NORCO TORRENT
RATINGS
IN THE STAND 8/10
ON THE TRAIL 8.5/10
OVERALL 8/10
In mountain bike design, there’s always been an undercurrent back to its roots, where steel-framed bikes met fat tyres for the first time in the hills of California. It’s in this flow of ideas that the new Torrent from Canadian brand Norco fits. Setting out to build an aggressive, modern long, low, and slack 29” wheeled bike out of cromoly steel, Norco have put together a bike that harks back to simplicity with a current touch.
The Torrent HT S1 is what I’ve had on review for the past few weeks. Built around that long, low, and slack frame built from double-butted Chromoly steel, the HT S1 gets some of the latest gear from SRAM: a Lyrik Ultimate fork up front with 150mm travel, SRAM GX Eagle shifting and SRAM Code R brakes. Rolling on E.13 LG1 29” rims, Maxxis Assegai 3C 2.5” TR tyres with EXO+ and Novatec hubs, this is a bike that looks as aggressive as its intentions, with those large 2.5” width tyres and deep tread pattern of the Assegai hinting at its purpose, to get out and shred, no matter the conditions.
Staying true to those roots by offering no rear suspension in its hardtail design, it does change a little about the experience compared to a full-suspension bike, but there are positives for riders willing to take on the challenge. Instead of just relying on the rear suspension on drops,
