Ok guys what these guys say is pretty legit, the Lithium is such a fun bike and pedals really good has a hover effect which propels you forward with each pedal strike. If you like tall stack bikes like me then this bike is for you so much fun, already took it to Trestle and my first trip to Whistler too. Handles the chunk and big sends with joy, managed to hit Crabapple Hits and man bike behave like a dream. I feel this bike behaves like my previous Canyon Torque yet with the 29er wheels it's faster, rear linkage more plush and pedals way better. Won't be as fast pedaling as a 2022 Canyon Strive (previous model of mine too) but you would enjoy the same poppy nature of the Strive with way more balance at higher speeds. Final note.... you won't be suffering carbon anxiety with this bike = A+ for me
@@ousqa I am shy of 5'11 and medium fits me great. If anything I would only want 5mm more on reach to make it 460mm. I am not a fan of bigger bikes as I am more into jumping so probably the large will fit you well.
Given Canfield's love of oddball component choices I think the way to go on this bike is buy the frame and build it. Frame only on this bike is $1999 (no shock included). I demoed one and it pedaled great, but the demo bike didn't feel particularly playful, had more of that halfway between playful and planted feel like the Ripmo AF, it really feels a lot like a bigger Ripmo AF but pedals even better.
I own a 2020 Balance...the CBF platform literally thrusts you forward over compressions. Slight rearward axle path on the first bit of travel to get you up and over obstacles. Plus the chainstay grows on this bike...goes higher than 430 under sag. Trust.
Drinking game! everytime they say the word "Like" take a shot!! .....awesome review, Canfield's are BA. I lived down the street from them in Utah back in the mid 2000's. Now I have a Jadi and a Balance. Great platforms
Thanks for the great review. So you mention the rear shock being too linear but then implied there wasn't a need to increase the HSC. Give me your thoughts on that. A "too linear" shock that's bottoming out too frequently on a ride can easily be remedied, trailside, by simply dialing in more HSC. Then on mellower sections of trail you can back off on the HSC. A shock set up with more spacers to be more progressive is then that way the whole ride. You can't dial out that extra progressiveness trailside when its not needed. If one rides very varied trails having the option to adjust trailside is nice. I suppose for enduro-style riding where its mostly higher speed dh-ish stuff maybe there is not a lot of trail variation so setting and forgetting with spacers would be better. But most riders are still on trails where the gnar comprises a relatively small percent of the total ride. So I guess on a trail-ride type of situation adjusting compression to suit the trail conditions might be best. But for hard charging dh-ish enduro style maybe adding progression would be better. Maybe I just answered my own question, but I still think if you felt the shock was swallowing up too much travel on big, fast hits you should have tried to increase the HSC. Anyway... thanks again for the great review.
Thanks for sharing and your input... To put it briefly, it's complicated. haha. Yes, increasing HSC would likely help a bit with blowing through travel but would then come with its own list of drawbacks from fatigue, more foot/hand feedback, more resistance when plowing over chatter or square edge bumps. How we view bikes as a whole is, nothing comes free and no matter what tune or adjustment you make for good, there will be a negative compromise to it. I think a really smart guy said something about actions and reactions one time? haha. For our style and preferred feel, volume reducers would have been the best way to go.
@@-phos- I think a few of us did experiment with pos1 vs pos2 on a few laps, I definitely preferred 2 on the flowier and more jump-oriented trails. Position 1 seems to erase chatter a bit better though.
Compared to a Superdeluxe this Ohlins definitely feels more linear, however, probably a mix between Fox X2 and Superdeluxe. The Ohlins is plush but still has more pop than an X2. Now, I did add the most amount of reducers as I am not into racing and more into flow and big jumps, thus I wanted more support. Did ride this Lithium at Trestle stock like the bike they tested here and the plushness was welcomed on all the DH gnar and breaking bumps... for my Whistler trip I had all the reducers added and loved how it handled Dirt Merchant even Crabapple Hits.... and no the HSC on this Ohlins won't have the effect of adding more support on bottom out resistance.
@@-phos- That was my main takeaway when I demoed it. Too plush for a 200+lb rider. Probably why it didn't feel playful to me at 250lbs, especially riding it back to back with a RM Altitude (which is VERY progressive) and a Commencal Meta SX (very poppy) I ride a cascade linked Ripmo and feel even that could use more progression.
