First Look: 2016 Avanti Torrent CS Frame

Freshly unboxed at the office this week is this slick all-mountain assault vehicle from Avanti Bikes. The Torrent has been in the Avanti lineup since 2011, where it entered the market as a burly 135mm travel trail bike equipped with 26″ wheels. Along with the Vapour XC, that original Torrent represented Avanti’s first dip into full-suspension territory for about 7 years. The two bikes were received well throughout Australia and New Zealand, and off the back of that early success we’ve since seen the Kiwi brand expand on its off-road lineup to include the excellent Ridgeline 29er marathon machine and the longer travel Coppermine 29er. The 2016 Torrent sees some significant changes from the original model, namely a boost up to 150mm of rear travel and an update for 27.5″ wheels. Geometry has gotten fashionably slack and long, and further modern touches include a tapered headtube, bolt-thru dropouts and an oversized PF30 bottom bracket.

The model we just received is the Torrent CS frame, which sees a CM6 carbon fibre front triangle paired to an alloy rear. The frameset includes a Fox Factory Series FLOAT rear shock, and an X-Fusion HILO Strate seatpost as standard. We’ll be building up this burly-looking rig as a new custom built longterm test bike, and over the coming weeks you’ll be able to see all of the goodies we’ll be strapping onto the Torrent frame. In the meantime, here’s a closer look at the bike we’ll be getting to know very intimately over the coming 6 months…

“The Torrent series of bikes serves up a healthy dose of trail whipping performance. We know you have to earn the descents so we’ve built a bike that takes pedal performance to the next level.” – Avanti Bikes

• Lightweight Avanti Design Technology CM6 Carbon main frame with 6061 alloy rear triangle
• 150mm rear travel via Tru4 Independent Suspension System
• Rear Shock: Fox Factory Float CTD Adjust, Kashima Coat, Boost Valve, Rebound Adjust, 3 Position CTD Damper with Trail adjust
• Designed for 150-160mm fork travel
• Adjustable geometry via lower shock mount flip-chip
• Features: Internal and external cable routing options, tapered head tube, ISCG05 mount, PF30 bottom bracket, and 142x12mm Syntace X12 dropouts
• Frameset includes X-Fusion HILO Strate dropper seatpost
• Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
• RRP: $3199

Sub-3kg ain’t bad for a 150mm travel bike that’s designed to be sent hard down an enduro racecourse, and especially one that’s capable of fitting a 160mm fork up front. We’ll see how the Torrent builds up once the rest of our parts list arrives at the office, so keep an eye out on AMBMag.com.au for further updates. In the meantime, you can head to AvantiBikes.com for more information on the Torrent CS Frame and all of the available complete bikes too.