A 180mm would slam right down but I can live without the extra 10mm.

Still not sold on the tyres and wheels. Might upgrade to a carbon set at some point, but I can live with it for now. I'm sure the weight reduction would improve pedalling efficiency.

The pike select Damper is definitely disappointing and an upgrade to the to the RC2 will be the next upgrade. I had no idea this front shock had the 2020 airspring as it sits high in the travel, unlike like a couple of my other bikes which the C1 upgrade definitely made a huge difference.

I have spent the last couple of nights wrapping the bike as that paint job scratches and chips very easily.

It's a fun bike to ride, and has a great deal of Pop and I'm enjoying the shorter travel.

 

I just got the Optic C2 Shimano and on my first ride noticed the rear XT hub alternately making the normal ratcheting sound and being silent. I asked the shop and they said Shimano had issued a notice about this issue and it was a simple fix. I brought it in and now it's silent - not sure exactly what the details are but I think they added some grease. There was an Optic C1 on the shop floor and the sales guy spun the rear wheel and it's XT hub did the same thing.

 

I have the lower end Shimano hub in the C3. I don't think that its even a Deore level. I noticed some popping and odd noises after a few weeks of rides. I didn't have any Shimano Y3B980000 "Special Grease" so I used some DT Swiss ratchet grease. Definitely cleared up the weird popping and noises I was getting. I hope it doesn't destroy anything.

Flip side is if I windup destroying the hub I have a reason for upgrades

I have an I9 wheelset on my Slayer with 305's and Hydra's. I love the engagement but damn they are loud.

 

A couple of notes after riding multiple times. C3. I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs. 170lbs riding weight. Riding a large.

1. Bike handles phenomenal. Geo is spot on, although it does feel a touch long in reach. Maybe a 35mm or 40mm stem
2. Rear end and shock is perfect. Love the feel of super deluxe. It has a nice fast rebound but it is controlled. Use exactly what the Ride Aligned said and added one additional click of rebound.
3. The fork is blah. Not bad, but definitely not great. I have been playing with it since I got the bike. If you ride semi hard, hit descent sized jumps or ride steep terrain you will need to air the bike up another 5psi compared to what Ride Aligned says and use a click of compression. I have the same air pressure that Ride Aligned say I should have if I was a Pro. I'm not a Pro. I considered myself an advanced or expert rider. I added another click of rebound which gives me 5 clicks from fully slow/closed. Seems to be odd for my weight that the rebound needs this many clicks. The fork still feels to rebound a bit fast compared to my 36 Grip2 on my other bike.
4. The chain was long by a link from the factory. Take a link out a readjust the B screw.
5. Brakes are actually pretty good. I splurged and put on XTR rotors. The levers felt funky on initial ride but I got used to it. I originally thought I would eventually upgrade them but they feel fine. I'm going to keep them. Bleed was spot on from factory and the bite doesn't change on long descents.
6. The shifting is not the best in the 14,12 and 10 gears. I think it is the hub or something is popping under a lot of power. This is my 3rd 12 speed Shimano setup and the other two bikes don't/didn't do this. Is it the hub?
7. The tires are ok for the PNW. They are fast and work well on flow and jump trails but get a bit overwhelmed on steep wet terrain. I'm used to dual ply casing high grip tires with Cush Core in the rear. I have to admit though for jump style trail they are the bomb. You need run a bit higher pressure compared to dual ply. I'm running 23/25. 160 lbs. With my Assegai/E13 set up I run 20/21. They were super good on a dryer days at Tokul and 360/Swan creek.
8. If I was to upgrade anything I would do the following in this order. Damper, XT Shifter, 35mm stem, Tires DHF 2.5 MaxxGrip DD F/R. New Wheelset with a DT Swiss 350 hub and Flow MK Rims.
9. I ride in the Pacifc NW and rode the bike at Tokul, Tiger, 360 Bike Park and Swan Creek. I can't wait for a real good Duthie and 27 day. Tiger was wet when I rode and real slippery. This is where I wish I had a tire with more grip and thicker sidewall. Tokul is my home base and it absolutely is a perfect bike for that terrain. Steep twisty with some drops and jumps.
10. The Orange is amazing but I still wish I could bought the C2 Shimano.
    
    Erik
    

 

A couple of notes after riding multiple times. C3. I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs. 170lbs riding weight. Riding a large.

