High Pivot Or Bust | Norco updates the Sight and Optic with totally new suspension layout

This year is off to an exciting start for Norco. First, there was the huge announcement that the GOAT Greg Minnaar had signed on to their factory DH team. Then over the weekend, Gracey Hemstreet put on an incredible show to take the win in the first-ever Red Bull Hardline women’s category at Maydena. This week, it has announced that two of its most popular bikes have received ground-up re-designs. To top it off, Norco is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year too.

Norco’s Optic trail bike and their Sight all-mountain machine have been home runs for the Canadian outfit, and for 2024, they have had a dramatic makeover now featuring its Virtual Pivot Suspension | High Pivot suspension or VPSHP.

Since releasing this article, we’ve spent some time on one of these new high-pivot bikes. Check out our in-depth review of the 2024 Norco Sight here.

With the new platform also comes changes in the way Norco will size their bikes and a new Ride Aligned 2.0 bike setup guide that will be available soon.

Ride Aligned has been a successful tool for bike shops and riders alike in helping to find a reliable base setup for your chosen bike. New in 2024, Ride Aligned 2.0 will build on the original system by adding a terrain selector, bike garage, and more refinement to help dial in your next ride.

Norco Australia had the new Optic and Sight on display at the Cannonball MTB Festival a few weeks back. We managed to sneak out for a quick spin on the 2024 Sight.

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What is new for the Sight and Optic?

Well, quite a bit, aside from the new suspension platform, which we will dig into later. Both are available in either a full 29er configuration or what Norco is calling the MX setup with a 29in wheel up front and a 27.5in in the rear. The Sight can be purchased as either a dedicated 29er or mullet, while the Optic model coming into Australia comes stock in the MX configuration. Riders can purchase what Norco calls Missing Link hardware to convert the bike to a full 29er or mullet setup, depending on which version you have opted for. Norco says this hardware will retain the same geometry and kinematic no matter which wheel size you are fitting.

Both bikes are now mullet and 29er compatible with the Missing Link hardware.

Both bikes come with large-volume air shocks, and the Sight also gets a coil option. The stroke of both rear shocks has been increased, with Norco saying this allows it to lower the leverage ratio to help accommodate heavier riders. Even with the wholesale changes to the suspension platform, both have retained the same travel as the previous generation, with the Sight offering 150mm out back paired with a 160mm fork, and the Optic keeps its 125mm rear squish and 140mm fork.

Norco has updated its bike sizing and size guide with the release of these two bikes. Instead of the traditional small, medium large, it’s now a 1-5 fit format, which will accommodate riders from 155cm up to 195.5cm. Norco says this provides riders with a more accurate fit as the sizes have greater overlap with each other, and it allows those who sit in between traditional bike sizes to choose a frame size based on the characteristics they are after, their body proportions, and riding style.

Like quite a few brands, Norco has moved away from the small, medium, and large sizing while also increasing overlap between the sizes and the overall spread to help big and small folks get on the right sized frame.

Along with the changes to how it sizes bikes, Norco has made updates to the geometry of both bikes. They still feature size-specific chain stays that grow as the bike moves up through the frames, and they will now get size-specific seat tube angles that are unique to each of the five sizes.

The VPSHP Suspension Layout

The most striking update to the Sight and Optic is the suspension layout — found in a similar form on the Shore. Norco claims the VPSHP design allows the bike to absorb high-speed, square-edge impacts while still providing riders with control and momentum over obstacles. What is claimed to be special about their system is the non-concentric, i-track idler changes its position as the suspension cycles through its travel. Norco also notes the high pivot separates braking forces and suspension action.

We’ve seen a raft of high pivot bikes lately, all touting the rearward axle path, lack of chain growth and the ability to isolate braking forces.

Both the Sight and Optic have different idler positions to suit the characteristics of the bike. Norco says the Optic idler is placed to allow it to charge harder under power to prioritize snappy, responsive pedalling with minimal pedal kickback. The Sight’s, on the other hand, is said to help the bike confidently pedal over chunky technical trails and provide minimal kickback under heavy impacts. We cannot wait to test out these claims.

