A Leap Forward In Bicycle Steering Technology By Canyon with K.I.S.

by | Oct 26, 2022 | Gear, Reviews & First Looks, Bike, First Look, Industry News

Canyon bicycles in partnership with Syntace / Liteville have just announced a revolutionary new steering assist system for bicycles.

Bicycles have steered the same way for hundreds of years, with no force pulling the front wheel back into alignment or keeping it stable aside from the rider’s input. “K.I.S. actively works to bring the bars back to centre. This centring force filters out unwanted inputs from the trail or rider, boosting control and precision.” – Canyon
(“K.I.S.” – Keep It Stable)

Canyon Release K.i.s Bicycle Steering Assist Technology
Canyon’s K.I.S. sits inside the frame of the bicycle and applies a stabilising force to the steering.

I was definitely sceptical about this system at first in terms of performance orientated gravity riding but on thinking about this more, the theory seems to make sense. A stabilising force on the handlebars should make for a more stable ride in technical terrain and even in corners.

Could this be a revolutionary technology for mountains bikes and other types of bicycles? Canyon certainly seem to think so. They’re first bike with the K.I.S technology built in is already available! Learn all about the system in the video below.

Watch: Canyon Bicycles Steering Technology:

Canyon’s new steering stability technology “K.I.S”

A simple idea, ingeniously executed. K.I.S. – Keep It Stable – is an integrated spring mechanism that connects a cam ring on the fork’s steerer tube to an anchor point within your frame’s top tube. As your handlebars turn away from centre, the springs gain tension and actively work to re-centre your steering. What does this mean on trail? The system actively combats wheel flop, filters out front wheel deflections, and even helps to reduce understeer ands control two wheel drifts. Join our engineers to find out the story behind K.I.S., why it works and what it means to the world of bicycle handling. Learn more about the K.I.S. technology and discover the 2023 Spectral family: https://click.canyon.com/3FfIFP3

Canyon

I think Canyon could really be onto something here. Part of me already feels nostalgic about riding bike with free steering. It will take a while to be broadly adopted but if the performance enhancements are legitimate, this kind of tech is going to be widely popular for beginners and expert riders alike. Maybe I’m hyping this up just because Fabien Barel seems to back it (see YouTube video), but maybe there really is something to this tech. Time will tell!

Check out WILD AIR Sports for more road and mountain biking news.

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