2017 Canfield Riot Factory Build Bike

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Lance and Chris Canfield began their journey as frame builders in the late nineties after feeling their needs weren’t being met by frame options at the time. Since the glory days aboard their 12-inch travel Big Fat Fatty Fat they’ve been coming up with their own interpretation of what mountain bikes should be. In 2011, Canfield Brothers launched their first 29-inch-wheeled bike, the Yelli Screamy, which was among the first wagon-wheeled bikes with sub-17-inch chainstays. Just a few years later, they launched their first dual-suspension wagon wheeler called the Riot, which also featured radically short 16.3-inch chainstays. The Riot features the Canfield Brothers’ patented multi-link design: Canfield Balance Formula (CBF). They have been working with CBF since 2009, which is intended to harmonize the instant center and center of curvature throughout a bike’s travel. They claim this design allows for the most efficient, yet active pedaling platform regardless of braking, sag, travel or drivetrain input. While every brand seems to be future-proofing their bikes, creating new standards, and in some cases reinventing the wheel, the Brothers have held true to what they believe in - high-performing, fun bikes. When they approached us with the opportunity to put the Riot through the wringer, who were we to deny them?

Highlights

• 29-inch wheels
• 140mm travel
• 7005 series aluminum
• Patented Canfield Balance Formula suspension
• 16.3-nch (414mm) chainstays
• 142x12 rear axle
• Tapered headtube
• 15mm pivot bearings
• Anodized and factory raw frame options
• Six link colors available
• S, M, L, XL
• 27.5+ compatible
• MSRP $4549.00USD (as tested)

Canfield Riot Geometry

Suspension Analysis

Using the bike industry's leading linkage analysis software, André Santos, the Youtube suspension whiz, was able to determine a close approximation of the Riot's kinematics for the purpose of this review. These charts provide great insight into several key factors that impact how it rides. Those unfamiliar with these types of graphs should watch André's excellent series of suspension fundamentals videos. The results of his analysis are as follows:

Observations:

• The Riot is a slightly progressive trail bike at 14%, making the travel very usable for the bike’s intended use.
• Pedaling efficiency is great with 100% anti-squat on all rear cogs for a 30T chainring. The bike is very well optimized for 28/30T chainrings. On a 34T chainring, you can expect a 20% drop in anti-squat.
• The amount of chain-growth and pedal kickback are kept within normal values for a trail bike.
• Anti-rise is around 80%, meaning that rear braking won’t significantly affect the geometry (the rear end neither rises nor squats under rear braking).
• Overall, Riot is a slightly progressive trail bike with excellent pedaling efficiency.

Initial Impressions

A handful of years ago 29-inch wheels took their fair share of heckling. These days, just about every manufacturer has at least a few options, many of them leaning towards the more aggressive end of the spectrum. As we got our hands on the Riot for the first time, there were two items that had us intrigued: the radically short chainstays and a linkage noteworthy enough to get a standalone website.

The frame itself is a beauty. Even though carbon frames are all the rage, the raw frame, burly welds, and Canfield Brothers head tube badge make for a beautiful brute. Cable routing is external with the exception of the stealth seat post routing, which meant that setup was a breeze and foreshadows easy maintenance down the line.

At 5’11”, we chose a large frame which is smartly equipped with a 50mm Race Face stem and 800mm-wide handlebars. When the Riot was released, a reach of 457mm was on the long end of the spectrum. However, recently released bikes such as the Santa Cruz Hightower, Trek Slash, and Evil Wreckoning are all within a few millimeters. Prior to the Riot, we had been riding the Hightower and Slash, so we knew we would feel at home straight away and were excited to begin noting the similarities and differences between the Canfield Brothers’ offering and some of the competition.

On The Trail

This year was unique in Squamish in that more of our local trails were under snow longer than usual. In the case of testing the Riot, we actually found this to be an advantage as we were able to ride trails back to back more frequently, often hopping on other bikes for the sake of comparison. There were still plenty of options to let us determine the Riot’s strengths and weaknesses, but having relatively few trail options compared to normal meant we repeated loops numerous times throughout the test. This allowed us to refine setup and suspension settings, in addition to hone in on exactly where and when the Riot shined and where it left a little to be desired. The primary location we used for testing is a maze of 45-second DH tracks and short, technical climbs. Ideal for a bike that claims to be “the most fun full-suspension 29er to ever hit the trail, up or down”. In addition to regular duty in Squamish, we spent time in North Vancouver, Kamloops, the Sunshine Coast, and Coast Gravity Park.

