Canyon say "downhill is as much about creativity as it is about strength, skill and guts," and for a bike designed to be pushed hard in the most extreme of environments and scenarios, that certainly makes a lot of sense. But what attributes are needed to deliver these traits in a downhill bike, especially one being released in 2016? For the engineers, designers and product managers responsible for bringing the Sender to life, that meant developing the best suspension and geometry while similarly choosing the best parts to complement their new creation. While we've all heard that before, Canyon's popular Strive enduro bike and its 'Shapeshifter' technology and 'Race Geometry' certainly proved that Canyon like to push the envelope when it comes to bikes that don't follow the rules of convention. But would their new DH bike live up to the mantle set by its little brother? We headed to the South of Portugal to find out...
Lacking the industrial aesthetics of its peers in favour of sports car inspired lines and curves, the Canyon Sender is easy on the eyes, but behind those good looks resides a bike with a defined agenda; speed and control.
Details:
• Intended use: downhill
• Travel: 200mm
• 27.5" wheels
• 62 - 64° adjustable head angle with included headset cups
• 430 - 446mm adjustable chainstays
• 12 x 157mm rear spacing
• Carbon main frame and 6066 T6 alloy swingarm
• 4-Bar Suspension System with MX Link
• Integrated seat clamp
• Internal cable routing
• Integrated fork bumpers
• Intended use: downhill
• Travel: 200mm
• 27.5" wheels
• 62 - 64° adjustable head angle with included headset cups
• 430 - 446mm adjustable chainstays
• 12 x 157mm rear spacing
• Carbon main frame and 6066 T6 alloy swingarm
• 4-Bar Suspension System with MX Link
• Integrated seat clamp
• Internal cable routing
• Integrated fork bumpers
• Removable fender
• Removable frame protection
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Weight: 16.2kg (claimed) size Medium
• For more: www.canyon.com
Prices - EUR / GBP / AUD:
• CF 7.0: €3599, £2899, $5599
• CF 8.0: €4299, £3499, $6599
• CF 9.0: €4799, £3899, $7399
Colours:
• CF 7.0: Blue or Red
• CF 8.0: Black or Red
• CF 9.0: Black or Blue
While some brands focus on stiffness, Canyon have worked extensively to deliver a carbon frame that helps to resist fatigue on punishing descents or long days in the bike park.
The wall thickness of the carbon main frame differs from one end to the other and is set out in a precise manner to deliver an appropriate strength to weight ratio and work harmoniously with the linkage and alloy swingarm.
Canyon chose to use an alloy swingarm simply because it can take a lot of abuse. Seeing as it's the widest part of the bike and repeatedly hits the ground, not to mention all the forces applied through the transmission that it endures, it's a nice touch and I think we've all seen our fair share of cracked swingams...
The adjustable chainstays offer two positions: 430 and 446mm. Fabien (Barel) said he'd switch between the 62 degree headset cups and the 446mm setting for steeper, more natural trails - think Champery - and the shorter 430mm setting and the slightly steeper 63 degree headset cups for mellower tracks.
The two-piece chainstay guard is constructed of two materials - a harder plastic underneath to protect and a softer one on top to reduce noise.
For those of us who rock the flat pedals or indeed ride with your right foot forward, you will no doubt welcome the addition of a heel protector on the non-drive side chainstays.
A familiar sight on carbon DH bikes and a welcome one on the Sender nonetheless, offering protection from rock strikes and trail debris that can always turn your smile upside down - the designers at Canyon also added a touch of flair to all the frame protectors with a gloss black to matte black finish.
The Numbers Game
Canyon really have hit the nail on the head with the Sender's geometry by offering solid numbers in reach and BB height, coupled with adjustability in wheelbase and head angle. Not to mention a stack height figure which increases with each size to keep taller riders and those with a sizable ape index happy. The question begs to be answered - is this the blueprint for modern DH bike geometry? I think it's pretty damn close and with a reach-adjust headset in the works from Canyon, fine tuning the 'fit' of the Sender should allow many riders who frequently find themselves between sizes the option to fine tune reach in the desired direction. All of the above resonates Canyon's understanding of dynamic ergonomics when it comes to bike design.
