Canyon's Torque has long taken on the all-round gravity duties in the brand's range.
The Strive is Canyon's best enduro bike, which means the Torque could cater to those riders that prioritize sending it rather than second-saving on the descents. Big on travel and playful kinematics, these freeride leanings have meant that Canyon has always specced it with agile 27.5 wheels.
That said, not everyone's idea of the perfect gravity bike is the same, which has led to Canyon giving people the option, redesigning the Torque from the ground up to offer 27.5, 29er and mullet (29 front, 27.5 rear) wheel options across six models. Whether you're looking for a Torque to trick smooth park jump lines or need maximum rollover for super technical big mountain lines, there is a wheel configuration that will suit you. You can even fit dual crown forks and the frame meets Canyon's ‘Category 5’ rating for those that want to send the biggest hits like Tommy G at Red Bull Rampage.
The wheel setups aren't interchangeable though, as each frame has been designed to offer consistent geometry and suspension kinematics across the full range for its specific wheel size. Suspension travel will be different too, 29er bikes have 170mm front and rear while the 27.5 has 180mm front and 175mm rear. As the mullet is a 29er front and 27.5 rear it has a 170mm fork with 175mm of rear travel. Canyon is offering the Torque in both alloy and carbon options, although only the carbon CF8 and Fabio Wibmer models are set up as mixed wheel size. The 29er option is also not available in size small.
AL for everyone
Canyon will offer carbon and more affordable aluminum builds as well. Both bikes feature the same geometry and general frame layout but there are some key design considerations that Canyon has made to ensure the two bikes share the same ride qualities. The AL gets bespoke frame tubing and straighter profiles to maintain stiffness characteristics and the carbon models have a new carbon rear end too. Canyon has managed to save 200g on both the new Torques too, the carbon frame has a claimed weight of 2,652 grams while the alloy version is just over 3kg.
They also both have the facility to mount a 600ml side-loading water bottle and have mounts under the top tube for accessories. The bottom bracket is a standard BSA threaded unit and the pivot hardware is all non-driveside-accessible for easier servicing like we saw on the Canyon Spectral CFR.
Geometry is still ever-evolving and Canyon has lengthened and slackened (63.5/64-degrees) the Torque compared to the outgoing 2017 model. The chainstays have been left relatively short (440mm in 29, 435mm in 27.5) for a more lively feel and the seat tube has been steepened (77.5/78-degrees) for better climbing performance. The carbon models will have a flip-chip too which offers 0.5 degrees of adjustment and +/- 8mm bottom bracket height.
Where the aluminum and carbon models differ is that the alloy model doesn't feature a flip-chip and uses the head angle and bottom bracket drop of the low position paired with the high seat angle position.
Suspension is in line with Canyon's other bikes and continues to use a four-bar suspension linkage which has been tuned to offer what Canyon dubs ‘Triple Phase’ suspension kinematic. This has been tweaked specifically for the Torque in order to offer more progression towards the end of the stroke to avoid harsh bottom outs. The Torque's anti-squat figures have been influenced by Canyon's Strive enduro bike, increasing the anti-squat around the 30 per cent sag point in order to improve pedaling performance. Canyon says the Torque can be run with either air or coil shock depending on the ride characteristics you are looking for. An air shock increases mid-stroke support while a coil will improve traction and allow the bike to hug the ground more.
Canyon Torque models and pricing
Canyon is offering the Torque in two alloy builds and four carbon builds. All the bikes will come equipped with Maxxis Assegai/Maxxis DHR tires, Canyon G5 finishing kit and an Ergon saddle. There is an exception to this, the Fabio Wibmer signature build has Continental Baron/Continental Kaiser tires and SQlab finishing kit.
The alloy Torque 5 has Rockshox ZEB Select and Super Deluxe Select + suspension and a Shimano Deore groupset. The wheels are Raceface AR30 rims with Shimano MT400 hubs. The Torque 6 suspension is FOX 38 Performance fork and FOX Float X2 Performance shock. It gets an upgrade to Shimano's SLX groupset, as well as a DT Swiss FR2070 wheelset.
The carbon models start with the Torque CF 7 which has Rockshox ZEB Select+ and Rockshox Super Deluxe Select + suspension. The drivetrain is SRAM GX, it has Code brakes and rolls on DT Swiss FR2070 wheels. The Torque CF8 moves to FOX 38 Performance Elite and DHX2 Performance Elite suspension. The groupset equipped is from Shimano's XT drivetrain and the wheelset is a DT Swiss FR560/350.
The Torque CF Fabio Wibmer also uses DT Swiss' FR560/350 wheelset but stands out by running Ohlins suspension and Magura MT7 brakes. The drivetrain is a SRAM X01 with a SRAM Descendant crankset.
The top of the range Torque CF 9 features FOX 38 Factory and Float X2 Factory suspension and a Shimano XTR drivetrain that saves a little extra weight by subbing the crankset for Raceface's Next R carbon crankset. It's finished with DT Swiss FR560/240EXP and the whole bike weighs in at a claimed 14.7kg.
