Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 76 total)
  • anyone got a canyon spectral 27.5 (2014 or 2015)? looking for rider feedback?
  • cazum
    Free Member

    looking at buying a canyon spectral either 2014 or 2015 looks great VFM!!

    anyone got one and can say how they find it?

    thanks

    calum

    cazum
    Free Member

    i have read a few of the reviews looks promising just looking to get actual owners opinions?

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Having read about your issues with Tredz I really wouldn’t recommend buying from Canyon. They took 3 months to replace my faulty frame.

    cazum
    Free Member

    really….? i had heard that most of there customer service problems were ok now…. ok m8 will bear that in mind!!!

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    This was spring this year.

    I’ve whinged about it already on this thread

    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rose-and-canyon-bikes-anyone

    ska-49
    Free Member

    How about the Bird Aeris? Not out till January mind.

    beicmynydd
    Free Member

    I purchased a 2014 spectral AL7 which I have had for about 2 months.
    I had to wait about 2 months for delivery but it arrived on the same week as promised.

    Quite easy to set up and assemble but the front disc was noisy, due to a slight warp.
    It came with a thick wad of books and product leaflets etc but suspension pressures where available on the fox web site.

    after reading a lot of speculation regarding frame sizes I used the online size calculator and ordered a medium and the size was fine.

    one of the first rides was up the snowdon ranger where I got 3 pinch flats, 2 simultaneously on the telegraph valley.
    the standard continental tyres where replaced by a highroller 2 at the front and an ardent at the back, no more pinch flats so far. Grip is also much improved particularly on my local dh track which is rooty and muddy.

    the bike was nice to ride up but getting to grips with the front fork was hard. the bike handles nice and is good over small jumps and drops.
    bB height is low this makes for nice cornering but prone to pedal strikes, getting used to it now.

    my main gripe is the front fork which is the fox 32 talas ctd evolution, as most of the reviews say getting a good set up is hard.
    At the moment I have raised the pressure and running approx 10% sag with the setting on trail. Small bump performance is poor but less prone to diving. Rode the beast in coed y brenin the other day and it was ok just as fast as my old lapierre spicy with 36’s on the downs as I got quite a few strava PB’s.
    thinking of a fork upgrade already the x fusion’s look good or pikes.

    So in a nutshell the package is good but I feel they have skimped on the fork.

    cazum
    Free Member

    am looking at the sramx1/pike build…. was thinking the top of the line one with the dbinline but if i can’t stretch to that the 2100 pike build looks good!

    seen a few reviews and they all mention the std tyres by i think the 2015’s come with HR2….

    what height are you? am 183cm so thinking the large for me!.

    thanks

    Rickos
    Free Member

    They’ve increase the length quite a bit for 2015 over 2014. Certainly on the medium at least.

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    Ordered a Spectral AL 6.0 2014 a week last Thursday, Arrived this Friday,
    First ride tomorrow so I can’t judge but I must say it feels and looks great.
    Will update tomorrow!

    cazum
    Free Member

    cheers taco!

    aroche
    Free Member

    Also very interested in this bike, – so eager to hear any feedback.

    Thinking about the new carbon one due out, – with 150 pike and CCDB-Inline,- thinking this could be a ripper of a bike for enduro with the new geometry.

    Bushwacked
    Free Member

    Got mine back in March – Spectral al8.0 – love it. Running the tyres tubeless so no issues with pinch flats. I’m 182cm and went for a large – size ok although a little longer would be nice. Ive seen they’ve changed the sizes for this year and they look even better.

    Ride wise I the spectral is amazing value, best bike ive had over the years. Went from a Cotic soul and a Scott voltage wanting something inbetween and got it – great up and really capable down, almost more capable than my voltage – strava went nuts on all my local routes for a few weeks. Tempted to swap the fork though as not getting on with the Fox 32.

