The picture I’m trying to paint here, is this isn’t your normal hardtail.Ī Torrent frame will set you back $800 and the top-shelf complete build runs $3150. Norco said, “Screw it, we’re going steep.” Or at least that’s how I imagine the meeting went. Full suspension bikes will employ a steeper seat tube angle to counteract this effect - hardtails don’t need to. What happens? The saddle moves backwards. Pay attention to where the saddle is in relation to the bottom bracket. If you need an example to wrap your head around this, go push down on the saddle of your full suspension bike. Normally when you sit on a full suspension bike, your seat tube angle effectively gets slacker. Hardtails can generally get away with a little slacker seat tube for the same reason the reach feels longer. The Torrent’s seat tube angle is 76 degrees. If you’ve ever read any of my reviews you’ll know I’m a big fan. The really standout feature here is the steep seat tube angle. The chainstays are nice and tucked in at 425mm on an XL. The seat tube is short so you can run a looong travel dropper. The Torrent feels at home in steep and chunky trails. It has a 64° head tube angle with a stock 150mm fork - that number means business. Don’t let the lack of rear suspension fool you, it will ride all the hard trails you want it to. Think of it as a 0mm rear travel all-mountain bike. Not saying this is a bad thing, just something to keep in mind.Ī lot of hardtails get dumbed down when it comes to geometry - not so with the Torrent. You get every last bit of the 510mm reach. Without rear suspension, there’s no sag on the Torrent. If you think about it, as you sit on a full suspension bike, you sag into the rear travel effectively bringing the head tube closer and making the front of the bike a bit shorter. I’ve ridden other bikes with reach numbers in the 510-515 range, but the Torrent being a hardtail feels bigger. The XL Torrent is about the upper end if what I can ride comfortably. A size XL has a whopping 510mm reach and a 1277mm wheelbase. I’m still a tall lanky guy with a generous helping of legs. Norco Torrent Sizing, geometry and money stuff I didn’t know I could ever feel so confortable on a bike without rear suspension. This one caught me off guard a little bit. First, it’s an aggressive very aggressive hardtail. The 2020 Norco Torrent is far from a run-of-the-mill mountain bike. If you have an issue with that, take it up with HR.īoring disclaimers out of the way. So, I still feel somewhat qualified to talk about a bike without rear suspension. I’m not a hardtail connoisseur (Two sentences in and I’ve already used the thesaurus twice) but I like mountain bikes and have a pretty decent grasp on the nuances between them. I need to start this one off with a caveat.
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