Today Canyon releases the all-new Spectral; a 140mm travel trail bike built around 27.5in wheels with clearance for up to 2.6in wide tyres, and geometry geared towards the good times.
The Spectral is one of the most popular mountain bike models for the German direct-to-consumer brand, though the current one has been starting to look a little long in the tooth, having largely been unchanged since 2013. The new version brings with it a whole-new frame that’s available in carbon and alloy versions, and even a carbon/alloy option too. The suspension design has changed, with the rocker link design gone, and the rear shock now mounted halfway up the downtube. There’s loads of nifty features new to the Spectral, and a much-needed geometry refresh, so get yourself a brew, sit down, and let’s go through all the nitty gritty details.
“Get up. Go to work. Come home. Go to bed. Repeat. The routine is the enemy. Try again. Get up. Go to work. Leave early. Go ride. Better. It’s a stretch to guarantee that a bike can change how someone lives, but it can help. The new Spectral was developed by riders, for riders, to have the most fun riding. To get people to say no to the routine and yes to the trails.” – From Canyon.
2018 Canyon Spectral Features
- Brand new do-it-all full suspension trail bike
- Available with an alloy, carbon/alloy, or full carbon frame
- 27.5in wheels with clearance for 2.6in wide tyres
- 140mm rear travel via four-bar suspension design
- 150mm travel fork
- Head angle: 66°
- Seat angle: 74.5°
- 430mm chainstay length
- 148x12mm rear thru-axle
- Impact Protection Unit to prevent over-rotation of handlebars
- Integrated bolt-on cable tunnel for downtube
- Hidden seat clamp
- Available sizes: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
- Claimed weight: 12.4kg – 14.8kg (spec dependent)
- RRP: €2199 – €6999
Using a configuration not dissimilar to the YT Jeffsy, the new Canyon Spectral mounts the rear shock halfway up the downtube, with a compact swing link driving the shock and connecting it to the upper seatstays. The configuration is still a four-bar design, with a horst-link pivot positioned just above the rear axle, but Canyon states the new suspension design improves both its bump-swallowing performance and the actual frame geometry too, with the dropped top tube offering more standover clearance. The seat tube is a bit shorter now, and that’s allowed Canyon to spec longer 150mm travel dropper posts.
Internal cable routing is neat, but more often than not – it is an utter pain in the arse to work on when cables/hoses need to be shortened or replaced. To get around this, Canyon has executed one of the cleanest routing solutions we have seen on a mountain bike. Using a bolt-on tunnel, the cables and hoses are routed underneath the downtube inside this tunnel where they’re kept away for a tidy look. The casing acts as additional frame protection, and it also snugs the cables down to ensure they don’t rattle about. And when it’s time for replacement, the whole casing can be unbolted for easy access to cabling – HALLELUJAH!
2018 Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 Specifications
- Frame // 6066 Alloy Frame, 140mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Pike RC, 150mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Deluxe RT
- Wheels // DT Swiss M 1900, 30mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6in Front & Rekon 2.6in Rear
- Drivetrain // SRAM GX Eagle 1×12
- Brakes // SRAM Guide R
- Bars // Race Face Aeffect, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // KS Lev Si, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €2499
2018 Canyon Spectral AL 7.0 Specifications
- Frame // 6066 Alloy Frame, 140mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Pike RC, 150mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Deluxe RT
- Wheels // DT Swiss M 1700, 30mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6in Front & Rekon 2.6in Rear
- Drivetrain // Shimano Deore XT 2×11
- Brakes // Shimano Deore XT
- Bars // Race Face Aeffect, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // KS Lev Si, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €2699
2018 Canyon Spectral CF 8.0 Specifications
- Frame // Carbon Fibre Mainframe, 6066 Alloy Frame, 140mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Pike RC, 150mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Deluxe RT
- Wheels // DT Swiss M 1700, 30mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6in Front & Rekon 2.6in Rear
- Drivetrain // SRAM GX Eagle 1×12
- Brakes // SRAM Guide R
