Norco Torrent FS+ - First Look

Aug 31, 2016 at 13:47
by Norco Bicycles  
Views: 4,575    Faves: 10    Comments: 1


A brand new model for 2017, the Torrent FS+ is our first ever 650B Plus full suspension bike. Designed from the ground up with aggressive all-mountain geometry, 130mm A.R.T. suspension and trail-taming 2.8" wide tires, the Torrent devours everything in its path. Conquer gnarly root sections, float over rock gardens and claw up steep, loose technical climbs with ease. Fun and aggressive with traction in spades, the Torrent FS takes all-mountain riding to a whole new level.

Torrent FS+ A7.1 - $4799CAD

Norco Torrent FS


Torrent FS+ A7.2 - $3399CAD

Norco Torrent FS


Norco Torrent FS geo chart

For full spec and details, visit norco.com. / @norcobicycles

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Member since Feb 11, 2000
126 articles

79 Comments
  • 65 8
 I thought those mavic shoes would be the ugliest thing I would see today but this one is far worst.
  • 2 6
flag jrocksdh (Sep 1, 2016 at 16:34) (Below Threshold)
 Ya that green/yellow logo is killing my eyes
  • 11 2
 The the strange piece of the frame where the bottom of the shock mounts.... ugh, halp my eyes
  • 1 1
 The 7.1 isn't that bad. But it ain't pretty.
  • 5 3
 @grgsmith: I like how not even the designer put it on the geometry chart.
  • 1 0
 @fercho25: ha! didn't notice that
  • 1 1
 @grgsmith: My first words upon seeing this bike was literally "wtf?"
  • 7 1
 Downtube looks like a mexican telephone pole
  • 1 0
 I thought the same thing when I saw it in the catalog, but honestly, in real life it doesn't look too bad at all. The shock mount and swoopy bars doesn't seem nearly as pronounced as they do in the pictures.
  • 2 0
 Beauty, is in eye, of beholder...
  • 3 0
 @greg390:
I think it's quite nice, but then again I do think Stifflers moms a MILF
  • 1 1
 It seems Norco is moving backwards to the year around 2009. At that time they had Team DH, but this thing is even uglier cuz Team DH was 26".
  • 18 1
 Recently I walked into my local (larger) bike shop in hopes of finding a good deal on an "old" 2016 rig. All I saw were heavily discounted plus-bikes. S-works plus bikes, Santa Cruz Plus bikes, a trek fat bike and a plus bike, a whole bunch of cheap Carbondale plus bikes... I don't think these things are selling even to entry-level consumers. Pros certainly aren't using them. No one sees a benifit... Why are they being made by the dozens this year?
  • 24 0
 It's a good example of the industry telling us what to buy instead of building bikes based off rider feedback. It's a shame and I hope they lose some money and learn a lesson somewhere along the way.
  • 1 1
 Tippie uses one!
  • 6 0
 Whenever I walk into a shop, they give high praises to these plus bike. Always the same BS about how much grip they have and it's the best blah blah blah. However, I see the same sales guys on the trails and none of them are riding plus bikes. Hmm mighty peculiar.
  • 2 0
 @speed10: makes no sense, lot of company's sell TT bikes, but i dont own one..
  • 1 0
 @lesz42: I bet you do. A regular Wiggins you are.
  • 16 0
 Is there really a big enough market for all of these new plus bikes?? Every brand seems to be flooding the market with new plus bikes, yet unlike the large amount of 160mm 'Enduro' bikes out there, I've only found a small amount of people I know who would actually buy one. I tested the Specialized 6Fattie back to back with Stumpys and both Enduro wheelsize, as well as my own Capra and I simply found it a bit dull compared to a normal bike.
  • 1 0
 ive seen a TON of newbiees asking for +bikes at my lBs but never seen them actually buying one.
  • 3 1
 @NickB01 I fully agree. I tried my buddies new Specialized Enduro 650+ and was very unimpressed.
  • 3 0
 Sad as it sounds I can see someone picking up a plus size bike because they see fat bikes and regular bikes on the sales floor and figure it's a good compromise.
  • 4 1