Interesting comments on the TRP 12 speed drivetrain. I've heard less than stellar reviews of the 12 speed. I've had the TRP 7 speed DH drivetrain on my downhill bike for a full season of heavy usage and have had zero issues (except one time when I slammed the dérailleur directly into a rock, and the dérailleur hanger got bent). I also have the STFU chain guide, and e13 bashguard/chainguide installed. Maybe an STFU device on the 12 speed would help?
I wish you would talk more about these bikes, (all bikes) climbing ability's. For me, a bikes climbing ability is the most important thing. If I have to struggle to get the bike up the hills it makes it that I don't even want to go ride and it also takes the fun out of the downhill as I am so tired and fatigued that I cannot go down as fast as I am able to. All these bikes go down the hills well, for me it is how easy do they go up the hills and pedal on everything but the downhills. As an example, yesterday I took my Transition Spur out and this bikes ease of climbing is so much better than say my SC Hightower that instead of having to stop for 5 minutes and catch my breath and let my heart rate drop before going down I could just keep on going and keep charging instead of having to be extra careful due to being exhausted starting the downhills. Anyway, I just think bike reviewers don't put enough emphasis on a bikes climbing prowess. If we cannot get the bikes up, we dont even want to ride, and then we cannot go down. What goes down, must first go up. I think this is why E-bikes are so popular, it is just so difficult to ride these longer travel bikes up to the tops of the hills.
Thanks for your input. We do briefly touch on climbing and do so in our grand finale as well, but we've taken note on your feedback. We'll work on better incorporating a climbing scale and evaluation system.
I have this bike and climbs so good, the Canfield suspension has this hover effect where every pedal strike you feel you move forward. You never feel fast pedaling, for example, the Strive (2022 model) with the shape shifter pedals faster. Yet this Lithium has more traction and has the hover effect
@@TheLoamWolf ,...Yes, a climbing scale would be awesome. That is a great way to know where each bike stands with its climbing performance. Thank you sir!
@@Pienimusta ,...I am not referring to racing, but only to general riding. But you bring up a good point. The less tired and fatigued one is in a race the better, so a better climber is also important to those who are going to be racing.
Quite conservative geo for classifying it as an enduro bike. There are more aggressive trail bikes available. The term "enduro" gets thrown so often as synonym for all mountain bikes or any bike with 160mm or more travel. Same with throwing all freeride bikes under the enduro category.
That's why I mentioned that it feels like the most trail bike-y of the group - geo is definitely a bit behind some of the others, especially in steeper terrain. That said, folks have been going crazy fast on bikes with worse geo than this for some time, so I'm sure it can hold its own on a racecourse.
Because there's no such thing as a 160mm trail bike. The travel makes this an enduro bike. Conservative geo makes this bike comfortable to climb with, which you do a lot of in an enduro.
@@skullsroad3642 also pumping, pedalling, and cornering matter a lot in enduro, which is why a lot of sleds end up slower on the downhill sections too. Unless your trails are only straight and steep the super progressive geometry doesn't do a whole lot for you.
Why not support a small business owner that has a great reputation and a long history of innovation in the mtb world? YT and Canyon ? Have fun dealing with warranty issues…
![Canfield Tilt Bike Review: Amazing Suspension For Endless Traction [Mid-Travel Mashup]](/img/1.gif)
I've been looking for more reviews of this bike. Thanks for looking at it!
No problem!
Ok guys what these guys say is pretty legit, the Lithium is such a fun bike and pedals really good has a hover effect which propels you forward with each pedal strike. If you like tall stack bikes like me then this bike is for you so much fun, already took it to Trestle and my first trip to Whistler too. Handles the chunk and big sends with joy, managed to hit Crabapple Hits and man bike behave like a dream. I feel this bike behaves like my previous Canyon Torque yet with the 29er wheels it's faster, rear linkage more plush and pedals way better. Won't be as fast pedaling as a 2022 Canyon Strive (previous model of mine too) but you would enjoy the same poppy nature of the Strive with way more balance at higher speeds. Final note.... you won't be suffering carbon anxiety with this bike = A+ for me
How tall are you if you don't mind me asking? I usually ride a large cause im 6ft but the 430 chainstays seem really short on paper
@@ousqa I am shy of 5'11 and medium fits me great. If anything I would only want 5mm more on reach to make it 460mm. I am not a fan of bigger bikes as I am more into jumping so probably the large will fit you well.
