After years of discussions, speculation and questions, finally the Canyon Spectral has arrived in a 29 inch version! The all mountain of the German brand has 150mm of rear travel, 160 or 150mm fork, a full carbon frame and geometry that’s more aggressive than even the longer travel Strive. While this new 29″ model is here to stay, it’s worth noting that the 27.5″ remains in Canyon’s catalog.
In the video I present the Spectral in detail and test it on my home trails which I usually ride day to day. Below you will find geometry, photos and prices. In the video, click on Subtitles (CC) for English.
Geometry
It’s the first time we’ve seen such modern geometry from the Canyon design house (excluding the DH bike). A head angle of 64°, reach of 485 in size Large, tested here, and a seat angle of 76°. All this portends that not much is missing for a complete redesign of the Strive…
Details
Full carbon fiber frame, including the rear end. It weighs less than its 27.5″ brother, for a claimed total of 2,598 grams in size Medium. The complete test bike, without pedals, weighed 14.3 kg on our scale.
The suspension system is a four bar with a Horst link on the chainstay. Note how massive this BB yoke is when it meets the front triangle. The anti squat is high at the beginning of sag, then decreases rapidly the more it enters the travel. The suspension is progressive, but you can make good use of the all of it.
The CF 8.0 model is fully assembled with Shimano XT. From the 1×12 10-51T drivetrain…
To the 4-piston brakes we tested separately last week .
It is possible to adjust the geometry through the flip chip on the lower rear shock mount.
One real refinement is the connection of the upper shock mount on the front triangle: in case it strips out, it can be replaced.
A very quiet chain guard.
The cable routing inside the frame is not tunneled. Since the dropper post cable port is narrower than the hole, it moves in the frame, making noise.
Speaking of dropper post: the remote control is from Shimano, perfect for a clean handlebar in combination with Shimano’s own levers …
… while the actual seatpost is house branded Canyon and has a travel of 170mm on the size L. Its operation, so far, has been flawless.
The downtube protection is massive and well integrated.
Threaded bottom bracket.
The chain guide is fixed directly to the frame, thus saving weight. Don’t worry, there is a ISCG05 mount hidden behind the cranks.
DT Swiss XM1700 aluminum rims with 30mm internal diameter, combined with Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR 2.4 with EXO carcass. Here I would have preferred the EXO + for a little more robustness and better flat prevention.
Handlebar and stem from Canyon, the G5.
All in aluminum.
Range
Tested: Spectral 29 CF 8.0, size L.