Sender Suspension
Before work began on designing the Sender's suspension system, the engineers at Canyon understood the importance of creating a dynamic ride feel that would allow a good degree of connection with the terrain. While this might sound obvious, there is a fine line between 'pilot' and 'passenger' when it comes to some DH bikes and indeed some DH specific dampers. To do this, they first of all looked at the best suspension design currently out there for mountain bikes - that's your arms and legs. Understanding the relationship your body has with the terrain, they began to look at how they could amplify it through the Sender's suspension system. Aside from the obvious traits of a good suspension curve - sensitivity in the beginning of the stroke and a nice progressive curve at the end - the team at Canyon wanted to develop and harness support in the mid-stroke - something which they felt is often overlooked in full suspension designs.
Doing so would help to achieve a heightened level of balance and stability from which a rider could attack. Another element they wanted to use was the adjustability and suppleness of an air shock. With both RockShox and Fox offering suitable units, designing a linkage around the natural progression of an air shock over that of a linear coil shock was a logical step to make. At its core, the Sender uses one of the most proven linkages out there, but this is no ordinary 4-bar design. By using a secondary linkage system to drive the shock in a given path, the engineers at Canyon could effectively create a suspension curve independently of anti-squat, anti-rise and pedal kickback.
Doing so would help to achieve a heightened level of balance and stability from which a rider could attack. Another element they wanted to use was the adjustability and suppleness of an air shock. With both RockShox and Fox offering suitable units, designing a linkage around the natural progression of an air shock over that of a linear coil shock was a logical step to make. At its core, the Sender uses one of the most proven linkages out there, but this is no ordinary 4-bar design. By using a secondary linkage system to drive the shock in a given path, the engineers at Canyon could effectively create a suspension curve independently of anti-squat, anti-rise and pedal kickback.
Inspired by the linkages found on motocross bikes, the additional link within the Sender's system allows for a leverage ratio that is independent of anti-squat, pedal kickback and anti-rise. Throwing an air shock into the mix allows for even more refinement, which Canyon refer to as TIPS or Triple Phase Suspension.
The moto-inspired 'MX Link' in all its glory.
TPS – Triple Phase Suspension:
Phase 1: Air shocks require more force for activation than coil shocks. To overcome this, the MX Link transmits more power at the start of the stroke, resulting in an increased amount of responsiveness, small bump sensitivity and traction around the sag point, which should 'feel' a lot more like a coil shock.
Phase 2: Support through the mid-stroke provides a stable platform to reduce momentum loss, enabling the rider to actively pump for more track speed and make decisive line choices.
Phase 3: Combining the progressiveness of air shocks with a more moderate progression at the end of the stroke to avoid blowing through the entire travel and to give the suspension its bottomless feel. Using volume spacers (note - we ran 6 spacers, which come as stock, but you can fit up to 8), the rider can further fine-tune the shock’s progression to their needs.
Sender by name, sender by nature. Fabien shows the way...
Form and Function
The Sender is literally packed with ingenious innovations that deserve some attention. And while these incremental additions to what is already a rather special machine could be considered as marginal in terms of their benefit to the rider, they also show - and quite clearly - how much thought has gone into the development of this new bike...
This cutaway shows the 'cable pit' - a unique way of routing the gear cable through the bottom of the frame and over the BB housing, using a larger radius to avoid kinks and the dreaded cable growth we've surely all seen and the damage it can cause to your frame.
The foam pipe you can see here with a cable poking out of it is called the 'cable cushion' and is one part of a system, which ensures that the Sender is deathly quiet as it tears down the mountain, by preventing the cables from rattling and moving within the frame.
Unlike all the other pivots on the Sender, which are fitted with industrial bearings, the 'MX Link' uses polymer bearings which allow it to float within the main linkage, taking the brunt of lateral forces passing through the bike and away from the shock, furthering performance and boosting durability.
Another close up of the MX Link's polymer bearings and the two-tone finish 'Sender Fender' - this is removable and made from a rigid yet flexible plastic, which deforms easily only to return to its former shape.
The main pivots run on oversized industrial bearings, which can be accessed using a cassette or freehub removal tool.
