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Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race on test

Dimitri Lehner

 · 29.04.2016

Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race on testPhoto: Wolfgang Watzke
Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race on test
What's under the hood? The question was on our minds - and on the minds of the entire bike scene. Because wherever enduro ace Fabien Barel appeared with his new prototype in 2014, the shock absorber was covered,
The Canyon costs only half as much as the Santa Cruz, but that doesn't detract from its looks. The finish and look are as classy as those of the American speedster.Photo: Wolfgang Watzke The Canyon costs only half as much as the Santa Cruz, but that doesn't detract from its looks. The finish and look are as classy as those of the American speedster.

Yes, the whole bike veiled its contours in black and white patterned Erlkönig camouflage. Secrecy? Marketing stunt? Groundbreaking invention? Now we know that the bike can change its geometry at the touch of a button using an additional gas spring. The idea: a bike that transforms from a downhiller to a climbing goat as if by magic. Many manufacturers have already tried this, but most of them have failed or only worked reasonably well. Not so with Canyon. The bike manages the change in character with ease: press the button, shift your body weight and the 130 millimetres at the rear become 160. Even more important: the steering angle flattens out and the bottom bracket drops. There are five models of the Strive, Canyon sent us the long race version. This was surprising at first, but on the trail we liked the long main frame combined with a stubby stem. The Canyon surprised us across the board. We would never have guessed that the lightweight 160cc bike had these downhill qualities. The Strive can handle a lot of speed downhill - even when things get really rough - and develops an amazingly smooth ride. It only had to admit defeat to the long-travel downhill specialists from YT and Santa Cruz. In fast corner changes, the bike tilts willingly and controlled from one turn to the next; the handling got a thumbs-up from all the testers! Great: the short chainstays. This makes the bike easy to pull into the manual and shows a lot of playfulness on jumps and drops.


ConclusionThe Canyon Strive is a picture-book enduro bike: it can do everything very well. Thanks to its light weight and geo-change, the bike develops enormous propulsion. Hardly any other bike has such a wide range of use.


Strengths Chassis, equipment, all-rounder
Weaknesses none

Canyon calls its invention the "Shapeshifter". By pushing the lever on the handlebars and shifting your body, the geometry shifts and the rear travel increases - very good!Photo: Wolfgang Watzke Canyon calls its invention the "Shapeshifter". By pushing the lever on the handlebars and shifting your body, the geometry shifts and the rear travel increases - very good! Eye-catcher: The Canyon is as beautiful as a supermodel and styled right down to the hair... er cable pulls. Perfect combination: the stubby stem is an ideal match for the long main frame.Photo: Wolfgang Watzke Eye-catcher: The Canyon is as beautiful as a supermodel and styled right down to the hair... er cable pulls. Perfect combination: the stubby stem is an ideal match for the long main frame.


MANUFACTURER INFORMATION


Distribution Canyon, www.canyon.com
Material/Sizes Carbon/S, M, L
Price/weight without pedals 4299 Euro/12.9 kg

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MEASURED DATA


Front/rear suspension travel 160 mm/130-160 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage


EQUIPMENT


Fork/damper RockShox Pike RCT3 Solo Air/RockShox Monarch Plus RC3
Cranks/gears SRAM X01/SRAM XO1
Brake system SRAM Guide RSC
Impellers SRAM Rail 50 system wheelset
Tyres vo. Maxxis High Roller II 3C MaxxExo 2.3 hi. Maxxis Minnon DHR II 3C MaxxTerra Exo 2.3

Carbon enduro bike test 2015: Canyon Strive CF 9.0Photo: FREERIDE Magazin Carbon enduro bike test 2015: Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Carbon Enduro Test 2015: Canyon Strive CF 9.0 (FREERIDE RANKING: The number (maximum 10 points) reflects the overall impression and is not an addition of downhill and bike park points).Photo: FREERIDE Magazin Carbon Enduro Test 2015: Canyon Strive CF 9.0 (FREERIDE RANKING: The number (maximum 10 points) reflects the overall impression and is not an addition of downhill and bike park points). You can find this article in FREERIDE 3/2015 - you can order the magazine here > FREERIDE IOS App (iPad) FREERIDE Android AppPhoto: Sven Martin You can find this article in FREERIDE 3/2015 - you can order the magazine here > FREERIDE IOS App (iPad) FREERIDE Android App
Dimitri Lehner

Dimitri Lehner is a qualified sports scientist. He studied at the German Sport University Cologne. He is fascinated by almost every discipline of fun sports - besides biking, his favourites are windsurfing, skiing and skydiving. His latest passion: the gravel bike. He recently rode it from Munich to the Baltic Sea - and found it marvellous. And exhausting. Wonderfully exhausting!

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