In times of gravel racers and endurance bikes, pure cyclocross bikes are disappearing more and more from the scene, even if the differences are sometimes hardly noticeable. With its new Canic CXC 11, KTM has a sporty model for ambitious crossers, but also for a wide variety of off-road trips.
As soon as we touched it and picked it up, we noticed that the KTM Canic is a really high-quality model. With just 8,2 kilos and great workmanship, the crosser in classic KTM orange is quite impressive. The frame is designed in such a way that there are hardly any corners or edges, but everything has a round shape. Be it the dropout, the fork or the saddle clamp. Incidentally, the latter is inside the frame and has to be actuated through a small opening. Visually a very nice thing, since you can no longer see any protruding clamps, but the frame will certainly be affected if you adjust it frequently.
The equipment of the KTM Canic is just as high quality as the frame. With great DT Swiss CR 1600 wheels, a Sram Force 1×11 group and the matching hydraulic disc brakes and solid Schwalbe X1 tires you can have a lot of fun. However, the gear ratio with a 46 mono blade at the front and a decent gradation of 36-11 at the rear shows quite quickly that the area of application is a little limited. On tours, particularly steep or longer climbs are likely to become a problem. The setup of the KTM Canic should be just right for racers and pure crossers. For those who want to take it a little easier, the Canic is particularly suitable for rides where there is always a change between forest and asphalt roads or you simply want to be faster on flatter forest sections than with the MTB.
Our impression was confirmed after the first few meters, the KTM Canic is light, stiff and agile. In the curves you feel a lot of safety and calm, which is reflected in great handling. The SRAM Force works perfectly and allows you to shift gears even with a certain amount of pressure on the pedals, which is often not insignificant when crossing the steep climbs. The brakes are also convincing and work reliably. Unfortunately, the quick-release axles can only be opened with an Allen key, so you should have the right key to hand on every trip in the event of a defect, otherwise the KTM Canic is an all-round successful bike for us.
