12/3/2023 0 Comments Norco torrent![]() ![]() Where the Torrent makes up for its heftiness is when you’re pumping the bike through undulations, as in smooth terrain it can turn every downwards undulation into forward motion. The short chain stays are great for pulling manuals and steering with the rear for laughs on the way down. My approach to technical climbs on the Torrent was to stay seated where possible, getting out of the saddle for crux moments, and throwing the bike forward over obstacles where necessary. The short chain stays are great for pulling manuals and steering with the rear for laughs on the way down but maintaining traction on technical climbs when standing is trickier than on bikes with more proportional geometry. Whether you’re on the road or the trail earning your turns, the Torrent is more content with seated climbing and grinding to the top than surging out of the saddle. The reach, 64 degree head angle, and fork travel combine to give you lots of confidence pointing the bike down fast and technical descents, but the short rear end reminds you the Torrent is all about the good times.Īs I live at sea level, all my rides begin with some climbing. They’re not the best tool for the job most of the time, and that’s half the fun. I’ve always had a soft spot for trail hardtails. ![]() This is appropriate given the Torrent A2’s pricepoint, although I opted to pop a Rimpact Pro in the rear, as the Performance Line tyres from Schwalbe aren’t the most robust out there. The tyres are Schwalbe Hans Dampfs in a 2.35” size from their value for money Performance Line. The final confirmation of the Torrent A1’s aggressive intent was its weight, which is a portly 14.17kg in size large with the tyres setup tubeless. The bike comes with tubes, which is a bit of a pain to swap over, but at least you get two spare tubes in the process! The wheels are taped, and they sealed easily with a bit of sealant and a floor pump. ![]() The bike comes with 800mm bars, and I lopped them down to 760mm to squeeze through the tight stuff, but that was the only change I made during testing. I’d prefer to sacrifice comfort for a stable ride height on a long travel hardtail. I’m not a huge fan of the RockShox 35 Gold RL fork, and with its tendency to dive I opted for more pressure and compression than I normally like to run. Setting up the Torrent A1 was a simple affair. There are no real unique features when it comes to the Torrent A1, although the aggressive geometry is only topped in the mainstream market by the Marin El Roy, and the frame looks like it means business with its long reach (480mm in the size large tested), short chain stays (425mm), and low-slung front triangle. There’s bottle/tool mounts on both the down tube and underside of the top tube. ![]()
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