motomark73

Full transparency, I bought a Canfield Balance about 1.5 years ago. This is their 27.5" bike. I knew from demoing a bunch of bikes, I was having more fun on a mullet than the full 29 options (I.e back to back Bronson vs Hightower demo) . I also like the side hits and will go to my grave against the advice of much better riders than myself (including the Pinkbike staff) that my 6'3" self should be on 440+mm chainstays. One of my absolute favorite "shortcomings" of my 160mm front/155mm rear mulleted Balance is the 420mm stays. While I absolutely understand all the reviews of front center/rear center imbalance... Most of the bikes I rode and demo'ed with longer chainstays end up feeling like plows. There was definitely a longer dialing in and adjustment period... I'm on an XL with Works angle adjust and 490mm reach, which seems long for my ideal setup and yet I'm running a 50mm stem which should be ridiculously stretched out but isn't. Point being you definitely need to load up the front end with purpose, but it rails at speed when you commit to the front end and if you want to plant your ass behind the seat and steer with your hips, that option is always readily accessible, but basically impossible for a rider of my middling capability to get on the longer chainstay bikes. Fantastic news that the chainstay length issue is now addressed with V3 Tilt and Lithium, since it polarizes so many people from even considering Canfield. Regarding the water bottle issue... I kinda hate it too, but ended up putting a universal fidlock on top tube and it works great even though Fidlock pricing is absurd for what it is. At the end of the day, I applaud Lance and the team for letting the CBF platform decide where the shock mount is... Water bottle mounts be damned. Anyone who has been riding more than 5 years know that all yoke designs add some combination of cost, weight, complexity, more maintenance, one more highly stressed member to squeak and/or reduce shock life. This was one of the reasons I ultimately ruled out Revel despite liking the Rail 29. Lastly, Lance and Michelle at Canfield really give excellent customer service. With all the failing bike brands out there, I can tell you Canfield's implementation of CBF on 7000 series aluminum is definitely boutique level and if you are in the market you owe yourself taking the time to try and find a demo. Even with the short chainstays and a hydration pack.