 Plus bikes are a weird thing. Great for somebody newer to the sport, and the hardtails make for fun second bikes. One dude bought a Sherpa to go bike-packing in Nepal, and another dude mounted a gun rack to the handlebars and uses it to hunt birds. I've put some miles on them, and I came to the conclusion that they aren't really a bike for anybody, but anybody could have a blast on them. It is what you make it; beginners get confidence, experts can destroy corners, and your weekend warrior can just plow over everything without having to worry about hurting at work on Monday. That being said, we don't have much for flow trails; our terrain is rocky, rooty, and often muddy, so these bikes make a bit more sense here than they might elsewhere.
  • 2 1
 @bigdan30: Interesting...I've heard that riders have issues with ripping up sidewalls in rocky places. Is this just a myth? Are the tires getting better? I'm considering a new plus bike for my wife but concerned about leaving her stranded on a mountain with a busted tire. I also ride a medium so I would thrash this bike as well. I currently run 2.5 WTB's, which are massive but the sidewalls are nearly impenetrable.
  • 2 0
 Entry to mid level plus bikes makers aren't counting on too many n+1 buyers, they're counting on the bikes being impressive to people graduating from budget hardtails and big box bikes being impressed. Not a bad deal really.
  • 1 0
 @bigdan30: IIRC Levy commented on a torn sidewall in a Nobby Nic on some bike review. There has been this idea circulating since then that the NN has a weak sidewall. I live in central Oregon. We have a lot of very sharp lava rocks around here and squeezing a 2.8-3.0 tire through them means you're guaranteed to get sidewall rub. I run a NN 2.8 rear and 3.0 front. They have about 800 miles on them with ZERO issues. I dunno WTF other people are doing but these things have been impressively strong and they don't weigh a ton.
  • 1 0
 @ryan83: second that wtb impenetrability
  • 1 0
 @corvus1: forget the side walls, the NN carcass isn't tough enough for hammering sharp rocky trails like those in Wales.....
  • 2 0
 @ryan83: They don't seem any different than any other tire we sell. Around here, Schwalbes in general often don't last too long unless you're shelling out for Snakeskin, but can't say I've seen a chronic weak-sidewall problem.
A little tidbit as well; not sure what your wife's skill level is, but we had a lady in her late 30's early 40's come to a demo day earlier this year that said when she comes up to roots or rocky sections on the trails, she tends to slow down so much or walk that she just didn't really find mountain biking that much fun, she mostly did it for the kids. First we sent her out on a $4000 Scott Genius and she was like ehh, it was alright, but she still kinda felt the same uneasiness about the trail. So we sent her out on a $2000 Scott Scale plus bike - and she came back just grinning. If your wife isn't a big ripper, she might love the extra tire; see if you can demo one somewhere back to back with a regular trail bike so she can decide that way. I wouldn't let the tire sidewall be a driver behind the purchase.
  • 2 0
 @bigdan30: ....2k for a newbie hardtail bike? Spoken like a retailer! A metal hardtail with really basic components should not cost 2k.

.....and NN are not tough enough for regular abrasive rock use, that's without considering the exposed sidewalls...I ran a 2.35" tubeless and it got shot to bits, I was lucky it never tore given the massive gaps between the centre blocks
  • 1 0
 @Travel66: While I can't agree that they come with "really basic components," (clutch derailleur, air-sprung fork, front and rear thru-axles on sealed hubs aren't terrible features, especially BOOST wow amazing boost boost boost) you make a fair call, which is why I'm pretty pleased to see them starting around $1100 this year.

Also, my comment seemed kinda contradictory now that I re-read it; I was talking about two different tires in the same sentence. We don't usually stock Schwalbes at our store, because while they make a great tread, they just don't seem to hold up well. Our racers use them, but that's about it, and they usually buy the pricey Snakeskin version. The plus tires are the ones I meant we "can't say we've seen a chronic sidewall problem," and seem to hold up just the same as any regular tire.

