Canfield Brothers Riot 29er trail bike review
Though it excelled in all manner of terrain, the Riot was most at home in rough and rowdy, such as this section of the Avery Trail at Crested Butte’s Evolution Bike Park. Photo by Dave Kozlowski
Lowdown: Canfield Brothers Riot 29er Trail Bike
Crested Butte’s Green Lake Trail is not a place for piggish bikes. Yes, the rip down is classic Colorado rowdy, with a mix of steep, high speed chunder, plus a few tight techy turns, all of it littered with ruts, roots, and loose rocks. But to enjoy the descent, you must first conquer the climb. And that means ascending that same precipitous trail, as this adventure is a simple up and back that starts on the southwest side of town, and gains 1700 feet in just 4.4 miles. Peak elevation is 10,629 feet. It’s a magical spot with a stunning high mountain lake as backdrop, but not a place I expected to visit aboard the Canfield Brothers Riot. With its super slack 66.5-degree head angle, 140mm of front and rear suspension, toothy Maxxis tires, and chunky 32-pound weight (size large), the Riot appears better suited for less climbing-heavy excursions. Then I tried it anyway… Read the full review below to see how things turned out.
| Frame: 7005 series aluminum | Bars: RaceFace 6C 800mm |
| Fork: DVO Diamond 140mm | Grips: ODI lock-on |
| Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel Air 140mm | Headset: Cane Creek |
| Wheels: Canfield Brothers 29er | Dropper post: RaceFace Turbine |
| Hubs: Canfield Brothers 2 (142x12mm rear) | Saddle: SDG Bel-Air |
| Tires: Maxxis Ikon 2.35 rear/Minion DHF 2.3 front | Bottom bracket: 73mm threaded |
| Brakes: Shimano XT | Headtube angle: 66.5 degrees |
| Rotors: Shimano 180mm front/rear | Chainstay length: 414mm |
| Shifter: Shimano XT | Seat tube angle: Effective 77 degrees, actual 69.8 |
| Front Derailleur: Not applicable | Standover: 719mm (size L) |
| Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT | Sizes: Small, medium, large, XL |
| Cable routing: External | Weight: 31.9 pounds (size L) |
| Crankset: Canfield Brothers 30t narrow/wide | Frame colors: Raw (tested) or Ano Black |
| Cassette: Shimano 11-36 | Link colors: 7 options including green (tested) |
| Chain: Shimano | MSRP: $2100 (frame and shock) |
| Stem: RaceFace Atlas 60mm | Upgrade option: Push ElevenSix shock ($900) |
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 |
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Review: Canfield Brothers Riot 29er Trail Bike
You don’t buy a bike like the Canfield Riot because it climbs well. Or… maybe you do. Here’s the reasoning: Most would agree that there are two primary beefs with aggressive trail-oriented 29ers, which the Riot most certainly is. No. 1, the chainstays (and wheelbase in general) are too long, making it hard to get the front wheel off the ground or whip the bike through turns. No. 2, the bike climbs like sh*t because the head angle is so slack it’s nearly impossible to keep the front wheel planted during steep ascents, especially slow speed, techy affairs.
The reward for suffering up the Green Lake Trail is a spectacular view of Green Lake, and one seriously awesome rip back down to Crested Butte.
But the Riot is a different animal. Its 414mm chainstays are about as short as you’ll find among the current class of playful 29ers, while the seat tube angle is a steep 77-degrees (69.8 actual), which helps keep your center of gravity further forward, and thus the front wheel planted when climbing in the seated position. If you think that’s too steep, remember that when you sag into the travel the seat angle slackens a couple degrees. This modern take on trail bike geometry delivers a ride that is about as close to best-of-both worlds as I’ve experienced on a longer travel 29er. Here’s the complete geometry chart (click image to enlarge).
That trip up to Green Lake? I can’t say I cleared everything on the way up. But that was more the fault of tall test bike gearing (11-36 cassette paired with a 30t chainring). In fact, before the legs got overcooked from pushing such a big gear, I cleared several steep, techy sections that I hadn’t previously, which included attempts on a 27.5 Pivot Mach 6 and Specialized Stumpjumper 29er. And because of the steep seat tube angle and forward cockpit, I didn’t have to slide onto the tip of the saddle.
On the way down? Segment PRs across the board. This bike rips. Period.
Continue to page 2 for more of our Canfield Brothers Riot 29er trail bike review »
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