I remember riding a late model Norco A-line and having such as blast. Then my buddy upgraded to a specialized status before then upgrading to a DEMO... I guess in comparison to modern Enduro/DH they were still very capable with their beefy 40mm triple crown Boxers/Zocchis and a slack head tube... but thinking about it now, there is no way to go nearly as quick without the modern long wheelbase and 29 wheels.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
New Bike day! (well it was a couple weeks ago)
Blew up my DHX2 last season and needed a full rebuild... fuck was that expensive. As I typically bike Fish, Moose/Bragg and in the Columbia Valley, I sold the full squish and picked up a "new to me" hardcore hardtail frame and built it up.
2021 Norco Torrent Steel frame L
DVO Diamond @160mm
XT 11 speed drivetrain w/ RF atlas crank
XT 4 Pot brakes
RF Turbine R wheels w/ Atlas hubs
175mm reverb
Magic Mary 2.6/Hans Dampf 2.35
Crank bros DH
Being about 6' - Norco kinda says I fall in between L and XL, but if I went XL the already long (1247mm) wheelbase grows another 50mm and I couldn't imagine technical climbs with that length. HOWEVER as it is a hardtail, I would imagine the extra length would result in the additional stability for speed and traction.
Observations from going full squish to HT?
With just a front fork as suspension, you do have to be A BIT more active with your body position to accommodate aHT angle changes, as it steepens a couple degrees when it goes through its travel. With the really modern Geo and length, I don't find much loss of capability descending, but then again I was never the fastest rider lol.
Even with a good fork, which you use ALOT, you definitely feel a lot. If you are descending a lot of Rooty, chundery section, its best to be clipped. I find myself stopping more to work out the arm pump I develop.
Like with Chromags, the steel frame does provide minimal damping and just like like Chromag, the faster you go, the better the frame deals with those oscillations.
Climbing:
Where I thought I'd lose some climbing traction, surprisingly I really haven't. I attribute this to a very steep 76 deg Seat tube angle, which actually steepens with the fork sag, and the long wheel base provides great stability. This being the first time running Hans Damp, just maybe is the best rear tire I've ever used. The negative is that with such a steep seat tube angle, you FEEL EVERYTHING in the saddle as you're basically right on top of the seat tube.
Playfulness:
I'm certain the 425mm chain stays play a role, but with a ridged rear end, the responsiveness to inputs are just crazy. Some people like to use suspension to preload, but I feel that without one there is no delay to any inputs and makes the experience cerebral. Like you don't have to "think about" when you hop, you just hops. When you want to initiate a flick, it just does... when you manual just pull and sit back.
Though the chain stays are only 10mm shorter than my full squish, for some reason I just never case with this bike. Its like jumping with a unicycle... anywhere I want, I just look for the spot, jump and my back wheel ends lands where I want it to.
definitely not a bike for everyone, and the frame is heavy AF - BUT I am definitely now a huge advocate for modern hardtails.
I did notice that this Torrent is likely based on the Chromag Rootdown and very comparable to the Honzo ESD, Pole Taival