Product news: Canyon Torque 2018 – comeback of the gravity all-rounder

Product news: The Canyon Torque is back! After disappearing from the Koblenz-based manufacturer's range for a while, it's making a comeback in 2018. The Freerider retains its basic characteristics and is now available in three carbon and four aluminum versions. Prices start at an affordable €2.199

Canyon's Torque is an old acquaintance. For many years it was the Gravity all-purpose weapon in the portfolio of the direct mailer from Koblenz. However, time in the bicycle cosmos passes quickly – at the peak of torque, when hearing about enduro, people primarily thought of motorbikes and mountain bikes natural 26″ wheels and carbon was a case for lightweight freaks. In the wake of the enduro boom, however, long-travel freeriders like the Torque were pushed into an ever smaller niche and gradually disappeared from the market. The Canyon Torque suffered the same fate and was replaced by the race enduro Strive.

The year is 2017: The Enduro trend has died down and the pendulum seems to be swinging more in the direction of more spring travel and downhill-oriented geometries and kinematics, but without completely advancing to the extremes of downhill. It doesn't matter whether you call the corresponding bikes freeriders, park bikes, super enduro bikes or simply mountain bikes - the fact is, however, bikes like the Torque are socially acceptable again.

So it's no wonder that Koblenz is breathing new life into its gravity all-rounder and is presenting a completely renewed torque in 2018. The basic ingredients remain the same: a lot of suspension travel, downhill-oriented geometry, robust construction and fully parkable equipment. The new Torque frame is largely based on the downhill bike Sender that was introduced last year, but it can also be pedaled – if it has to be. There will be a total of seven versions of the Canyon Torque 2018, three with carbon frames, four with aluminum frames and one women's model. Prices start at an affordable €2.199.

Canyon Torque 2018: Plenty of suspension travel and downhill genes

Of course, a bike like the new Canyon Torque has to have the appropriate suspension travel reserves to survive everyday use. With 175mm at the rear and a 180mm fork in all equipment variants, the chassis also swallows high drops, failed jumps and nasty trails in parks around the world.

The frame of the Torque - whether made of carbon or aluminum - is classified by Canyon in the company's own category 5, which was previously reserved exclusively for the transmitter. So you don't have to worry about any stability problems, even if you park it regularly. Incidentally, the rear end is made of aluminum in all variants; As stable as carbon as a frame material may be, the chain stays in particular have to take a lot on a gravity bike and here aluminum is still the more durable option with only a small additional weight.

On the subject of cable management: It is now state-of-the-art that all cables and cables run inside the frame. It may look nice, but it often becomes a tough game of patience when it comes to maintenance and assembly. Canyon opted for a clever intermediate solution for the Torque: All cables run below the down tube in a robust plastic channel that also serves as frame protection. In the event of repairs, the cover can be removed completely so that the corresponding line can be easily separated from the frame.

When it comes to geometry, they don't dare wild experiments and stay within proven limits without being backwards or even old-fashioned in any way. At just over 65°, the head angle is not overly slack for a bike in this class, and the reach of 460mm in size L is in the now familiar spheres. The chain stays, which are extremely short at 425mm, are interesting and give the bike a lot of agility, but at the expense of smooth running. The effective seat tube angle is pretty steep at 74°, but in real terms it's around 69°. Riders with long legs who have to pull out the seat post far enough quickly end up with their buttocks level with the rear wheel hub or even further back. But of course: The Torque was not built to set up hill records.

Canyon Torque 2018: rear end with three-stage kinematics

The kinematics of the rear end is a bohemian village for many laypeople: From the outside, differences can often hardly be made out, even for the trained eye, but they are one of the decisive factors in how a bike feels on the trail, how well it can be pedaled up the mountain and how long the bearings in the rear end can withstand the strain. For the rear end of the Torque, Canyon took a model from their own company - the Downhiller Sender presented last year.

Of course, the engineers had to tweak a few things in order to adapt the rear suspension concept of a thoroughbred downhill bike to a pedalable park bike. However, the basic principle has been retained, according to which the characteristic curve of the rear triangle runs through three stages over the spring travel. The characteristics of the Torque change depending on how much suspension travel it has to provide, i.e. how rough or moderate the terrain is.

Canyon Torque CF 2018: Three carbon variants from €3.499

Three models have a combination of a carbon main frame and an aluminum rear triangle. The noble top model Canyon Torque CF 9.0 Pro comes with noble Fox Factory chassis, X01 Eagle drive from SRAM and the new Mavic Deemax wheels. The 14,2kg (manufacturer information) heavy bike is available for €4.999. The Torque 9.0 is a bit cheaper - here you have to make do with the 36 as the Performance Elite version, the GX Eagle weighs a few grams more like the DT Swiss EX 1501 wheels. The Torque CF 3.499 with GX 8.0-speed drive and Rock Shox chassis is the €11 entry-level model. At 14,5kg it is still extremely light for a freerider.

Canyon Torque AL 2018: Same features, higher weight, attractive price - the aluminum torque

Unlike the Sender, which was initially only available with a carbon frame, Canyon is also starting with an aluminum model series for the Torque. The entry-level model Torque AL 5.0 offers almost unrivaled equipment for just over €2.000: With the chassis made of Yari RC and Super Deluxe dampers, DT Swiss wheels, SRAM Guide brakes and Reverb dropper post, you can start right away without any modifications.

The most expensive aluminum variant costs €2.999 and already comes with a noble Fox chassis, light E1700 wheels from DT Swiss and a SRAM GX drive.

 

Web

www.canyon.com