We give Canyon’s Stoic 4 hardcore hardtail a good thrashing and see how Focus’s SAM2 6.9 long-travel e-bike squares up on the trail
£1,805.98 shipped Another hardcore hardtail enters the fray
Us Brits may regard ourselves as the kings of the hardcore hardtail, but this progressively-shaped alloy machine from direct-sale giants Canyon shows the Germans know a thing or two about making fast bikes without rear suspension, too.
The frame
At the heart of any aggressive hardtail is a tough frame and, bucking the ‘steel is real’ trend of smaller bike makers, Canyon have built the Stoic from the same 6061T6 aluminium used on their full-sus bikes. They tout their creation as ‘the best enduro hardtail’ and a go-to bike for everything from techy downhills to pump-track sessions.
A broad range of six sizes means riders can upsize for stability or downsize for snappy playfulness, but all have the same low-slung, rakedout geometry for confident handling. Wheel size grows as the frames get bigger, with the 2XS-S Stoics using 650b wheels and the M-XL ones rolling on 29in hoops.
At just shy of 6ft tall, our tester opted for the large size, which keeps things roomy up front with a 480mm reach and compact at the back with 428mm chainstays. The head angle sits at a slack 65 degrees while the 75-degree seat tube gives an upright climbing position. Bottom bracket (BB) drop is a super-low 60mm for rail-like cornering. The combination of a very low standover height (773mm) and the way the top and down tubes join early to create an elongated head tube gusset helps to accentuate the Stoic’s long and low appearance.
Canyon have designed the frame around a 140mm-travel fork, which feels about right, giving enough bump absorption while avoiding the forward-tipping geometry upsets that occur with longer-travel forks on hardtails. Home mechanics will rejoice at the threaded BB shell and the partially internal cable routing that makes use of a large opening in the bottom of the down tube for easy installation and maintenance.
The kit
Starting at £849, there are three bikes in the range. The one we’ve got here is the top-specced Stoic 4. As we’ve become accustomed to from direct-sale brands, the parts you get for the money are pretty impressive. The RockShox Pike Select RC fork has good damping and support, and the SRAM Guide T brakes, although more of a budget option, still have four pistons and well-modulated stopping power. Our only complaint is the lever adjustment screw, which is near-impossible to access with a multi-tool. SRAM’s 12-speed NX