2021 Canfield Tilt Bike

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We admit it. We thought we needed more travel. The thought of not having enough loomed heavily as we carefully considered which bike would check all the boxes and most of us decided to buy long-travel enduro sleds. While there are some practical reasons to opt for long-travel 29ers, we did not know how much fun we were missing out on until we rode the Tilt; Canfield's latest mid-travel 29er. Or, maybe it is better to say we did not know how fun our regular trails were until we threw a leg over this trail slayer with 138mm rear and 140mm front travel. Think of it as unmuting your ride.

Highlights

• Aluminum frame
• 29-inch wheels
• 138mm (5.4-inches) of rear-wheel travel (optional 125mm w/ 50mm stroke shock)
• 140mm (5.5-inches) fork travel (130mm to 150mm recommended)
• Canfield Balanced Formula Parallel linkage suspension design
• Tapered headtube
• Internal cable routing
• Threaded bottom bracket with ISCG05 mounts
• Boost rear spacing with 12mm through axle
• Single build kit with options for wheel, suspension and brake upgrades
• Measured weight (size Large, no pedals): 31.8 pounds (14.4kg)
• MSRP $4,899.99 USD

The standout feature on the Goblin Green aluminum Tilt frame is the patented Canfield Balanced Formula linkage. Canfield boasts that this more progressive version of the Canfield Balanced Formula (CBF) proprietary linkage pedals even more efficiently than previous iterations and descends like a champ as well. After dialing in the Cane Creek Kitsuma Air rear shock, we concur that the platform stays active in the beginning and mid-stroke and progressively ramps up in the end stroke. The result is a bike that climbs really well and loves to pop and play on the descent. We also liked how all the linkage bolts are easily serviceable from one side only.

Canfield offers the Tilt with a single base build from which riders can make some select upgrades. Our test bike was the standard option. From this point, riders can make changes a'la carte. Options include upgrading the wheels to Atomik carbon or RideFast Hotlines. There is also an option to bump up to EXT/ERA suspension. With no affect on price, riders can choose between Magura MT Trail Sport or TRP Slate T4 brakes. For those wanting to build their own Tilt, there are frame options aplenty.

There are some other fine details that we liked. The internal cable routing is clean and we like the snazzy black aluminum caps where the housing enters and exits the downtube. Skulls on the headtube and back of the seat signal that you DGAF and are going to send it. The Goblin Green is straightforward and natural-looking, but a little mean at the same time.

Geometry

The Tilt’s geometry falls right in line with current trends. Our large test bike had a 475mm reach, a 65-degree head tube angle, 77-degree seat tube angle, and 425mm chainstays. Longer, slacker, steeper, and shorter respectively. These numbers represent kind of a golden formula for maximizing fun that many manufacturers are at least hovering around. We found this formula very much to our liking.

Setup

Initial setup was a breeze. We had to bust out a measuring tape and a shock pump to set the sag and that was about it. We went with 30% sag and all of the compression and rebound set to the middle. Our test rider weighs about 165-pounds with gear. We started with 135 psi in the rear shock and 63 psi in the fork. The size large fit like a glove and we were out for a ride with minimal setup.

When we first climbed aboard the Tilt for an initial test pedal around the neighborhood, it was readily apparent that the cockpit felt similar to other size larges with very similar geometry specs. There is nothing wrong with the way the cockpit feels, with one easily remedied exception. The 810mm handlebar is a bit wide for our preference. Fortunately, cutting bars is a lot simpler than making them wider.

On The Trail

We took possession of the Tilt in Reno, NV where it saw plenty of miles on our local loops around the Peavine trail network. The sprawling set of singletrack gives riders miles of options. Anything from short, smooth laps to big days with plenty of rocks to smash, it's ideal for a bike like the Tilt. In addition to our backyard network, we also got Canfield's trail bike into some of the rides in the immediate area.

Jackass Trail Truckee, CA

We began by dialing in the Tilt’s dual Cane Creek suspension at this local spot just outside of Truckee, CA. These trails have a nice flow with some chunky bits and plenty of jibs. All this fun is packed into a 40-minute repeatable loop. With relative ease, we had the Tilt ripping how we like and two thumbs up were issued. The Tilt loves to play, pop, slash and all sorts of other bro-sims. It is incredibly fun to ride, and we just kept going back for more. Aside from all the partying we were doing, we were setting PR’s on the climbs and the descents. True story. It seemed the Tilt didn't just feel great, it was performing great as well.

