Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen – In our huge 2024 e-mountainbike test

How good do you have to be at riding motocross to get your own ebike pro model? The answer is Ken Roczen! The German motorcycle racer has his very own signature ebike, the Canyon Torque:ON CF, which comes with a cool motocross look, tons of travel and a revised Shimano EP8 motor, which draws its power from a massive 900 Wh battery.

The Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen is the rowdy sibling in Canyon’s huge e-bike family. With its massive 900 Wh battery, it allows you to squeeze in a few extra laps when the chairlift closes, and clock countless descents even when there isn’t one. If you want, you can choose a smaller 720 Wh battery when ordering your bike, which saves you an extra € 400. The Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen relies on a full carbon frame and generates 180/175 mm of travel (f/r), which makes it the beefiest bike in Canyon’s portfolio, and the longest-travel contestant in our 2024 eMTB group test. The German direct-to-consumer brand relies on a revised Shimano EP8 motor, which feels more powerful than its predecessor. The Ken Roczen model is the flagship model in the Torque:ON line-up, retailing at € 9,399 and tipping the scales at a whopping 25.1 kg in size M.

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best eMTB of 2024 – 27 of the most exciting models in our comparison test

What sets the Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen apart from the competition?

The Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen takes on the competition with striking MX styling, with a burly swingarm and a shock mounted parallel to the down tube. At first glance, the paint finish is a rather flat grey, but upon closer inspection you’ll notice an elegant marbling effect, which, together with the purple accents on Ken Roczen’s 94 race number, ensure a unique and rather refreshing look. Since the unusual rear suspension design leaves no room for a bottle cage in the main frame triangle, Canyon reached deep into their bag of tricks, providing a special cut-out in the top tube that accommodates a specially developed water bottle. While this might look a bit odd at first, it’s a great solution that allows you to carry a water bottle directly on the bike, despite the lack of space in the frame. The bottle also looks a bit like a motorbike’s fuel tank, so it fits well with the overall style of the bike.

The battery can be replaced using a 5 mm allen key, but also makes for a rather beefy bottom bracket area around the Shimano EP8 motor. As usual, there’s a small remote on the left-hand side of the bars, while a discreet display to the right of the stem shows all crucial riding data. Protective tape covers the more vulnerable parts of the frame, and a generously sized chainstay protector prevents chain slap. Canyon also offer an optional mudguard for the swingarm that protects the frame from the elements.

The spec is high quality and perfectly suited to the bike’s intended use. For the wheels, Canyon rely on a robust DT Swiss HFR 1500 alloy ebike wheelset and MAXXIS tires, combining a robust Doubledown casing at the rear and lighter EXO+ casing at the front, with the soft MaxxGrip rubber compound up front for more traction. Heavy, aggressive riders should also upgrade the front tire to the more robust Doubledown casing. The wireless drivetrain and dropper post ensure a clean cockpit, leaving just the rear brake line exposed, though this disappears discreetly into the frame through the headset. However, the seatpost with only 170 mm of travel is too short and restricts your freedom of movement on the trail. To match the robust spec, Canyon rely on a coil shock, with different spring rates matching the different frame sizes. The standard 300 LBS spring on our test bike in size M was a good match for our test riders weighing an average of 80 kg. SRAM CODE RSC four-piston brakes are paired with a massive 220 mm rotor at the front and 200 mm disc at the rear, providing more than enough braking power. The Torque:ON CF Roczen shares near-identical geometry with Canyon’s race eMTB, the Strive:ON, with the only difference being the additional travel, bigger BB drop and higher stack. The Torque:ON is sized pretty long across the board, meaning that short riders might walk away empty handed.

Tuning tip: More robust front tire with tougher DoubleDown casing for heavy and rowdy riders

What is the Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen capable of on the trail?

Going uphill, the Torque:ON CF Roczen places you in a comfortable pedalling position, with the high front end preventing pressure from building up on your hands. As a result, the Canyon is also a comfortable tourer, with the front wheel tracking accurately even in steeper sections. On technical climbs, the plush rear suspension generates plenty of traction, but the low bottom bracket requires you to time your pedal strokes carefully to avoid smashing the cranks into obstacles. After Shimano’s recent update, the EP8 motor feels a little more powerful and the gap to the Bosch CX is now a tad smaller. However, the motor still runs out of steam on very steep climbs.

