Submitted by
goldenbora
a Weekend Warrior
from Martin, Slovakia
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2010
Strengths: Massive frame, rear dropout, geometry
Weaknesses: some painting defect on bottom part (not visible in normal position) And maybe weight, but leighter bikes with this strgnth would be much more expensive. Uphill climbing need a fork, that can be lowered.
Bottom Line:
Purchase price is only for frame, in czech crowns (CZK), in USD is about 130. I dont even want to know total price of this setup. But I must say, that when I first saw the frame I was stunned by its massivity.
On this bike I ride downhill(fast every weekend,snow, rain, anything), and think that with this setup it will hold for long time.
Strengths: low slung for clearance, slack head angle for stability, 150X12mm rear dropout spacing for rear wheel strength, 66VF2 with ETA help the climbs, killer price for killer parts and frame.
Weaknesses: this review is for the 2006 model, and it represents the pinnacle of hardtail design ever. and norco changed the design for 2007 - what were they thinking?
Bottom Line:
this is the ultimate in hardtail design, and not just for pure freeride applications. the slack head angle leads out the bike nicely and soaks up the sag in the 6 inch fork, so you end up riding at about 67 - 68degrees or so, instead of sagging past the design point like EVERY OTHER FREAKIN' HARDTAIL OUT THERE! it's stiff and responsive, so while the 38lb weight won't win any medals, for joe bruiser it has the snap to get you through the climbs and tough sections and come out laughing on the other side.
Norco, please oh please make your hardtails with this geometry again! don't fall for the siren song of "the standard freeride hardtail geometry" that you have adopted this year.
Bike Setup: stock with Saint cranks, saint RD. new pedals after the stock ones died.
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Submitted by
sam higgins
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2007
Strengths: everything!!!!
Weaknesses: The only thing I can think of is the pedals. (no pin replacement). And it is pretty heavy but thats because it's a tank!
Bottom Line:
I bought a norco shore for racing DH and am thinking about selling it cause my torrent can handle everything my shore can. (It's just not as smooth because it's a hardtail,obviously). Nothing has broken on me except for a few flat tires. I highly reccomend this bike for anyone who wants to ride DH on a hardtail or just huck it. It can take it!!
Similar Products Used: Norco sasquatch,kompressor,tactik,etc.
Bike Setup: Stock except for new pedals,and a front singletrack on a novatec hub.
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Submitted by
Daniel Prichard
a Downhiller
from Kelowna, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2006
Strengths: The frame is incredibly beefy and nearly indestructable. It has awesome geometry and feels great to ride.
Weaknesses: Deore shifters: rip them off. Beserker saddle: Rip it off. Saint deraileur: awesome, but not fun to tune. If you like dirtjumping or urban, rip off the Jr.T too. It's a little heavy. Also get a new chain and petals.
Bottom Line:
This bike is friggin' awesome. I believe it's the best hardtail out there. A little heavy for the street, but you learn how to throw it around. It also feels at home on the mountain, which makes it a great bike all 'round.
Similar Products Used: Devinvi Cameleon, Cannondale Chase, Specialized P.2
Bike Setup: Stock except for shifters (LX) Saddle (Axiom Freeride) Fork (DJIII 130mm travel) Pedals (Truvativ Holzfeller)
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Submitted by
jake lipton
a Weekend Warrior
from massachusetts usa, newton
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2006
Strengths: frame!!!!! i will never brake it. the fork is beast but it needs an overhaul (this is a 2004) but its a beast. The brakes rock! i got a freshly rebuilt wheel in the rear and it is wicked strong
Weaknesses: the fork sounds like it tops out when pulling up or doing a manuel but still is strong.
Bottom Line:
this bike is sick!!!!! this summer im going to climb killington and desend. for now im all urban assult and all around freeride......... ohh yea: BUY THIS BIKE!!!!!
