CANYON STOIC 4 HARDTAIL REVIEW
Review by Ryan Ackerman
Definition: sto·ic
/ˈstōik/ – A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
It seems that Canyon Bicycles had a bit of fun when it came time to naming a bike designed for you sadistic hardtail shredders out there. The Canyon Stoic embodies the modern hardtail to a T, with aggressive geometry, a capable tube-set and an all-around attitude that says, “Test me.” For this review we reached out to a dedicated hardtail rider, BMXer and let him take the bike home for several months of abuse. Here is how the bike, and his ankles faired.
THE LAB
Canyon puts the Stoic hardtail in their Category 4 mountain bike range, meaning it is meant to be ridden hard and capable of handling the same amount of abuse as their long travel enduro bikes. As fun as this bike looks standing still, the long, low, and slack geometry had me questioning if this were strictly a high-speed enduro hardtail or if I could have some fun on street rides, dirt jumps and pump tracks.
The Stoic is a 29er hardtail and available in sizes M-XL with a 27.5” option in 2XS-S. Our test bike came in a size XL which is a little bit of a stretch for me, but I really did not find it unreasonable since I have lanky arms. With a reach of 505mm, a 65-degree head tube and 429mm chainstays, I felt there was just so much room for activities. The long reach combined with an effective 75-degree seat tube angle seemed to keep me forward enough to conquer steep climbs. The Canyon Stoic cockpit is outfitted with Canyon’s G5 grips and 780mm wide bars clamped to the unique 40mm G5 stem. A 140mm RockShox Pike Select fork softens the blows and provide the only source of relief from big hits.
Equipped with 30mm wide Alex rims laced up on KT M5ER / KT TWF-15 premium hubs and 2.4×29 Schwalbe Magic Mary up front and a 2.35×29 Hans Dampf in the rear, the Stoic rolled reliably and true during our extensive test period. This tire combo is impressive and the perfect match for my riding. Canyon uses a Boost 148 thru axle to keep the wheel spinning and stable, which is a must on a bike that is built to take a beating. A cost-conscious SRAM 1×12 NX drivetrain with 170mm Descendant 6k Eagle cranks keep the cost of the build down.
I really liked that Canyon chose a little shorter crank arm length to help prevent pedal strikes. With a 30-tooth 1x chain ring up front and 11-50 cassette in the rear you are geared to handle just about any trail you encounter. Canyon paired the Stoic up with SRAM Guide T brakes, offering four pistons per caliper for more stopping power. You also get a 180mm SRAM Centerline rotor up front and a 160mm in the rear. At first, I was a little skeptical about the Iridium dropper but after a few rides without a hitch, I soon learned to enjoy all 170mm of travel the dropper provided.
As a bit of a mechanical nerd, I am not a fan of poorly routed cables, making it difficult to repair or adjust components on a bike. Thankfully, Canyon considered that on the Stoic as the cables are routed nice and tidy like. Weak points of the build include the stock Velo VL seat and as usual, the G5 grips are just plain awful. That being said, seats and grips are highly personal items and likely to be changed by the owner anyways, so if it keeps the cost down, we understand. Our size XL Canyon Stoic 4 came in at a little over 32 pounds, with one color option in flat green and retails at $1,999.00 and comes with a six-year guarantee.
THE DIRT
At first sight I knew the long and low-slung frame of the Stoic would be a blast. This is an aggressive hardtail that is begging for fast, and steep lines yet will not shy away from a little airtime here and there. My first test rides were at the local pump track to see how it handled. After that first ride, I was impressed with the comfort and playfulness of Stoic but left feeling that this was not where it was supposed to be…its length and 29′ wheels felt like I was walking a Cheetah on a tight leash. Taking advantage of some breaks in the winter/spring weather, I headed out to some trails to see how the Stoic would handle the slop.
