Last season saw Canfield Brothers release the most refined version of their Jedi downhill bike yet, a 7005 aluminum framed ride with 9” of vertical travel, along with 2” of rearward travel. For 2015, the Jedi returns relatively unchanged, although it's now rolling on 27.5” wheels, and gets a slightly slacker head angle of 62.5°.
The Jedi uses a parallel link configuration for its rear travel, with the stout rear swingarm connected to the front triangle by two aluminum links, the lower of which drives the rear shock. Available as a frame only, Canfield also offers multiple suspension packages, allowing riders to select high end fork and shock offerings from DVO, BOS, RockShox, and Cane Creek.
2015 Canfield Brothers Jedi• 27.5" wheels
• 9" vertical travel, 2" rearward travel
• 62.5° head angle
• Titanium idler pulley cog
• 150x12mm rear spacing
• Colors: anodized black with six different link color choices
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Price: $3150 (
frame and Cane Creek DB coil)
•
www.canfieldbrothers.com, @CanfieldBrothers
GeometryQ & A With Chris Canfield The Jedi underwent a number of changes for 2014, gaining more travel, a slacker head angle, and a longer cockpit. Why the switch to 27.5” wheels for 2015?At first we didn't want to do it – for basically 15 years the Jedi has been the project - we were at a point where we thought it was done, but then it got to where we realized, “If we don't have a 27.5” wheeled bike by next year we're not going to sell bikes.” As it turned out, riding the bigger wheels ended up being so much fun. It speeds you up, it gives you a higher front axle so you can really charge into the rough stuff. The cornering grip is off the charts – it's a whole new game.
Did you have to make many changes to the frame to accommodate the switch to larger wheels? Well, we did a head angle adjustment, to compensate for the longer fork and the feel of the bigger wheel. And then for the back end it ended up being a 1/2” lift, and back slightly, plus a small modification to the yoke to make sure the clearance was correct. The rest of the frame is the same as 2014.
All Canfield bikes have threaded bottom brackets - what are your thoughts on the growth of the pressfit standard? When it comes down to it, a threaded shell is $10 more and adds 100 grams to your frame weight, and the factories want to do pressfit so they don't have to warranty a spinning BB. I still don't know why we haven't gone in the opposite direction – why not have a threaded head tube? Can you imagine spinning your headsest in like a bottom bracket? It never gets loose, and when you want to replace them you just spin them out. It's not that big of a problem, but if you've ever pressed a headset into a 1.5” head tube you know it's a pain in the ass.
You mentioned that you felt like with the bigger wheels a rearward axle path isn't quite as necessary due to the improved rollover. What does this mean for the future? I can see us doing a non-pulley DH bike in the future, mostly because the market doesn't want an idler pulley. It scares them off, they think there's going to be more drag, but after 15 years of riding both styles I can say it's not really that big of a deal. The thing is, a rearward axle path feels awesome. There aren't really many bikes that are rearward anymore. If rearward is done right, with the right geo, it's magical. Not having that chain interaction and chain stretch, combined with that bump blowoff will save you all day long. You can case a 40 foot gap with your rear tire hitting the wall and it'll roll right through, and on the trails it feels like you're hovering all the time. I could see us doing something like an 8” version of the Balance, but that's years away – 2017 or '18 if we ever did it.
Vin Quenneville, Canfield's director of sales, puts the Jedi to the test on Cypress' iconic Brutus gap. Photo: Colin Cameron
you're welcome!
I have to make do with my darkcycles scarab with idler and rearward travel, only design of DH bike I'd have..
Still really really wanna try one of these bikes though , allways high on my wish list.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkIXjJkXle8
The guy slightly pulls up the bike by the saddle, releases it, the rear wheel hits the ground and....the suspension compresses slightly ! WOW!
Further, while he talking, he pushes the bike down obviously with a very small efforts, just "pump-pump" and the rear suspension reacts!
I don't think the guy is unbeleivably powerfull.
Seems like the rear suspension should be compressed under rider's weight consider that suppleness.
But something inside me doubt it...I bet it would not compress too much.
How damn they achieve that !!???
The frame design gives the travel and wheelpath, but it is the shock that is responsible of the "quality"(behaviour) of it all.
I guess the matter in the shock. There is some "brain" in it.
I've tried to do the same with my bike - no anything even close to that. Pull up, release, hit - no reaction of the suspension, just the hit to the wheel..."bang".
I need to put some effort to make the rear suspension to compress a little.
I'm 85-87kg, the shock installed X-Fusion O2R 200mmx65mm, the travel amount is 180mm.
The sag is about 40% already. It eats travel while it's not as supple as I want it to be.
If to release some air the shock become more supple but then under my weight almost all the travel is compressed. (only not bad for grooves)
If to add some air to reduce the sag, the susp becomes too rigid.
One of the shock mounts has bearings the other - alloy bushings. I doubt that even if to change them to the bearings it will give a noticably more sensitivity.(but I'll do)
Oh, yeah, the shock was used for 1.5 years before, may be needs to be rebuild ?
Would I acheive that sensitivity (or close to it) using the same shock Canfield Jedi uses ?
Or my weight would always need to pump the shock with enough air making the suspension rigid ?
www.pinkbike.com/video/396825
Oh yeah! Only by the finger!
I want that shock.
Only the problem is the dimensions: need 8"x2.5"
Although i dont know how it would work in carbon.
Last time I'm buying a 26 inch bike...sorry guys, just doesn't make sense for me
www.chumbausa.com/rastro
A reach of 470mm is seriously long. Good news for us tall guys.
Furthermore, I love this bike.
Thoughts?
Found the photo of the super slack gambler I was on about:
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10206233
Going on the same kinda theme , I wonder if companies who make frames with adjustable length wheel bases should tell you the travel increase between the two settings ?
I may just have to get a Jedi this year... they really are a gorgeous bike... and love heavily rearward axle paths (the v10 is similar but not the same as you feel the pedal kickback)
As for the idler thing, they work perfectly, I have balfa bb7 with moden running gear.. it eats the rough stuff better than the v10 ever could (its just heavy as its a 12 year old frame, 19.5kg and opposed to 15kg on the v10)
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8098143
Only reason I'm selling is to get a Canfield Yelli Screamy.
Any takers?
Gimme a gearbox ya bitch cvnts.
I just set up my wheels with continental trail kings and they measure over 28" high..am I missing something.
Time for a new one. :p
I've been riding Jedi's for 4 years now and WILL NOT RIDE ANYTHING ELSE.....
Like the look of the bike but I can see the point in using 1/3 of the chain ring and same goes with the rear cassette.