You're probably thinking what that little circle is? Well, it's a small rubber bumper so that when you remove the shock from the bike, the swingarm won't damage the main frame and vice versa.
Portugal has become synonymous of late with off-season riding, especially downhill, boosted in part by the surge in holiday companies offering access to this Westerly part of Europe, once overlooked in favour of Malaga (Spain) or San Romolo (Italy). But in no time it's quickly become the place to shred in the winter months. Our destination was to the South and about an hour inland from the vacation friendly town of Faro, with mountain bike fun facilitators; Ride Portugal. We asked for gnarly trails to ride and that's exactly what we got...
This photo only shows the half of it, but trails were most certainly what you could refer to as 'proper DH tracks' and when you don't know all the lines, as I did, you certainly know something else, and that's when a bike is helping or hindering you.
The first track we tackled was supposed to warm us up for what was to come and while it was the least savage of the day, it was savage none the less. But there was one particular section that stood out - steep as you like, wide and littered with lines, boulders and packed with small drops with blind landings. Coming in hot and picking lines on the hoof, the Sender remained poised and surprisingly planted taking both the drops with ease as it did the rocks that were pretty hard to avoid. Putting a few pedal strokes in to gain speed before a road gap and the Sender proved that it's no slouch when you put the power down, giving no noticeable cause for concern, reacting well to both smooth landings and cases alike. After a few runs and at the point where you're getting a feel for things, another trait of the Sender became abundantly clear.
They say silence is golden and so is the Sender - even for a carbon bike. As the day progressed, so did the trails and as things got decidedly steeper and wilder from the get-go. And as ante upped with the trails we encountered, so did the Sender's persona, delivering confidence in spades. Run after run and the Sender didn't skip a beat - I was, unfortunately, a tad worse for wear this day and would surely have been in a world of hurt had it not been for the bike I was on. After a day on the size large Sender, I have no doubt in my mind that while its suspension is up there with the best, it is the geometry of the Sender that really makes it stand out. Balanced, poised and above all else, comfortable to ride with the ability to turn it on - and off - as you command. This bike doesn't want a passenger, it wants a pilot.
It could be argued that what Canyon are missing is not a bike, but a World Cup team to put them on the downhill map, but rest assured, Fabien is working on that one...
While a single day on a new bike is far from enough to form a conclusive opinion, it certainly made a number of things abundantly clear. From the welcoming Renthal cockpit to the superb SRAM X01 7-Speed drivetrain, consistently brilliant Guide Ultimate brakes to the light and fast DT Swiss wheels, Maxxis rubber and outstanding Fox dampers - from one end to the other, there is literally no gap in the Sender 9.0's spec. And while the middle spec 8.0 will appeal to those who like the feel of RockShox dampers, the 7.0 stands tall, representing a serious piece of kit which could become a firm favourite with privateers looking to make a dent in the results sheet at their local races. Looking at the Sender, I'm struggling to find any discernible negatives.
It's fast, it's light and it's packed with more tech than you shake a stick at and away from that, you just need to look at it. It's a great looking bike and if you don't like the blue and black, well, there's options there too. Perhaps the direct sales platform might be an issue for some, certainly for those living in territories where access to Canyon's range comes into play. Canyon are expanding all the time, having recently moved into Australia and New Zealand with their crosshairs soon to be focused on the North American market. But business model aside, you have to look at what you're getting with the Sender and not just on a scale of economics as this is one hell of a bike full stop.
Wheels on or off the ground, the Sender was easy to muscle around and was most certainly helped in part by the geometry, which really is in a league of its own, at least as far as DH bikes are concerned.
 | The Canyon Sender represents one of the most advanced downhill bikes currently on the market and while their direct sales model might put some off, it will certainly turn others on and for good reason. But putting costs to one side if we can, this bike ticks all the boxes a great downhill bike should and then some. - Olly Forster |
MENTIONS: @Canyon-PureCycling
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dv42 0.150664
Side note : How funny I get neg proped here for telling DH bike are over 4k while on other threads everyone is complaining about expensive bikes.
get it in the us
Prices for other DH bikes are just so ridiculously high... Everytime I look at what could be my next bike I am wondering whether I'd buy a new one if mine broke today...
