CANYON TORQUE CF REVIEW
BIKE PARK SLAYERS
Words by Sourpatch | Photos by Dusten Ryen
For Season Two of our North American Bike Park Review Tour, Canyon Bicycles outfitted our team with two Torques, a large CF 7.0 and a medium CF 9.0, along with two 2021 Canyon Sender CFRs, which we will be reviewing very soon. I had never ridden a single crown 27.5 bike at a proper bike park and was curious to see how the Canyon Torque would perform, let alone if I would like it. After getting back from our trip, we handed the 9.0 off to our female tester Marissa, and she has been logging quite a few miles with it on the local Bend trails and Mt. Bachelor bike park.
Editor’s Note: At this time, it appears the Torque CF 7.0 has been replaced by the Torque CF 8, a bike with even better spec and value and the CF 9 has an updated fork spec for 2021.
THE LAB
Canyon markets their Torque line as a “Do-it-all gravity bike,” and that they are. Our Canyon Torque CF 7.0 features a carbon front triangle with an aluminum rear triangle, this combination is designed to provide a solid balance of weight and durability while maintaining a price point. The Torque CF 7.0 offers 175mm rear travel and a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ RT. Up front, a RockShox Lyrik Select+ using the Debonair air spring and Charger RC damper provides 180mm of squish. The RockShox Lyrik has been updated on the 2021 CF 8 to a RockShox Zeb Select+ and we are very happy about that. The CF 9.0 shares the same travel numbers with a Fox Float X2 providing rear squish, along with a Fox Factory 36. The 9.0 has also been updated for 2021 now using a Fox Factory 38, which we are even more happy about.
Our Canyon Torque CF 7.0 features a full SRAM GX Eagle group. The Torque 9.0 runs SRAM’s XO1 Eagle drivetrain for a slightly nicer look and experience. Protecting the 32-tooth chainring is an e*thirteen TRS+ chainguide. During our countless laps at the bike parks our SRAM Code R brakes on the CF7.0 and Code RSC on the CF9.0 got a real hurting put on them. It was steep, loose dry and dusty yet the brakes survived the whole summer on the same pads and only one bleed.
Canyon’s in-house G5 line of components make up most of the cockpit components and held up well. The G5 Riser bar offers 20mm of rise and is mated with an unorthodox looking G5 stem that worked well but makes swapping handlebars a bit more time consuming. The Canyon Torque CF 7.0 uses Canyon’s Iridium dropper post mated to an SDG Circuit MTN saddle, I opted to swap the saddle out right away to SDG’s latest Bel-Air V3. I also decided to swap out the G5 Flange grips to SDG’s Thrice grips to keep the orange color match going. The only spec difference between the 7.0 and 9.0 in the cockpit is the use of a Fox Transfer dropper post.
THE DIRT
I have always had the assumption that riding a single crown bike in a bike park would not be nearly as fun as ripping a downhill bike. After a summer of shredding the Canyon Torque, I realized that’s not necessarily true. The Torque CF7.0 squashed that thought like a bug and blew my mind at every stop of our Bike Park Tour. The bike handled just about everything that was thrown in its path, whether it was conquering steep shale slabs, smashing berms, dancing over roots at Silver Mountain Bike Park, or flying through the air on massive table tops at Mountain Creek or Highland Bike Park.
The Canyon Torque picked up speed with ease, there were even a few types of trails where I was able to put some time between myself and Drew, who was on the new Sender. On some of the tighter trails, flatter transitions or super bike parky, flow trails the shorter wheelbase and less travel allowed me to pop, pump and pull away from the bigger DH bike. The downside came when we hit extended root gardens and long sections of braking bumps as the 27.5-inch wheels did not roll as well as larger 29-inch wheels.
I was pleased with the RockShox suspension as it needed very little tuning out of the box once the proper air pressure was set. I was able to balance a nice lively feel with big hit capabilities and got along with the spec quite well. Although the Zeb fork upgrade for 2021 is going to make it even better. There were only a couple times when the Torque felt overwhelmed, those times being at Silver Mountain, when going through some of the deeper holes and blown-out trails. I have been toying with the notion of converting this bike into a mullet set up and seeing how much better a 29er up front will do on DH trails but am unsure how much it will take away from the playfulness and fun on jump trails and tighter singletrack. A spot I was definitely wishing for larger wheels was at Killington Bike Park. The rooty upper mountain trails combined with the shorter wheelbase and 27.5 wheels had the bike sinking a touch, rather than skimming the top of the holes. While I love the Canyon Torque overall and am surprised at how much it changed my mind, there is no replacing a downhill bike when you really need it.
Aside from having my mind blown with just how capable a single crown park bike can be. The SRAM Code R brakes also surprised me. Through 20 days of constant abuse, with over one hundred thousand feet of descending, the brakes somehow managed to survive, not needing a single bleeding, rotor change or pad swap. And if you know me, you know I am not easy on brakes, at least the rear anyways. They definitely need some love at this point, but we wanted to see just how long we could beat on them. It was a pleasant surprise for a group of riders who are not SRAM brake fans.