Hole in the Ground, Donner Summit, CA

We took the Tilt to Hole in the Ground, one of the Tahoe region’s most iconic high alpine rides. Offering a challenging 3-4 hours over 16 miles in old-growth pines, it is one for the books. We like to hit it once a season for the sweeping vistas, alpine lakes, and to meet our spiritual quest quota. Hole in the Ground serves up a wide range of terrain that is technically challenging, full of granite boulders and slabs, roots, and finishes on a World Cup worthy staircase.

Hole in the Ground gives you its first technical downhill early in the ride and we stopped to session an area with some rock garden drops and natural doubles. We slowed the rebound settings down a little bit to keep the Tilt planted through the granite rodeo. The Tilt passed the test in the downhill sections with no problems whatsoever.

Hole in the Ground pedals for a significant portion of the ride. Fortunately, the Tilt pedals very efficiently in any of the Cane Creek’s three damping settings. The middle setting was quite good for climbing the technical terrain, firming up the pedaling platform while allowing the shock to remain active.

The Tilt may have inspired overconfidence in the rock gardens as we found ourselves in over our head charging into the double-black staircase at the conclusion of this trail ride. The terrain got a little too steep and loose and we found ourselves unable to hang on. We were able to lay the bike down and step off without much incident when suddenly a basketball-sized boulder dislodged from the inside of the turn and smashed the shiny new bar and stem! These things happen.

Corral Trail, South Lake Tahoe, CA

Next, we headed to Corral Trail near South Lake Tahoe, CA. The Corral trail offers some of Tahoe's finest flowy technical single track accessible via a two mile road pedal. Granite boulders and high-speed berms populate the upper half of the descent and a sandy jump line has you collecting frequent flyer miles on the bottom half of this two mile downhill.

The Tilt’s 138mm of rear travel was more than enough to have a great time on this trail. The one time that we thought we were under-gunned in the most technical downhill wound up being rider error. Turns out that the Cane Creek DB Kitsuma Air shock feels pretty harsh in the locked-out setting; ask us how we know. We added a pinch of air to the Helm fork to get things firmed up as were hitting things at higher speeds than previous rides. The Tilt is an absolute blast to point downhill and off jumps of all sizes. 425mm chainstays allow this wagon wheeler to rail berms and make tight maneuvers with relative ease.

Mammoth Bar Enduro, Auburn, CA

We decided that an ultimate test of our initial premise, that we might not actually need long-travel enduro bikes, would be to enter an enduro race. The Mammoth Bar Enduro is the third race in the California Enduro Series line-up, consisting of four stages over 12.8 miles with 2,600 feet of climbing and descending. The foothills of the Sierra Nevada have a steep, hardpack, with a mix of flowy and rowdy vibe. Conditions were extremely dry but that did not stop us from pushing the Tilt to the limit of its capabilities.

The tilt performed super well on all but the rowdiest technical section, aptly named, “Rocky.” We were once again bitten by the overconfidence bug and flatted part of the way through this massive rock garden. We changed out the Maxxis EXO casing with a more suitable Maxxis Double Down casing and had no problems with tires on race day.

Pre-riding the course with someone that knew the lines to ride really helped us stay rubber side down. The tilt has suitable geometry and enough travel to handle this particular racecourse, provided you know the lines to ride. There are other courses in this series that would definitely warrant a longer travel bike.

Canfield nailed it with a nice blend of workhorse and smattering of racehorse.

Build Kit

Canfield nailed it with a nice blend of workhorse and smattering of racehorse. Workhorses do manual labor. We need them to work hard and not break down. The Tilt sports a GX Eagle drivetrain and an SDG Tellis dropper post, saddle and grips. The rims are alloy house brand laced to Spank hubs. The carbon 1-inch rise handlebar and 40mm stem are Pro Taper. Then there is the fork and shock combo from Cane Creek that absolutely performs like a racehorse.

We have all come to trust the GX Eagle drivetrain. No frills, smooth, and dependable. The tilt comes with a 10-52 rear cassette and a 32 tooth chainring on 165mm cranks. If that’s not a low enough gear ratio, then stick to your Peloton.

