The Long Term Review | First Look: Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race
The Canyon Strive recently won our coveted Design & Innovation Award with its outstanding performance and versatility, the next logical step was to get one for the long term test fleet, to be pushed hard through the rigors of racing. This season the Strive will be ridden by our tester Andrew Cooper (Coop), an Elite Enduro racer based in Wales, UK. After watching the very impressive comeback win at the final round of the EWS for Fabien Barel after breaking his back, Coop was very excited to get his hands on the new strive. Here are his first thoughts on the bike:
Canyon have managed to design a bike with two stand out features, their super long race geometry and the highly Innovative Shapeshfter. The Shapeshifter comprises of a small gas strut hidden under the upper linkage, that with a push of a button turns it from a full on enduro race machine to a trail whippet, it changes the head angle, seat angle and the amount of rear wheel travel. The longer race geometry was developed by Fabien Barel to provide superior stability for the demanding tracks of the EWS.
With each manufacturer having their own take on geometry, Canyon have taken the longer is better approach with a whopping 629 mm top tube on the size medium. They have balanced it out by running a slightly steeper head angle (66 degrees) and the super short 422 mm chainstays to bring the wheelbase down to a very reasonable 1188 mm. This should all add up to a super stable but also flickable bike, you will be pleased to hear that the short chainstays haven’t comprised the mud clearance which is more than adequate.
The spec on the CF 9.0 is exceptional and at €4299 (£3699) it’s a steal, the Canyon is typically German with great attention to detail and one of the best finished bikes I have ever seen. There is no compromise on quality, with super clean and uncluttered lines with neat details such as the rubber cable grommets and the integrated down tube protector. The carbon frame is large and chunky offering stiffness and durability while the unidirectional carbon along with the embossed graphics finish off the clean look. The internal cable routing keeps all the cables out of harms way.
The Rockshox Pike and Monarch Plus are a great high performance combo, and I was pleased to see a reliable 125mm Rockshox Reverb dropper post. SRAM handles the gearing with a wide range X01 11 speed, and also the braking with new Guide RSC with 200mm and 180mm rotors. The use of SRAM and Rockshox has left a neat cockpit free from the normal tangle of clamp’s. The wide Renthal carbon 780mm Fat bars with the 40mm apex stem is always a favourite, and the SRAM Rail 50 wheelset offers both good weight and durability. The Maxxis High Roller 2 and Minion DHR2 offer a great tyre choice that’s suitable for most conditions, both gripping and rolling well.
Canyon offers more models of the strive than you can shake a stick at with 5 different carbon models and 4 aluminum models, with both the carbon and aluminum frames available separately. They also offer frames with regular geometry rather than the race geometry if you decide you don’t need a super long bike.
Canyon offer a very competitive 6 year warranty as well as a crash replacement scheme for any self-inflicted damage, the Shapeshifter is so well integrated into the top linkage that it should protect it from the element’s but it will be thoroughly tested for reliability. I will be racing the Canyon throughout the year mainly in the UK but also at a few EWS rounds, it will be interesting to see how the long top tube handles the slower tight and twisty tracks of the UK Gravity Enduro Series.
Planned Changes
The spec is second to none on the Strive, I will however be changing the grips for something a little bit more traditional, I have used the Ergon Grips in the past am I’m not a fan of the formed shape. Tyres will of course be changed suiting terrain and conditions.
About the tester
Born: 1989 – Biking Since: On and off since I was 5 years old – Height: 170 cm – Weight: 78 kg – Job: Engineer – 2015 Aim: Get quicker
Words: Andrew Cooper Photos: DOC Ward
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