    Very tempted with the strive though, not much more weight but more travel

    cazum
    Free Member

    yeah the NEW strive with shapeshifter looks cool! although alittle heavy! not voltage heavy tho! 14.2kg ish for the strive but not available till feb march time!….

    i have the DH bike for more travel thinking of getting (2015)pike version @2099 then if the pikes are spaced remove to put up to 150 travel…. that should do me! its the weight of the spectral that interests me! 12.6kg….INC the reverb! thats mega light!

    its mostly local trails i ride more aggressive trail riding than what you would call freeride so somewhere in the middle…. i had a rock mountain altitude 50 140mm and done everything on it!! even the last box jump at fortwilliam so i was thinking 140mm – 160mm would be perfect!

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    I spent a few days riding one in Mallorca this summer – a good bike, really held back a poor fork (Fox 32 Evo 140mm) and shock (another Fox Evo thing). Had to run it with very little fork sag to stop the front end diving whilst keeping the shock soft so it actually worked (but bottomed out a lot). Sizing on the 2014 model did come up short but otherwise good geometry. Rear suspension pedalled pretty well, good anti-squat and pretty stiff when descending gnarly rock gardens. With that shock and fork it wasn’t in the same league as my Spitfire which has a 160mm Pike and CCDBA but if I didn’t have that I’d be pretty happy on a longer Spectral if it had that fork and shock.

    cazum
    Free Member

    its defo the RS pike for me love them!!! so its either £2799 with the ccdbinline + extras or the £2099 with the monarch +….. dont know if between the two there is £700 worth that i would notice!!

    thanks for some of the feedback so far!

    Bushwacked
    Free Member

    Hmmm… can see a purchase of a Pike soon for mine – just got some Zochi 55s on the Voltage and its really shown me just how rubbish the Fox’s are.

    rickymartin
    Free Member

    I got a 2014 Spectral 8.0 in large – I am 182cm and the fit is great for me. The calc put me on a medium, glad I didn’t follow that. Love the bike, great all-round, really fun to ride. Compares very well to the ones I demo’d before it arrived.

    So far I have replaced the saddle, grips and added a c guide. Plan is to beef up the front end – slightly wider carbon bars and shorter stem are sat in the garage waiting for the 150mm Pike to be ordered. I actually think the Fox 32 Performance Talas isn’t too bad, just want something a bit burlier with a touch extra travel. Quite like the Conti MKs for local XC and trail centre rides but will use a High Roller/Ardent combo for rockier stuff.

    IMO the 2015 spec has improved, especially the EX versions.

    tenfoot
    Full Member

    Interested to hear your views Taco. I was thinking about replacing my stolen Zesty with a Spectral AL 6.0. What colour did you go for? Someone on here thought the polished ali finish on Canyon bikes wasn’t very good, but I’m not too sure on the petrol colour.

    Cheers

    applause
    Free Member

    OP, I will give you a review in a month time when my 2015 Spectral 7.0 EX arrives 🙂

    I’m 180 with a 87cm inseam, 61cm torso and 61arm length. PPS recommended a medium so ordered that. Got cold feet regarding to the size a week ago and contacted Canyon who confirmed the PPS. So I’m sticking with the medium accepting that I might need to fit a 7cm stem if necessary.

    cazum
    Free Member

    am looking at that exact model!

    dont know if i will wait a month lol, might have it ordered by this friday! still looking at other options but can’t see ANYTHING close in value for money!

    am 184 it says medium for me but am thinking large tbh i would prefer a bigger bike to ride rather than a smaller one!

    hoping for tacos review

    Bushwacked
    Free Member

    Cazum – if you are in the gloucester area you are welcome to try mine to see size.

    plyphon
    Free Member

    has anyone got a picture of the petrol colour way in the flesh?

    basically any photo that hasnt been taken by Canyon, just so I can see the “real” colour.

    I wish the 6.0 came in black 🙁

    russellmilne
    Free Member

    I have the 7.0 2014. PPS recommended Small, I went for Medium (definitely the right choice). Talas Evo was terrible — good support if riding aggressively but for small bumps and trails it was very poor. After discussing it with Canyon and Mojo, it was upgraded to the Factory internals. Now it’s perfect — really great fork. Worth going down this route if there is a chance it is faulty.