This bike is super sick. It does everything and it excels at it. Most of the guys I ride with have fully's and they can't do all the stuff i can on it. In the same day I have done trail riding, drops, dirt jumping, skate park, and riding at a bmx track and my friends on fully's could only keep up with me on the trails and the drops. I have taken this thing off a 15 foot drop and it felt great. Dirt jumping on it feels great as well its very predictable and stable in the air. I have found on this bike, and on any hardtail i suppose, as long as the stunt has a nice tranny it can take it no problem. I love the brakes on this bike. The only problem I have had is that once the little plastic plug popped out on the lever and I lost all braking power because the fluid drained out. After I bled them, I hockey taped the plugs on and no problems since. With that said I have a couple of things I would change. The junior T fork isn't very stiff. Anything over 10 feet it bottoms out. However its not fair to call it a weakness because for dirt jumping and smaller stuff it is great for a dual crown fork. The stock rims a BRUTAL. I tacoed them both and replaced them with double tracks and now they are great. The saint derailuer is strong as hell, but it is a pain in the ass to adjust and i have to adjust it about once every 3 rides because it doesnt shift properly. Everything else however held up great. Ive bent a few of the stock parts in crashes but thats too be expected. This bike has handled everything i have thrown at it and more and after riding this bike for about a year and a half now, I couldnt be any happier with my decision to buy it. Norco's quality and value cannot be beat.
Similar Products Used: Kona stinky, Specialized big hit, Gt DH-I, Banshee Morphine
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock except tires, stem, handlebars, rims, and seat. I also added a chain guide
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Submitted by
Eric Lalande
a Weekend Warrior
from Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2005
Strengths: Perfect geometry. 66R are by far the best fork I've ridden. Solid overall bike, Smoothest riding bike ever, and its a hartail. Comes with a sweet Norco chainstay protector.
Weaknesses: I found it weird that Norco would put shimano deore shifters, i upgraded to XT right away and the shifting is alot smoother. Other weekness is weight, mine comes in at 42 pounds and its a small size frame. But how cares about weight when you have a bike that tough. The decals look like scratches according to riding buddies that see my bike from a bit further away. But thats cosmetic. And last but not least, you get stared down all the time because it looks so huge. If anyone that has one of these and reads this, tell me what colour your rims came in, mine are black and i was hoping to get them in white, i was dissapointed to see that, because they have them in white on the site. hahaha. Really there is no weakness for the bike, everything works fine. My freehub was screwed up but that was just a defect, not all torrents come that way i hope.
Bottom Line:
Best stock hardtail ever made for freeriding, Most people build up these things and still get a worse performing bike. Great Value, I would pay more for it if i had to. Perfect geometry. Super easy to manual with, jump, drop, DH, anything, Even XC, as long as you dont climb steep hills. I would recommend this bike to any freerider looking for a solid hardtail that'll hit anything and ask for more. Or if you love raming curbs, I would recommend freeriders looking for an upgrade fork to get a 66, it eats everything, and will guaranteed make any bike look beefier.
Similar Products Used: Really nothing, Manik, tactik, Balfa BB7, shore.
Bike Setup: 2005 Norco torrent. Marzocchi 66R(Beefiest looking SC fork ever) Syncros rims. Everything is stock except I upgraded my shifters to XT(I recommend doing so.)
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Submitted by
Mat
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2005
Strengths: smooth, perfect geometry, unbreakable!
Weaknesses: crappy saint rear derailler, weak seat.
Bottom Line:
i am fourteen, and $2200 au. is a lot of money for, me, but in hindsight i couldn't of thought of a better way to spend it. 4 months ago, i couldn't jump by any respectable standard, and now i find mysef doing 4 metre gaps with ease. i cannot reccomend this bike enough, except for the crappy seat (which bent after a week) and the saint derailler. it never stays in tune and jumps all over the place. this bike is great for anything, except going uphill, (but who wants to do that anyway). All in all an awesome bike.
