SUSPENSION

Our test bike was a full SRAM affair front and rear, which is pretty hard to fault – Monarch Plus RC3 and Pike RCT3 solo air are the bread and butter of quality enduro bikes. Having said that, we’d be keen to try the top of the range with the new Fox 36 and slightly more travel at 170mm. I also had a quick spin on the bike of Vincent Thoma (Strive designer) who had a new Cane Creek Inline fitted. Initial impressions were really positive and it seemed to use the available travel slightly more prudently than the Monarch. It also had a bit more life than the Double Barrel Air but Vincent had been tuning with the Cane Creek team so it would be unfair to compare until we have two production bikes to sample back to back.

In terms of how much travel is available, you have 163mm in descend mode to 139mm for climbing. The small gas piston (the Shapeshifter) that pushes the shock forward or rearward to change the angles and travel also needs to be considered when talking suspension set-up. It’s basically in the style of a dropper seat post system, pushing the shock into a different position which achieves the different geometries and subsequent suspension leverage ratios. We recently had an Orbea which did similar by flipping a shock mount chip, but it took 20 seconds and certainly couldn’t be done on the hoof.

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It is a cable-operated affair and will need careful maintenance, as the green/black dial which lets the rider know between climb/descend mode seemed a bit vague at times. There might be a place for a lock-out on the Canyon Strive too, but you can still use the compression adjust on the Monarch to get a reasonably firm ride. The change in suspension leverage ratio means the bike swaps between 20–30% sag in DH mode and about 15% in climb. You’ll feel the bottom bracket being raised by 20mm to 365mm, and you still get full travel from the fork.

LIMITATIONS

Canyon point out that through a “simple flick of the switch” the rider can change the chassis angles and travel. Having been used to a few bikes with a simple lock-out (GT Sanction for example), the added need for a big rider input to change the angles came to light when transitioning from a climb into a descent. Typically you crest a rise and thumb the Reverb lever whilst pushing your bum into the seat to get it down low. On the Canyon Strive you then have to get back out of the saddle, push the Shapeshifter lever and then thrust down onto the rear to engage the shock to slacker geometry. This works well in theory if the descent is reasonably wide, but if the terrain is tight you would want to avoid striking rocks with your cranks in the process of changing the geometry. It also requires a rider to feel and understand the geometry change he or she is making because you certainly don’t want to be looking downwards to the colour dial on the shock when there’s a pile of rock ahead. A bar-mounted indicator would be a good evolution of the feature.

I discussed these issues with Fabien (Barel) and he pointed out that the Shapeshifter was something you would use more at the bottom or top of a climb rather than within a stage. Many people might think it’s something you are using continually during a run, which you probably wouldn’t. As a system for engaging before a climb and for one to alter before a descent it’s an excellent energy saving device.

VERDICT

The ability to swap into good climbing geometry definitely aids performance and makes the ride easy, there is no argument. How much better is it than, say, a lock-out as found on a GT Sanction? That’s hard to quantify, for strength and rider weight will have much more impact. Overall the system will offer a positive effect on rider fatigue.

I’d like to spend more timing getting used to the system and compare the Strive to such bikes as the Orbea Rallon, YT Capra and the GT Sanction. The Basque bike and the YT have better dampers and the latter is a bit cheaper with better wheels as well. Both, like the Canyon, need that extra size too. The GT seems a touch stronger, has a lock-out and offers that extra large sizing. Is the Strive better than a Cannondale Jekyll which offers similar shape-changing geometry? It’s not as light but is way cheaper and has slightly better damping.

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For the money the Canyon Strive is a gem, and although the Fox 36 and Mavic is undoubtedly a better bike, this model is still a great bike with brilliant specification, angles, weight, pricing and the finish is excellent. And like Canyon point out, it is pretty much two bikes in one. Whether you choose to use the Shapeshifter or not during a race run is another issue, particularly on unseen stages, but its use for a climb to a stage or before dropping into a race run makes sense. Because the Strive is lightweight I’d be happy to razz it around all day in descend mode, and certainly on flatter terrain where you are relying on the lower bottom bracket to use the ground for energy and are moving the bike around. These are very much first impressions due to limited time on the bike, but it’s definitely a bike that we are keen to put in a bit more time on.

Which is exactly what we’ve done. Will Redmond does a lot of typical enduro style miles and has lived with the canyon for six months. Here are his thoughts on the bike and the Shapeshifter system.