Related:

High Pivot Hype | Why is high pivot suspension so hot right now?

The Sight in more detail

There will be three Sight models to choose from in 2024, two carbon and one alloy. The carbon models are a full carbon affair, which is new for 2024 as the previous bike had an alloy rear end across the range. The 2024 bikes will all get a threaded BB, which is a nice touch that we are sure bike shop and home mechanics will be happy to see. Also, note that the cables don’t go through the headset — hooray!

Given how well-loved the current Sight is, it’s a bold move to change it so drastically.

2024 Norco Sight Geometry and Spec

Geometry-wise the new Sight sees several changes, reach has increased by 17.5mm for the equivalent sized medium, now called a size 3. The stack has increased by 24mm, as has the wheelbase, which is now 25mm longer. One of the few areas to get shorter on the new Sight is the rear centre, which is now 7mm shorter at 428mm on a size 3. The head tube angle remains at 64° like the previous 29er, the old 27.5in Sight had a slightly slacker head angle of 63.5°.

The seat tube angle will vary depending on which size you opt for, in size 3, the effective angle is now 77.5°, which is only slightly steeper than the previous medium which had an effective angle of 77.3°. Another welcome change for the 2024 Sight is increased dropper post length across the range. The size 3 now comes stock with a 200mm dropper compared to a 150mm on the previous medium.

Two carbon models are coming into Australia, the top-tiered C1 gets Fox Factory suspension with a 36 up front and a Factory DHX2 coil in the rear. Shifting is taken care of by a SRAM GX Transmission drivetrain, and stopping duties are covered by the Stealth Code Silver brakes, but it will also set you back a whopping $10,499 AUD! There is also a C2 version, which chops $1,500 AUD off the price, and Norco AU is offering one alloy version of the 5th Gen Sight for $6,999 AUD.

We cannot wait to get our hands on one of these bikes to see how all the updates have impacted the ride quality and versatility of the bike. We recently spent time on the previous generation Sight and were impressed by how well its design and geometry have stood the test of time. Speaking of the old version, Norco will still offer the Gen 4 Sight Alloy in three different spec options. These are a smart choice for riders who feel the price tag of the new bikes is a little out of their reach.

The new Sight sees some interesting changes to its geometry and fit.

2024 Norco Sight Models

Mustard and Mayo and a fair bit of bling hanging off the Sight C1.

Norco Sight C1

The Sight C2 takes a step down in price and changes over to a full SRAM/RockShox build.

Norco Sight C2

Swapping to Fox Performance suspension, the alloy Sight A2 is a stealthy affair.

Norco Sight A2

The new Optic cuts quite a different silhouette to it’s predecessor.

Focus on the new Optic

There will only be one model of the new Optic coming into Australia, the Optic C2. Suspension is a full RockShox affair with a Lyrik Select + up front and a new Vivid Select + in the rear. If the old model is anything to go by, many owners will be pushing their Optics harder than you would normally expect a 125mm trail bike to be ridden.

Shifting is handled by a SRAM GX Transmission drivetrain with Code R brakes to pull up the mini beast. The Optic has a full carbon frame, a threaded BB, cables that don’t go through the headset and will ship in the MX configuration with the Missing Link hardware available for purchase to convert it to a full 29er.

Geometry wise, the Optic has undergone a few changes and updates. On the size 3 Optic, the reach has grown by 22.5mm compared to the equivalent medium on the older version. Stack has increased by 6mm, the wheelbase is now 25mm longer and the rear centre is 7mm shorter. The head angle stays at 65° while the effective seat angle is 1° steeper at 77°. This package will set you back $9,999 AUD.

While the angles aren’t all that different, the new Optic gets a bit longer.

Just like with the Sight, the previous-gen Optic will still be available in select models. They will offer it in two different C2 builds. With a Shimano/Fox build kit and Rockshox/ SRAM option. We recently tested the RockShox/ SRAM C2 Optic and loved how playful and capable the trail bike was. Despite its age, it still represents terrific value for money and is worth considering if the step up in price for the new High Pivot Optic is too much.

The build kit on the new Optic C2 gets a fair bit burlier with a Lyrik and Vivid providing the squish.

Optic C2

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