After school, I jumped on my dad's hardtail and headed into the forest: building drops, shredding trails and practising wheelies. A year later, at 17, I scraped together enough money from my holiday jobs and fulfilled my dream - I bought the Canyon Torque 7.0 Trailflow, built in 2012. 26-inch wheels, 170/180 millimetres of travel and a Hammerschmidt gear crank. A real freerider. Ten years later, I now have the new Torque Mullet as a long-term test bike and promptly take it back to where freeriding was invented - to British Columbia for a semester abroad!
The Canyon Torque has not lost its freeride genes. Thanks to the 29er front wheel, ample suspension travel (170 mm) and the obligatory coil shock, paired with a long and flat geometry, the Torque gives you confidence on steep trails. It screams for speed on rough terrain. In tight corners, however, the length of the Canyon is noticeable. You have to ride actively.
The equipment is worthy of a freerider: coil shocks, thick 38 mm stanchions in the fork and heavy freeride wheels with grippy tyres make the Torque freeride-ready and boost my self-confidence. So I dare to take bigger and bigger drops. The only thing I miss on the Torque is a mount for a bashguard. This leaves the chainring defenceless against sharp rock edges and nasty roots. Uphill riding is possible with the 1x12 XT drivetrain, but the downhill-heavy spec takes its toll. The legs are crying out for lighter wheels and trail tyres. Downhill, however, the double-down tyre at the rear rewards you with reliable puncture protection, and the soft rubber compound at the front provides plenty of grip.
Tim Folchert's update on the Canyon Torque Mullet CF 8:
After four months, FREERIDE tester Tim is back from Whistler. His damage report of the Canyon Torque.
The Canyon Torque has had to put up with a lot in the last four months. Double Black Diamond trails (they are exactly as the name suggests) on Vancouver's Northshore, in Squamish and Whistler are fun, but they also take a beating. Broken brake levers, bent chainrings, torn rear derailleurs and slashed tyres were just some of the injuries suffered by my Torque. Canada's angry trails are unforgiving, and the next test of courage with the risk of crashing awaits around every second bend. Great: the bearings don't creak after all these days of use.
The ample suspension travel and the length of the bike make you feel safe on the steep trails in Squamish as well as on the A-Line in the Whistler bike park. Fat jumps, root carpets or steep rocks - no problem for the Canyon Torque Mullet! On steep technical trails, however, I would have preferred a frame size smaller. The L-frame often makes it difficult to manoeuvre around the tight bends on the Northshore. The robust equipment is perfect for a freerider. You can read the final report in FREERIDE 1/23 (publication date at the kiosk 8 March 2023 - click here to subscribe->)
Technical data Canyon Torque Mullet CF 8
Spring travel: 170 mm / 175 mm
Frame size: L
Reach / Stack: 485 / 491 mm / 643 / 639 mm
Operating weight: 15.8 kilos (without pedals)
Price: 4799 Euro
Update from FREERIDE 1 from March 2023:
For a semester abroad in Vancouver, tester Tim packed the Canyon Torque. Appropriate terrain for the mail-order freerider, in our opinion.
What a year: Whistler bike park, freeride trails on the Northshore near Vancouver and in Squamish, but also home trails and enduro races in Germany. Pure action - the Torque was just the right bike for this. It had to cope with drops, jumps and even crashes. The frame was unimpressed by any challenge. The same goes for the bearings. No creaking or clacking. The Torque performed bravely during the 2600 kilometres and almost 62,000 metres in altitude. Of course, I checked the bearings regularly, but didn't have to replace them. The chainstay protector suppresses annoying chain slap. At least for the time being. In the meantime, the adhesive is coming off and exposing the bare frame. Bad for the background noise and also for the material. Cable ties provide a remedy.
Two brake levers didn't make it to the bike park
The overall equipment is worthy of a modern freerider. The wheels, for example, may be heavy, but they easily cope with all the drops, rock gardens and braaps. Canyon has also done everything right with the fork and shock. Why the expensive Factory equipment when the Grip2 cartridge is also in the Performance Elite version? Practical! At 15.8 kilograms, the Torque is no lightweight, but it is robust. A freerider, after all. I liked Shimano's XT drivetrain and brakes. Only the brake levers seem too delicate to me. I broke two of them while shredding the park and had problems replacing them. This is because replacement levers are often only available in combination with the entire master unit, even if you can easily replace the lever individually without opening the cable. That causes costs.
Another point of criticism:
The Torque comes without a bashguard mount. A must for a freerider, in my opinion. Consequence: I bent the chainring. Even though the Torque is not necessarily made for enduro racing, it had to endure enduro races as well as freeride missions and tests of courage on the Northshore. The high weight is noticeable here. Especially on long pedalling sections and transfer stages, the heavy wheels are slow to accelerate. Super: the rear suspension kinematics. Even with the shock open, the Torque hardly bobs, is progressive enough to develop pop and still reacts sensitively to small bumps. When things get rough and fast, the Torque feels really comfortable. This is not only due to the sensitive suspension, but also the long reach and slack steering angle of just 63.5 degrees. The choice of tyres is suitable for both racing and freeride tours. The soft 29er Maxxis Assegai in the front generates plenty of grip. At the rear, the double-down carcass of the Minion DHF, paired with a retrofitted tyre insert, defends the rim against punctures.
Plus
- Equipment
- Shelf life (stock)
- Price
Minus
- No bashguard mount
Chainstay protector came loose
Conclusion on the Canyon Torque CF 8 Mullet by Tim Folchert:
Passed! The Canyon Torque is a real freerider with a built-in safety guarantee, especially when it comes to tough freeride missions. Top equipment, stable frame. Heavy.
May 2023 update on the Canyon Torque CF 8 Mullet:
In the final report (FR 1/23) Tim praised the bearings of his Canyon Torque, but now there's something to criticise. An update.
The final report on the Canyon Torque was published not so long ago (issue 1/23), in which I praised the robustness of the Torque. Despite hardcore use in Whistler, Squamish and North Vancouver, the bearings made no noise. Shortly afterwards, I felt slight play in the bottom bracket area. At first I thought it was the old pedals rattling. When I cleaned them, I was surprised: the bearing was OK, but the threaded shell had come loose from the carbon and allowed about five millimetres of play. Not good news. Because the consequence: frame replacement! I don't think this should happen. Especially not on a freerider that was designed for hard freeride use.
Statement Canyon:
The defect is not safety-relevant, but does not meet our quality standards. The problem occurred in a small number of units and was rectified immediately. If a similar case were to occur with a customer's bike, this would be covered by our six-year warranty - the frame would be replaced free of charge.
