2021-2023 Norco Torrent Long Term Review
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- This is my long term review of my lovely Norco Torrent A2. I have had this bike since June 2021 and it’s seen over 1000km. Most the riding I have done has been on our local singletrack here in Lethbridge. I have also taken it to Crowsnest Pass and Whitefish where I was able to ride some proper chunk.
Absolutely love the bike.
If you have any questions about the bike write a comment below.
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I have a Rocky Mountain Instinct for full suspension and a Norco Torrent A2 for my hardtail. Its like asking which one of your kids is your favorite. I just love my Canadian bikes. Both handle the the Texas Hill Country rocks and steep trails with such ease. Like my kids I love them the same. But if it comes down to between my kids and my bikes, well we're gonna need to have a conversation. Ha ha. Just kidding. Everyone knows your bikes always come first. Ha ha.
Lmao! My kind of humour! I know what you mean about bikes vs kids… I mean between bikes. Haha
I couldn’t pick a favourite between the two either. If I needed a new FS tomorrow the Instinct would be high on my list! They’re awesome bikes!
Thanks for the reviews. Lusting I’ve this bike recently, and the fork is actually one of my main reasons for wanting it. Cheers!
Thanks for watching! That’s awesome! I really like the fork!! It’s such a solid bike, great all rounder but it reaaaly likes the chunk and going downhill haha
As iv said a million times this is the best all around bike iv ever owned. If your looking for a good solid hardtail look no further than the Norco Torrent
Couldn’t agree more! I thought very highly of the bike after about a month of riding, really liked it. Now after almost a year my opinion hasn’t changed. Still an awesome bike
Great video btw. I wish we'd have that kind of terrain where I live in Montréal. This Lethbridge panorama with the sunset is beautiful! Ur lucky to live in a gorgeous place like this. Also, what camera did you use to film this video?
Thank you! It’s easy to take for granted but I love it here. Montreal is a really cool place too I would love to visit! Plus I heard Quebec has been building some amazing trails! I’ve been watching Remy Metaillers videos and it looks pretty sweet. Thanks for watching!
Probably my next bike lol! How do you like the fork.. is it heavy, noisy, stiff or loose? Also on paper it looks like it may need a longer dropper post… like around a 170mm dropper? Sorry for all the questions, just really interested in this bike
No worries! I actually really like the fork! On paper it is heavy but I don’t notice it when I’m riding. It’s small bump sensitivity is awesome being a coil and it still takes the big hits well. I have been tempted picking up the heavier spring since I’m 205lbs but honestly that’s not picking. Servicing is incredibly easy the damper is non-serviceable but if there are problems you can pop in a new one for around $100 Canadian. It’s kind of a set and forget fork, I’m not one to be constantly messing with fork settings. Suntour also has an upgrade program so you can get a discount on new forks if you choose to upgrade. I have their Aion35 PCS on my Trance and it’s a solid fork too.
The internal cable routing does rattle a bit on fast sections of singletrack with chatter like brake bumps. I fixed with some shrink wrap around the brake hose and the Jagwire insulation around the shifter cable along with some zip ties. Funny bc I never noticed the rattle riding tech. The dropper is a bit short, I’m 5’9 and have a 200mm dropper on it now.
Other upgrades are PNW bars, grips, pedals, saddle and a 203mm rotor.
To my surprise I really like the Tektro brakes! They modulate extremely well, have great bite and come with semi metallic pads new. People complain that the lever is really long but again I don’t notice riding. Other complaints is that they preform like garbage but they likely just need a bleed if that’s the case, their performance drops a fair bit if they need a bleed. If you keep up with maintenance then it’s a non-issue.
@@ivanmtb00 Thank you! I finally got a FS bike after years of wanting one and now I realized that I don’t really like it lol! The new bike is great but just not as fun as a good hardtail for me.
@@scstinger5 I have a Full Suspension as well and love that bike too. They’re both just different and couldn’t pick a favourite. That being said I totally understand how for some they would prefer one vs the other
I've been looking at the Torrent S1... Do you have any experience with it at all? Any of the S series? Hard to watch a review on an Aluminum bike and take much away when you're thinking about the steel frame bike but there just isn't much on youtube about the S1 or S2
Hey there! Thanks for reaching out! I don’t have any experience with any of the steel frames. Steve from Hardtail party has an awesome review on it though, it’s worth checking out. The geometry it’s basically the same so I can comment on that. From what I have read and heard from others the Steel frame is awesome! The geometry is on point though. I absolutely love the bike.
