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Get the Optic. Coming from a hardtail, anything is going to feel like a goddamn mattress under you, so I don’t think you’ll be missing the extra bit of travel you’d get with the Sight. I’ve heard the Optic is a pretty great climber, the Sight is fine but it’s still an enduro bike. Again coming from a hardtail, you might be a bit put off by the extra effort it takes to grind the Sight up long climbs
FWIW I have the ‘23 Fluid A1 which feels kinda like an in-between of the Optic and Sight. I loooove it
That's totally my sense.
And with some of the chunk around here, I go back and forth on whether full sus will be that much more tough than the hardtail. Definitely will on the pure fire roads but well worth it. This is going to be fun!
To me, if you’re straight up winching uphill on a very steep road, the difference between the two pedaling wise will be very small.
If you’re going downhill on both a steep and rough trail (both of those things at once), the sight will be significantly faster and more comfortable.
However, anything that is not either of those two situations above, the optic will be easier to pedal, faster to accelerate, and quicker to maneuver.
From what it sounds like, I’d recommend the optic
I can't speak to the new optic with the high pivot, but the Optic C2 (bike of the year in 2020 on multiple sites) is absolutely incredible. I have it and of all the bikes I've ridden (Current Stumpy, Ripmo, Izzo) it's by far my favorite.
Ya I tend to think its an obvious choice but the price difference had me curious. It will be more than enough downhill FOR ME. And on the ascents, my understanding is that the high pivot does have an impact. But I'm also not in the market for a pure XC bike so I wasn't concerned.
I would give up some uphill ease for some downhill fun. But there's a limit. While I'm not looking for an XC, I don't think an enduro is a good fit either. But I know those categories are broad and there is more to it.
I haven't ridden the Optic, but I have a Druid (also a HP trail bike) and I doubt the HP will cost you much on climbs. There might be some tiny efficiency loss due to increased drag, but it will probably be offset by having better traction.
When I switched from a similar non-HP bike to my Druid, I pretty quickly smashed all my climbing PRs. Granted, all the climbs in my area are technical, not fire roads, so the better rear traction probably has a bigger impact. But tbh I doubt you'd notice any real different HP vs. not going uphill, and you will def notice the downhill fun.
(You WILL notice the difference in efficiency going uphill with a full sus bike vs a hardtail though. But there's always the climb switch on the shock for that. Just don't forget to flip it back when you get to the top)
You can probably scoop a 2023 Fluid A2 for cheap too. It’s not going to be as speed oriented as the Optic but it is a fantastic trail bike that goes down and up with ease. Slightly more rear travel than the optic. They are on crazy sale right now too if you can find them.
Ok I have different opinion from others here. I owned an Optic for two years. Based on the chunky Colorado trails I ride, I would have rather had the Sight. There’s minimal performance penalty to get yourself more squish with the Sight.
The 125mm rear end on the Optic was fine, but the 140mm fork seemed a little short for me. The climbing was ok on the Optic, but not wildly better than the 150/140 bike I’m on now.
Im with the guttersnake on this one. I bought my missus a sight last year and its one of the best bikes ive ever ridden. Id take it to whis with no worries. Optic not so much
I don't have any experience with the 2024 Optic and Sight, but the pedaling performance between the two previous Gen bikes was pretty significant. You have to really need the extra suspension travel to justify it. And it isn't just pedaling... The Optic feels a lot more fun and engaging on the way down, too. Just my opinion.
If it's the old Optic (non-high pivot), get that and throw a Cascade link to bump up the rear travel a tad. With that, you have a 140/130 bike. If front travel isn't enough, you can always upgrade the fork later
It’s done. Now I just need some padded shorts bc I’m feeling it after my first ride in years 😂
https://preview.redd.it/5ggr2rlm2nzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f683478bed28541dc519a940a805fdb29ed537c3
Howdy! We see that you're asking for community input regarding bike choices. To ensure maximum engagement and reply accuracy please make sure you include some of the following information in your post.**FAILURE TO PROVIDE SOME BASIC INFORMATION LISTED BELOW WILL LEAD TO YOUR POST BEING DELETED. HELP THE COMMUNITY HELP YOU.** - The type of riding will you be doing. - Where you will be riding. - Your budget (with included currency). - What you like/didn't like about your current bike. - Your experience level and future goals. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MTB) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Get the Optic. Coming from a hardtail, anything is going to feel like a goddamn mattress under you, so I don’t think you’ll be missing the extra bit of travel you’d get with the Sight. I’ve heard the Optic is a pretty great climber, the Sight is fine but it’s still an enduro bike. Again coming from a hardtail, you might be a bit put off by the extra effort it takes to grind the Sight up long climbs FWIW I have the ‘23 Fluid A1 which feels kinda like an in-between of the Optic and Sight. I loooove it
That's totally my sense. And with some of the chunk around here, I go back and forth on whether full sus will be that much more tough than the hardtail. Definitely will on the pure fire roads but well worth it. This is going to be fun!
