7.75” travel speed machine. With 2.5” of rearward travel this frames feels as smooth as a 10” plow bike but with 7.75” bike nimbleness. The chainstays start extra short at 16.25” which maintains it’s quick, sharp, lively feel.
Zero chain stretch and squatting under braking.
20mm bearings with custom axles. 10lbs frame and shock.
I'm a CAT 1 racer at the top of his class and I can honestly say if you have the money, this is the ultimate DH racing machine. The rearward wheel path gobbles up bumps and doesn't slow you down. The short chain stays make it easy to get the front wheel up and make it corner like its on rails. The rear end has no noticeable flex and the bike is just solid all around. The bike is ultra predictable and almost feels magical at times. Plus, Chris and Lance Canfield are awesome guys to deal with. If any problem arises, they will help you out. Chris is a hard core racer and knows what it takes to build an ultimate race bike. They are great guys and built a killer machine
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
k1creeker
a Downhiller
from USA Date Reviewed: June 6, 2009
Not the best bike for ramped doubles and tables.
Bike gets light and sketchy on wide-open, warp-speed runs.
Rear shock hits frame on large frames when fully compressed.
Rear axle arrived with a slight bend in it.
Not as bottomless travel feel as others have implied.
Value?
Similar Products Used:
Iron Horse Sunday, IH Kumicho, Demo, V10
Bike Setup:
Marzocchi Roco WC w/ Ti spring. 2010 Boxxer Team.
Bottom Line:
Trying to provide as unbiased review as possible. I can't stand it when reviewers say "none" or "You must be joking, it's a Demo!" in response to Product Weaknesses. Nothing is perfect, just pick whatever suits your riding style best.
Most reports I've read on the Jedi will have you believe it does everything including your dry cleaning. While it does have it's merits, there are some downsides.
The Ride:
The Jedi rides like an 8-year old on a Pixie Stick bender. It's frenetic, with lighting quick reflexes. It hops, darts, and skips through lines. Changing your course in a boulder field is as simple as looking where you want to be and lifting the bike up. The tighter the course or turn, the better. It rails berms and corners like mad. Pair this frame with a single-crown fork and you'll have a wicked slopestyle bike.
This handling ability presents some downfalls when you get it out of it's element. On wide-open, high-speed descents, the bike has a "get the he** off me" kind of feel. At these speeds, the Jedi starts to feel light, sketchy, and it's short wheelbase becomes a liability. This sketchiness makes you "feel" like you're going faster than you really are, which makes me believe that this is what others are feeling when the say this bike is the "fastest". It IS fast (in it's element), just not straight line, fire road, mach-speed fast.
The Jedi is more Ferrari and less monster truck. It's not for mobbing through terra-firma with the brain turned off, it needs to be guided accurately. It likes to dance over the rough, not plow through it.
That said, the rearward travel does work and there is less of a slowing effect from repeated rock hits than on other frames I've ridden. It just maintains it's speed in rocky or rooty conditions.
Braking:
The bike exhibits no weird braking characteristics. No brake jack, but I don't feel the brake squat that's supposed to be there either. It just simply works. Suspension remains active while braking.
Jumping:
The Jedi will do roll-in drops with the best of them. I personally haven't dropped anything over 8' to tranny on this frame but it handles them well. I didn't buy it for it's ability to huck big drops though.
Jumps with vertical, well-defined take-offs (big doubles and tables) send this bike soaring into kamikaze, nose dive position almost every time. The bike is hell-bent of driving your face into the dirt as the rear end rebounds and kicks back at the lip. This effect is amplified if you try to boost or pump the tranny. I've tried running a lighter spring and even set the rebound on the Roco to full slow. This helps, but not as much as drastically changing technique. This involves remaining absolutely still on take off, a$$ hanging off the back just inches from the rear tire. This looks and feels dorky, but the bike will at least land level or give you the ability to put the nose down at will. The Jedi is just not fun on bigger tables/doubles. This might be remedied by switching to a shock with more damping like the Cane Creek Double Barrel. I've read that this shock wouldn't work well on the Jedi due to it needing a progressive shock, but I'm skeptical. I think it could use a more linear feel since the frame seems to ramp up strong near the end of it's travel. It actually feels like it has about 7" of travel. Not in a bad way, it's just not a "deep" travel feeling ride.
Sizing:
The stand over clearance on the Jedi is awesome, even on the large. No need to go down a size on this frame. In fact you might want to go up a size, run a direct mount stem, and gain a little extra wheelbase. This could extend the usability for smaller riders.