1. Bike handles phenomenal. Geo is spot on, although it does feel a touch long in reach. Maybe a 35mm or 40mm stem
2. Rear end and shock is perfect. Love the feel of super deluxe. It has a nice fast rebound but it is controlled. Use exactly what the Ride Aligned said and added one additional click of rebound.
3. The fork is blah. Not bad, but definitely not great. I have been playing with it since I got the bike. If you ride semi hard, hit descent sized jumps or ride steep terrain you will need to air the bike up another 5psi compared to what Ride Aligned says and use a click of compression. I have the same air pressure that Ride Aligned say I should have if I was a Pro. I'm not a Pro. I considered myself an advanced or expert rider. I added another click of rebound which gives me 5 clicks from fully slow/closed. Seems to be odd for my weight that the rebound needs this many clicks. The fork still feels to rebound a bit fast compared to my 36 Grip2 on my other bike.
4. The chain was long by a link from the factory. Take a link out a readjust the B screw.
5. Brakes are actually pretty good. I splurged and put on XTR rotors. The levers felt funky on initial ride but I got used to it. I originally thought I would eventually upgrade them but they feel fine. I'm going to keep them. Bleed was spot on from factory and the bite doesn't change on long descents.
6. The shifting is not the best in the 14,12 and 10 gears. I think it is the hub or something is popping under a lot of power. This is my 3rd 12 speed Shimano setup and the other two bikes don't/didn't do this. Is it the hub?
7. The tires are ok for the PNW. They are fast and work well on flow and jump trails but get a bit overwhelmed on steep wet terrain. I'm used to dual ply casing high grip tires with Cush Core in the rear. I have to admit though for jump style trail they are the bomb. You need run a bit higher pressure compared to dual ply. I'm running 23/25. 160 lbs. With my Assegai/E13 set up I run 20/21. They were super good on a dryer days at Tokul and 360/Swan creek.
8. If I was to upgrade anything I would do the following in this order. Damper, XT Shifter, 35mm stem, Tires DHF 2.5 MaxxGrip DD F/R. New Wheelset with a DT Swiss 350 hub and Flow MK Rims.
9. I ride in the Pacifc NW and rode the bike at Tokul, Tiger, 360 Bike Park and Swan Creek. I can't wait for a real good Duthie and 27 day. Tiger was wet when I rode and real slippery. This is where I wish I had a tire with more grip and thicker sidewall. Tokul is my home base and it absolutely is a perfect bike for that terrain. Steep twisty with some drops and jumps.
10. The Orange is amazing but I still wish I could bought the C2 Shimano.
    
    Erik

Great summary and my sentiment basically align with you on the C3.

Did you cut your bars down to the specified size, as this might make a big difference regarding your reach. Taking mine to 770mm (I'm 179cm tall) improved my comfort and fit a noticeable amount.

Upgrading the Damper to a 2.1 charger is at the top of my list.

The break lever upgrade (to XT) for me was essential as I'm a 1 finger breaker. The calipers have plenty of power for the way I ride.

The tyres are great in the dry (it's summer here) but will be replaced by something better in the wet come winter.

As for your issues with the drive train, it should be fairly bomb-proof, so if it was mine I would just pull it apart, inspect, relube, re-seat and re-adjust everything to make sure nothing was missed during the factory build. Or just drop it to your LBS and let them give it a once over.

I think the C3 really hits the sweet spot as for cost and upgrades. With a little bit of extra cash (or a lot of extra cash if you add carbon wheels) you can get this running just as you want.

 

I did cut down the bars right away to 770. This is what I always ride. They are technically at ~780mm because of the grips thickness.

The only time I get popping is when putting out a lot of power and shifting from the 14 to 12 or 12 or 10. The shift is really abrupt, super loud and it feels like it slips. It happens when starting from a stand still prior to hitting jump lines which is a bit unnerving.

Can’t wait for you to upgrade your damper and give feedback? Don’t be surprised if RockShox upgrades the damper this year to a new tune. It seems like they are on 2 year upgrade interval for the dampers.

I’m going to try to ride out the tires as it starts drying out here in the PNW in the 2-3 months.

 

I got my 2021 C1 fully assembled today. Full weight with pedals comes to 30.5 lbs. A little heavier than I expected compared to what some of the 2020 guys have said. Maybe it has a lot to do with the beefed up rear triangle?

Also what kind of extra components and parts did you guys receive with your 2021's? I got nothing other than a spare 203mm caliper spacer.

 

I got my 2021 C1 fully assembled today. Full weight with pedals comes to 30.5 lbs. A little heavier than I expected compared to what some of the 2020 guys have said. Maybe it has a lot to do with the beefed up rear triangle?

