Norco Torrent HT S2 review

Norco’s Torrent HT S2 takes progressive geometry with reach-focused sizing and slaps it on a no-fuss 4130 Chromoly frame with externally routed cables and 29in wheels.

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Designed to tackle a broad range of trails, the Torrent HT should be best-suited to gnarlier riding and, in particular, descending.

Norco Torrent HT S2 frame details

The frame has simple lines complemented by thin 4130 Chromoly steel tubing, with a triangular gusset between the top tube and seat tube. The frame's other gussets are much smaller, keeping its lines fairly uninterrupted.

Cables are routed externally along the non-driveside of the down tube, but the seat tube has a small cable port for internally routed dropper posts. There’s an in-built chainstay protector to help reduce chainslap.

The rear hub uses 12x148mm Boost spacing and there’s a threaded 73mm bottom bracket. The chainstays are asymmetrical; the driveside stay is shaped to create enough clearance for a 32-tooth chainring where it meets the bottom bracket.

There’s a single water bottle cage mount inside the front triangle on the down tube and the frame’s got clearance for up to 2.6in wide tyres.

Norco Torrent HT S2 geometry

The Torrent HT S2 has been given gravity-focused geometry and touts – for the size large I tested – a slack 64-degree head tube angle and a relatively steep 76-degree effective seat-tube angle.

Elsewhere there’s a generous 480mm reach, a 1,243mm wheelbase and short 425mm chainstays. It’s got a 646mm stack height but a fairly low 698mm standover figure.

The bottom bracket sits at a claimed 333mm (330mm measured) which is a little higher than you’d normally expect to see on a bike with similar figures.

Generally, though, the Torrent HT S2’s geometry all points in the right direction.

Norco Torrent HT S2 specifications

The S2 is the cheaper of a two-model range, costing £1,845. Norco’s been clever with where it's saved money and the Torrent is still adorned with a host of brand-name parts.

Up front, there’s a RockShox 35 Gold with 150mm of travel. The 35 fork has a Motion Control low-speed compression damping dial on the top of the right-hand leg which can be used to lock the forks out, and a low-speed rebound dial on the base of the same leg.

There’s an X-Fusion Manic dropper post with 170mm of travel and an X-Fusion remote lever. It has Ergon GA30 grips, a Fizik Tiaga saddle and e.thirteen LG1 EN rims but is specced with a Norco handlebar and stem, and Novatec hubs.

There are TRP G-Spec Trail S brakes with 180mm rotors front and rear, and a full SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain with an 11-50t cassette and 30t chainring.

Elsewhere, Norco’s specced the impressively grippy Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ tyres front and rear, both 2.5in wide.

The full build Torrent HT S2 in size large without pedals weighs 15.81kg.

Norco Torrent HT S2 ride impressions

I tested the Norco Torrent HT S2 on a host of different trails ranging from flat-out trail centre blasts through to technical off-piste singletrack descents with enduro-bike worthy gradients, as well as chunky rocky chunder and drops and jumps.

I set it up with 110psi in the fork air spring, and although the RockShox 35 is compatible with volume spacer tokens, I decided to keep them in the stock setup with zero tokens. Rebound was set to taste. I put 23psi in the front tyre and 25psi in the rear. For reference, I weigh 73kg.

Norco Torrent HT S2 climbing performance

The Torrent’s chunky 15.81kg weight and slow-rolling but ultra-grippy Maxxis Assegai tyres meant it wasn't the nippiest bike on the ascents, and while that weight meant it held speed well on the flatter sections, it took more effort to get it up to speed than lighter, more trail-focused bikes.

But none of that was a problem when the Torrent’s intended use is considered, being best suited to winch and plummet riding where the climbs are taken at an energy-conserving pace and the descents attacked with speed.

Luckily, the Torrent’s geometry matched its relatively lethargic uphill demeanour, and it put me in a rather upright and relaxed ascending position that was well suited to fireroad uphill plodding.

Once the trails got twisty or more difficult, there was enough space afforded by the generous 641mm top tube and 480mm reach figure to move around the bike without upsetting its general balance.

The calm climbing demeanour, helped by the grippy MaxxTerra Assegais sticking to the trail, was also complemented by the 76-degree effective seat-tube angle that kept my hips more central over the bottom bracket.

