Canfield Brothers at Interbike

Of all the bikes I ogled over the weeks of Interbike and Rampage, none saw as many hard miles under my ass as the Canfield Formula 1. I began my 2003 Interbike experience getting some sublime Bootleg shuttle runs on Lance's personal bike. Then, while we were "working" in Utah, Chris and Lance offered the bike up once again for a trip down the Flying Monkey. With all the work there was to do, I really should have declined... Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen!
Just a few weeks young, the Formula 1 is the second generation of the Canfield family. Following in the footsteps of the Fatty Fat and the Big Fat Fatty Fat, the Formula 1 features Canfield's parallel (or damn close to parallel) links that drive a 3 inch stroke Manitou Swinger 6-way rear shock to get 9 inches of pure lovin'.


The design uses a high pivot location for optimum sensitivity and sports an upper pulley wheel that eliminates the pedal feedback inherent with high pivot designs. Chris was still settling on exact pulley placement at the time of riding, but on the bike I rode, pedal feedback was non-existant. The rear axle follows a rear-arcing path that matches the front axle (and impact direction) which gives the bike a super stable feel and allows a rider to say centered over the bike in nearly any situation. Canfield has also designed the bike with a small amount of "brake squat", that is, the bike will settle a little into its travel under braking. Again, it was definitely stable, and I noticed no undue duress under braking. In fact the rear end tracked easily as well as my 2002 V10 with the full floater. Add to that, the bike rode very, very light, frame weight of the prototype was under 10 pounds with the Swinger (and steel spring) but production versions are expected to be closer to 10.5 pounds. Not exactly fat is it?


Built from 7005 series aluminum, the F1 had some very nice attention to detail, such as the 160mm X 15mm rear hub spacing, 20mm bearings at every pivot, the sweet rear dropouts (see photos), easy 26 X 2.8 inch rear tire clearance, low standover height and the addition of an integrated chainguide backing plate (also used to mount the upper pulley wheel). Sadly, due to liability concerns, the Canfields will be removing the bottle opener from production versions.



The bike's advertised numbers indicate a 17 inch chainstay length, but Chris advised the prototype version wound up with slightly longer (17.5 inch) stays. Once sagged into the travel, that length extends to 18 inches which made for a tough-to-manual machine. I'd expect the production version to be equally at home at speed, but it should be much easier to loft the front end in times of trouble.





With family names like the Fatty Fat and Big Fat Fatty Fat, I fully expected the F1 to lean towards the hucker side of the DH equation. Wrong!
Put your pre-conceived notions and prejudices aside, the ride never lies!


Bootleg Canyon and Virgin couldn't be more diametrically opposed to my home turf of Nelson, BC. Sure, there's rocks and dirt, but the dust and sand of the desert is a far cry from the loam, leaves and skinnies of BC's Interior. It took me a few hundred metres of descending to feel comfortable on the bike (and terrain). I entered more than a few off camber, exposed, loose (and did I mention rocky?) corners going way too fast. Throwing out my inside leg and laying off the brakes, the F1 leaned with me into the corners and stuck to the ground with glee. Excuse the cliche, but wow, the F1 was unbelievably confidence inspiring!


By the time we got towards the bottom of Bootleg, and it's maze of jumps, drops and gaps, I was feeling like the bike and I had been friends for quite some time. Even as a 9 inch travel monster, the F1 popped off lips better than most short travel rides I've jumped and the rear end was super stiff and free of any waggle. In flight adjustments were easily performed, and it was almost natural to tweak the bike out while airborne.



On our second date, the Formula 1 and I did it quick and dirty on the Flying Monkey. With a group of 20 or more hitting the dirt, we sessioned the Monkey top to bottom without stopping. I thought I was going to pass out (or at least puke) before reaching Virgin. Starting near the back of the pack, we must have passed at least 15 riders on the trail, most were crashing, dabbing or stopping to catch some wind while I was able to loft, pedal and air my way along the loose, exposed singletrack. I don't know if it was the level of riders I was with, or if it was simply the bike, but it could very well have been one of the rides of my life. Anyone who has ridden the Monkey knows it's an unforgiving, twisting, uber-rocky trail that punishes both rider and bike from top to bottom. On the F1, it was simple, keep your speed up, stay centered and at least try to be courteous (apparently, "on your left!" is better than "move it ya friggin sissy!"). I even got the chance to loft a few drops along the way, nothing too big, but I did hit some gaps and cliffs while in Utah, and the 45.5 inch wheelbase handled them with ease. The Formula 1 was as much at home there, as it was on the DH.


It wasn't just the bike that impressed me. The Canfield's are truly a rider owned company. Both Chris and Lance were out ripping the trails after their Rampage work was done, and Chris was often seen riding competitors' bikes in an effort to better understand the ins and outs of various suspension designs. And, unlike some other (unnamed) companies he had praise for most of the bikes he rode. Best of all though, he was also seen busting every hit he could find along the trail, all smiles!


With all this focus on the F1, I'd be an idiot not to mention the Signature Series is still available. All you've got to do is pick up the phone, call the boys and place your fully custom order. Steel, aluminum, custom color, geometry or stickers. Pick your poison, Canfield will deliver, it's your budget, but it starts around $3000US and goes up from there.


Price of the Formula 1 is $1900US without shock or $2250US with Manitou Swinger 6-way. Polished tubes add another $50 to the tag. Not cheap, but by no means overpriced either. Deliveries should begin by mid-February '04 and the Canfields are actively courting dealers. Those interested should contact the Canfields via email or visit www.canfieldbrothers.com for more information.