Also also, +1 on WTB durability (but on some rims...how tight are those beads).
  • 13 2
 For those of us who have been around the mountain bike scene for a while - me, I'm going on 23 years - I remember people saying the same thing about 29" wheels, disc brakes, suspension and clipless pedals as they do today about plus bikes, and that's *insert newest trend* is for beginners...or...why would I want *insert newest trend* when what I have is clearly superior?...or...why is the bike industry trying to shove *insert newest trend* down our throats?...or...no one is going to buy *insert newest trend*, just watch!

In other words, Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

Wait a couple of years; you'll be happily riding your plus bike and loving life, but continuing to rail on *insert newest trend* because, well, that's what we mountain bikers apparently like to do.
  • 3 0
 Funny I remember Wade Simmons on breakfast television a few years back say 29ers are for beginners... Then he was shredding an instinct!
  • 1 0
 @bohns1: Exactly.
  • 3 0
 I honestly doubt that we'll be riding + bikes in a few years. And I've been riding MTB for 25 years.
  • 1 0
 @cool3: I know that. I was just using plus bikes as an example.
  • 2 0
 I was part of the early 29er haters club. But I welcomed everything else on your list.
  • 3 0
 I've been riding 25 years this year and been on the 2016 7.1 torrent This season and it's been the most fun in many years. I give zero Fuchs what the punk kids on their race level $10,000 dh bike that mom bought them riding espresso seems to think about the industry or what they think in general. Once upon a time I was "never" going to use clipless pedals and spandex shorts, and well you'll never guess what's been part of every ride for the past 15 years.. For us guys that just ride and want to enjoy the forest these bikes are amazing and low and behold us 40 something guys are the ones who got this sport to where it is today.
  • 1 0
 Suspension and disc brakes were a gradual assimilation, in the early 2000s there were lots of mid level bikes that had v brakes and high end bikes with discs. Suspension was the same way just a few years before that. New wheel sizes came about much more quickly to the point where you can still buy a rigid bike with v brakes but it will probably be a 29er
  • 1 0
 @erikwyattatmedotcom: How are you (still liking) this bike mate?Ive been eyeing them off and thee are some killer deals on them here in oz at the moment
  • 2 0
 @bikerchef1: yeah man this bike has been awesome. Still my number one and all of my others have been sold off.
The only warning I can give is about the rear hub. The warranty replacement sucked also. I went with a Hope and it's been perfect.
  • 2 0
 That and don't bother with the lower level one. Then the fork will be sh!t also. The 2017 7.1 has a nice fork I'm told.
  • 8 0
 Meh....I have my sights on a 29er in the normal 2.2 to 2.35 tire range.
  • 7 0
 And by "normal" we hope ur referring to 2.35 magic mary sizing spec
  • 2 0
 @jrocksdh: of course!
  • 1 0
 @jrocksdh: I've also been pretty stoked on the WTB Convict right now. It's exactly the same width as a 2.35 MM. Actually performs the very very similar to MM. Has HEAVY duty "tough" casing which is good if needed. Only available in 27.5 right now though. Hopefully a 29er option will become available. Id totally run a lighter casing Convict in front and a tough casing in back.
  • 2 0
 @JDFF: thx for the lead..hopefully a 29" comes so i can try on my evil.
  • 4 0
 These bikes look perfectly fine for plus bikes. Decent value and from a decent company. I must be missing something. If i wanted a plus bike then these would be a blast, I'm sure.
  • 5 0
 So do Avanti care that they had a Torrent 7.2 first? www.avantibikes.com/torrent/index.html
  • 2 0
 Norco had Torrents in the 1990s.
  • 5 3
 To me, its all about tire width with plus bikes, same as with fats. More rubber contact = more traction = lower ground pressure. I'm not particular interested in being limited to the small end of the plus width options, so unless this norco has been designed to take 3.25s... its not a model I'd ever buy. Rocky builds their FS plus bikes to take 3.25s (Pipeline and Sherpa) and Specialized's 6Fattier FSR can clear a 3.5 tire in the back (not that anyone makes such a width yet, though if you ran a Bontrager Hodag 3.8 on a narrower than 80mm rim it'd probably limit the width to 3.5).

