German direct-to-consumer outfit Canyon will replace their 160mm-travel Torque ES all-mountain machine with a lighter and more all-day-friendly platform called Strive.
Strive will continue on with the same 160mm of rear wheel travel but will switch from the previous Horst Link four-bar suspension design to a linkage-actuated single-pivot setup similar to that used by Focus and Diamondback.
Conical half-shafts on the main pivot, an especially chunky chainstay bridge and 142x12mm through-axle dropouts should help prevent rear-end twist (a drawback of the other designs mentioned), while a needle-bearing equipped lower shock mount should make for much smoother action than the usual DU bushing setups.
Meanwhile, weight is kept in check with the hydroformed and butted alloy main tubing and chainstays, with the new frame configuration leaving enough room in the main triangle for a water bottle. Upper-end models get carbon seatstays, tapered head tubes are included throughout, and all but the least expensive Strive have height-adjustable seatposts as standard equipment.
Projekt 1.442
The rest of Canyon's off-road range receives mostly minor tweaks but the Projekt 1.442 showpiece provides a glimpse of what's to come – and we like what we see. Rather than use a conventional 3x10 drivetrain, the Project 1.442 mates a 10-speed cassette and rear derailleur with a three-speed internally geared rear hub. This offers a slightly greater spread than a traditional three-ring crankset, all supposedly at about the same weight as a Shimano Deore XT drivetrain.
A set of planetary gears in Canyon's rear hub mimics the spread of a three-ring crankset
In addition to the claimed improved durability relative to a three-ring, Canyon say their Mach 3 hub requires almost no maintenance, allows for narrower pedal stance widths, and also makes for much better chain retention as a mini chainguide can then be used full-time up front. The system is based on a 32T chainring so as to maintain maximum compatibility with various suspension designs, and the 142x12mm rear dropouts leave enough room to tuck the shift actuation mechanism inside the stays for better protection from rock impacts.
Canyon hung the drivetrain concept on what looked to be a modified version of their Grand Canyon CF carbon hardtail frame (though perhaps more likely a development mule for the next-generation hardtail), complete with big chainstays and little seatstays – reminiscent of their Ultimate CF SLX road racer – direct-mount front derailleur tabs (used to mount the chainguide in this case) and internally routed cables.
Canyon's Projekt 1.442 looks to be based on an updated Grand Canyon CF hardtail
The component spec was suitably lightweight, including a DT Swiss fork, Syntace bar and stem, Formula R1 brakes (with a 180mm front rotor!), Schwalbe tyres, a Tune front hub and DT Swiss carbon rims, all topped with Canyon's remarkably cushy VCLS seatpost.
Road range
Aside from the introduction of the Aeroad CF aero road bike we showed you back in May, the road range is essentially unchanged but for the addition of a new V-Drome track model. As is usually the case with this genre, stiffness and aerodynamics were the main goals, resulting in the use of deep-section aluminium tubing, stout stays, steel-faced rear-entry horizontal dropouts, and the same carbon post used on Canyon's Speedmax time trial bike.
Canyon address an omission in their range with the new V-Drome track bike
As for the rumors of pending UK and US availability, that's something Canyon say they're still working on but hope to nail down sometime in 2011. Keep your fingers crossed.