A: Have not rode the 7.2, but my guess is that they will ride very, very similar. The only significant difference will be the fork. Initially, brakes and drivetrain will not make a huge difference and, since it is a hardtail, the fork is the only factor I'd be concerned with. If it's money that you're worried about, I'd suggest getting the 7.2 and raging that fork while saving up for a Pike or Fox 34 for upgrade in 1-2 years.
This bike gets 5 of 5 for being an outstanding bike in its class. The drivetrain and brakes are on the lower end, but perfom phenomenally. The stock bar and stem are long and short, respectively. The plus size tires compliment the stiffness of the alloy hardtail frame very nicely. The price is spot on!
Pros
Stout frame and beefy front end (45mm WTB Scrapers, 3.0 Nobby Nic, 35mm clamp and bar, and the Yari fork from Rockshox).
Cons
| ThankNeeds a dropper with more than 10mm travel. There are plus bikes that are lighter but the Torrent aims at getting rowdy where durability is a must.