That's the main reason I went with a Spec Fuse 6Fattie hardtail over a Devinci Hendrix full suspension (the price diff to me would have only been about $500). The Hendrix has maxxis tires that were labeled 3.0s but because of the 35mm rim spec, the actual tire width came out about 2.8, and there wasn't really room for more in the frame. The Fuse had the better tire clearance and came stock with wider 50mm rims, so its specialized 3.0 labeled tires really were 3.0 width. I replaced the stock rubber for Vee Trax Fatty 3.25s the moment I got the bike home, setup tubeless with no effort at all on the WTB Scraper rims, and they barely leak any air at all (I lose like 1psi over 5 days). The Vee's have a 120TPI casing with Silica rubber compound, roll great, grip great, and inflated to a measured 3.16 inch width, at more than a quarter pound less weight than the stock specialized tires.
  • 2 0
 What the hell is wrong with 2.3 tires!!?
If ya want a fatbike.. Get a fatbike.. They are ok..
I tried one of these +bikes.. Honestly, nothing beets my
HANS DAMPF 2.35... All the traction ya need
  • 3 0
 Another plus bike. yay. Surely this one will be better than the other 100 options.
  • 3 0
 where is the new carbon range at norco??
  • 2 0
 a 29" option is in the works,maybe a late release,or could be next year, norco has been very guarded on this.
  • 2 0
 @goytay: damn i hope that's true, I'll be first in line for one!
  • 3 0
 @goytay: I'm going by what I see but I'm guessing something to do with metric shocks and newish axle standards.
  • 2 0
 @m47h13u:

Local Norco Rep, said that the new range, "is a refresh,but not game changing", so your guess.
  • 2 0
 There will be a carbon range and sight for 2017, just it will be a late release. as @goytay said, nothing game changing, just something refreshing.
  • 1 0
 No carbon next year. Only alloy.... Just kidding. The new Range(s) are going to be killer.
  • 3 0
 I've gotten the chance to see a 2017 range and they're sick! It'll be worth the wait, trust me
  • 4 1
 Yuck. Reminds me of their late 2000s dh bikes - not good.
  • 1 0
 oh boy, yet another + bike.....yawn

here's how it works, get a standard wheel size trail bike, get wide rims, put 2.3-2.4 regular tires on it = win
  • 2 0
 Does FS stand for "fučks sake" cause yeah.. Na... Maybe..
  • 3 0
 Avanti Torrent.
  • 1 0
 Yeah, I was wondering who used this name first? I love my avanti torrent 26er! @panaphonic
  • 1 0
 @Hockerz: Norco had a Torrent in 1998.
  • 1 0
 @Hockerz: Norco have had a torrent in their line up since like 2000
  • 1 0
 @dontlament: im thinking more like 92 bud...
  • 2 0
 According to bikepedia, and an absence of results in google for any year earlier, 1996 was the first Norco Torrent.
  • 1 0
 I just knew it had a following in 97 because I bought one for its xtr group set as a cross country race machine. The frame was an ultralight scandium alloy.
  • 2 1
 I kinda want to like Norco, one of my first good bikes was a Norco, but they're just too ugly.
  • 1 0
 Im running 2.4 minions on my ibis 941 rims, I find no need for a plus bike.
  • 3 1
 No. Just no.
  • 1 0
 err, sounds like Avanti...
  • 1 1
 that looks shit guys.. so ugly !!omg !
  • 3 4
 I bet the guy who buys those mavic shoes is also the guy who buys this bike! They were made for each other.
  • 1 1
 This is what the word "gopping" was invented for.
  • 1 1
 F@k me that's an ugly-ass bike selection! Not even when blind drunk!







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