I've owned my CB Balance since 2016 and haven't felt the need to upgrade. Its such a good bike for all conditions.
Given Canfield's love of oddball component choices I think the way to go on this bike is buy the frame and build it. Frame only on this bike is $1999 (no shock included). I demoed one and it pedaled great, but the demo bike didn't feel particularly playful, had more of that halfway between playful and planted feel like the Ripmo AF, it really feels a lot like a bigger Ripmo AF but pedals even better.
I own a 2020 Balance...the CBF platform literally thrusts you forward over compressions. Slight rearward axle path on the first bit of travel to get you up and over obstacles. Plus the chainstay grows on this bike...goes higher than 430 under sag. Trust.
High bar height FTW
Drinking game! everytime they say the word "Like" take a shot!! .....awesome review, Canfield's are BA. I lived down the street from them in Utah back in the mid 2000's. Now I have a Jadi and a Balance. Great platforms
thanks for the review. can't wait for mine. 🤘
Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for the great review. So you mention the rear shock being too linear but then implied there wasn't a need to increase the HSC. Give me your thoughts on that. A "too linear" shock that's bottoming out too frequently on a ride can easily be remedied, trailside, by simply dialing in more HSC. Then on mellower sections of trail you can back off on the HSC. A shock set up with more spacers to be more progressive is then that way the whole ride. You can't dial out that extra progressiveness trailside when its not needed. If one rides very varied trails having the option to adjust trailside is nice. I suppose for enduro-style riding where its mostly higher speed dh-ish stuff maybe there is not a lot of trail variation so setting and forgetting with spacers would be better. But most riders are still on trails where the gnar comprises a relatively small percent of the total ride. So I guess on a trail-ride type of situation adjusting compression to suit the trail conditions might be best. But for hard charging dh-ish enduro style maybe adding progression would be better. Maybe I just answered my own question, but I still think if you felt the shock was swallowing up too much travel on big, fast hits you should have tried to increase the HSC. Anyway... thanks again for the great review.
Thanks for sharing and your input... To put it briefly, it's complicated. haha. Yes, increasing HSC would likely help a bit with blowing through travel but would then come with its own list of drawbacks from fatigue, more foot/hand feedback, more resistance when plowing over chatter or square edge bumps. How we view bikes as a whole is, nothing comes free and no matter what tune or adjustment you make for good, there will be a negative compromise to it. I think a really smart guy said something about actions and reactions one time? haha. For our style and preferred feel, volume reducers would have been the best way to go.
@@-phos- I think a few of us did experiment with pos1 vs pos2 on a few laps, I definitely preferred 2 on the flowier and more jump-oriented trails. Position 1 seems to erase chatter a bit better though.
Compared to a Superdeluxe this Ohlins definitely feels more linear, however, probably a mix between Fox X2 and Superdeluxe. The Ohlins is plush but still has more pop than an X2. Now, I did add the most amount of reducers as I am not into racing and more into flow and big jumps, thus I wanted more support. Did ride this Lithium at Trestle stock like the bike they tested here and the plushness was welcomed on all the DH gnar and breaking bumps... for my Whistler trip I had all the reducers added and loved how it handled Dirt Merchant even Crabapple Hits.... and no the HSC on this Ohlins won't have the effect of adding more support on bottom out resistance.
@@-phos- That was my main takeaway when I demoed it. Too plush for a 200+lb rider. Probably why it didn't feel playful to me at 250lbs, especially riding it back to back with a RM Altitude (which is VERY progressive) and a Commencal Meta SX (very poppy) I ride a cascade linked Ripmo and feel even that could use more progression.
Interesting comments on the TRP 12 speed drivetrain. I've heard less than stellar reviews of the 12 speed.
I've had the TRP 7 speed DH drivetrain on my downhill bike for a full season of heavy usage and have had zero issues (except one time when I slammed the dérailleur directly into a rock, and the dérailleur hanger got bent).
I also have the STFU chain guide, and e13 bashguard/chainguide installed.
Maybe an STFU device on the 12 speed would help?
I enjoy these reviews much better than the Pink Bike reviews; they're much more understandable.
Thank you very much.
Where is the battery and motor ??
Canfield are such killer bikes and real innovators in the industry!
They sure are.
I’m interested in hearing more on the TRP 12. I hate my SRAM GX and was looking to swap to the TRP. Just curious was the “Hall lock” engaged?