Fork Performance

We would describe the Cane Creek Helm MKII front fork as delightfully supple yet firm and buttery. We really loved what the Helm did for the handling characteristics and the overall suspension performance of the Tilt. As with the rear shock, Cane Creek made the adjustability of their fork very easy to pull off with no tools. The only tool you’ll need is a 5mm hex wrench to remove the front axle.

We rode most of the time with the high-speed compression one click from open and the low speed two clicks from open. We set the rebound in between fully open to 3 clicks from open and ended up leaving it at the latter. It is easy enough to adjust the high and low-speed compression while rolling and we definitely increased and decreased it on the fly. It’s just so supple. We found bottom on some harsh hits and opted to add more pressure. We went from 63 psi all the way up to 70 psi. After that, it was smooth landings.

Tire Performance

We really liked the way that the Maxxis Dissector 2.4 rear and Minion DHF 2.5 handled business of all kinds, we only wish that Canfield had opted for Maxxis’ beefier Double Down casing or EXO+ at the least. We ended up having to replace a tire after a rock garden in Auburn, CA gifted us a pinky-sized hole in the tread. We replaced the rear dissector with an exact match, only in the Double Down casing. It was a big improvement. We know burly tires on bikes in this travel range may feel excessive but with the Tilt's propensity for rallying, it makes sense.

Wheel Performance

The Tilt’s base build spec comes with a wheelset deemed the Canfield Special Blend AM29. The 29er wheels consist of Spank Hex J-Type hubs laced to alloy 30mm ID hoops. The Spank hubs have a 6 pawl design with a 3.5-degree engagement. The freewheel noise is not silent but they are not anywhere near as loud as a swarm of angry bees. These wheels do the job just fine. They are not on the super stiff end of the spectrum, but we felt the Tilt tracked just fine. They are also not super light and thus do not accelerate like Lambos. We didn’t notice that we were not on a high-end wheelset for two reasons. First, because we were too busy partying with the Tilt, and second because these wheels stayed quiet, did their job, and did not fail us in any way. Think workhorse. If you don’t know what you’re missing, then you don’t know.

Brake Performance

We think the TRP Slate T4 brakes are a cool addition to a build kit that has a unique collection of components. Their feel is a little different than Shimano or SRAM. They are not as on/off as the Shimano XT or Saints, yet they are more so than the SRAM Code or Guides. We liked the ergonomic lever that hooked up nicely with our first finger. The 4-piston caliper is a huge plus considering the type of terrain that the Tilt is capable of descending. These brakes stopped when we needed them to and showed no signs of pumping up or going soft. A longer-term test would be required to assess how they hold up over time.

Noise

Canfield has managed to make a really quiet all aluminum bike. The CBF chainstay protector did a thorough job of muting chain slap, while the machined ports where the cabled route into the frame kept the housing from making noise.

What's The Bottom Line?

Having fun on bikes is our way of life. The Canfield Tilt increased the amount of fun by a very noticeable factor. We thought we needed bigger bikes to handle the trails that we typically ride, but we were wrong. There are instances where more travel is necessary or preferred, but the Tilt smashed 90% of the trail rides that we hit on the regular with ease and had us hollering for more. The mid-travel 29er offers a less muted version of the trails you have been riding on your bigger bike, with more feedback from the local loops. Canfield got it right when it comes to geometry, progressive suspension platform, and a nice component package. We were blown away by how supple the Cane Creek suspension and the CBF link felt in a wide range of compression and rebound settings. The Tilt is a super capable mid-travel 29er with a mix of reliable workhorse parts and premium suspension that is set to make a lot of riders very happy.

Visit www.canfieldbikes.comto learn more.

About The Reviewer

John Armbruster - Age: 42 // Years Riding MTB: 20 // Height: 5'11" (1.778m) // Weight: 157-pounds (71.2kg)

John has spent enough time mountain biking to witness the technical evolution of our sport and its bikes. Fads have come and gone but the fun never dies. He won't say no to a new trail or another lap, and when the bikes are clapped, John has the mechanical experience to revive his rigs from the ground up. Once resuscitated, he's back on the trail, clocking the miles, vert, and shenanigans.