- Bars // Race Face Aeffect, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €2999
2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 Pro Specifications
- Frame // Carbon Fibre Mainframe, 6066 Alloy Frame, 140mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Pike RCT3, 150mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Deluxe RT3
- Wheels // Mavic XA Pro Carbon, 26mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Mavic Charge Pro 2.4in Front & Quest Pro 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain // SRAM GX Eagle 1×12
- Brakes // SRAM Guide RS
- Bars // Renthal Fatbar Lite 35, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €3999
2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 SL Specifications
- Frame // Carbon Fibre, 140mm Travel
- Fork // Fox 34 Float, Factory Series, 150mm Travel
- Shock // Fox Float DPS, Factory Series, EVOL
- Wheels // DT Swiss XMC 1200, 30mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6in Front & Rekon 2.6in Rear
- Drivetrain // SRAM GX/X01 Eagle 1×12
- Brakes // SRAM Guide RSC
- Bars // Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon 35, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €4999
2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 LTD Specifications
- Frame // Carbon Fibre, 140mm Travel
- Fork // Fox 34 Float, Factory Series, 150mm Travel
- Shock // Fox Float DPS, Factory Series, EVOL
- Wheels // ENVE M60, 26mm Internal, Boost Front & Rear
- Tyres // Maxxis Rekon 2.6in Front & Rear
- Drivetrain // SRAM XX1 Eagle 1×12
- Brakes // SRAM Guide Ultimate
- Bars // Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon 35, 760mm Wide
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth, 150mm Travel
- RRP // €6999
Comments (14)
Comments Closed
Thanks but no thanks to 70s gold styling, to those of us who can remember the 70S its all a bit JPS . https://goo.gl/images/FGncjj
Oh and if I am spending close to £4k on a bike why would I want carbon wheels with 26mm internal rims ?
but but but, I remember the JPS and that black and gold is for ever the coolest possible colour combo. Yes please. And a built in sandwich box!
Looks like someone at Canyon has spent too much time looking at a stumpjumper
Oooh, I like that. I really like the black and gold one (but then I still consider the Mondraker Foxy XR from a couple of years back to be the sexiest bike ever).
Not too sure about “compact swing link driving the shock and connecting it to the upper seatstays” I only have bog standard seatstays, and certainly not lower ones.
Any why are the factory guys running piggy back shocks. Already decided the standard shock doesn’t cut it?
@gt900uk – I suspect the factory riders are pushing the bike pretty hard and fast, where a piggyback shock may be the preferable option. Canyon has firmly stated that the Strive is the enduro race bike in the range, but given the updates with the Spectral, perhaps some will want to use this bike instead?
@eddiebaby – Apologies for any confusion caused by that one matey! By ‘upper seatstays’, that means the upper section of the seatstay tube that’s furthest from the rear wheel. There’s a small black link on the seat tube that connects those two seatstay tubes to the end of the rear shock. It’s quite a nice, clean design, and one that Canyon states is more kind on the shock bushings, due to the lower amount of rotation that the shock eyelets encounter as the suspension goes through its travel.
Hope that helps explain things for ya, but let me know if you’ve got any other questions!
ST Wil.
Had to laugh at the john player special! It’s a braver man then me who turns up at the trail centre on that! I think the Christmas party came a bit early at canyon ha ha ha
“Oh and if I am spending close to £4k on a bike why would I want carbon wheels with 26mm internal rims ?” Looks like they’ve paired 2.6 tyres with 30mm internal and 2.4 tyres with 26mm internal. Seems fair enough to me.
looks good to me.
If only i wasnt broke as a very broke thing 🙁
although tbh id want to see one in the flesh, had my heart set on a shan n05 but reviews have stopped that tbh
Ugly colour schemes. The colour of the Ally bikes look better though the welding is butt ugly around that seat tube gusset.
In carbon the grey and red doesn’t really work and the others are either dull or too bling.
i like the 2 tone ones
Is it just me or is anyone else having problems accessing the Canyon website?
In Chrome I get told it’s not a private connection and I.E. tells me the certificate has expired.
To those who don’t like the black and gold; I’m sorry you have bad taste