Large frame size. The frame will hit certain shocks upon compression. The preload collar on my Roco has several nicks in it. Kind of a bummer for close to $3000. There is also a less than stellar approach to gaining room for the top shock mount's head. Instead of a bend in the tube (hydroformed or otherwise) there's a simple factory "dent". I'm not sure if this compromises the strength of that tube, but it seems like a caveman approach for the price. It looks like it was just hit with a ball-peen hammer. I'm mostly just glad this tube is hidden by the CNC'd side plates and shock itself.
Value:
Well... currently at $3150, built in Taiwan out of straight gauge tubing, and not a cold-forged (and thus stronger) piece in sight. It seems a little steep. Especially given Canadian built Cove's and US built Intenses can be had for similar money. 4 chilis since there are better "values" to be had. Welcome to economy of scale.
Overall rating:
I expect near perfection when spending at the top of the price range such as this. The minor niggles (factory shock clearance dent, ill fitting seatpost shim...seat post shim, bent axle) can be written off since they are minor and the seatpost issue has been fixed for 09. The frame gets an overall rating of 5 since it handles tight east coast style runs with aplomb. There are better choices for wide open "mammoth" style runs however.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
doodooboi
a Downhiller
from Phoenix, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: February 4, 2009
Favorite Trail:
ALL
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
CanfieldBrothers.com
Strengths:
Light, Stiff, Bomb Proff, Great Geo. Fast, actually too fast. Beggs to be ridden very aggressive!!!
Weaknesses:
None. At first I thouht the tire clearance would be an issue but it's not. It gets scrapes parts of the frame and links that you can't see anyway from rocks that get stuck on your tire.
This bike is just unreal. I can't believe how smooth and fast this bike is. I love the fact this bike is so light that I could just pick it up in the middle of some gnar rock section and change lines on a dime. I have never been able to pick lines well but just hang on, it plows through it with out losing any speed at all. Actually it picks up speed once you enter rock gardens. So having a good set of brakes is a must for this bike. The stand over is awesome it helps with the tight switchbacks and also in those tough situations. This bike just beggs to go fast and be ridden every weekend. Glad I got a understanding wife that lets me do so!!!!! If I come around with some extra cash I would buy a second frame just for the hell of cause that's how great it is.
Just a warning though it does boost you confidence cause it makes terrain and trails that you use to be afraid of seems too easy. You can quickly get in over your head with this bike. It's a pure bred race bike with the nimbleness of a super light FR bike!!!!
As for setup just like mentioned in the other reviews set up the rear softer than normal cause it works alot better! I am 200+ and run a 450lbs spring when I should be on a 500lbs+ spring. I am actually thinking of going down to 400lbs to even make it alot more plush an smooth over the nasty stuff but I figured I would wait cause I still want to know that I am riding on rocks/boulders.
Basically just sell your bike that you have now and get on this bike!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bullcrew
a Downhiller
from Boise Id Date Reviewed: November 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Luv em ALL!!!!! Not XC :D
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
Canfieldbrothers.com
Strengths:
This is a follow up to original post!!!!
FAST! Cornering, pedaling, control, stability.
Weaknesses:
No front der. Id like to have it as a FR/AM rig as well.
Only reason is because its so light and rides flawless as well as pedals!
Hey its a DH/FR bike not an AM bike (youd have a hard time beleiving it wasnt meant for pedaling being as it pedals SWEET!
Similar Products Used:
Karpiel Armageddon, Bullit, RM7, F1 (x2), Giant dhi, Big hit.
Bike Setup:
Jedi, 66RC3, Roco WC air shock, middleburns, I9s, thomson stem, SDG Ibeam saddle/post, Twenty6 pedals, king ti headset, X0 drivetrain!
Bottom Line:
The bike never ceases to amaze me! I raced it last season (LOVEDIT), beat the guy in my class by 11 seconds and 9 seconds usually neck and neck but the bike pedalled and cornered so It was overall faster than my F1 was. Drops, hucks, Freerides, and dirt jumps flawless. It still amazes me how fast it comes out of corners yet saves you when you case a jump or blow through a nasty rock garden.
This bike has literally made me more aggressive and allowed me to push the limits, its hands down faster than the F1 and is more fun to ride.