Switching gears, after getting back from the East Coast leg of the tour, we handed the Torque CF 9.0 off to Marissa for some local shredding and to get her take on the bike. Here is what she had to say about the bike:
“I spent a good amount of time riding the Torque on in-town trails mixed with some backcountry enduro-type rides. For a 27.5”, 175mm travel bike, it is capable on the climbs and didn’t feel too cumbersome in weight or too slack for the amount of suspension it has. However, compared to enduro bikes like the Trek Slash or Giant Trance X with 170mm of travel, the Canyon Torque does not pedal as well on climbs and flats. This is no surprise, because the Torque’s downhill-favored geometry and 27.5” wheels are geared more for bike parks, playful riding and descending than “enduro” race bikes. If you are willing to pedal a little harder for absolute shredability on the downhills, the Torque does make it worth it.
When I had the chance to let go of the brakes on more open, fast sections of downhill trails the Torque charged and easily turned quick pedal strokes into speed. The bike was super fun for jumping off random city-scape features and for finding creative freeride lines down hillside city parks and campuses. I tuned the suspension with the suggestions posted on the Fox website for my weight and it was almost perfect for what I needed to get the most out of the bike. Although the Torque was most fun on the jump line at the bike park, it made for some sweet descents on flowy downhill trails making it more than worth the extra effort on the climb. I really like this bike.”
The Wolf’s Last Word
Canyon’s Torque CF bikes did not disappoint; both of our test bikes have handled over 100,000 feet of vert spanned over 20-plus days at some of the roughest bike parks and lived to tell the tale. In fact we brought them home and started pedaling them around for more. Sure, there were times when the 27.5” wheels felt like they were holding the bike back in rough, bombed out sections of trail, but those compromises were made up for on the fast, flowy trails that were littered with jumps and berms. The Torque loves popping off jumps and racking up frequent flier miles. Even though the Torques have bike parks and steep descents in mind, they are still very capable all-mountain machines, as long as you’re not racing the clock on the way up.
Canyon’s Torque line of bikes are some of the best bang for the buck, long-travel bike park slayers. The 2021 CF 9 has a killer spec and comes in at $5,399, a slight increase over the 2020 CF9.0 version at $4,999, and the replacement for the CF7.0, the CF 8 has a just as dialed spec and retails for $3,699. We may try to mullet this torque and will report back depending on if it works, and if there are any positive changes, but if you are looking for a bike that can shred the bike park regularly and still be pedaled for long, fun weekend rides with your buddies, this could be a bike worth checking out. 
Price: $3,999 – CF7.0 | $4,999 – CF9.0
Weight: 32.8 lbs (CF7.0) | 32lbs – (CF9.0)
Website: Canyon.com
SPECIFICATIONS – TORQUE CF7.0
CHASSIS
Frame: Carbon, 175mm
Fork: RockShox Lyrik Select+
Shock: Super Deluxe Select+ RT
COCKPIT
Brakes: SRAM Code R
Shifter: SRAM GX Eagle Trigger 12s
Handlebar: Canyon G5 Riserbar, 20mm Ride
Stem: Canyon G5
Saddle: SDG Circuit MTN
Seatpost: Iridium Dropper
WHEELS
Wheels: DT Swiss E 1900
Tires: MAXXIS Minion DHR II 2.4”
DRIVETRAIN
Bottom Bracket: SRAM BSA DUB
Cassette: SRAM XG-1275 Eagle 10-50 12s
Cranks: Truvativ Descendant 6K AL DUB 32T
Chain Guide: e*thirteen TRS+ ISCG05
Derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle
SPECIFICATIONS – TORQUE CF9.0
CHASSIS
Frame: Carbon, 175mm
Fork: Fox Factory 36
Shock: Fox X2 Factory
COCKPIT
Brakes: SRAM Code RSC
Shifter: SRAM XO1
Handlebar: Canyon G5 Riserbar, 30mm Rise
Stem: Canyon G5
Saddle: SDG Circuit Mtn
Seatpost: Fox Transfer 150mm
WHEELS
Wheels: DT Swiss EX 1501
Tires: MAXXIS Minion DHR II 2.4”
DRIVETRAIN
Bottom Bracket: SRAM BSA DUB
Cassette: SRAM XG Eagle 10-52
Cranks: Truvativ Descendant Carbon DUB 32T
Chain Guide: e*thirteen TRS+ ISCG05
Derailleur: SRAM XO1 Eagle
We Dig
Performance
Value
Playful and snappy
Tight, twisty trail shredder
Jumping
We Don’t
Removing Handlebars
G5 Stem Design
27.5 on Rough, bombed out tech trails
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