Eurobike: Off-road frames and trickle-down road tech from Canyon

German online-only bicycle company Canyon debuted its latest Torque off-road frame platforms at this year’s Eurobike show to complement the current freeride/downhill-specific Torque FRX. 

Canyon will offer the new lighter-weight Torque in both 160mm ES and 170mm-travel FR variants to suit enduro to light freeride applications. Common elements include mostly square-profile 7500-series aluminium tubing, a true four-bar linkage design, tapered 1 1/8″-to-1 1/2″ front ends, Truvativ HammerSchmidt-compatible ISCG tabs, full cartridge bearing pivots and a convenient etched-on sag indicator for easier setup.

The rear end of the Torque FR is fitted with Syntace X-12 12x142mm thru-axle dropouts while the more all-mountain oriented ES gets standard 135mm OLD quick-release dropouts.

Claimed frame weight for the ES is 3.1kg (6.8lb) without the included RockShox Monarch 4.2 air shock and 3.39kg (7.47lb) for the beefier FR, again without its included Manitou Evolver ISX-6 rear shock. 

Canyon showed off this ‘Projekt S5’ machine complete with 180mm of travel front and rear and weighing under 12kg (26.5lb) as seen here. 

Canyon also put together a special show bike to demonstrate the Torque’s versatility called the Projekt S5. 

Canyon made its own arm and chainring guards for the THM-Carbones Clavicula crankset.

Built around a specially lightened ‘Torque 2010 light’ frame weighing 2.9kg (6.4lb) and boasting an array of exotica such as a two-ring THM-Carbones Clavula carbon crankset, a Recon machined aluminium cassette, and a RockShox prototype rear shock – but also some impressively standard items such as the DT Swiss EXC 1550 wheelset and SRAM X.0 transmission – total claimed weight was a fantastic sub-12kg (26.3lb). 

Canyon’s Ultimate Al frame uses the company’s One One Four front end, asymmetrical Maximus seat tube shaping and spindly seat stays.

Trickle-down tech was the story on the road front with the Ultimate CF SLX, Ultimate CF and Ultimate Al frames carrying over for 2010, and all still boasting Canyon’s giant 1 1/4″-to-1 1/2″ tapered front ends, Maximus asymmetrical seat tubes and spindly seat stays. 

Canyon’s One One Four fork design uses a gigantic tapered 1 1/4″-to-1 1/2″ steerer.

The top-end One One Four SLX carbon fork will now be included with all three models, however, and the Ultimate Al will also get the Canyon-exclusive VCLS comfort-enhancing carbon seatpost built by Ritchey.

For all of BikeRadar’s Eurobike coverage, click here.

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