I tested it with my different forks, 40rc2, 888 wcata, totem and 66 RC3. Out of all of them it handled the best and was the most fun with the 66 RC3. I will use the 888 when racing the gnar courses aside of that it will keep the 66 RC3 on it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dhpierce77
a Weekend Warrior
from Wells, Maine, USA Date Reviewed: November 23, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Threshold (Highland Mountain Park)
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
shuntavi bikes
Strengths:
Extra short chain stay, Rearward travel, light weight, bottomless feel just to highlight a few... Everything!!!
Weaknesses:
hard to get into some carrying racks. i love the frame design but a lot of less committed ski resorts with bad chairlift designs have a hard time loading the bike. (easy fix, boycott crap lifts. if they want your business they need to commit!)
Similar Products Used:
i have never used a product like it.
Bike Setup:
marzocchi 888RC2x Fork, halo rims, avid code front brake and hays 9 rear, mrp, and maxxis tires.
Bottom Line:
if you have never owned a rearward travel bike... don't get one! you will never want to go back to traditional frame design. i think im forever rearward now. the bike has the ability to whip through turns with it tight chain stay but when your mobbing over rock gardens the bike lengthens increasing stability and inspire confidence. it is easy to go fast on this bike. that is why i had to upgrade to code brakes.
choose your components carefully, i went with a more all around strength but heaver theme. i wish i went with more racing components to prep for handling speed better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
loolilon
a Weekend Warrior
from israel Date Reviewed: June 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
fr\dh
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
canfield brothers
Strengths:
fast and smoode ,feels at home on any landscape any type of riding ,fr,dh
pedals very well!!!!
this is the most amazing bike that i rode!!! light weight very fast.
the short chain stay makes than cut corners like a knife.
the reward travel gives a very unique feeling ,when you compress the suspension the bike pic up speed and energy .
landing from drops feels like butter the rear hooked to the ground no movement at all!!!
go for a soft spring and you will feel nothing below you as you burn rock gardens with full speed
padals very well without bobing at all!
last thing very important the service and giving of the brothers is outstanding with a lot of love for their product and alot of love for riding
buy and start ride for real
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Spencer Corbridge
a Downhiller
from lindon, utah, U.S. Date Reviewed: May 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Deer valley ncs
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
Canfield brothers
Strengths:
Great cornering, soaks up EVERY THING! light weight, takes hard impacts amazingly, Feels bottom less.
Weaknesses:
NONE!
Similar Products Used:
Iron horse sunday, Santa cruz v 10.
Bike Setup:
Canfield jedi, Marzocchi 888 world cup, Marzochi rocco wc, transition revolution rims, race face diablos cranks. etc
Bottom Line:
The canfield brothers never cease to amaze me with their extremely well thought out and perfect bikes. The older canfield formula 1 was great but lacked just a little in cornering and weight. The canfield brothers not only fixed those problems but made those some of the bikes better qualities.
The bike seems to feel more and more stable the faster you go. This bike increases your over all confidence and ability of riding. I love coming into rock gardens with full speed knowing that my bike can handle what ever i throw at it.
Unlike the iron horse sunday this bike can also take drops and free ride amazingly well. I was able to go down to the red bull rampage course in virgin utah, and after only about 3 total hours of riding the bike i felt confident in doing some of the biggest drops of my riding career.
Bottom line this bike is well worth every cent you pay for it, and exceeded my every expectation.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Travis Allen
a Downhiller
from So Cal Date Reviewed: April 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
canfieldbrothers.com
Strengths:
Corners like its on rails, pedals effeciently, light 8.24lbs with all hardware minus shock, stiff build and attention to detail.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
F1, Karpeil armageddon, RM7, Bullit and more....
Bike Setup:
jedi, 888wc, roco wc air, I9's, middleburns, hopey damper, e-13 ring and lg-1 etc....
Bottom Line:
The asthetics of it are amazing, the attention todetail is flawless. Its extremely nimble, reponsive and fast. It doesnt suffer from the F1's issues which are slow cornering and hard to pedal, these have been corrected as well as this thing lands drops as well as the F1.
It makes a great single crown fr rig or a race rig.
I dont have an extensive time on this but having been riding the F1 for over a year and getting on this bike, you can feel the difference. Rail a few trails and its scary accurate on cornering and pops out of berms... It is an amazing design and is definently a work of art.
I am keeping my F1 with a 66rc3 on it for FR and hucking due to the fact that it is still a phenominal bike that I love to ride and inspires confidence of durability and trust. I would not hesitate to buy either of these bikes again...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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