Canyon Torque CF 8.0 review

When Canyon launched the updated version of its highly acclaimed trail bike, the Spectral, it also unveiled a totally revamped version of its heavy hitting Torque. While it shares a similar silhouette to its shorter travel counterpart, the Torque is built to tackle burlier trails, huck jumps in the bike park or lap downhill run after run.

• Bike of the Year 2018
• Best bike: our buyer’s guide to which bicycle type you should buy in 2018

• The Canyon Torque CF 8.0 is one of our Bike of the Year bikes for 2018. To read reviews of the other contenders and the categories tested across road, mountain and women’s bikes, visit our Bike of the Year hub.

Canyon Torque CF 8.0 frame

Canyon Torque CF 8.0 kit

As we’ve come to expect from Canyon, cutting out bike shops and selling direct to the consumer means its bikes are shod with some seriously drool-worthy kit considering what they cost. If you’re confident enough to buy online and forgo the help of your local bike shop then the Torque CF 8.0 won’t disappoint.

Canyon has bolted on some serious kit, including the RockShox Lyrik RCT3 fork which we rate as one of the best heavy hitting forks on the market. Maxxis takes care of the tyres in the shape of its Minion DHR II, both of which are of the 2.4in Wide Trail variety. The front tyre does use the tackier MaxxGrip compound though which is noticeable when rolling along on roads of hardpack surfaces.

Canyon Torque CF 8.0 ride impressions

Fire the Torque head-on into a properly chewed up section of trail at speed and its quiet composure and well-damped patter of tyre on dirt is truly quite special. This bike oozes control and possesses a surefootedness that just can’t help but increase confidence levels as the terrain gets more challenging.Things feel stable when it’s needed but there’s no shortness of pop and liveliness when it comes to lofting the Torque from take-off to landing, or when slicing across the trail to catch that inside line or avoiding a nasty rut at the last minute.

In terms of set up, I did add a single Bottomless Token to the 180mm travel fork which offered enough ramp up when taking on the bigger hits but ensured there was masses of comfort when tackling the longest and roughest of test trails.

At the rear, things were even simpler. The 175mm of rear wheel travel is delivered in a well-measured, controlled way and I never felt the need to add any spacers to the shock to alter the level of progression at the end of the stroke. I did find I ended up just a few clicks away from fully open on the rebound damping though.

While the Torque is clearly designed with a downhill bias, it’s still more than happy to winch up climbs. Although the seat tube angle isn’t particularly steep at 74 degrees, a flick of the shock’s compression lever firms things up nicely, allowing you to claw your way back up the hill.

The 40mm stem and 620mm effective top tube make for a roomy position when seated and ensure you’re stretch out enough to weight the front of the bike when tackling steep inclines.

My time on the Torque wasn’t all trouble free though. During my first couple of days aboard the CF 8.0 I did find myself having to tighten the upper shock bolt a couple of times after it worked its way loose.

On my final day in San Remo, my bike also developed a creak emanating from the rear shock mount. Canyon put this down to the fact that some of the parts that made up my test bike were pre-production and not finished properly. I cleaned and greased the affected area and the creak disappeared.

Despite those small niggles, I still think the Torque balances compromise better than most and is a seriously fun bike to ride no matter what trail lies ahead.

Canyon Torque CF 8.0 price and availability

• BikeRadar would like to thank Life Cycle Adventures, Sanremo Bike Resort, MET Helmets, Bluegrass Eagle Protection, Mercedes Benz and Brittany Ferries for their help and support during our Bike of the Year test

Also consider…

If you’re in the market for a new enduro bike, long travel trail bike or all-mountain bike, check out our reviews of those we’ve thoroughly tried and tested.

• Bird AM9 GX
• Radon Swwp 170 9.0
• Nukeproof Mega 275 Pro
• Mondraker Dune
• Merida One-Sixty 800
• Specialized Enduro Comp 29
• Transition Patrol NX
• Whyte S-150 S
• Giant Reign 2
• Scott Genius 940
• Trek Remedy 8