4499 dollars. Aluminium frame. 17.94 kilos. With the Torrent DH, Norco is sending a downhill bike onto the piste that is not interested in high-end material fetishism. Instead: robust technology for bike park junkies who don't pack their bikes in cotton wool.
Aluminium is the new carbon
While the competition shows off with carbon fibre marvels, Norco relies on aluminium. This is not a step backwards, but a calculated move: the frame will survive even the third full-throttle crash, external cable routing means maintenance without a nervous breakdown, and replaceable protective parts keep your wallet happy. Five sizes from S1 to S5 cover riders between 155 and 195.5 centimetres. If you're taller, you should be playing basketball anyway.
The Virtual Pivot Suspension uses Horst-Link kinematics - sounds like German engineering, but comes from Canada. The Rockshox Vivid Air damper (225x75 mm) provides end-stage progression so that you don't sit on the top tube when landing. Steel spring fans can retrofit coil shocks if air is too progressive for them.
Wagon wheel at the front, manoeuvrable at the rear
The industry calls this liaison MX: 29 inches at the front for traction and rollover behaviour, 27.5 inches at the rear for agility. The Rockshox Boxxer Select D2 with 52 millimetre offset directs the large front wheel through 200 millimetres of suspension travel. Maxxis Assegai 2.5-inch tyres at the front and Minion DHR II 2.4-inch tyres at the rear - the choice of tyres shows that someone has put some thought into this bike.
Seven gears are enough
Uphill? Not planned. The Sram GX DH gravity drivetrain is limited to seven gears (11-25 teeth), driven by a 36 mm chainring on the Praxis Cadet crank. 160 millimetre crank length for dwarves (S1/S2), 165 millimetres for mere mortals.
An MRP G5 chain tensioner prevents the chain from breaking at the tenth rockfall. SRAM Maven Base brakes with 200-millimetre discs convert speed into thermal energy - metallic pads included.
Geometry for speed
63 degree steering angle. Full stop. No matter what size, Norco sticks to this value - it can always be slacker, but it won't be more stable. The reach values climb from 420 to 500 millimetres, chainstays grow from 430 to 450 millimetres. The wheelbase varies between 1212 and 1327 millimetres. Not interested in these figures? But they should: they decide whether you conquer the trail or the trail conquers you.
| Rider height (cm) | 155-165 | 162,5-172,5 | 170-180 | 178-188 | 185,5-195,5 |
| Rider size (ft.) | 5'1"-5'5" | 5'4"-5'8" | 5'7"-5'11" | 5'10"-6'2" | 6'1"-6'5" |
| Wheel size | 29"/27,5" | 29"/27,5" | 29"/27,5" | 29"/27,5" | 29"/27,5" |
| Spring travel f/h (mm) | 200/200 | 200/200 | 200/200 | 200/200 | 200/200 |
| Reach (mm) | 420 | 440 | 460 | 480 | 500 |
| Stack (mm) | 632 | 637 | 638 | 642 | 647 |
| Steering angle (°) | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 |
| Fork Offset (mm) | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 390 | 390 | 390 | 400 | 415 |
| Eff. Seat tube angle (°) | 78,5 | 78,5 | 77,5 | 77 | 76,5 |
| Chain stay (mm) | 430 | 435 | 440 | 445 | 450 |
| BB drop v/h (mm) | 22/2 | 22/2 | 22/2 | 22/2 | 22/2 |
| Bottom bracket height (mm) | 352 | 352 | 352 | 352 | 352 |
| Horiz. Top tube (mm) | 576 | 589 | 616 | 638 | 661 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1212 | 1240 | 1272 | 1299 | 1327 |
| Protrusion height (mm) | 689 | 691 | 691 | 697 | 698 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 100 | 105 | 110 | 115 | 120 |
| Caster (mm) | 160 | 160 | 160 | 160 | 160 |
| Max. Seat post (mm) | 200 | 212 | 212 | 226 | 226 |
| Stem length (mm) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Crank length (mm) | 160 | 160 | 165 | 165 | 165 |
| Tyre width | 2,35"-2,5" | 2,35"-2,5" | 2,35"-2,5" | 2,35"-2,5" | 2,35"-2,5" |
The small print
Two colours: Gloss Floating Blue and Gloss Raw Alloy Silver - if you're looking for camouflage colour, you've come to the wrong place. The complete bike costs 4499 US dollars or 5700 Canadian maple leaves. The frame kit (frame, shock, headset) is available for 2999 dollars.
Norco includes a "Ride Aligned Setup Guide" that calculates personalised suspension settings. Does it work? Try it out. And if the frame breaks: a lifetime guarantee from model year 2014 onwards - who says aluminium is dead?
About Norco
Founded in 1964 as Northern Cycle Industries, Norco has been building bicycles for six decades - now with global aspirations. The company is based in British Columbia, where the mountains are steep and the trails are rough. You can see that in the bikes: Those who develop here don't have to simulate what a downhill feels like. The testing grounds are on the doorstep, the engineers ride themselves. More at Norco.com
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
