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Canfield Balance?

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
Does anybody know about how this frame performs? I know Canfields are supposed to be nice, but I can't find any specific info on how the Balance does as an all around bike. I would be using an E13 DRS, a Fox 36 Talas, and a DHX Air rear shock to make the bike super light and also very pedal friendly as it will be my only bike. I do a lot of trail riding, a little more than DH actually, but then I'll go for like a week where I am downhilling every day. I can't come up with enough money for two bikes, so I'm looking for something that will work for everything.
I've also been looking at Transitions, but I don't know which one to look at. It seems like there is a bit of a void, they have a short travel freeride/trail bike (the Preston), a lighter duty all mountain bike (the Covert), a heavy slopestyle-ish freeride/everything bike (the Bottlerocket), and then big bikes. I'm looking for something with about 6 inches of travel, maybe more, that will pedal like a trail bike when the trails goes up, but then also race a little bit of DH on the courses here in NorCal. Not many races, just about 3 per year. Advice? I'm getting the bike in Decemeber/January, so I have a long time to wait and there are also the 08 bikes to consider.

Also, any word from Sinister on their Passion/Poison frames?
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,130
7,679
Transylvania 90210
i looked into the balance, but ended up with a bottlerocket, as the balances did not have shocks available when i was ready to order.

it appears there are some differences in weight and handling within the balance family as there are variations of aluminum and steel triangles for the front and rear. i think the most common is aluminum front with steel rear (ala the Balfa BB7).

sicklines did an article a while back about the "all around bike" using a balance as the platform. try searching their site for more info. as i recall, the final build wasn't a DH-anchor, but it was a bit heavy. the frame is beefy (about the 10lb mark), so you will need more than an air DHXand TALAS to make it "super light."

i thought i heard the passion/poison frames were off the drawing board and that there was another new frame to take their place.
 

punkassean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 3, 2002
4,561
0
SC, CA
Run an RP23 as long as it's available in the size you need. It's a better shock than the DHX air and about .33lbs lighter. One more way to save some weight...
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
i talked to one of the boys at canfield today, he said the balance isn't the right bike for my riding style. he said to wait for '08 stuff, it's a new suspension design that will allow an 8 inch travel bike to kick ass up hill.
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
they said they have 2 coming out actually, so there is going to be another one in there too.
 

?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
If you can get away with a single chainring then an Intense Socom will be your best bet. When I went on my CO/UT trip I rode half the week downhilling at Keystone and then the 2nd half riding xc in Fruita in Moab. The only thing I changed was the chainring to a 34t for uphills, put my clipless pedals back on and I put lightweight xc tires on. In that setup my bike weighs 34.5 lbs. Not bad for a solid 8" travel bike with a fox 40 up front and bulletproof wheels.

You could put a Fox DHX air, Fox 36 Float, and a more xc/all-mountain wheelset on and drop another 4lbs.

VPP actually pedals great too compared to the other options listed. Pedaling up to the top of the LaSalles was no problem.
 

BTF

Chimp
Dec 28, 2001
40
0
Boston Ma
Also, any word from Sinister on their Passion/Poison frames?

The VST platforms (passion/poison) have not been pulled, just set back for a bit. After the re-structure/move we were left scrambling for time getting the new shop set up, new cnc machines and/or out-sourcing some of the machining to other local vendors. We decided the best action was to hold up on production while we get our ducks in a row. We do have a 5" frame we may or may not have in production soon. No official details yet, although there is all kinds of e-speculation running around. It would not take the place of the VST.

Not to sound to much like :spam: , but, Sinister does customs. Frank loves putting his creative juices down with his welding rig:biggrin:
 

flymybike

Monkey
Jan 7, 2004
260
0
Jackson Hole
they said they have 2 coming out actually, so there is going to be another one in there too.
That's right. The One is a 7" to 8" and the Sauce is a 5" to 6". Both Enduro type build and geometry and will rock your world. The most amazing pedaling, braking and bump compliant machine ever built. .
If a 8lb frame with coil 5.0 isn't your cup of tea then the CanCan or CanDiggle should do it for ya. A bit beefier with slopestyle and Dh/FR geo respectfully. yours. cheers
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
That's right. The One is a 7" to 8" and the Sauce is a 5" to 6". Both Enduro type build and geometry and will rock your world. The most amazing pedaling, braking and bump compliant machine ever built. .
If a 8lb frame with coil 5.0 isn't your cup of tea then the CanCan or CanDiggle should do it for ya. A bit beefier with slopestyle and Dh/FR geo respectfully. yours. cheers
I would LOVE a bike called the CanDiggle. The One sounds like a really sick bike, but can it stand up to beatings at ski resorts and racing DH? None of the courses that I race here in NorCal are very technical, but I still ride at Northstar (very very rocky) and other trails I ride are just generally very technical. Will it be strong enough?
 

flymybike

Monkey
Jan 7, 2004
260
0
Jackson Hole
Time will tell. I've been riding the One since March and it's been holding up great. Raced Crankworx CO DH, raced a super D at Keystone and all the DH and jump trails in Jackson and a bunch of days lift serve. Not really the intended use for the bike but we have to put it through the worst case scenario as much as possible.

We have done a few construction changes to the proto and will have new pre production samples at Interbike. We made the rear a bit stiffer laterally, increased the wall thickness on the pivot axles (I broke one jumping "casing" a 35' gap, oopsie) and added ISCG tabs and changed the front derailleur routing.
I still need to put it in the tester and break it but I wanted to get the real world testing out of the way before I kill one of the only two built. I think it will be strong enough. The CanDiggle is the same suspension design in a heavier duty build (still 3 ring compatable) for the person looking for a bike to abuse.
I've gotta get back to NorthStar, It's been too long, I love that place.
 

flymybike

Monkey
Jan 7, 2004
260
0
Jackson Hole
^ now please.
I don't blame you for questioning. Try it out, see for yourself.

We'll have new photos right before Interbike. I'll be sure to get the entire line up for 08 on here for ya. If your planning to be at Interbike come ride it. Chris and I will be riding them at the demo, happy to swap. You can see them in the show at Pacific Cycles booth. Come and ride them at the Vegas Resistance site every day right after the show closes. To find it check the map on www.vegasresistance.com
 

andrextr

Chimp
Aug 6, 2007
63
67
Portugal
Hi guys! I know that this is a 10y.o thread but just to share my linkage analysis of Canfield Balance 2016


Seem to be a very "balanced" enduro bike :)

Bye!