Canyon’s latest Sender downhill bike has a high-pivot idler-equipped rear suspension design and is the result of years of research.
Before the bike was available to the public, it had helped riders such as Troy Brosnan stand on the top step of the downhill World Cup podium.
While this proves the finished product is very good indeed, it’s how Canyon got to this point that’s interesting, though.
The warts-and-all development process of a bike can be filled with dead ends, red herrings and other unproductive quests.
However, Canyon built the ultimate prototype, which played its part in the success of the new Sender, leaving no stone unturned in the development process.
The final product is an affordable top-performing downhill bike.
With prices starting at €4,499 (CFR Underdog) and rising to €5,999 (CFR Team) for the top-flight model, podium-contending performance has never been more attainable.
Cue the Canyon Frankenbike
Created by Canyon’s engineers – the cycling equivalent of Victor Frankenstein – the Sender test mule is as monstrous and all-encompassing as it looks.
Recognised internally as the 'most advanced' prototype Canyon has ever built, the Frankenbike was created to test every conceivable suspension and geometry permutation.
But to achieve such a feat, Canyon had to sacrifice the Frankenbike’s looks.
It has more holes, pivot points, bolts, lugs and mounting options than you can imagine, to test each of the bike’s parameters without affecting the others.
That means testing one variable – whether that’s leverage rate, wheelbase, wheel size, anti-squat, anti-rise or anything else – without influencing anything else, is possible.
The Frankenbike enabled Canyon’s test riders and engineers to form their own opinions and ideas of each parameter based on real-world testing, rather than being led by assumptions or dirtied data.
Usually, they’d rely on compromised and muddied input, where each prototype bike is relatively fixed. If an iterative change – say, reducing the leverage rate or increasing chainstay length – is needed, a whole new frame will have to be made.
Visually, the Frankenbike is far from beautiful, but conceptually it’s one of the best things on the MTB scene.
And it’s also one of the reasons downhill racing is such an important discipline; innovation, technological advancements and leaps in engineering are all at the forefront of competition.
Leaving no stone unturned in the development process – because brands and racers want to win world cups – means the production bikes you can buy are only ever going to get better.
The production Canyon Sender
The result of all this research and development is one of the most refined, bang-up-to-date DH bikes on the market.
Canyon was able to quickly turn the best combinations of Frankenbike into rideable, almost production-looking prototypes thanks to 3D printing at its Koblenz HQ in Germany.
This means the final look, including smooth, clean lines – that Canyon was really picky about, and spent a good chunk of time getting right – is also loaded with plenty of tech.
High-pivot suspension tech
But it's the high-pivot suspension that's the biggest leap forwards for the Sender.
Multiple DH world champion and World Cup winner Fabien Barel – who heads up the Canyon Factory race team – was on a mission to give the Sender the most traction possible.
Key to this is the high-pivot suspension design.
By moving the main pivot point on the single pivot, linkage-driven suspension, Canyon has given the new Sender a rearward axle path.
As the suspension compresses, the rear wheel moves in a rearward arc until the bike has compressed roughly 70 per cent into its travel.
From uncompressed up to this point, it has roughly 24mm of rearward travel. From 70 per cent of its travel to bottom-out, the rear wheel then moves forwards by 5mm, finishing roughly 19mm further back from where it started.
By positioning the idler so the chain runs directly in line with the main pivot, Canyon has virtually eliminated pedal kickback and upper chain growth.
The latter is now down to 0.1mm in all gears, from roughly 27mm in total on the old model.
Pedal kickback has been reduced to 0.5 degrees, from 5.7 degrees on the outgoing bike.
Canyon claims this helps boost grip, reduce rider fatigue and create an ultra-sensitive suspension platform.
Canyon says 'pushability'
But that’s not all.
A term coined by Canyon, 'pushability' refers to how well the bike picks up speed from pumping and pushing compressions in the terrain.
Clearly, this is important for racing, where every millisecond counts.
Bikes with no chain growth or kickback and plush, rearward-arcing rear suspension can feel soggy and slow, but Canyon has tuned the Sender’s suspension curve to retain its pushability.
Here, the mid-stroke’s leverage rate is claimed to provide a platform for the rider to work the bike against. Combine it with a custom shock tune and the bike’s responsive rather than lethargic.
The Sender also has two progression settings – a more linear 32.7 per cent and a more progressive 37 per cent, changed by a flip chip.
Coil shocks or high-volume air-spring versions are going to be the order of the day here.
Finally, it’s got an unusually high anti-rise figure, sitting around 130 per cent at sag.
This means when you brake, those braking forces are more likely to cause the suspension to compress rather than extend.
Critics of high anti-rise claim it can cause the suspension to ‘pack down’ (keep compressing into its travel on successive bumps without being able to return to sag or full travel), resulting in a rough ride.
Proponents think it helps better preserve the bike’s geometry. When you brake, your weight shifts forwards, unweighting the rear of the bike, extending the suspension and loading up the front.
If braking forces are compressing the suspension thanks to higher anti-squat, in theory some of that rear-suspension extension should be mitigated against, helping preserve its geometry.
The perfect geometry mix
Available in four sizes – from small to extra-large – the new Sender’s geometry is evolutionary rather than revolutionary compared to the outgoing bike.
But what it lacks in revelations, it makes up for with adjustability.
There’s 8mm of reach adjustment thanks to the offset headset cups and 5mm of bottom-bracket height adjustment with a flip chip.
Standout figures include a 63-degree head tube angle and reach figures that span from 443mm (small, 0mm headset adjustment) up to 518mm (extra-large, 0mm headset adjustment).
The entire size range is built around mixed wheels – gone is the full 29er – and chainstay lengths stay at 438mm on all sizes.
Final details
Canyon’s K.I.S. (Keep It Stable) steering stabiliser is pre-installed on both models of Sender.
Canyon says it’s easier to remove than install, so wanted to give customers the option of trying it before removing it.
The rear end runs a 148mm-wide bespoke DT Swiss rear hub with wider spoke bracing.
Thanks to a narrower freehub body and wider spoke flanges, the 148mm hub shares its internal dimensions with the standard 157mm rear hubs usually found on DH bikes, while being thinner between the axle end caps.
Cables are routed internally and there’s loads of chain-slap protection.
Canyon Sender models, specifications and prices
Canyon Sender CFR Underdog
- Frame: Canyon Sender CFR, 200mm travel
- Shock: Fox DHX2 Performance
- Fork: Fox 40 Performance GRIP X
- Brakes: SRAM Maven Bronze
- Wheels / tyres: DT Swiss F 1900 / Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DH casing (f), Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxGrip DH casing (r)
- Price: €4,499
Canyon Sender CFR Team
- Frame: Canyon Sender CFR, 200mm travel
- Shock: RockShox Vivid Coil Ultimate
- Fork: RockShox Boxxer Ultimate
- Brakes: SRAM Maven Silver
- Wheels / tyres: DT Swiss FR 1500 / Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DH casing (f), Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxGrip DH casing (r)
- Price: €5,999
