Canyon strive

marcaudsley

Hi
Anyone own a canyon strive that could give some feedback on the bike?
Thinkin of buying but reviews are quite scarce
Cheers

mmafan

This is recently in:
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/service/testr ... ptrclc=306

I'm getting the 7.0 in three weeks and wil post a user reveiw once I got my leg over it and have given it the old one-two......
I come from a DH background so I wont be taking it easy.......

There isn't anything else on the web unless you speak german........

Hope this helps.......

marcaudsley

hi
cheers for reply
hope you get on with the bike ok

marcaudsley

really like the look of the 8. very tempting

Fudgie

I can't help with the Strive but I've just bought a Nerve and have some info relevant to buying a Canyon. The quality and build of the bike is every bit as good as the magazines say but I had a nagging worry about whether it would have to be returned to Germany if any of the frame pivot bearings needed servicing/replacing.

Cullen Ward from Canyon UK (very helpful and quick at replying to emails) tells me that there is a dedicated service centre just outside London on the Essex border which can perform all servicing in the UK. They also hold a full stock of spares available for you or your LBS to perform the service. And the bike comes in a re-usable sturdy container if you want to courier it to them or you can drop it off if you're nearby. Hope this info is of use in your decision.

mmafan

Thank s for the service info Fudgie, that may come in handy for sure!!!!

Cullen seems to be on top of the game from all the reveiws I've read.
Dude deserves a raise, ha ha ha.

I like the strive range but have exceeded my £1500 budget for the 7.0 as the spec you get is equal to that of Santa Cruz Blur and/or Nomad......

I was thinking of getting a second hand Nomad but thought I would get a new bike to have the gaurantee's etc.........

I think spending the wee bitty extra will be worth it:)

JDawg_1989

I've just ordered a Nerve AM 8.0, expecting to recieve it this week, couldn't speak more highly of Cullen at Canyon UK. I placed my order Friday night and got the colour wrog (doh!) for a price of £2249.

I rang Canyon UK first thing Monday to change the colour, spoke to Cullen - who informed me the price had dropped by £50 and he'll cancel the order for me to resubmit with the correct colour and get it at the new price.

Hoping to recieve my Nerve AM 8.0 tomorrow or Friday. But so far my experience in dealing with Conyon UK is absolutely superb!!

If your after more info on the Strive, ring my mucca Cullen!

As for reviews only being available in German, I have a friend who can speak the language.....goes by the name of Mr Google. Translate

getonyourbike

Please keep us up to date on the ordered strive. The 8 looks awesome for the money, very well thought out spec and very light for it's weight. A reverb as standard makes it so much more tempting though. It should be light enough for XC/trail but then I can give it a beasting at the DH course.

mmafan

Should hopefully get the bike tomorrow lads:)

Stay tuned for a user reveiw coming within the week.......

Crundi

I've ordered the Strive 8.0, no news on delivery though, it was scheduled for week 22 (first week of June) but nothings turned up.

woodytitan

mmafan wrote:

Should hopefully get the bike tomorrow lads:)

Stay tuned for a user reveiw coming within the week.......[/quote

What a great bike for the money, any review yet??

mmafan

The review everyone has been waiting for is here:)

The bike is fast.

I'm 1.75 metres tall (or short) and ride the medium and the frame feels perfect size wise.....

Got it a day early thanks to UPS!!!
Finished work and got a call from UPS that they their truck had broken down 2 streets away but it had my Bike if I wanted to pick it up........

Got the bike and got it built within 20 min.....Had to play with the fork and the shock a bit to get the right feel but this is very normal.....

Because I use the bike for all mountain and DH I ride the back with 20% sag to compensate for some of the big hits but the fork is amazing once I got he sag right....
The tyres, fork and shock were all rock hard when I got the bike so I had to play a bit to get it set to my weight. The tryes were way to hard for dirt and once I let some air out the grip was amazing.

If you point the bike at something it will go no matter if its up or down. I hate climbing but this bike makes it fun.
Despite some peoples thought that the low single pivot would be a problem I am pleased to say they are wrong. I got a hradtail and the Strive pedals just as well without any bob and thats without locking the shock.

The bike is really amazing for the money and a noce touch was the helly tape on the downtube and the headtube to stop cable rub diminishing it's stealthy look (i got the 7.0 in black).

Not to sure about the bars just yet cause I'm used to risers but I'm happy to keep going with the stock bars for a while until I make my final verdict
The saddle is a bit hard for my boney butt but padded shorts sorted this quickly......
My butt getts sore sitting in water so the saddle might be really good for all I know.