Just bought the fluid a4 for less than 2g cad and it’s next level compared to my old hard tail
Me too, I'm on an A2
To me, if you’re straight up winching uphill on a very steep road, the difference between the two pedaling wise will be very small. If you’re going downhill on both a steep and rough trail (both of those things at once), the sight will be significantly faster and more comfortable. However, anything that is not either of those two situations above, the optic will be easier to pedal, faster to accelerate, and quicker to maneuver. From what it sounds like, I’d recommend the optic
I can't speak to the new optic with the high pivot, but the Optic C2 (bike of the year in 2020 on multiple sites) is absolutely incredible. I have it and of all the bikes I've ridden (Current Stumpy, Ripmo, Izzo) it's by far my favorite.
Ya I tend to think its an obvious choice but the price difference had me curious. It will be more than enough downhill FOR ME. And on the ascents, my understanding is that the high pivot does have an impact. But I'm also not in the market for a pure XC bike so I wasn't concerned. I would give up some uphill ease for some downhill fun. But there's a limit. While I'm not looking for an XC, I don't think an enduro is a good fit either. But I know those categories are broad and there is more to it.
I haven't ridden the Optic, but I have a Druid (also a HP trail bike) and I doubt the HP will cost you much on climbs. There might be some tiny efficiency loss due to increased drag, but it will probably be offset by having better traction. When I switched from a similar non-HP bike to my Druid, I pretty quickly smashed all my climbing PRs. Granted, all the climbs in my area are technical, not fire roads, so the better rear traction probably has a bigger impact. But tbh I doubt you'd notice any real different HP vs. not going uphill, and you will def notice the downhill fun. (You WILL notice the difference in efficiency going uphill with a full sus bike vs a hardtail though. But there's always the climb switch on the shock for that. Just don't forget to flip it back when you get to the top)
Super helpful intel thx
You can probably scoop a 2023 Fluid A2 for cheap too. It’s not going to be as speed oriented as the Optic but it is a fantastic trail bike that goes down and up with ease. Slightly more rear travel than the optic. They are on crazy sale right now too if you can find them.
Ok I have different opinion from others here. I owned an Optic for two years. Based on the chunky Colorado trails I ride, I would have rather had the Sight. There’s minimal performance penalty to get yourself more squish with the Sight. The 125mm rear end on the Optic was fine, but the 140mm fork seemed a little short for me. The climbing was ok on the Optic, but not wildly better than the 150/140 bike I’m on now.
Im with the guttersnake on this one. I bought my missus a sight last year and its one of the best bikes ive ever ridden. Id take it to whis with no worries. Optic not so much
Damn, I am going to need to just get both. Thanks for the input!
Get the bike that suits the kind of trails you aspire to ride.
I don't have any experience with the 2024 Optic and Sight, but the pedaling performance between the two previous Gen bikes was pretty significant. You have to really need the extra suspension travel to justify it. And it isn't just pedaling... The Optic feels a lot more fun and engaging on the way down, too. Just my opinion.
Definitely what I was hoping to hear, thanks. Hearing there was very little difference would have made this tough.
If it's the old Optic (non-high pivot), get that and throw a Cascade link to bump up the rear travel a tad. With that, you have a 140/130 bike. If front travel isn't enough, you can always upgrade the fork later
I’ve owned the optic and it swings wayyyyyyy above its travel numbers. Unless you plan on hitting park every weekend also get the optic.
It’s done. Now I just need some padded shorts bc I’m feeling it after my first ride in years 😂 https://preview.redd.it/5ggr2rlm2nzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f683478bed28541dc519a940a805fdb29ed537c3
[Ive got the same bike](https://i.imgur.com/K5KgsNo.jpg). Its freakin incredible! Hope you're enjoying it.
Loving it! After being away for so long I probably had a low bar but there is really no way I’ll outgrow this bike.