First Look: Canyon Neuron AL 9.9

Slotting in between scary-fast short travel race bikes, and heavier duty long travel all mountain rigs, you’ll find the hazy world of the modern trail bike. Promising to deliver that idyllic balance of lightweight, pedal efficiency, comfort and descending prowess, a trail bike offers versatility in spades.

But while every brand offers one that fits somewhere in this grey area, almost everyone has a different idea of what a trail bike is. Should it be a comfortable XC bike that’s built a little more practically than a carbon fibre racer? Or should it be a slacker, plusher and more downhill-focussed machine?

Sitting in between the 100mm travel full suspension Lux race bike, and the 160mm travel Strive enduro bike, Canyon actually has two trail bikes. There’s the 140mm travel, 27.5in-wheeled Spectral, which we’ve tested and reviewed here. Then there’s the shorter travel Neuron.

This is the 29er version of the Canyon Neuron. It’s also available with 27.5in wheels.

Formally known as the Nerve, the Neuron is a short-travel trail bike that’s offered in both 29in and 27.5in specific versions. Antony tested and reviewed the 27.5in Canyon Nerve last year, and to compare that with its bigger-wheeled sibling, we’ve got a brand new 29er Neuron in for testing.

Whereas the 27.5in model gets 130/120mm of travel, the 29er Neuron runs 10mm less at either end, with a 120mm travel fork and 110mm of rear travel courtesy of a four-bar suspension linkage. Sitting two rungs down from the top 9.9 LTD model, the Neuron AL 9.9 comes spec’d with a Fox Performance Elite suspension package, a DT Swiss wheelset, and Shimano Deore XT groupset. However, it’s worth noting that the entire Neuron range is built around the same hydroformed alloy frame that we’re going to give you a closer look at here.

The Neuron AL 9.9 sits two rungs from the top-model, but still comes with a Fox suspension package, DT Swiss wheels and a Shimano Deore XT groupset.

Canyon Neuron Features

Hydroformed & welded alloy frame
29in wheels
110mm travel
Four-bar suspension design w/Horst Link pivot
120mm travel fork
69.3° head angle
73.8° seat angle
445mm chainstay length
Syntace X-12 142x12mm rear thru-axle
Press-fit BB92 bottom bracket shell
Side Swing mount front derailleur
Stealth dropper post cable routing
External gear and brake cable routing
Sizes: Medium, Large, X-Large
RRP: £2649

Whereas the 27.5in version sports 120mm of rear travel and 130mm of fork travel, the 29er model shrinks that number down by 10mm at each end.

Four-bar suspension linkage delivers 110mm of rear wheel travel.

A PF92 bottom bracket meets a chunky forged block of alloy that houses the main pivot.

Neat junction for the upper rocker link comes loaded with sealed ball bearing pivots.

Bolt-on chain slap guard.

Angular 142x12mm dropouts meet a Syntace X-12 thru-axle.

Canyon has picked a Shimano Deore XT 2×11 groupset for the Neuron AL 9.9

Double chainsets are becoming less common, but not on a German full-suspension XC/trail bike like this.

The Neuron sticks with external routing for the rear brake hose and derailleur cable.

With a 2×11 groupset and a dropper post, there’s a few cables about the front of the Neuron. Thankfully there are no remote lockouts…

740mm wide low-rise handlebars with a 70mm long stem makes up the Neuron 29er cockpit.

Because of the 2x drivetrain, the Neuron AL 9.9 runs the Reverb dropper remote on the right side of the bars.

Dropper hose runs inside the frame behind the tapered head tube.

125mm of travel via the new generation Reverb dropper post from RockShox.

To balance out the back end, Canyon has spec’d the bike with a capable Fox 34 Float fork with 120mm of travel.

The 34 features Boost hub spacing to provide huge tyre clearance. Of note is that the rear hub is of the non-Boost variety.

Nicely finished alloy hoops from DT Swiss in the form of Spline One XM 1501 wheels.

2.4in wide tyres front and rear, with a more aggressive Mountain King tread on the front…

…and a faster rolling X-King tyre on the rear.

Frame geometry on the Canyon Neuron 29er.

Geometry wise, the Neuron 29er is a little more traditional in its numbers than compared to some other short travel 29er trail bikes like the Orange Segment. As to how those numbers play out on the trail, well, we’re very interested to find out!

For further information on the 16-strong Neuron bike range, head to the Canyon website.

How different is the 29er Neuron from the 27.5in version? Stay tuned to find out!

Canyon Neuron AL 9.9 Specifications

Frame // Hydroformed Alloy Tubing, 110mm Travel
Fork // Fox 34 Float Performance Elite, 120mm Travel
Shock // Fox Float DPS Performance Elite
Hubs // DT Swiss Spline XM 1501, 110x15mm Front & 142x12mm Rear
Rims // DT Swiss Spline XM 1501, 25mm Internal Width, Tubeless Compatible
Tyres // Continental Mountain King II Racesport 2.4in Front & X-King Racesport 2.4in Rear
Chainset // Shimano Deore XT, 36/26t
Front Mech // Shimano Deore XT, Side Swing
Rear Mech // Shimano Deore XT, 11-Speed
Shifters // Shimano Deore XT, 11-Speed
Cassette // Shimano SLX, 11-42t
Brakes // Shimano Deore XT, 180mm Front & Rear
Stem // Canyon V14, 70mm Long
Bars // Canyon H13 Flat AL, 740mm Wide, 5mm Rise
Grips // Ergon GA30 Lock-On
Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 125mm Travel
Saddle // Fizik Tundra 2
Size Tested // Medium
Sizes available // Medium, Large, X-Large
Actual weight // 12.9 kg (28.38 lbs)