When gravity takes over, the Torque:ON makes you feel at ease from the outset, inspiring huge amounts of confidence with its high front end and deeply integrated riding position. At the same time, it’s still easy to pull into manuals and wheelies. However, if you’ve just filled up the bottle on the top tube, you’ll feel the extra weight when pulling the front wheel in the air. Handling is intuitive, but quick direction changes require greater physical effort – though the Canyon is noticeably nimbler than the Focus SAM². That said, the Torque:ON comes to life on fast, rough trails, where it ploughs its way through nasty rock gardens and root carpets with stoic composure. Here it also outshines the Strive:ON, although the lack of agility comes at the expense of the Torque’s all-round suitability. Despite being anything but nimble, the Torque:ON is relatively easy to manoeuvre for a bike in its travel class. In keeping with the character of the bike, the suspension is super plush and literally sucks itself into the ground, generating tons of traction in corners and under braking, even in rough terrain. However, the crazy plushness results in a lack of support, requiring great physical effort to pump through rollers and berms. That said, the suspension still feels defined and, unsurprisingly, offers plenty of reserves for big hits and botched landings.

Right away, the Torque:ON makes its intentions clear with its look, handling and rear suspension! Canyon’s eMTB bruiser is the proverbial gun in a knife fight, inspiring huge amounts of confidence on the trail with its composed character.

Who should take a closer look at the 2024 Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen and who should look elsewhere?

The Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen is an eye-catching special edition that’s aimed at Ken Roczen fans. However, the concept also works incredibly well as a shuttle replacement for freeride enthusiasts. It’s a rowdy trail bruiser, and extremely capable on steep descents with straight-line berms, inspiring tons of confidence with its grippy suspension. The huge battery and relaxed pedalling position also make it a great companion for epic backcountry expeditions.

Our conclusions about the 2024 Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen

The Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen takes on the competition with an unusual look and unique paint job, but lets you know straight away what its intentions are. The Torque:ON is incredibly good at what it does, inspiring huge amounts of confidence with its composed character and plush, grippy rear suspension. Although this comes at the expense of the bike’s agility and all-round capabilities, together with the huge removable battery, it makes it the ideal partner for long tours on steep, rough and fast terrain.

Tops

• Super composed
• Consistent spec
• Radical look
• Excellent touring capabilities

Flops

• Slightly sluggish handling
• Low bottom bracket easily causes pedal strikes.
• Small riders might walk away empty-handed

For more information, visit canyon.com

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best eMTB of 2024 – 27 of the most exciting models in our comparison test

All bikes in test: BULLS VUCA EVO AM 2 (Click for review) | BULLS SONIC EVO AM SX-I (Click for review) | Canyon Strive:ON CFR LTD (Click for review) | Canyon Torque:ON CF Roczen | CENTURION No Pogo SL R8000i (Click for review) | CUBE AMS Hybrid ONE44 (Click for review) | FLYER Uproc X 8.70 (Click for review) | FOCUS SAM² 6.9 (Click for review) | GASGAS ECC 6 (Click for review) | GIANT Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 0 (Click for review) | KTM Macina Scarp SX Prime (Click for review) | Lapierre Overvolt GLP3 (Click for review) | Merida eOne-Sixty 10K (Click for review) | Mondraker Neat RR SL (Click for review) | Moustache Samedi 29 Game 11 FOX (Click for review) | Orbea WILD M-LTD (Click for review) | Pivot Shuttle AM Team (Click for review) | Propain Ekano 2 CF (Click for review) | RADON RENDER 10.0 HD (Click for review) | ROTWILD R.X 1000 Ultra (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Heckler SL XX AXS RSV (Click for review) | SCOR 4060 ST (Click for review) | SCOTT Voltage eRide 900 Tuned (Click for review) | SIMPLON Rapcon Pmax Pinion (Click for review) | Specialized Turbo Levo SL Expert (Click for review) | Specialized Turbo Levo Pro (Click for review) | Spherik E-SMT XX AXS (Click for review)

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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Mike Hunger