Canyon Torque CF 9.0 Review – Rock and roll all night and party every day!
Throw your hands in the air, it’s the weekend again! It’s time to dust off your best punk-rock vest, pull the high-octane beast out of the garage and swing your bike on the roof rack. It’s time to have some fun at the bike park — and not just there!
Key in, engine on, your favourite weekend anthem blasting from the speakers: “Rock and Roll All Nite”… hey, it’s Kiss! And once again we’re ready to hit the bike park — this time with the Canyon Torque CF. And for your information, it’s not just the pink-black paint job that put us in a great mood!
You’re lookin’ fancy and I like your style
You drive us wild, we’ll drive you crazy
You show us everything you’ve got
Baby, baby that’s quite a lot
The Canyon Torque CF 9.0 in detail
Fork FOX 36 Performance Elite 180 mm
Rear shock FOX Float X2 Performance175 mm
Brakes SRAM Code R 200/180
Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle
Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth 170 mm
Stem Canyon G5 45 mm
Bars Canyon G5 780 mm
Wheels Dt Swiss EX1501 Spline
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHRII 27,5″ x 2,4″
Weight 14.42 kg (size L)
Price € 3,999
Canyon’s Torque CF is built around a beautifully-crafted carbon frame with an aluminium rear end. The most striking detail? The colour fade on the top tube and the funky mix of glossy and matt paint. Inspired by Canyon’s downhill machine, the Sender, the rear-end of the Torque has 175 mm of travel controlled by a FOX FLOAT X2 performance shock. With the Torque, the engineers at Canyon have paid particular attention to the suspension kinematics. The shock responds sensitively and provides lots of support in the midstroke and a high end-stroke progression. A 180 mm FOX 36 FLOAT Performance Elite Fit4 fork takes care of the front-end whilst a 170 mm RockShox Reverb dropper-post allows for optimal freedom of movement – superb! The rest of the spec is ready to party too! SRAM’s CODE R brakes deliver good braking performance and the MAXXIS Minion DHR II tires offer outstanding traction – the front one comes in the MaxxGrip compound.
The pink-black paint fade makes for a unique look. We know this might not be everyone’s cup of tea but in all honesty, we’re a bit sad that Canyon opted for a more traditional red finish for the 2019 season.
A MAXXIS Minion DHR II with super-soft MaxxGrip on the front wheel. This provides lots of traction, especially in wet conditions.
The RockShox Reverb dropper has an adjustment range of 170 mm and provides plenty of freedom of movement. It makes it easier to move around on the bike and inspires confidence on steep terrain.
The rear-end of the Torque provides lots of feedback and offers good support with plenty of reserves. It works very sensitively without feeling too direct.
Geometry of the Canyon Torque CF 9.0
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 400 mm | 440 mm | 455 mm | 500 mm |
| Top tube | 597 mm | 620 mm | 642 mm | 665 mm |
| Head tube | 115 mm | 125 mm | 135 mm | 145 mm |
| Head angle | 65° | 65° | 65° | 65° |
| Seat angle | 74° | 74° | 74° | 74° |
| Chainstay | 428 mm | 428 mm | 428 mm | 428 mm |
| BB Drop | 15 mm | 15 mm | 15 mm | 15 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1171 mm | 1195 mm | 1219 mm | 1243 mm |
| Reach | 420 mm | 440 mm | 460 mm | 480 mm |
| Stack | 618 mm | 627 mm | 636 mm | 645 mm |
And you drive us wild, we’ll drive you crazy
You keep on shoutin’, you keep on shoutin’
The Canyon Torque CF 9.0 on the trail
If you hit berms so hard that you nearly blow the tire off the rim, if you eat road-gaps for breakfast and if you like hanging out at the local downhill track… well, then you’ll love the Torque! This bike was designed for one thing only: riding fun! But if you’re after fast laps and if you spend most of your days chasing KOMs we suggest you look for another bike. The “small” 27.5″ wheels and balanced geometry of the Torque make it a true cornering-devil. Despite the short 428 mm chainstays, the bike feels nicely balanced — we think largely thanks to the great support of the suspension. The 175 mm of travel at the rear isn’t overly plush but actually feels very supportive and offers huge reserves. The Torque follows each steering input faithfully which underlines the playful character of the bike and helps you get airtime easily. This bike really loves quick direction changes! One second you’re riding a fast high line the next you’re already leaning into a berm and manualling out of it like there was no tomorrow.
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
Even on rough terrain the Torque keeps going strong –because when you really need it, you realise how much travel you’re riding on. The FOX 36 fork offers a bottomless feeling and the rear-end end doesn’t stiffen up even on fast consecutive hits. On steep terrain, the slack head angle, high front and the great freedom of movement inspire tons of confidence. Lean back and let go — braaap!
Go big or go home! If you ride the Torque, you’ve officially run out of excuses!
If you think the Torque is just for bike park sessions you’re wrong! That’s because it’s tons of fun even without the lifts and shuttles. The seat angle could be a bit steeper, but if you push the saddle forward it’s not an issue and long, steep climbs can be dispatched with ease. However, despite the short 165 mm cranks, the low bottom bracket requires extra care when riding technical uphills to avoid bashing them into rocks and roots.
Update
While we were doing this test, Canyon presented their new 2019 range. The Torque CF 9.0 in our test is the equivalent of the CF 8.0 model in the 2019 line-up — with a few changes to the spec.
Conclusion
The Canyon Torque CF is the perfect choice for all those riders who just want to have fun and aren’t too fussed about chasing Strava KOMs. This is the incarnation of a modern freeride bike that’s versatile enough for a huge range of applications. The Canyon Torque is just as much fun on tough trails as it is on long rides on flowy trails and is even a good option for the occasional long distance ride.
Tops
– Very lively handling while remaining composed
– Suspension feels active and offers lots of reserves
– Reasonable price
Flops
– On climbs it’s just a means to an end
– No room for a bottle cage
– The 2019 version comes with a shorter seatpost
More info at: canyon.com