I wish you would talk more about these bikes, (all bikes) climbing ability's. For me, a bikes climbing ability is the most important thing. If I have to struggle to get the bike up the hills it makes it that I don't even want to go ride and it also takes the fun out of the downhill as I am so tired and fatigued that I cannot go down as fast as I am able to. All these bikes go down the hills well, for me it is how easy do they go up the hills and pedal on everything but the downhills.
As an example, yesterday I took my Transition Spur out and this bikes ease of climbing is so much better than say my SC Hightower that instead of having to stop for 5 minutes and catch my breath and let my heart rate drop before going down I could just keep on going and keep charging instead of having to be extra careful due to being exhausted starting the downhills. Anyway, I just think bike reviewers don't put enough emphasis on a bikes climbing prowess. If we cannot get the bikes up, we dont even want to ride, and then we cannot go down. What goes down, must first go up. I think this is why E-bikes are so popular, it is just so difficult to ride these longer travel bikes up to the tops of the hills.
Thanks for your input. We do briefly touch on climbing and do so in our grand finale as well, but we've taken note on your feedback. We'll work on better incorporating a climbing scale and evaluation system.
In an enduro race the climbs are not timed so does not matter that much for an enduro bike.
I have this bike and climbs so good, the Canfield suspension has this hover effect where every pedal strike you feel you move forward. You never feel fast pedaling, for example, the Strive (2022 model) with the shape shifter pedals faster. Yet this Lithium has more traction and has the hover effect
@@TheLoamWolf ,...Yes, a climbing scale would be awesome. That is a great way to know where each bike stands with its climbing performance. Thank you sir!
@@Pienimusta ,...I am not referring to racing, but only to general riding. But you bring up a good point. The less tired and fatigued one is in a race the better, so a better climber is also important to those who are going to be racing.
Quite conservative geo for classifying it as an enduro bike. There are more aggressive trail bikes available. The term "enduro" gets thrown so often as synonym for all mountain bikes or any bike with 160mm or more travel. Same with throwing all freeride bikes under the enduro category.
That's why I mentioned that it feels like the most trail bike-y of the group - geo is definitely a bit behind some of the others, especially in steeper terrain. That said, folks have been going crazy fast on bikes with worse geo than this for some time, so I'm sure it can hold its own on a racecourse.
Because there's no such thing as a 160mm trail bike. The travel makes this an enduro bike. Conservative geo makes this bike comfortable to climb with, which you do a lot of in an enduro.
@@skullsroad3642 Enduro is a race format, not a bike type to describe every bike over 160mm.
@@Pienimusta so is downhill but we call them downhill bikes.
@@skullsroad3642 also pumping, pedalling, and cornering matter a lot in enduro, which is why a lot of sleds end up slower on the downhill sections too. Unless your trails are only straight and steep the super progressive geometry doesn't do a whole lot for you.
I was expecting an ebike.
But surprise!!!
Named after Lithium trail on Teton Pass...rowdy, long descent, but still requires you to pedal up even after a shuttle.
Is the Titan in the grand finally🎉
We haven’t had the Titan yet, but have one lined up to test this summer 🤘🏼
@TheLoamWolf My bad, I thought I had read a written review of that bike by you guys, but must've been someone else👊
The commencal meta or the dartmoor thunderbird is best for the hard earned money
My god..... $6k for an AL frame bike. Holy shiz. No. No more. I can afford it, but I'm out. There has to be some sanity here. Jebus.
Carbon is an insignificant "upgrade". This would be a 7k bike if it was carbon from a big name maker
If you can make cheap bikes, why don't you?
2/3s of the cost on our build is spec related, you can get the frame by itself for $1,999.
@@TheLoamWolf *which is cheaper than comparable alloy options from even big brands like Specialized
@@wanderoutdoors6094 I would go so far as to call carbon a downgrade; I would pay more for aluminum, steel, or titanium than carbon
Great footage
Thank you kindly
Ohlins is the best out there
$6100!! 😂😂. I’d just buy a canyon or YT save some money.
Well, if you buy a non-Ohlins equipped version, you're back inline with those others.
But then you'd have to ride a Canyon or YT ...
Why not support a small business owner that has a great reputation and a long history of innovation in the mtb world? YT and Canyon ? Have fun dealing with warranty issues…