really good feedback on my first post about the Canyon Strive.
I’m going to order one. The sizing on them is quite funny.
Frame sizes are 16.5″ on a small and 18.5″ on a medium.
I’m just 5’9 and i’m wondering which one to go for.
My way of thinking is that if i get a small and it turns out to be just a little under size, at least i can move the saddle back and extend the stem. The frame can only be easier to control. Not a huge difference though.

The feedback on the bike itself was really great. I rang a bike shop close to me and becuase i wasn’t buying from them they actually wouldn’t or “couldn’t” help me. WTF?.
So guys your thoughts and advice would be much appreciated!

Lewis 😀

Well why would they help you as you are not spending money with them and they do not stock the bike. Have you tried the online size calculator?

Im 5′ 9″ and got a canyon nerve 5 XC , my bike was sized by Canyon at 18.5″. Great bike and very well specc’d and built for the money.

First reaction is medium.

Mine arrived about 10 days ago. I’m 6’2″ with longish arms, so a pretty obvious large, but by too much to help your frame sizing.

But as I’ve ridden it a bit, I can tell you a bit about how it rides. For a 6″ bike it climbs really well, even without propedal, as long as you take the time to play with and settle shock pressure. Stability at speed on really rocky ground was very impressive – I cleaned sections where guys who usually do better than me stopped. Downhill it is really stable – very easy to get balanced off drops and surprisingly agile in tight twisty stuff. Seatpost works well on that.

Out of the box the quality was evident. Not just welds, but attention to detail on things like heli tape everywhere you’d want it, cable / hose protection, chainstay protector on it and torque settings etched in the frame by each bolt.

Happy with what I’ve bought, although early days.

Definitely a Medium for you. I’ve got the Medium Strive and I’m 5’10 – I needed to lengthen the cockpit slightly.

GREAT bike by the way!

My way of thinking is that if i get a small and it turns out to be just a little under size, at least i can move the saddle back and extend the stem. The frame can only be easier to control.

Your way of thinking, or my way of explaning sizing to you regarding the Foxy we were emailing about?? 😉

What happened? After all those emails I thought you were sold on a Mondraker? Especially after all the talk of dealer/distributor support, etc. You’ve gone to the other end of the spectrum. You getting much correspondence from Canyon?

Canyon haven’t long been in the UK with regard to customer service. It’s basically a nice chap named Cullen. I’m told things in this department are due to increase. He’s obviously very busy but does get back to you.

Apparently you get 30 days to send it back if you’re not 100% with the bike. If you’re buying a Strive, you’ll be waiting a long time if you decided you had the wrong size – most of them are sold out, the Europeans are lapping them up!

Photos of my Strive ES8 (with a Raceface bash and a wider Truv handlebar)…
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/22341855/1/Canyon?h=4c7f9b

I thought the strive was sold out for 2011….

@ Richie: Yes Richie up until yesterday i was going for a mondraker. A member on an irish mtb forum advised me to look at canyon before doing anything. So last night i checked it out and was very very impressed.
Looks, reviews but especially value for money. As beautiful as the mondraker’s are there’s no denying by anyone that the Canyons are a Whole lot of bike for your money. In terms of components there is no contest.
One is allowed to change one’s mind. And i’ve no problem in mentioning that you/silverfish were exceptionally helpful and as i said my mail, really appreciate it.
However the positive reviews from forums about the Canyon’s far out way the mondraker i’m afraid. And in terms of looks, apparent build quality and components, the Canyon get’s it for me. 😮

@ DT78: Unfortunately they are. As i found out today. Can’t order one until 2012. Super pissed.

Just wanted to weigh in on this one. I have had my strive es 8.0 just under a month and very happy so far. I waited 10 weeks after ordering for it to arrive but it turned up exactly when they said it would. It took me a while to fettle the suspension to my satisfaction but I am happy now. It pedals very, very well and I have done alot of climbing on it, completing three North Wales trail centres in one day last Saturday.

One issue is that is does not have ISCG mounts. The mounts it has are actually a narrower spacing than ISCG old. One call to canyon and Cullen is sorting me out with an adaptor so I can go single ring up front. Good customer service.

So far I can only recommend the bike to those people who want one bike for UK trail riding, Alpine bashing, uplift days and anything inbetween.

Oh yeah and lewymtb should get a medium. I am 5ft 11 on a med with the seat as far back as poss and a fair bit of post sticking out and is spot on but my shorter friends also say it feels just right. I could have got a large and I suspect it would have been fine for DH and and the alps but too cumbersome and long for my UK riding.

Mates bike.

He fitted some wider bars

Canyon Strive by james_ferguson, on Flickr

Canyon Strive by james_ferguson, on Flickr

Canyon Strive by james_ferguson, on Flickr

pw508,- single speed on a Strive ES8 Medium?!?!?

I have the very same bike, but single speed!!! You must be superman!

Crundi

It’s really not too bad. I have a 36 front chainring and a 36 large sprocket at the back. Not single speed if you read my post again. Single ring. I still have 10 gears. I might consider a 34t up front for natural trails. I can think of some pulls in the lakes that would be gruesome otherwise.

pw508 – my bad, I meant single ring not single speed. Would be interesting to see a photo of your setup together with the new weight. For trail riding I swap the tyres over to some 2.4 Rocket Rons and lose 1lbs in beef. Done.

Very pleased with my 2 week old Large Strive. Got it up steep sections in the Quantocks no trouble with propedal turned on. The dropper seatpost is a must despite the weight. Got the bike down to 32.1 lbs by going tubeless with the Schwalbes and fitting a carbon bar. Sizing kept telling me to buy a medium but I went for large as 6′ 2″ and it is a perfect fit, reach and stand over wise. Bottom bracket quite low so watch for pedal strikes.Running the fork at lower pressure than Fox recommends suits me better. Syntace rear bolt thru makes wheel location a breeze. Beautifully made and delivered with German precision as trackable from Germany to my door and timed to the hour.

Did you use DT swiss tubeless conversion or do you have the Haven wheels?

A few people mentioned the low pivot points on the suspension would mean the bikes susceptive to pedal bob. I’m glad I ignored them, whether going up or down the Strive motors and thats regardless of pro-pedal.

petercalvert,

can you post a few photos of the Large Strive please. 🙂

if you havent got it yet get a small,

Has any one had any ‘cracking’ sounds come from the pivots?

@petercalvert is it the ES 8.0 that you have? if not which spec? I am looking to buy a large.

Crundi
Nice bash guard – where did you get it from? and does it fit the cranks ok?
Love my strive also, great bike!

‘mostly wet and muddy’; Mine is the Strive ES8.

‘Crundi’.For tubeless I used Stan’s rim tape with Stan’s slime on the tubeless ready Fat Albert tyres it came with. They lose no pressure at all over a week and no burping.

‘marco’
Bought the Raceface bash from Chain Reaction Cycles…. and then used stainless steel washers to make up the difference in the chainring bolts (also adds bling factor). 5 min job.

‘petercalvert’
Do you need the Stans yellow rim tape? I’m wondering weather you actually need it, what with the DT Swiss blue tape already in place?

crundi.

you definitely need Stans rim tape as the blue fitted is only rim strip and not airtight. Follow the fitting instruction video on Stans website.
Strive went well tubeless at Les Arcs, Tignes and St Foy only boiling the brake fluid on one occassion.