After being off the bike for 7-8 months I still need to get up to speed again but the bike inspired me to go faster and after I got the suspension dialed I was still felling guilty that I couldn't ride fast enough....I even tried climbing a couple of bits of trial and enjoyed it cause the bike pedals like a dream.

My mate is getting a trek scratch air 8 and is gutted he isn't getting the Strive, enough said.

Oh and I found out on the trails that the tyres have snake skin protection and cost £40 each.......I was grinning from ear to ear:)

I'm riding superstar flats cuase I like to get out of shape and the bike still pedals like a hardtail, even out of the saddle.

Can't get over how easy it pedals everytime I get on it!!!

If you thinking about getting one then think no more........

blablablacksheep

How easy was it to put together ?

considering you ride downhill was their torque wrench good enough to inspire you to bomb downhill without worring about bike falling apart? :P

pictures ofc is a must to complete the review

marcaudsley

mmafan
Out of interest how long did delivery take from date of dispatch?
Crundi
Mine was scheduled for that date too. Spoke with Cullen (top man btw) who informed me delivery was put back till week 24 because of a mix up in production (wrong front mechs were delivered!)

Crundi

Perfect. When I spoke to Cullen he couldn't say when I could expect delivery. I've been translating some of the German forums and your information seems consistent. Here's looking to Week 24 then!

mmafan, we want pics!!!

How's the rear shock behaving? can you compare it to other bikes you may have tried?

mmafan

Pics will be up later in the week, I rode on Saturday and then went to Fort Bill on Sunday and I'm pleased to say that even with all the other pretty bikes on display I was still stoked to have my Canyon:)

I got delivery of it bang on the time that I was first given. Bike got delivered 4 days after it left Germany. Left Germany on Thursday 26/05/2011 and I got it Teusday 31/06/2011.
6 weeks from the date I called up in total.

First time riding an air shock as my previous bike (Giant Glory Zero) had a Fox DHX 4 so I prefer the feel of a coil to be honest. May just be the case that I need to get used to the air shock though.........I'm going to give the Monarch RT3 6 months or so and see how I get on and I might opt for a coil if I dont like the air shock after 6 months................
Spoke to Sram in Fort Bill about the shock bottoming out on me despite having the right amount of sag on it and they told me to add more air and ride with 20% sag and see how I get on and it may just be the case that the terrain I'm riding is a bit to gnarly for the shock but that it is hard for them to tell for sure without seeing the bike and the terrain....

Setting the bike up was as easy as breathing, as long as you're not asthmatic.......
The torque key is only for fibre bits and I didn't find any use for it.
I just used my specialized multi tool to put it together and it was really easy, even with my one year old daughter trying to intervene.....
Only had to put the wheels on, tighten the bars and slide in the seat post and that was it.
As previously stated I had to play with the suspension to gt it right but other then that the only thing left was adjusting the brakes after I got the bars adjusted to how I like them. All of this is pretty standered though....

As for getting the right torque, I genreally tighten things pretty tight but make sure that it is tight enough without starting to strip the bolt and that usually does it for me:)
Checked the bolts after a few runs and nothing came loose.

NB!!!! Remove the rebound adjuster cap at the bottom of the fork because it has been
known to fall out with really bumpy stuff and they cost £18 to replace, as a mate of mine found out the hard way....

Going to hit the quarry again this weekend and will be going to Fort Bill and Glentress over the next 6 months so I'll give more reveiws after I've been to the trail centres.....
I'm also going to riding t XC type loop in Pitmedden forrest so I'll let you know how the bike handles a day of pedaling....

Crundi

Nice one, mmafan. I was riding Glentress last week, it's running great at the moment, Especially the new Blue run - Berm Baby Berm!

You mentioned SRAM suggested 20% sag to compensate for you bottoming out. Firstly, I thought you were already running at 20% sag? is this what Canyon recommends?
Secondly, if you don't mind me asking - how heavy are you?

mmafan

Canyon recommend 20-30% depending on the terrain.

Please note that the below is used for Freeride/Downhill as this is the riding I tend to do more often.....

I was running 30% sag in the quarry with 130psi but it was still bottoming out so I'm now running 150-160psi with 20%sag and I'm hoping this will compensate when I go to the quarry this weekend.

For trail centres I would always run 20% and a harder setup up front as well but for more natural terrain I tend to ride it a wee bit softer at the back then the front......

I usually ride my suspension as follows

Rough terrain – 30% sag on a Hard fork with high rebound and med-low compression
20-30% sag on a Hard shock but slightly softer then the fork with slow compression and med-fast rebound

The rough setup allows the fork not to get stuck without travel in rock gardens and rooty sections and the back end can take everything in its stride without throwing you forward…..


