There are subtle differences between the best enduro mountain bikes, and the best bike park shredders. So where does the Canyon Torque 29 fit in, exactly? Look at it one way and it’s clearly a park bike, with 170mm travel front and rear, MaxxGrip Maxxis tyres and big-hit DT Swiss FR2070 wheels.

Take another look though and you’ll see the super-steep and pedal-friendly seat tube angle, 29in wheels front and rear, and you might be tempted to buy it as an enduro race bike. (You’d have to change those tyres for most UK trails though.)

Need to know

• Alloy version of the new carbon Torque launched early in 2022
• 170mm travel front and rear, delivered through Fox Float Performance suspension
• Big sizing and three sizes, with the reach on the size XL 29 stretching beyond 500mm
• Burly downhill build, with solid rims tough tyres, but still reasonable weight at 16.9kg (37.3lb)
• Options galore: Torque comes in carbon, alloy, mullet, 29in and 27.5in versions

The fact is, Canyon has built the new aluminium version of the Torque to wear many hats, from shuttling in the Alps to heavy trail bike duty, and everything in between. It already has a dedicated enduro bike in the Canyon Strive, and a downhill bike called the Sender, and the Torque is really there to be every bike to every rider.

That’s the marketing spiel anyway, but we’re here to get to the truth of it and figure out the Torque’s real force.

The new bike launched in carbon-only in 2022, and the recent addition of the alloy version here shares much of its geometry and features. The Torque 29 AL 6 is claimed to be stiffer than the old 27.5in bike it replaces, and also 200g lighter with updated tubing profiles, although 200g more would have made zero difference to its overall weight. We’ll get to all that in a minute.

Canyon has made the geometry more aggressive, building in a slacker head angle, steeper seat tube, generous reach and longer wheelbase too. All standard upgrades for any bike in 2022. There’s no flip chip to tune it all with though, unlike on the carbon bike, instead you potentially get the best of both worlds because Canyon has fixed the head angle at the low setting, and the seat tube angle at the steep orientation.

I measured it up at 63.4º on the head angle, and 79.8º for the effective seat angle with the saddle at 750mm from the centre of the BB. Very slack and very steep then, in that order.

It’s a big bike too. In size XL, Canyon has been munificent with the bike’s geometry and sizing and it stands up well compared with the competition. The reach on my size XL measured up north of 500mm which is spot on for the size, and the wheelbase crept over 1,300mm, which puts it about on par with the biggest S5 Enduro from Specialized.

It’s a four bar linkage bike, just like the carbon model, but the alloy frame looks less angular, with more traditional swoops and curves to the seat tube. There’s no shock yoke anymore like the old Torque used to use, instead the Fox Float X2 bolts right onto the end of the seatstays.

The frame also benefits from a UDH, mounts for a bottle cage, bosses under the top tube for a spare tube, and internal cable routing in the front triangle.

How it rides

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room; the mammoth weight of the Torque 29 AL 6. In size XL it’s just 100g under 17kg, which makes it just a shade lighter than editor Danny has built up his Levo SL e-bike…albeit at a fraction of the cost. Couple that with the draggy Maxxis tyres with their mix of Double Down carcass and MaxxGrip rubber, and the hefty DT Swiss FR 560 rims and you’re practically guaranteed to be last up any climb. The sound of rubber slurping on a tarmacked climb will haunt my dreams.

That said, the X2 shock doesn’t actually bob that much when you’re sat down pedalling, and if you were to lighten the load with new wheels and rubber then enduro racing just might be on the cards.

When I tell you that the bike now passes Category 5 testing for downhill use and will take a triple crown fork you’ll probably twig that downhill is the Torque’s forte though. It might be built heavy but this elephant can fly when you get it up to speed, the sensation is a lively bike that wants to pop and get airborne at every lip or rise in the trail.

When you’re on the ground the Torque will take on any terrain – at least, any I was brave enough to hurl it down – remaining calm and composed on the roughest and steepest tracks at BikePark Wales. It slurps up rocks that would bounce most enduro bikes off line and out of shape, and that gives you tons of confidence to let the brakes off.

Despite that butter smooth ride, I did manage to put a hole right through the Double Down reinforced rear tyre, but the DT Swiss wheel survived unscathed, testament to its solid build. It’s not a deadening ride though, the Torque still manages to let you feel the surface you’re riding on, judging the limits of grip and really pushing your riding on. 

It slurps up rocks that would bounce most enduro bikes off line and out of shape

You probably won’t be surprised to hear the Torque 29 AL 6 also gets its components absolutely spot on; the Fox Float Performance level X2 shock and 38 fork is unmatched by any other bike at this price point, while dropping down to the lower tier SLX drivetrain is a price worth paying for all that suspension prowess.

The SLX four-piston brakes proved powerful and without the wandering bite point some Shimano brakes suffer from too. And rounding it off is the excellent G5 level cockpit Canyon rolls out on its more gravity focused bikes. In terms of value for money, it doesn’t get much better than this.

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