Canfield Unveils Jedi 29 High Pivot DH Bike
PRESS RELEASE: Canfield Bikes
Canfield Bikes today unveils a completely redesigned version of our iconic high-pivot downhill bike, the Jedi 29. The much anticipated update includes a new shock layout, revised suspension kinematics, 29-inch wheels and updated geo and sizing.
Going back to the drawing board on our flagship DH bike was no easy task. With a pedigree stretching back more than 20 years—from the first Big Fat Fatty Fat prototypes in 1999 to the most recent 27.5 Jedi—there was a lot to live up to. But also a lot to build on. Having refined high-pivot multi-link designs for over two decades, owner and designer Lance Canfield knew exactly what he wanted—and what he didn’t want—from the latest downhill bike to wear the Jedi name.
 | The Jedi is a very special bike for me and the new one embodies everything I’ve always wanted it to be. |
“This Jedi is a direct evolution of the first bikes I designed and I’ve been refining it for a long time. This is a new bike, but it’s a bike more than 20 years in the making,” says Lance Canfield, owner and designer. “The Jedi is a very special bike for me and the new one embodies everything I’ve always wanted it to be.”
Like its predecessors, the all-new Canfield Jedi 29 is a two-wheeled podium-seeking missile designed to annihilate anything standing between it and the finish line. The rearward axle-path of the Canfield Formula 1 suspension design gives the Jedi the unnatural ability to not only maintain its speed, but actually accelerate through rough terrain. Thanks to 29-inch wheels, the new Jedi is even faster and smoother through nasty sections of trail, but a revised axle path allows it to corner and jump more intuitively than previous versions.
Updated sizing and geometry make the Jedi 29 feel more balanced and composed at speed and in the air. And despite begging its rider to go bigger and faster than ever before, the new Jedi’s precise handling makes changing direction and snapping corners feel nearly telepathic.
Canfield pioneered high-pivot, multi-link bikes in the late '90s, and is still one of the only brands doing so today. Unlike other high-pivot, pulley-wheel designs (which rely on some form of single pivot or modified/linkage-driven single pivot), the Jedi continues to use a multi-link layout that allows all aspects of kinematics to be fine-tuned. This virtually eliminates the compromises and unwanted characteristics of suspension performance common in most single-pivot designs.
A revised leverage rate provides more supple small-bump sensitivity at the top of the stroke, while a more progressive end-stroke offers a smooth, bottomless transition on big hits. Improved mid-stroke support results in a more poppy, responsive ride. Neutral chain growth (less than 1mm) creates a smooth, disconnected feeling at the pedals, completely isolated from suspension forces.
Braking performance has also been revised for slightly less anti-rise, remaining more neutral and predictable when you drop the anchor. Anti-squat is now more focused and consistent throughout travel, providing unparalleled acceleration at the pedals for a bike this gravity focused.
Available in Orange, Stealth Black Anodized and Raw finishes in M, L and XL. Frame only options start at $2,599.99 and complete bikes start at $6,499.99. The Canfield Jedi 29 is available for discounted pre-order pricing now with expected April/May, 2022 delivery at CanfieldBikes.com.
QUICK SPECS
• 29” Downhill Race
• Formula 1 Suspension
• Vertical Rear Travel: 203mm
• Horizontal Rear Travel: 19mm (horizontal) / 64mm (effective)
• External cable routing
• Adjustable pulley wheel guide for optimal chain management with a variety of cassette sizes
• One-piece CNC upper and lower links
• Custom Chainstay Protector (not shown)
• Custom removable rear fender
• Replaceable rear derailleur hanger
• Available in Medium, Large and X-Large
GEO & SIZING
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Enjoyed my previous Jedi, only sold it cuz the large still felt small and was time to move to 29".
Horizontal or "actual" is considering the front triangle static and only cycling the rear suspension. It's a simple X dimension on a graph.
"Effective" is what happens when the bike compresses in dynamic real world situations with both tires on the ground (which we can also simulate and measure in our software) as the bottom-bracket drops, angles change, etc.
www.mtbr.com/attachments/specialized-demo-8-ii-2009_axlepath-jpg.562383
The new one says 19 mm and 64 mm which means the new bike has less rearward extension and the peak rearward extension occurs earlier than the old bike.
This is actually a very large change of 18 mm. If you compare it to a redesign of the Enduro and the demo, neither of them saw a horizontal change of more than 2 mm due to the redesign. Also, the current demo has maximum x extension of 1 mm and it is a very fast bike which is always contending at the world championships. The new demo is 18 mm more than it.
Very interesting looking bike.
m.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-the-2020-specialized-enduro-is-bigger-and-burlier-than-ever.html
m.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-2020-specialized-demo-29.html
2017 Jed: 33mm horizontal/75mm effective rearward
2022: 19mm horizontal/64mm effective rearward
Combined with 29-inch wheels, the Jedi is faster and smoother (and also corners and jumps better), even with slightly less rearward than the previous version.
A Demo is one of the most polar opposite bikes on the market to a Jedi. Design wise, It also has very little chain extension so pedal kick back is minimal so both bikes feel smooth through the pedals. However the Demo wheel path is very forward.... A Jedi rear wheel is trying to get out of the way (rearward), blowing off repeated hits instead of packing up into the next one, keeping your momentum pushing forward. It's one of the most "case" friendly bikes out there and helps save your ass if you make mistakes. For me. it just begs to go faster and bigger and let's me get away with it.
They've reduced the rearward extension multiple times since its original release then. I guess that just shows how extreme the original design was.
What most people comment on with a high pivot DH bike is that they don't seem to get hung up on hits as much and maintain their speed better in chunk. My sample size of one, being the 2017 Jedi I now have versus the 2011 Turner DHR I used to have corresponds with this subjective observation. I am unaware of anyone ever doing any type of scientific or quasi scientific testing to see if in fact the rearward axle path does result in less hangup and in turn maintaining more speed.
Follow up: does your effective rearward travel measurement mean that some bikes with zero actual forward travel may have some effective rearward travel? Obviously not as much as this one.
To be clear, not trying to be critical here, just want to understand the measurement.
When you ride down the trail normally, your weight is distributed across both front and back and preference is to have both wheels feel similar when they hit a bump but they still function independently.
Put another way, when you hit a bump going down the trail with your front wheel, you want the rear wheel to wait until it hits the same bump, not activate immediately.
Brakes are similar on bikes as well but not on all motorcycles. Some motorcycles activate both front and back brakes with one lever (not independent), others have a lever and a foot pedal (independent)
Can't choose the link color anymore.
That black with anodized green links would be BADAZZ
It is stating it will 'accelerate' through rough terrain, this basically implies that rough terrain is more likely to impart acceleration than smooth terrain. By your logic of everything accelerates downhill...yes it does and the bike will accelerate faster down a smooth gradient than it will a 'rough' gradient, as will any ordinary bike. The point here is not that high pivots aren't more efficient but that they are marketing them as effectively speeding up through rough terrain. By the logic so can a normal bike...I guarantee even a road bike will accelerate in rough terrain down a 45 degree slope. The point is either the statement is meaningless as it is stating the obvious if take from your point of view...or it's bogus and implying rough terrain will impart some sort of acceleration on the bike.