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[b]TLDR: Opinions wanted on [url= https://www.canyon.com/en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3560 ]Spectral AL 7.0 EX[/url] at £2,099 vs. [url= https://www.canyon.com/en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3604 ]Spectral AL 9.9 29er[/url] at £2,549.[/b]
I've got a [url= https://www.canyon.com/en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3560 ]Spectral AL 7.0 EX[/url] on order at the moment, but its not going to be with me until the first week of July. I couldn't help but notice that the 29er versions are all available from stock which means I could be riding one within a couple of weeks. This has got me thinking whether I should switch my order.
Not interested in the models with Fox suspension, so this means i'm looking at the AL 9.9 out of the 29ers. Its £400 more expensive than the 650b i've got on order and for that you get a DBinline instead of the Monarch RT3, an RCT3 pike instead of an RC and X0 2x10 drivetrain vs X1 on the 650b...
I guess my questions are:
Do the upgrades justify £400?
How much better is the DBinline than the RT3?
Is X0 2x10 really an upgrade over X1?
I can only find reviews for the 650b, anyone know how the 29er rides?
Hmm ... perhaps nobody has bought a 29er yet!
IMO the suspension upgrades probably warrant the additional £400 though I would prefer 1x11 to 2x10 despite it being the cheaper X1 1x11 (and not X01 or X11).
Can't really comment on the shock but I have a 2014 Spectral 9.9 with a Fox Float X and it's fine for me but I would love to try a CCDB after hearing a lot of good things about them.
I haven't ridden a 650b, only my 29er spectral and from what I can gather I'd say the 650b will be a little more nimble and maybe a bit quicker on downhill/ rough stuff (due to more travel & slacker geometry) but I would not swap my 29er for one, especially for UK riding.
I bought the 29er to be my one and only do-it-all bike and it's pretty much perfect for that. Climbs well, rolls over anything, not too heavy and great fun on the descents but the best thing has to be just how well it pedals/ eats up miles. Despite mine being an XL and therefore a pretty big bike it never feels overly big or difficult to throw around.
This being said, If you don't need something as good on longer rides (either you don't ride XC or have a hardtail) then I'd probably go for the 650b, but as a do-it-all bike I haven't seen anything I'd take my 29er for 🙂
EDIT: May also depend on how tall you are - I probably wouldn't fancy a S or M 29er and would almost certainly opt for the 29er if I needed an XL
2x10 is a downgrade on x1 in terms of price, surely?
The pike rc is a fine fork and doesn't miss the extra adjustors.
The ccdb inline works great on my short travel 4-bar bike, but you could sell the monarch and buy one from tf tuned instead.
Hope that helps.
The 'Ex' builds by canyon are kind of hard core versions. From what I can tell they're usually (all?) 1x11 and some models have burlier forks as well. It's kind of a 'range within the range' if you like. They look far more aggressive than the non-ex versions, anyway - I would definitely go for the Ex, personally.
I think maybe they think 29ers are supposed to be a bit more sedate/mile munching rather than enduro weapons - Hence no Ex version.
I've got a 2014 Spectral 27.5 AL 8.0 with a 160 pike RCT3 (and Magic Mary up front just like Joe Barnes 😉 ) and it is shizzz hot. The Fox 32 that came on it is on the hardtail and is quite rubbish really so it's right to avoid it IMO. The 2015 Spectral 27.5 is a bit longer so can use a shorter stem which is more 'duro and betterer so pay the extra euro to get the shortest they can supply that will still work for you.
As said 29er is more xc mile muncher and 27.5 is more fun.
Pike RC is the same as the RCT3 in every way when fully open which is how you'll run it all the time. Otherwise it's lock or not as opposed to 3 position.
I like my 2x10 but 1x11 is better if you don't mind missing out a bit of range either end.
If you can afford it will this be quicker https://www.canyon.com/en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3558
Resurrecting this as I'm having almost the exact same quandary!
The 9.9 is now reduced too (2400). Any updates? What did you go for astrozombies?
Just had a ride on a mates 7.0ex today and loved it but wondering how the downhill confidence is affected by the steeper head angle...
Are they even doing the Spectral as a 29er anymore? No 2016 on the website yet - just 27.5. Shame as I'd like to order one shortly...
Youre not looking very hard.... The 29ers have been on the website since they updated it... Same place as the 27.5 ones
They don't have the little 2016 badge on hem though, Doug, which was the question...I think?
They are dripfeeding the the new releases. Probably as they manage to clearout the old ones first!
I noticed they seem to be drip feeding the 2016 releases. The 29er EX isn't reduced though which made me wonder whether it was the 2016 model, but it is a bit confusing.
I did also see that the head angle is a tad slacker on the EX's, is that likely just due to the 10mm longer fork? Can't imagine it's a different game when all other dimensions are the same.
On that note can a 130mm 29er Pike be converted to 140mm travel?
Anyone ridden both?
I had a look at these bikes a few times in past months, but don't remember the 2015 29er being available in 'whiskey brown' so maybe they are 2016 models?
The 2016 7ex has been slightly downgraded to GX instead of X1 too
I was in Germany last week, so called into Koblenz to test ride the Spectral. Apparently the 29er range for 2016 should be released in the next 2 or 3 weeks according to the salesman I spoke to.