"Radsport Arnold GmbH", a specialist shop for cycling. This was the first step that Roman Arnold took back then to follow his passion for two-wheeled companions. However, one specialist shop did not seem enough. From 1996, the first bikes were built and sold under the Canyon name. At first they limited themselves to hardtails and street bikes. Since then, a lot of commitment has been invested in making better and more innovative bikes. The people from Koblenz have also jumped on the bandwagon of the material carbon - after all, it combines low weight with maximum rigidity.
Koblenz has always paid attention to a clear line when it comes to design. This is also the case with our test model, the Nerve CF 8.0, which offers the rider 120 millimeters of travel.
//equipment and features
Before us is the carbon version in its fullest glory. Even at first glance, the wheel can convince with its beautiful and elegant shape. A further, closer look reveals the extent of the attention to detail. Except for the rear brake line, all lines are stowed in the down tube, the rear triangle is made of one piece and has a Syntace X-12 thru-axle, which is supposed to provide the extra portion of rigidity on the rear wheel. Roman Arnold's testimony "If so, let's do it right", seems to agree XNUMX percent here.
The heart of the wheel consists of a total of 33 individual parts and weighs just 1900 grams. The shock is floating, which means that both bearing points are part of the rear triangle and move. A bearing point is usually permanently integrated into the main frame. With this new technology, which other manufacturers also use, response and general spring performance are optimized.
The rest of the built-in parts leave nothing to be desired. It is true that the ultimate in currently available add-on parts is not used here, but you can find it Nerve CF 8.0 proven and light parts. The spring elements come from Fox Racing Shox, with the 32 Float CTD Fit Performance fork and the Float CTD damper. In this case, CTD stands for Climb, Trail and Descend - the three different levels you can choose between, depending on the nature of the trail. The drive is based on the durable XT groupset, with the rear derailleur using the shadow principle, which is intended to reduce chain deflection. On the Ritchey WCS handlebar-stem combination, white Ergon grips are used with colour-coordinated brakes, the Avid Elixir 5. The cockpit is completed by the push button on the Rock Shox Reverb Stealth, which is the icing on the cake on our test bike.
//Practice
The Nerve is strong on the trail. The adjustment options for the spring elements work as desired and allow the bike to climb any elevation with ease - a sagging of the rear structure is almost never felt here. The built-in Rock Shox Reverb is also a lot of fun for us. You sit perfectly in the saddle at all times and can always concentrate on the trail. In order to find a healthy compromise between rolling resistance and grip, Schwalbe's Nobby Nic 2,25" was chosen, which seems a bit oversized to us. If these offer enough grip on descents in combination with the Mavic Crosstrail wheels, we find the tires a bit sluggish on the climbs. However, the bike handles downhills with flying colors. The Nerve CF convinces with a nice response and mostly leaves the tires on the ground. It is very agile and can be pushed or lifted playfully over roots and waves. On steeper sections, however, you might want a slightly shorter stem for a more comfortable riding position. While the rear end didn't seem as stiff as we would like, this has the advantage that the rear wheel finds its own way on descents and is pleasantly flexible.
//Conclusion
With the Nerve CF 8.0 Canyon offers a thoroughly convincing all-mountain bike. At a price of 2.999 euros, you get a well-equipped bike with excellent riding characteristics and a total weight of 11 kilograms. In our opinion, only the tires and stem-handlebar combination could be improved. Due to the relatively steep steering angle, the bike is very agile and is an excellent climber, which can also impress on descents with minor drawbacks.
//Product highlights
- clean, beautiful look
- drive-neutral
- Price-performance
//price and web
- 2999 Euros
- www.canyon.com
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