    Other than that, ditched the saddle and added wider bars. Very fast bike, can’t think of any bike I’ve had more fun riding.

    applause
    Free Member

    This years Medium has a reach only 1 cm short of last years large. I tried the 2014 large at a local race and it was a fine fit for me though I thought the front-end a bit high due to the tall steerer tube. Nothing that can’t be corrected though by removing the spacers and choosing a non-riser bar.
    I just like my bikes small an nimle 🙂

    The 2015 medium spectral has a reach that is 3 cm longer than my current ’09 Trek 6700 hardtail (18,5″) so I think I will fit just fine in the Medium. But if I were 184 like the OP I would go for the large.

    skydragon
    Free Member

    Bought a 2014 Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 in red, back in May.

    Delivered quickly and the bike assembled with no problems at all.

    I’m a low-intermediate rider, so probably aren’t best placed to give advice on handling etc, but my 2p’s worth is;

    – Great value and a good basic spec.
    – I am 183cm and have a large size frame which fits me ok.
    – Now have 450 miles on it and not a single problem.
    – As posted above, Fox 32 Evo CTD forks aren’t the best and even at my riding ability I’m thinking of upgrading them to Pikes later in year.
    – Ref CTD forks, I run them on ‘descend’ when on flat or descending. But find the forks can dive too much on some terrian, or when climbing on tech stuff. don’t know if this is me or forks, or setup (noted previous comment ref fork pressures).
    – I haven’t yet, but have read that Fox CTD Float performance rear shock on this bike benefits from a large volume spacer being fitted internally. This is to enable the rear shock pressure to be set up properly without leading to it bottoming out (gives a more progressive suspension). Plan to do this later in year when i strip and clean.
    – I’ve found that pedal strikes can be a pain on sunken singletrack. Don’t know if this is me or the bike, or that the rear shock needs a spacer (noted previous post comment above).
    – replaced rear tire with faster rolling maxxis
    – replaced saddle with Charge spoon
    – fwiw Looks good. Bike normally attracts positive comments from other riders, who presume it costs a lot more.

    In short i love the bike, it’s very confidence inspiring, hasn’t let me down and I will 99% certain buy another canyon when i next buy a MTB.

    I’d guess that if you bought one of the cheaper spectrals and sold the fox forks and fitted Pikes from day 1 you’d have a great bike.

    hope this helps.

    gavjackson1984
    Free Member

    I’ve just ordered the 7 ex as well but mine isn’t due till March :(. I’m 189cm and have gone for a large. If I was you op I’d go large as you can always shorten the stem to a 40mm if you think it’s too big. Otherwise compare the geometry to other bikes and try a few to give you a general idea.

    cazum
    Free Member

    cheers guys! just having a final look around tonight before ordering incase i see something else i would want!

    @bushwhacked – thanks for the offer but central scotland 🙂 think its alittle far to try cheers again tho!

    @skydragon – thahnks for your input! as i said above if am buying am buying the pike version the exact one am looking at is!
    http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3560
    i just can’t see anything beating that for value!, add to that all of the problems people have mentions foxes….tyres…. should be taken care of as its pikes and high rollers!

    @gavjackson1984 – you ordered the stealth black one then?

    @applause – thanks again for that info defo thinking the large is right canyon say medium but i dont wanna feel cramped on the bike! or have to put a stupid size stem on it! so large and if need be a smaller stem!

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    First ride out the other day, unfortunately only around Sherwood Pines,
    Please also bare in mind that I’ve come from riding a 120mm Prince Albert hardtail.
    It rides well but as has already been pointed out, the suspension lets it down,
    The Fox 32 Evolution is somewhat better than the Rebas I’m used to,
    However I can feel it’s going to take some fine tuning to find that agreeable spot,
    I had to set up at near 100psi, around 20psi more than recommended for my weight,
    At 80psi the forks would bottom out (remember this is Sherwood pines we’re talking about!).

    The rear suspension Fox CTD is pretty good but again I’m running much higher than my weights recommendation, The Climb setting could be better, I feel it doesn’t lock out as much as it could.