On our first ride, we left the house and got into our usual ‘warm up’ which consists mainly of wheelies, manuals, cutties, and ditch jumping. At times, distinguishing between a millimeter and/or half-degree when reviewing bikes can be challenging, however, in this case, the short rear-center was immediately discernible. For reference, the Riot’s rear end is 21mm shorter than the bike it replaced. Lifting the front wheel is a snap and requires less range of motion compared to a bike with a longer rear end – riders who love back wheel should take note. The bike’s character and intentions were obvious at the outset as if it wasn’t already both on paper and in name.

Prior to our first ascent with the Riot, we speculated whether the compact rear end might be detrimental to the bike’s climbing prowess on steeper terrain. Looking at chainstay length alone, one might be concerned that the Riot may be prone to front wheel lift, but the Canfield Brothers have done an excellent job of putting riders in a suitable position by balancing the very short rear end with roomy reach numbers and reasonable wheelbase. The effective seat tube angle is also plenty steep, which puts riders right in the sweet spot, and we didn’t need to adjust our body position or location on the saddle to compensate for the short chainstays. In moments where a wheelie was advantageous, for example around a tight uphill switchback or up ledges, the easy-to-lift front end came in handy. As intended, the CBF suspension remains active while climbing. In addition to remaining supple, the Riot’s suspension feels consistent regardless of whether we were seated or standing. The active rear end and thoughtful geometry provided excellent seated and climbing traction. We occasionally used the shock’s pedaling platform on road climbs but left it wide open for the majority of rides. Compared to an ENVE equipped Santa Cruz Hightower, the Riot doesn’t climb with the same speed (note: the Hightower was nearly five pounds lighter), but it is comfortable in the sense that it climbs technical terrain easily with limited pedal feedback, active suspension, solid geometry, and heaps of traction.

We expect that any bike we receive from the Canfield Brothers is going to excel when pointed downhill. The Riot is no exception to this rule. To begin with, the geometry of the Riot puts the rider in a confident position for descending. The saddle tucks out of the way nicely due to the actual (vs. effective) angle of the seat tube, the head tube angle is reasonably slack, and there are no geometry outliers with the exception of the intended one: short chainstays. We found the short rear end was advantageous in some scenarios and a disadvantage in others. In the case of the Riot, bike park speeds and successive holes were at times challenging to manage compared to bikes with longer rear ends. That said, we only experienced this on blown-out DH tracks, not our usual backyard loops. The Canfield Brothers were no doubt aware of this compromise, and so they instead focused on creating a very nimble trail bike.

Considering the travel and wheel size of the Riot, the rear end is almost shockingly snappy. Tight corners and cutties are a breeze – the roomy reach allows for an assertive riding position while the short chainstays allow the rear wheel to flick around corners in an instant. Similar to the tails of a reverse camber ski, the Riot’s rear wheel almost feels as though it can pivot around corners, rather than taking a longer arc.

The Riot is aptly named. The Canfield Brothers have produced a winning combination of stability and maneuverability in a reasonably priced package.

What's The Bottom Line?

The Riot is aptly named. The Canfield Brothers have produced a winning combination of stability and maneuverability in a reasonably priced package. It doesn’t climb as quickly as some of the competition, but you can nearly have two Riots for the price of one plastic competitor and still get to the top comfortably. It doesn’t mute the trail like a purebred race bike, but is nearly as capable descending and may actually be quicker on tighter trails. Riders who give the Canfield Brothers Riot a flogging can expect to have just as much and maybe more fun than their buddies aboard the latest fantastic plastic, not to mention retain a few thousand dollars for a road trip homage to the Canfield Brothers: begin with the Mushroom Drop in Utah, work through Colorado, and wrap it up in Bellingham. Maybe we can tag along?

For more information, visit www.canfieldbrothers.com

Vital MTB Rating

• 
  Climbing: 3.5 stars
• 
  Descending: 4.0 stars
• 
  Fun Factor: 5.0 stars
• 
  Value: 4.5 stars
• 
  Overall Impression: 4.0 stars - Excellent

About The Reviewer

Joel Harwood has been playing in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia for the last 11 years. If he isn’t coaching gravity racers he can be found tinkering in the garage or messing about at the pump track. He dabbles in all types of racing but is happiest simply exploring the limitless trail networks of the Pacific Northwest. Attention to detail, time in the saddle, and an aggressive riding style make Joel a rider that demands the most from his products.

Photos by Jessie McAuley (action) and Joel Harwood