Also what kind of extra components and parts did you guys receive with your 2021's? I got nothing other than a spare 203mm caliper spacer.

My Large C3 came with nothing extra other than a 170mm dropper instead of the 150mm. I did ask for a bleed block which they threw into the bag saving me about $2.

 

Pair of tubes because they set it up tubeless. That’s it. Would of thought you would get more.

Erik

 

Does anyone have a good source for hangers? Since the 2021 seems different I haven’t been able to locate one. Has there been any clarification if it is a UDH?

 

Does anyone have a good source for hangers? Since the 2021 seems different I haven't been able to locate one. Has there been any clarification if it is a UDH?

I asked Norco customer support and they said the UDH is not compatible but I'm still not totally convinced. In the small parts PDF, the derailleur hanger part name has UDH in it and it has the same thread pitch as the UDH. There was someone who posted a picture a few weeks ago of the rear axle for his Fluid (I think) and it essentially said it was compatible with the UDH. I've been meaning to take my rear wheel off to see if it says something similar. With all that being said, I'm planning on asking my LBS if they can order one or two from Norco for me.

 

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this but I thought I'd share. I got a 2021 C2 Shimano and on my first ride I dropped the chain (to the inside of the chainring - the guide did not hold it in) while I was in the biggest cog. I was bummed but didn't dwell on it. Second ride with a bunch of buddies doing a long steep climb the chain dropped it 3 times. They all took a look and it seemed like the chainline was a bit too far to the inside. It was then I noticed the chain was also rubbing slightly on the inside of the chain guide when in the largest cog. I took the bike to the shop. They called Norco and Norco said other people have reported the same issue. The fix was to swap out the Praxis chainring for a SRAM which Norco is paying for. The SRAM has the same offset as the Praxis so not sure why this would work but the chainline looks much better now - no rubbing on the guide. The next step if this doesn't work is to go with a different offset.

 

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this but I thought I'd share. I got a 2021 C2 Shimano and on my first ride I dropped the chain (to the inside of the chainring - the guide did not hold it in) while I was in the biggest cog. I was bummed but didn't dwell on it. Second ride with a bunch of buddies doing a long steep climb the chain dropped it 3 times. They all took a look and it seemed like the chainline was a bit too far to the inside. It was then I noticed the chain was also rubbing slightly on the inside of the chain guide when in the largest cog. I took the bike to the shop. They called Norco and Norco said other people have reported the same issue. The fix was to swap out the Praxis chainring for a SRAM which Norco is paying for. The SRAM has the same offset as the Praxis so not sure why this would work but the chainline looks much better now - no rubbing on the guide. The next step if this doesn't work is to go with a different offset.

Odd fix, given that several aftermarket chain ring makers (WT, AB, at least one other..) have different models for SRAM 12s and Shimano 12s. Praxis says theirs is compatible with both, but after looking into it, it's pretty clear that there's a compromise being made to accommodate both. I've dropped a couple times on my Praxis ring, which sucks... maybe I'll chat in to Norco on this.

 

Weird. I was reading up on the Praxis cranks and BB before I bought mine and didn't read great things about their chainring. I was surprised to find that my C2 Shimano came with a silver Wolftooth ring. Maybe they had already realized the Praxis rings were problematic.

 

What is the model # of the wolf tooth ring?

 

What is the model # of the wolf tooth ring?

BST SDM 32T CC. Looking at Wolftooth's website, the Shimano 12 speed specific ring is BST SDM 32T SH12 CC. I don't see a chainring that has the same model number as mine, I'll shoot them an email and see what they say.

 

C3 is missing its Chain Tensioner and chain lifting when peddling backwards.

I just realised my C3 is missing its chain Tensioner and looking at the photos posted here some have it and some don't. Does anyone have any ideas what's going on?

Also I realised that if I have mine in 10th to 12th gears (smallest 3 cogs) and I pedal backwards the chain is catching and lifting as it catches on the next largest cog once or twice every rotation. This catch and lift is occurring at the top of the cog and not at the bottom of the cog (where the derailleur is tensioning the chain). It's due to the chain line to the front chainring and is independent to how the derailleur is set. I also noticed that the chain tension over all is very tight and I'm wondering if it has had one too many links removed. Finally my C3 is also making a popping sound when I pedal in the 10th to 12th gear. I wonder if this is all related. Here are some photos of the chain lifting when back peddling (arrow showing the lift) and sitting normal on the sprocket .

What are your thoughts? Just note the C3 is running the shimano drivetrain.