Strengths: Great Bike. The frame has to be the biggest baddest available. The hard tail is the best for control, I will beat any dual suspension slappers to the bottom. Front shocks, mazzochi bommer 66r are sick! Haynes nines are standard stoppers.
Weaknesses: 150mm rear axle is really strong but causes the gears to miss align. This is a really fu*ked up problem. The solution is to dump the front derailer and have a 9 speed but it is still not brilliant.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Just dont expect to ride up the mountain first. Really easy to jump on. Would have expected norco to have put more thought into the gears setup.
Bike Setup: Go Small. Easy to flick around. Easy to get in the air. Tempting to change the bike to a single speed to stop the gear issues.
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Submitted by
Lee Marlowe
a Weekend Warrior
from Smithers, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2005
Strengths: This bike was great for what I paid for it. I got it for 1800 after taxes with a 2003 DJ2 QR20+. However, I wouldn't pay the full price for it. Ok for anything but Urban.
Weaknesses: It's SO heavy. way WAY too heavy for urban
Bottom Line:
It was alrght, but my new LeToy 3 makes a complete joke out of it. It's alright for begginers, but buy a LeToy; you'll never need another bike again if you do!
Thanks to Beyond Bikes for the awesome deal on my new bike! Everyone should shop there, or at least look at their site!
Similar Products Used: Haro 8.2 Escape, 4Hun, one25, my new LeToy 3 (it's God, buy one now!!!)
Bike Setup: I sold it, but it was stock exept for the seat and the fork.
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Submitted by
Tom The Moose
a Racer
from Toronto, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2005
Strengths: -Holzfeller cranks -strong frame
Weaknesses: - stock formula hub - junior t
Bottom Line:
- very nice freeride hardtail took off the junior t and put on a sc fork, fairly light 39 pounds, at high speeds is when this bike is at its best it starts to get very reactive and manuverable if your looking for a bike that can do it all pretty well then this is the bike.
Strengths: Awesome all around freeride bike. this thing will do dirt jumps, gaps, drops, and even some street. i have been riding this thing into the ground, the frame is solid.
Weaknesses: seat started to go in my first week. it was a piece of sh@t. after i broke my first one, i replaced it with the same one, then it broke again. so i got a snafu bmx saddle, no problems since. snapped my fork just a couple of days ago. (junior t). and the chain was junk too, snapped on me about 10 times. replaced with an lx chain. no prob.
Bottom Line:
this bike is solid. there have only been a few things on it that have gone since i bought it. and i have been riding almost every day i since i bought it. putting it through whatever i could find. the only thing it hasn't seen is 20 plus foot drops. but i'm sure it won't be long before that happens. solid frame, solid wheels, solid cockpit, solid drivetrain. weak seat, somewhat weak fork, weak chain, and that would about do it. peace out.
*UPDATED* I've taken the torrent to some places I never thought I could ever ride. I just took it out to an exposed rock face I dont think anyone has ever ridden, and I loved it so much I want to do it again this afternoon. this bike has progressed my riding ability so much its unbelevible. If my mates give my crap about dropping $2000+ Aus on a bike, let alone a Hardtail, I ask them to come for a ride with me and I show them some of the stuff I can do now. That usually shuts them up. I love this bike. it backs me up with ever thing I do. props to The Bike Shed for helping me get the bike I always wanted. And thanks to Norco for making a bike a bit diffrent (you wouldnt belive how many people said triple clamp forks were over-kill on hardtail)
Bike Setup: stock except for forks - 04' super t pro
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Submitted by
Tim McEvoy
a Weekend Warrior
from Stawell ,Victoria-Australia
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2004
Strengths: Very Strong Frame, Art looking welds, Beefy frame all over and Awesome geometry.
Weaknesses: None yet except for the weight. But hey if it was any lighter you might as well buy an XC bike or a Road Bike. At least you know it builts with one thing in mind.
Bottom Line:
If you want an awesome looking hardtail get it. But it nots just the looks, if you want to do downhill or jump this beast get it too because the frame geometry is a pleasure to ride with.