How the F did I get there... those mid day trips...
Suspension design seems quite close to Knolly's in philosophy, even if it doesn't look the same. Horst link with shock driven by secondary linkage members to uncouple pedalling and braking input from suspension action. They even useed journal bearings (IGUS bushings) for secondary pivots, like Knolly.
Thats an incredible price
www.canyon.com/en/gravity/sender/sender-cf-7.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7MEskfGjvE
Or if you are really dedicated you can go to Koblenz and visit their headquarters!
Anyway I guess the fact that you have no shop to help you for any warranty issue is the risk you take when buying from a direct sale brand. That's not for everyone.
Canyon, if the swingarms on your bikes are repeatedly hitting the ground then you have a major problem!!!
Just in case: they said its the widest part of the frame, so obviously they mean that in case of a crash the swingarm will be the first frame-part to hit the ground, right after bars or pedals of course.
Of course my comment is hugely sarcastic. I was merely taking the mickey out of that comment as it is clearly a mistake by the writer.
Also Mazze, why would the swingarm be the first part of the bike to hit the ground in a crash? What about the downtube?
"Canyon chose to use an alloy swingarm simply because it [...] repeatedly hits the ground..."
Is a ridiculous statement: Why would the swingarm repeatedly hit the ground?!?! Crikey, I wish I'd never said anything!
I rode the bike a few days ago and it feels fab. The XL is enormous (too big for me!) but the angles and linkage all feel spot-on. The super-short back end (shorter than the current Demo 8 ) is awesome and makes such a long bike feel playful. The back-end feels pretty flexy, but perhaps this compliance adds to grip in turns. Time will tell... I hear Fabien Barel had input into the Sender's development so I doubt it's a slouch!
€3599, £2899, $5599 - what a welcome change!
That "$1000 = £1500 = €3000" thing annoyed the crap out of my arse for much too long...
and again:
hats off to the industrial design team.
you completely redefined the way I (and I bet many others too) look at Canyon.
I would really like to know though if this is based on Cesar Rojo's design on which he won last years masters world champs.
Head and downtube looks fairly similar, although beefed up and the linkage wasn't that visible on his bike.
But, it would make sense!
www.facebook.com/CeroDesign/photos/pb.161297213904702.-2207520000.1459966614./1038781329489615/?type=3&theater
no maintance at all......
all my bikes pressfit they get those "creek creek"sound....
Who can ride a near 1300mm wheelbase ?
Engineers know what they're doing with geometry these days so better keep up with the times and learn how to turn a bike properly
That they don´t fit into EVOC bike bags?!?
Without the additional linkage the upper part wouldn't rotate the way it does and therefor wouldn't create the different levels of progression..
Without the lower link the shock wouldn't compress. The upper link would pivot backwards and hit the back wheel.
Yeah, just like the Canyon. It has 4 bearings on each side, just like any Faux-bar/VPP/FSR-style bike out there. The Canyon only adss a few bushings. Which like i said are stupidly cheap. I struggle to see the problem with those. If worn, replace for something like 1,99$
Profesional Armchair engineer here
Well, good thing i enjoy working on my bike then
I remember how people lost their shit about the amount of bearings on Santa Cruz and Intense VPP bikes when they were first introduced back in the day. Today noone cares anymore.
If the system works, nobody will care, again. If it won´t work, it´s not due to the amount of bearings, but their quality imho.
Also, that equation may be relevant for an industrial engineer who needs to calculate the service life and cost/time for hundreds of machines that need to be serviced. However for a privateer working on ONE bicycle? ZOMFG, two more bearings to replace, LOOK AT THE TIIIIIIME!!!
People on this page ride ultralight tires for downhill use, probably replacing tubes 5 times per weekend and then start loosing their shit about replacing two more bearings once per year XD
Regarding time is a matter of wanting to do it, some people like some things some other people like other things. Me for example, I hate doing maintenance on my bikes and I don't want to be taking them to my LBS more than once a month, I don't have the time and I don't want to do it, so bikes like this one, or an SB6c or any Knolly are big No Nos for me and for some other people for the same reasons.
Duh, but ya know, who pays attention to that possibility?