The Canyon Stoic absolutely killed it in the wet and snow-covered single track of Central Oregon. The Magic Mary up front seemed to take on anything from frozen ground to snow and mud. Schwalbe really nailed it on this tire, it had me feeling confident in unpredictable terrain. If you regularly ride in sloppy areas, or want a winter beater, it is tough to beat an affordable hardtail as maintenance is minimal, as are the moving parts!
As soon as the trails dried out and I was able to test the Stoic on some more techy, high desert terrain, I felt that it climbed well. It is not necessarily fast, but it seems to stay planted and mow down anything in its path.
After some longer rides on the Stoic, I found I could not get much comfort from the seat or the handlebars. The extremely stiff bars paired with thin grips made the vibrations rattle my hands nearly numb at times. Thankfully, Canyon paired the Stoic up with a Pike Select to take care of the bulk of discomfort. I did notice when traveling at higher speeds the fork began to lose some of the small bump compliance and would be nice to have a full lock out for the pump track and bike parks. The Stoic did great on the dirt jumps but seemed to carry a lot of mass in the air and prefer to be grounded quickly.
Once I was able to get this beast ripping on some DH sections the Stoic held together great and instilled all the confidence needed especially with the 170mm dropper and low-slung top tube. Once I really needed to work the brakes on the descents, they had an inconsistent bite point and unreliable modulation. The stout 29” Alex wheels seemed to roll over almost anything in the bikes path with absolutely no issues even after hammering down on them so even if I didn’t slow down as much as I wanted to, the bike was ready to handle it.
The extra large frame was a bit long for me and had the bike feeling a little slow in the tightest of trails, but once they open up, this bike is a rocket. The Stoic does extremely well soaking up the chunky stuff for an aluminum hardtail and Canyon did a good job selecting the tubing and materials.
When tackling loose dirt and sandy trails, I was also impressed with how well this bike performed. With such a great range of gears, Schwalbe’s Addix rubber on the front and back paired with the Stoic’s geometry, this thing ate up the long, flowy, and sandy sections with ease. This bike handles almost anything thrown at it very well. Again, this is not a bike you will likely be crushing PR’s on or feel nimble in the tight, technical sections, but it will provide a stable, comfortable, and steady ride.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Canyon boasts that the Stoic is a hardtail that will do it all and take abuse from all disciplines of riding from the trails to the streets, the pump track and beyond. A true jack of all trades, it begs to play and ride terrain you might feel like your current set up might not be able to handle. With a price tag just under $2000 I am totally impressed. I found myself only wanting to make minor adjustments and replacements in the stock set up. Canyon nailed it on comfort and fun factor on this bike. This Stoic would be a rad bike to mullet and capable of making it happen. For the rider who wants an inexpensive option that will proudly take on any terrain thrown in its path or a solid winter bike to ride hard and put away wet this might be your ticket. Some of the components could be a little better for a top their build but at the price this bike is a natural born ripper and held up immaculately. 
Price: $1,999
Website: Canyon.com
SPECIFICATIONS
CHASSIS
Frame: 6061-T6 Aluminum
Fork: RockShox Pike Select RC | 140mm
COCKPIT
Brakes: SRAM Guide T | 200mm
Shifter: SRAM NX Eagle Trigger 12s
Handlebar: Aluminum G5 Riser Bar | 780mm / 30mm Rise
Stem: G5 40mm
Saddle: Velo Vl-5120
Seatpost: Iridium Dropper | 170mm
WHEELS
Hubs: Kt M5er / Kt Twf-15
Rims: Alex Dp30
Front Tire: Schwalbe Magic Mary Evo Super Trail 2.4
Rear Tire: Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35
DRIVETRAIN
Bottom Bracket: SRAM BSA DUB
Cassette: SRAM Pg-1210 Eagle 11-50 12s
Cranks: SRAM Descendant 6k Eagle Boost
Derailleur: SRAM NX Eagle
We Dig
Comfort and Stability
Price Tag
Cable Routing
170mm Dropper
Tire Combo
We Don’t
Grips and Seat
Brake Modulation
On the Heavier Side
Only 1 Color Option
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