Torque AL

mtb

Origin

Canyon has built the Torque as its big-hit freeride and bike-park machine for well over a decade, and the aluminium (AL) version has always been the volume-selling backbone of the platform — it offers essentially the same long, low, slack geometry as the carbon Torque CF but at roughly half the price thanks to Canyon's direct-to-consumer model. The 2023-2025 alloy generation (Torque AL 5/6 Mullet) ran 170/175mm of travel with a fixed 63.5° head angle and no flip-chip, earning rave value reviews (MBR 9/10, BikeRadar 4/5) as a 'park-focused machine that's incredibly solid and robust'. For 2026 Canyon launched an all-new Torque AL that grows to 180mm front and rear, adds a geometry flip-chip and bolt-on adjustable dropouts (430/440mm chainstay), and is engineered to accept a dual-crown fork up to 190mm — blurring the line between enduro, freeride and downhill in one Category-5 aluminium frame (AL 7 €2,499 / AL 8 €2,999 / AL 9 Factory €3,999, plus a BoXXer-equipped DH build later in the year).

Specifications

Frame: Aluminium, smooth-welded, Category 5 rated (highest Canyon standard — bike park / DH level). 2026 gen adds integrated shuttle pad, downtube/chainstay/seatstay protection, thru-frame cable routing. Horst Link 4-bar suspension.
Weight: kg
Drivetrain: 1×12. 2026 gen: Shimano Deore (AL 7) / SRAM Eagle 70 (AL 8) / SRAM Eagle 90 (AL 9). Prior gen: Shimano Deore M6100 (AL 5) / Shimano SLX M7100 (AL 6).
Brakes: 4-piston hydraulic disc, 220mm front / 203mm rear rotors. 2026 gen: Shimano SLX (AL 7) / SRAM Maven Base (AL 8) / SRAM Maven Silver (AL 9). Prior gen: Shimano Deore M6120 (AL 5) / Shimano SLX (AL 6).
Wheels: Mullet — 29" front / 27.5" rear (XS: 27.5" front+rear). 2026 gen: SR309 (AL 7) / DT Swiss FT1900 (AL 8) / DT Swiss EX1700 (AL 9). Prior gen AL 6: DT Swiss FR2070 enduro wheelset.

The verdict

+Strengths

Outstanding value — aluminium frame delivers same geometry as carbon Torque at roughly half the price; direct-to-consumer ~25% cheaper than shop rivals (BikeRadar, MBR)
Category 5 aluminium chassis — bike-park / big-hit rated, 'incredibly solid and robust' (MBR), built to take repeated drops and jumps
Playful park manners — 'snap round corners like a trail bike', excels pumping berms and flow features (MBR 9/10)
Strong descending package — Fox 38 / RockShox ZEB fork + big-hit DT Swiss wheels + Maxxis Assegai/DHR II tyres; composed and quiet on rough, rooty terrain (BikeRadar)
2026 gen adds real adjustability — flip-chip (0.5° geo) + bolt-on dropouts (430/440mm chainstay) + dual-crown compatibility, plus 180mm travel and higher anti-squat

−Weaknesses

Heavy — ~16.5-16.6 kg (L); 'isn't designed to win any climbing competitions' due to weight and slow-rolling grippy tyres (BikeRadar)
Pre-2026 AL (AL 5/6) has NO flip-chip — head angle fixed at slack 63.5°, no geometry tuning (the carbon CF gets it, the older alloy does not)
Suspension imbalance noted on AL 6 — Fox 38 fork 'sits deeper into travel than expected' vs the more supportive shock; no high-speed compression adjust on shock (MBR)
Internal cable routing rattles, and Shimano SLX 'ticked away in low gears'; can feel 'beaten up' in rock gardens with more hand fatigue than rivals (MBR)
Canyon direct-to-consumer model — no dealer network in the Baltics; service/warranty depends on self-service or a local partner shop