Canfield Returns to Production in 2020 After Change in Leadership
Lance Canfield in Fruita, CO. Photo: Don Stefanovich
PRESS RELEASE: Canfield Bikes
Canfield Brothers has officially rebranded as Canfield Bikes and we will be producing new bikes which will be available beginning in early 2020.
Our announcement comes as our brand celebrates 20 years in business, and breaks the silence after a two-year hiatus during which the Canfield brothers, Lance and Chris, worked through restructuring the business, a process that ultimately resulted in Lance acquiring Chris’ share of the company.
“We’re proud to announce that Canfield Bikes is alive and well,” says Lance Canfield, owner and designer. “We thank all our customers and fans who have always believed in us and even after two years consistently check in with us for updates, wondering when we will be making more bikes. We apologize for the silence, but it was necessary while we restructured. This is the announcement you have all been waiting for. I’m excited to carry the torch and continue doing what I love: building badass mountain bikes worthy of wearing a skull on the head tube.”
 | I’m excited to carry the torch and continue doing what I love: building badass mountain bikes worthy of wearing a skull on the head tube. |
After working together for 20 years, Lance and Chris have each decided to pursue their passions in different ways. Lance will continue as owner and designer of Canfield Bikes. Chris—who recently won the Masters title in the USA Cycling Downhill National Championships and a Masters World Championship win aboard his Canfield Jedi—will retain the rights to the Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension patent, working to license and implement the patent on other platforms.
We will continue to use CBF suspension.
Lance Canfield at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, NV. Photo: Ian Cook, Elements of Exposure
“We congratulate Chris on his title wins and wish him the best,” says Lance. “His spirit, energy and creativity have played a vital role in making the brand what it is today and he will be missed. But we have no doubt that great things await him.”
For two decades, we have amassed a nearly cult following despite minimal marketing thanks to our rider-focused engineering philosophy, industry-leading suspension designs—from the legendary Formula 1 linkage on its Jedi downhill bikes, to the active and efficient patented CBF on recent trail and all-mountain bikes—and a customer-centric approach to sales and service.
Building on our heritage, we will maintain the level of quality products and hands-on customer service riders have come to expect. Components, including Crampon Mountain and Crampon Ultimate pedals, rebuild kits and C2 AM and DH cranks are in stock and available immediately.
Lance Canfield at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, NV. Photo: Ian Cook, Elements of Exposure
New bikes are slated to be available by spring 2020, with details and pre-order options expected by the end of the year. Service parts for existing bikes will also be available.
“Canfield Bikes was founded on a simple principle: building the bikes that we want to ride,” says Lance. “And nothing about that is going to change.”
For more information, visit CanfieldBikes.com.
by Don Stefanovich
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Kids bike in the pipeline? I recall when you guys made something for Jackson Goldstone back before there was anything legit for kids out there.
All kidding aside, money/business and friends/family are VERY tough waters to tread. Hope things worked out amicably and they still sit at the same TurkeyDay table...
Also it needs a little more AM to it's trailish nature. (Not that I want a 170 F/R 29er either, but I hate it when they make the 29er the "tame" bike, and the 27.5 the "cool" bike)
That said, if Canfield came out with an aluminum 160/160 29er, I'd buy it today.
”Jeremiah Starkey, former lead engineer at RockShox and Trust Performance, now leading all mechanical engineering aspects of our bikes. He collaborated with Chris Canfield, who designed and patented our truly magical suspension. Oh, and he’s also our trusty COO.”
Consulted with Canfield for the design and patent......... and is the COO.
Even the Pinkbike article states that he is only licensing CBF and helping to engineer the bikes.
1) Was delayed months, which was not really a big deal.
2) The rear triangle on their first batches of Riots was misaligned and they shipped these out this way stating they were still in spec. Fairly sure this was the cause of quite a few DB Inline shock failures and probably caused premature shock failures.
3) They specced the worst shock they could for the Riot a Cane Creek DB Air, way too much compression that would not blow off or be tuned out (bike rode like crap with that shock).
4) Top tube cracked on mine after only 2 ½ years and 1500 miles, this was on fairly easy/light riding. Digging around appears this top tube issue is either a design issue or a manufacturing issue. Quite a few people have developed this same crack on both their Riots and Balances.
5) When I went to them about warrantying the Riot. They stated this was outside the 2 year warranty (very weak warranty!) and they could do a crash replacement, but they don’t have any larges in stock and don't know if they will ever have any. (basically told tough sh_t!).
Wrote this off as a $2300 lesson and will stick with the big bike manufactures that have better product quality, testing and warranties.
Hoping they steepen the seat angles and have better standover. All the things other companies are doing. Shorter seat tube lengths, more reach. Top tubes are probably fine. The design bones are solid just the tweaking.
A 170 travel Ebalance would be sweet
Doesn't this pretty much go against the collective consensus among the entire cycling community that pedals should be concave??
I've obviously never actually ridden a set, but I'm curious how that can possibly be a good thing!
Convex would definitely work nicely for getting proper bearings in a slim pedal.
Longer travel is in, but not for long, stick with mid travel, short arse chainstays, and two wheel sizes.
“Canfield Bikes was founded on a simple principle: building the bikes that we want to ride,” says Lance. “And nothing about that is going to change.”
...is literally what every other bike company says...
On a prototype Canfield frame Wasn’t a Jedi layout
Then radio silence
canfieldbrothers.com/archive-frames
????