Issue #030, Review - November 10, 2017

Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Team Review

Canyon hasn’t spared any cost in the search for the fastest enduro bike, sending us their official Canyon Strive CF 9.0 team bike of the current season. Not only is the paint job exclusive, but there are also many unique details not to miss. Is this bike is as fast as it looks?

For an overview of the test fleet head to the main article: Let’s go Racing! – The 10 fastest enduro bikes in test

Wow! We have never seen so much attention to detail! Grip tape on all the levers, Velcro on the chain guide, custom made torque caps for the Mavic front wheel, the cables neatly bundled, and a special Shapeshifter lever – we were impressed with the Canyon Strive even before we got to ride it. For our test, Canyon not only refined the details, but also refined elementary components, such as the brakes, now a mix of Guide Ultimate levers and Code calipers. As it was a team bike and Canyon clearly didn’t want to run Mavic tires, the MAXXIS logo had to be covered up with permanent marker. The suspension came fully tuned for racing: three tokens in the 170 mm Lyrik as well as a full seven volume spacers in the rear shock to provide plenty of progression. The SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain delivers a lot of range, but considering the 36-tooth chainring up front you’ll be thankful for that 50-tooth cassette on the uphills. At least you’ll have less chain slapping on the downhills.

Although we never resorted to using the Shapeshifter on our racetrack, it proved to be very practical on test rides beforehand. The Shapeshifter not only reduces the rear travel, but also steepens the head angle by 1.5° and raises the bottom bracket, making the bike super-efficient and saving important energy reserves on long uphills. Tuned for racing, the progression on the suspension feels rather firm but provides an enormous amount of control and traction, especially on fast hard hits. Feedback from the rider is directly transferred onto the trail, which means you can build up a lot of speed by pumping.

Coupled with the somewhat narrow Mavic rims and the stiff frame, the Strive holds the lines you choose with surgical precision. On steep, rough sections, you simply shift your weight to the back and let the suspension do the rest – the Strive stays on course. If the steep section is followed by a turn, however, you will need to use a lot of body English to get enough weight on the front wheel. You have to push hard to find the bike’s limits, but once there the line between being in and out of control is very fine, keeping you on your toes. This can become exhausting, particularly on longer stages.

The Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Team in Detail

Fork RockShox Lyrik RCT3 170 mm
Rear shock RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 163 mm
Brakes* SRAM Guide / Code
Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle
Seat post RockShox Reverb Stealth
Stem Renthal Fatbar Carbon
Handlebar Renthal APEX
Tires* Maxxis Minion DHR II / Maxxis Agressor
Wheels Mavic Deemax Pro
Price € 5,499
*Tuning

The geometry of the Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Team

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	388 mm	430 mm	430 mm	460 mm	500 mm
Top tube	576 mm	600 mm	629 mm	648 mm	658 mm
Head angle	66° [+1.5°]	66° [+1.5°]	66° [+1.5°]	66° [+1.5°]	66° [+1.5°]
Seat angle	73.5° [+1.5°]	73.5° [+1.5°]	73.5° [+1.5°]	73.5° [+1.5°]	73.5° [+1.5°]
Chainstay	423 mm	423 mm	423 mm	423 mm	423 mm
BB Drop	12 mm	12 mm	12 mm	12 mm	12 mm
Wheelbase	1132 mm	1158 mm	1188 mm	1207 mm	1240 mm
Reach	402 mm	422 mm	448 mm	468 mm	487 mm
Stack	592 mm	606 mm	615 mm	627 mm	643 mm
Wheelsize	27.5″	27.5″	27.5″	27.5″	27.5″

Conclusion

The Canyon Strive CF 9.0 is a bike made for racing. It’s extremely direct, gives lots of feedback and is fast, but requires an engaged riding style to stay safely on course. On long descents the bike therefore requires a lot of strength and forgives only the smallest of mistakes.