    I have a Small and at 5’6″ it fits me perfectly.

    The bike feels great, no play on any components,
    I really need to ride it a few times to get a feel for it but I know we’ll get on perfectly well!

    Only gripe! as mentioned, The Raw finish looks a bit shabby in places,
    I considered the 2015 6.0 in Petrol but I can’t complain to much as the price was better on the 2014.

    Will get back with a better report on how the bike rides after Cannock tomorrow.

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    Oh! As skydragon has done, I’ll be replacing the tires, Mountain Kings don’t roll too fast and The saddle isn’t all that comfortable, Charge Spoon is only £20!

    Also! The Chain stay protector occasionally got caught when my pedaling,
    Annoying but possibly because I’ve switched to chunky Shimano AM45’s and just getting used to them!

    Stu661
    Free Member

    Just out of interest did you guys get a email the week the bike was due to be shipped, my bike is due to be shipped this week with any luck.

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    Have you ordered a 2014 or 2015 model?
    Mine took 7 days from ordering,
    The first confirmation email said they were busy and could take 5-8 days before the bike was sent out.
    5 days after ordering I got an email confirming the bike was ready,
    My UPS number said it was waiting to be picked up, On day 7 the UPS status updated, almost an hour later the bike was here!

    cazum
    Free Member

    i ended up ordering a radon slide carbon its like £200 more but same weight more travel better spec…..

    take it you ordered a 2014 from stock? if the 2015’s has been available within a few weeks it would have given me something else to think about but when i started looking at canyons the wait time for 5 weeks which was ok! the next say it was 9 weeks! ….. sort of put me off!

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    Those Radon Slide’s look good, wish I’d seen them 3 weeks ago!

    cazum
    Free Member

    yeah they look good value for the carbon!!! but alittle worried about rear chainstay seen one or two have cracked them…. but those were 2014 models not sure if they have changed the 2015 ones! but they seem happy to replace them with little hassle!

    tjdixon
    Free Member

    I’ve, this week taken delivery of my 2015 Spectral AL 7.0EX in Stealth, and it is very “Stealth” – put it all together, size looks good, I went for Large after visiting Canyon in the summer and test riding bot M & L in the 2014 model, the slight change in length of the new model made me think a bit but still opted for the large on the basis the med was still shorter than my “shortest” bike which I always felt was a a tad short.

    First ride will be this weekend – looking forward to it 🙂

    I test rode the chrome red colour which looked great in the showroom, what put me off was the dull looking used one in the bike racks outside, just thought it’d loose it’s shine after a while – the Stealth doesn’t have a shine to loose!

    ETA – I’m about 185cm tall

    M6TTF
    Free Member

    I’ve got a 7ex on order, delivery May next year, long wait, but at least the worst of the weather will have passed. I’m a smidge under 6ft with around 33″ inside leg. My current fuel ex is a virtual 19.5 and the top tube length is 1mm different to the large spectral so I’m going to stick with a large. Don’t like short bikes

    tjdixon
    Free Member

    Your stats sound very much like mine – I’ve always run 19, 19.5, 20″ bikes but my PACE is 18.5 feels a tad short for me – the canyon is a few mm longer than my XTC but with the shorter stem isn’t much different…

    I did look the other day, I was amazed at the waiting time – I actually went on to order a 2014 bike the day/day after they released the 2015 bikes, still was a 2 month wait.

    What colour have you gone for?

    My thoughts were/are if I didn’t get on with the bike after trying I’d buy a different frame – I don’t think you’d be able to buy all those parts for what the bike costs..

    M6TTF
    Free Member

    Went for the stealth too. When I ordered the red was available in March, but the black won me over

    jamesbeaumont
    Free Member

    This is really interesting as I was just looking at ordering a Spectral 8ex and read this only to realise the 7ex seems like a better buy. Much longer wait though! Im 5″11 and currently ride a large heckler and had a large mojo before that. Both these have been more or less a max seat post extension. Do you think I’d be best with a large spectral also?

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 76 total)

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