Smoother Terrain- Hard fork and shock with higher rates of compression and rebound both set at 20%

The Smoother setup allows the bike to act like a hardtail but with a little give when the going gets rough….

This may not suite everyone but It’s what I feel comfortable on and seems to work with me.

I would definitely recommend playing around with the suspension for two months or so you can find that “sweet spot” and then you have a base for wherever you go. Some people can’t be bothered doing that but I always think why waste the money on an adjustable fork if you’re not going to set it up properly?!

I’m still trying to get the high speed and low speed compression sorted but I wanted to sort the back end before I started fine tuning the compression. I got the high speed compression sorted so I just need to fine tune the low speed…….
Any help on the above would be appreciated.

Hope this helps everyone and answers any questions……
if not feel free to ask and I’m welcome to any advice on offer as well……

Weather looks ok today so I may nip out for a ride after work

Crundi

Photos!

marcaudsley

Well my strive came yesterday! A few days early too.
Built up last night and out for a ride today, i will post up a ride report and some pics later
Bike looks really nice

Welsh_Tom

Crundi wrote:

When I spoke to Cullen

how did you get hold of him?

poppit

FYI, just posted a couple of issues I've had with my Canyon in the Your Bike section.

marcaudsley

welsh_tom
0208 5012582 mon - fri 10am till 5pm
or uk@canyon.com

mmafan

Nice one marcaudsley. Hope you had,having a good ride:)

No photo's from me yet as its been raining the last two days in Scotland but will get them up once the sun is out........

marcaudsley

Hi all
So had a ride on Saturday and as promised here are a few photos (taken before the ride)
Took the bike on a a local ride that incorporates a bit of all sorts, some very steep climbs (on & off road) some steep techy downy bits and some flowy, singletrack type bits through a couple of local woods.
This ride is about 18km and is quite tough. On my previous bike (trek fuel ex8) it was a bit of a struggle but on the canyon it was a lot easier, esp going down!
The bike goes uphill with ease and only had to use the granny once where usually i would be in & out of it on some of the tougher climbs.
The size is spot on, i'm 5' 8" and bought a small, and everything feels just right. It really is a fantastic piece of engineering, the frame is well thought out and really solid.
As my mate said:
"I just cant fathom the spec you get for 2 f..king grand, its unbelievable"
So, all in all it has blown me away and given me a confidence never felt on a bike before.
Also i must say the communication with Cullen at Canyon UK was brilliant and the efficiency & ease of the whole buying process
I think we are going to see a lot more Canyon bikes on the trails & roads of the UK
So as said before here are a few pics

Crundi

Still waiting on my Strive. I see there's two chain-stay protectors. Any chain slap to worry about and do you think the standard protectors are up to the job?

I'm wondering whether I should get myself a Lizardskin?

marcaudsley

Crundi
Sorry to hear you aint got your bike yet, its worth the wait though.
No chain slap at all mate, and the protector is well up to it. Bit like the specialized one on the Enduro, very thick tough plastic

Crundi

Received the bike last Monday but I've not had a chance to ride any trails!

I must say, it's a stunning bike and so far I'm really happy with it.

I've had to bleed the Reverb seatpost as the saddle wasn't fully returning, all good now though and simpler to perform than the bleed of a Reba XX fork. I'm also unable to use the little sag indicator as it's too loose. Anyone else have this problem? It's not really an issue as I've just used the rubber band on the shock.

Crundi

Attention Strive 8+9 owners... your Reverb seat post may not have the correct air pressure, the valve can be found at the bottom of the post. If you're having slide issues check this before bleeding.

Crundi

Has anyone got the Large Canyon Strive?

Could you show me a photo of a tape measure next to the length of your top tube, together with the height (from ground to top) of the seat tube.

many thanks.

Defacto23

I have been riding my strive for around four months three or four times a week anything from a two hour blast in my local woods to long days out and over night trips, and have had no real major problems. Made a few changes that for me made things simpler and made a very good bike even better. I dropped the front mech for a single ring and got a set of wider Nukeproof warhead bars and kept the 60mm stem, I was really happy with the fat Albert tyres but changed them up for some faster rolling specialized Purgatory tyres (2.2 tubeless) to suit my riding. I highly recommend taking the chain off for a good all fashioned clean which stop any chain suck problems from happening. Not completely convinced about the use of the fox talas and will see if it comes in handy on longer climbs. I was lucky enough to try out a small but I opted for a medium although I am 167cm tall as it just felt better for me personally.
I tend to explore natural trails and seldom go to trail centres so for me this bike has put a silly grin on my face on numerous occasions, it looks and feels good and has made me into a more confident rider.
If you want to explore further then at this price and quality you would be hard pushed to find a bike straight out of the box that can give you so much fun.