Hey all,

Another day, another what would STW do?!

So, i have been waiting on a warranty replacement frame for my Norco Optic. One day shy of 8 months and it has finally arrived at the shop, so i am collecting it tomorrow.

During the wait i bought a Specialized status. whilst it is a great bike, its more of a park bike, so its not something i will hold on to.

I also put a deposit down on a Privateer 141 frame. Which i received an email to say its in stock now, so pay the outstanding balance and its mine.

I have also had my eye on the Vitus Sommet frame, which whilst out of stock, should be available soon (maybe).

I have broken down immediate pro/con’s below:

Norco Optic – Pro: Before it broke, i loved it. Short travel ripper. Was great on XC bimbles and EWS stage thrashes. Will also be the only metallic Orange one in the country (as far as i can tell). Also will cost me zero to rebuild. Cons: It is a little short on travel, so nothing left to get me out of jail if it all goes wrong. Small fear of it breaking again. Although Tredz are now the UK importer, so easier to deal with than Evans.

Privateer 141 – Pro: Has been getting rave reviews. Aluminium, so hopefully more tank like. A bit more travel than the optic. Cons: Heavy as a tank. And a bit agricultural. Will cost me £1400 for frame and will need new forks at some point (something beefier than the Pikes i currently available)

Vitus Sommet – Pro: Great value for money frameset. A chunk more travel than both of the above. Apparently still has a bit of ‘pop’, so not a full on enduro bruiser like some frames of the same travel. Cons: Probably more travel than i need for 95% of my riding. Again, cost of a frame and fork.

So which of the above would STW go for? Reconnect with the love i once had for the Optic, or the perfect opportunity to sell the Optic and try something new?

Just for reference, i also have a Ragley Big Al hardtail, which i can use for trail riding etc, should this affect your decision or opinion.

Thoughts and ideas on a postcard!

Thanks in advance! 😀

Apologies in advance as this will not really help but I keep coming back to look at the privateer 141, miss the plushness of my airdrop edit so thinking the 141 would fill that gap. But I love my meta am in mullet so the privateer looses on that! Maybe the shorter travel would fun in full 29 like my rocketmax was? The meta in 29er was just a bit of a full on amount of bike.
The weight has never concerned me as I’m just as quick up and down as mates on sub 30lb 10k bikes.
So yeah not help at all!

I would get 141, in p2 size. Give it some rides then sell it to me 😂😂
In fairness is the optic is closer to your hardtail?
Would the longer travel be beneficial as an alternative to your hardtail?

Hey mark, cheers for the reply.

So I collected my optic frame, only to find that norco have supplied zero bolts for it. Literally a front triangle and rear seat and chain stays.

Not a problem you say, use the old ones. Unfortunately they changed the rear end between my 2020 model and the 2021 replacement. So I can’t build the damn thing. They also supplied no frame protection either.

To say I am bitterly disappointed is an understatement.

So currently hovering over the ‘buy’ button on the privateer. The reviews look great and as you mention, it’s a step further away from the hardtail.

I will sleep on it for a day or two, as I am pretty pee’d off at the moment!

And for the record, it would be a P2 in size 🙂

Which colour?! Between raw and green for me. That’s pretty rubbish about the bolts, warranty is great but if you can actually build the frame then it’s sort of redundant!

I think the 141 is the sort of bike I should be on. About the right travel and geo. All I’m worried about is going back to full 29er won’t be what I want. Hardtail is full 29er and that feels good. I like the mullet on my commencal as it just turns a touch easier and feels slightly less of a handful. There aren’t really any shorter travel mullet bikes about though so I’m worried I will regret it. Also it’s only 20mm of travel. Don’t know how worth it it is

I got to see and pedal a small circle on a brand new 141 on Thursday. Thought it looked a lot better made than reviews suggested! Look at the top tube length as well as reach because the former is v short vs the latter. The green looks really nice with black components.

Yeah the seat angle plays with the top tube length a bit. It’s a touch shorter in reach than my meta, steeper seat and head angle. Top tube is shorter for sure. Did it ride alright? There aren’t a load of bikes that excite me but that frame just looks tidy I think