Voodoo’s Bizango has won more MBR bike tests and Hardtail of the Year awards than I’ve got scars on my shins, but the Halfords-licensed brand has never quite hit the same sweet spot with its full-suspension Canzo. Despite a great price tag and decent build, it always fell short of the amazing Calibre Bossnut when it came to entry-level full-suspension performance. But that could all be about to change if the all-new Canzo rides as good as it looks.

The new Voodoo Canzo Pro looks to be a massive step-up from its predecessor.

Redesigned from the ground up, the new Canzo shares nothing except a head badge with its predecessor, with a sleek new 6061 alloy frame at the heart of the relaunch. This frame now accommodates 29in wheels (the previous bike had 27.5in wheels front and rear) while the 65º head angle and 77.5º effective seat angle are totally up-to-date for a modern trail bike.

Internal cable routing, neat welds, and a slick alloy frame. That paint job looks a million bucks, too.

Travel is 140mm front and rear, that’s up 10mm at the back from the old bike, and Voodoo says the kinematics and shock tune have been revised as well. When we tested the old Voodoo Canzo in 2020, we criticised the suspension performance, saying: “On rolling terrain the rear suspension feels soft and wallowy, so much so that we increased the rebound damping to reduce the risk of motion sickness. Conversely, get the VooDoo on anything fast and rough and it exhibits a surprisingly harsh response.”

The previous Voodoo Canzo had outdated geometry, small wheels, and flawed suspension. The new one looks to have addressed those issues.

So let’s hope Voodoo has taken that feedback on board and sharpened up the ride quality of the new bike. Certainly the designers have seem to have addressed our complaints about the sizing and geometry with this update. The old bike was significantly steeper, and shorter in both reach and wheelbase, meaning that it lacked high-speed stability. The new bike’s 2º slacker head angle and 30mm (!) longer reach are much more appropriate for modern trail riding. As is the upgraded 148mm Boost rear dropout width (the old bike used a 135mm quick-release standard) and UDH hanger.

The basic Voodoo Canzo is £1,400 and comes in matt black.

There are still three sizes in the new Canzo range, but rather than an old-school 16/18/20in spread, the new bikes come in small, medium, and large. Depending on your budget there are two models offered – the Canzo and Canzo Pro. Starting with the basic Canzo, this costs £1,400 and comes with a RockShox 35 Silver R fork, decent Deluxe Select shock, Shimano Cues 1×10 drivetrain and Shimano series hydraulic disc brakes. The tyres are Maxxis Forekaster.

Find an extra £400 and you can step up to the Canzo Pro. This comes in an eye-catching purple metallic paint job, and gets some significant upgrades. There a RockShox Pike Select fork, Deluxe Select + shock, Shimano Deore 1×12 drivetrain and Maxxis Minion DHR II/Dissector tyre combo.

We’ll be looking to swing a leg over the new Canzo ASAP, so keep an eye out on the site for a first ride review coming soon. If you want to check out the new Canzo on the Halfords website, click here.