I did have to angle the saddle’s nose down and push it as far forward in the seatpost rails as possible, hinting that the seat-tube angle could be steeper still.

Although the SRAM SX Eagle drivetrain offered plenty of gears for the climbs, even considering the bike’s weight, the shifter’s actuation felt mushy and vague.

Matchmaker systems aren't available on SX-level SRAM kit and I couldn’t position the shifter so that I didn’t have to move my hand on the grips to change gear. This limited my ability to change gear quickly.

Although TRP brakes are Matchmaker compatible (with a Tektro HD 3.5 adaptor), this couldn't be used because of the SX-level kit.

Both the brake and shifter bar clamps are wide, further limiting my ability to position the shifter where I wanted it.

The dropper post had plenty of travel to extend high enough for the ascents and got low enough to be out of the way on the descents.

Unsurprisingly, I didn’t suffer from any pedal strike issues, although the 175mm cranks were longer than I was used to.

Generally, the Torrent climbs well, but don't expect to be breaking any personal records on the climbs – it isn't the quickest bike to motor up hill.

Norco Torrent HT S2 descending performance

First impressions revealed a low-feeling front end, despite the relatively high 646mm stack height. I ended up putting all of the supplied stem stackers underneath the stem to get the bars to my preferred height. Once set up like this, the bike instantly rode better, coming alive the steeper the trails were.

With gravity on my side, the Torrent was a pleasure to ride and it took a lot of rough terrain to really upset its composure. This calmness meant that choosing lines ­– and hitting them – was a fun-filled affair and I didn’t feel like I was hanging on for dear life trying to control the bike.

Most impressively, really rough sections were dispatched with total confidence and the slack head angle and long wheelbase helped reduce forward pivoting on steep descents that bikes with less progressive head angles can experience.

This was the same when the trails were rough; the rear refused to bounce up and get bucked about.

I didn’t feel the short chainstays impacted on the ride negatively, but I also didn't feel they improved performance. Longer chainstays could make the bike even more stable without sacrificing corning ability.

Despite being sceptical about the 35 Gold’s performance, the RockShox fork impressed me even though it didn’t have the critically acclaimed Charger damper. I found it performed best with the rebound set fully open to help keep it higher in its travel.

The 35 chassis – which shares stanchion diameter with the Pike and Lyrik – proved to be stable even over chunky terrain and the front end didn’t twang around like some smaller stanchioned forks can.

The TRP G-Spec Trail brakes had a solid bite point but they lacked power on long descents and began to feel ‘wooden’; harder squeezes of the lever didn’t correspond to increases in power. For me, the brakes took the shine off the bike’s descending prowess.

Maxxis’ Assegai tyres helped reinstate some of the confidence lost to the brakes underperforming. There’s little the Assegai doesn’t grip on and the EXO+ casing suited the Norco well, helping to further ‘damp’ the ride and improve composure, especially when the trail was steep or there were plenty of turns.

The Torrent’s also impressively quiet over bumps despite there only being a sole chainstay protector rather than seat and chainstay protectors. The silence is good, but made it feel like I was going slower than I was!

During the testing period, the Novatec rear hub’s freewheel broke and refused to disengage, spinning the cranks when I wanted to freewheel. I contacted Evans Cycles – Norco’s UK importers – to find out what would happen if a consumer experienced the same issues.

Evans Cycles said it would "take the bike in for inspection and replace the faulty part free of charge under the warranty", which is good news for consumers who might have the same problem. Evans also has an extensive network of retail shops, which means getting the bike fixed could be easier than if the bike was bought from a direct-sales brand.

Norco Torrent HT S2 bottom line

The Torrent HT S2 is a descent-focused hardtail with fantastic on-trail composure. Although it's quite heavy, this doesn’t seem to affect general performance and I was happy plodding to the top of the climbs and speeding my way downhill.

It does have some faults, particularly the underperforming brakes, but the lower-specced S2 is rife for upgrades which will extend the frame's lifespan.

Arguably, some of the kit isn't worthy of its £1,850 price tag. SRAM's SX-level kit is more commonly seen on lower-priced bikes and, for the money, it would have been nice to see a Charger-damper-equipped RockShox fork like the Pike or Lyrik. That said, the 35 didn't hold me back on the descents too much.

It’s a shame the rear hub failed during the testing period, but Evans Cycles' support and retail shop network should make good for a customer in need.