Have you ever had problems with the headset making a clicking sound after a few use? I bought mine last month and it started developing clicking sound on the front headset part. Thanks
Sounds can be hard to diagnose. I had the internal cables tapping that was driving me nuts which is significantly better now. I did have a creak on this bike and others a while ago. I dropped my fork and put some fresh grease on the headset, took apart my bars/stem and cleaned that up adding a bit of grease to each bolt. It’s been quiet ever since. In hindsight I think it was the stem clamp.
have you tried compairing the torrent with the growler 40/50? i want a hardtail but am having trouble deciding.
I was looking at the Growler 40 as well. Geometry is essentially the same but I will lean a bit more towards the Torrent with the STA being 1Deg steeper. The drivetrain is a wash (11 vs 12 is a non-issue for me both with 11-51T cassettes). Wheels I like to lean slightly more towards Stan’s which is just personal preference, WTB makes excellent wheels as well. The fork has 10mm more travel, bigger sanctions and I think it’s a bit better then the Raidon. I also like the 4 pot brakes over the 2 piston shimanos. The Orion brakes on the Torrent share the same pads as SLX and they are excellent. I have M400’s on my Trance and needed to upgrade them.
Comparing the Growler 50 vs Torrent I would still go Torrent but for the money I would opt for the Torrent S2 to get the steel frame.
I should add with the Growler 50 vs Torrent S2 I also like the TRP’s that come on the Torrent. SLX and XT are nice to have but for me brakes are more important since I’m totally fine with a Deore drivetrain. Plus the Stan’s Flow S1 wheels on the S2 are pretty sick.
@@ivanmtb00 thank you for the reply, i too, am from lethbridge. I am just getting into mtb. I currently have a 26" 2012 aurum but coming from a bmx background i think that a hardtail will suit me better. I am very excited to try some trails out within the city.
@@weesh4010 awesome! Oh man a new hardtail will feel awesome coming from your Aurum. I’ve ridden my Torrent in the Pass and down in Whitefish. It’s a great bike and way more capable then my riding haha. Ascent has a Torrent in stock too!
I bought a Growler 50 2021 on may 2023. The bike was literally new because it was a covid bike (never ridden). I paid 2 000 $CAD for it. The Growler rides very well. Climbing is really easy (though, could be because I'm young and have great cardio, I wouldn't know).
But, you mentionned the S2 and the thing is it's made out of steel... And just because of that, I didn't want one because I didn't want to see rust to appear on the frame and enventually ruine the bike. Do you think it's common to see rust on steel mountain bikes?
Sure, steel reduces the amount of vibrations felt (I've never owned a steel mtb so, I really have no idea how it trully feels) but steel does increase quite a bit the weight of the bike.@@ivanmtb00
Does it have an air or coil fork?
This is a Coil fork. It’s the same design as their higher end forks but a coil instead of an air chamber. It doesn’t have sleeves like the cheaper coil forks either. It’s a shame the other big brands don’t make a coil fork other then the Bomber Z1. The other Torrents all came with air forks
☹️ *promo sm*
Haha I wish! I don’t think anyone is interested in promoting a UA-cam channel with 150subs
It was between this bike and the canyon stoic for me. Wishing I would have went with the norco.
The stoic is a great bike, but after putting $700 bucks into the canyon (150mm fork, bars,seat, tubless(with rear insert). I could of just got the torrent that’s ready to party out of the box. Oh well. Anyone want a good deal on a 2023 canyon stoic 3 with upgrades?
The stoic is a great bike as well, geometry is pretty close to the Torrent especially with the bigger Fork. Are you planning to set it for a Torrent anyways?
@@ivanmtb00 yeah. I’m keeping it. With the 150 fork it slackened the ht angle to 64.5. It’s awesome on descents. I ride it at the park. I live across the street from a lift access mtn in NC. and it’s my foul weather bike. Low maintenance. My only gripe is the seat tube length IS LOOOONG.
That’s awesome! Kind of like my Trance. It has a long seat tube as well but still works. I added an angled headset and bumped the travel from 150mm to 160mm so my HTA is 64.5 too. It’s an awesome bike, I’m torn between which is my favourite between the Torrent and Trance.