[Closed] New Canyon Spectral

Crikey, not sure about that. I always liked the 'original' Canyon (looks wise), but not sure about that cyberpunk colour scheme with the 'HEY ITS CARBON FIBRE DONT YOU KNOW' tube shapes.

The aluminium one isn't much better:

[img] [/img]

Look at that gusset 😯

Looks better in flat black:

[img] [/img]

It's interesting this website seems to really like the Spectral, but others I've read reviews on slated it for it's steeper-than-trend head angle.

I like it!

Plus points...
Striking looks
Interesting cable routing system
Not ruinously expensive
That frame box looks the perfect size for a sandwich

looks like it's from a different universe. Aliens brought this down to earth? 😉
Still a bike?
😯
Alien - sandwich - box!
Great!
🙄

It is more than a little

[img] [/img]

Plus dual-barrel water bottles to wash down those sammiches:

[img] [/img]

how are the wheels too small?

looks like a single pivot too rather than a horst link in those pictures

Looks are Hateful IMO, had a spectral couple of years ago and loved the bike.

Looks are Hateful IMO, had a spectral couple of years ago and loved the bike.

Plus dual-barrel water bottles to wash down those sammiches:

Ahh, I assumed they were bombs for "destroying berms" - or something like that.

Proof, if it was still needed, that "less is more" when it comes to colour matching

Seven grand for this spec is "cheap" though

[img] [/img]

how are the wheels too small?

I likes the 29in ones

New version seems to have been seriously hitting the cakes.
The CF 8.0 weighs more than an AL 6.0 used to.

It's got a gold chain - thats the type of thing I wanted on my BMX when I was 14

Yep,I guess that's progress nowadays-making their new trail bike 3-4lbs heavier than previous version.
I don't think I like the look of it-hopefully the new Torque carries the newer bulkier design off a bit better.

I like the red Alu one, the carbon/gold ones are a bit too 'Dubai' for me.

Still won't buy one though, they're cheap, but not cheap enough these days. Not with the intermittent order/warranty/other issues Canyon have. If I lived in Germany things might be different.

looks like a single pivot too

Axle is still on the seatstay. They’ve just moved the pivot

Seems a decent spec on the £2700 one, CF frame, eagle, pikes.

And the red AL6.0 is a nice spec for the price, however... 14.7kg for a medium 😯

What a fatty!!! 😆

I see their 'revolutionary' and 'game-changing' on-the-fly geometry adjusting thingybob (already forgotten it's name) is gone now. I thought Canyon said it was going to be around for years and would be the best thing ever?

Tom KP

carbon/gold ones are a bit too 'Dubai' for me.

that's poetry! Nice. 😉

bit too 'Dubai' - maybe also bit too 'eBike'?
🙄

I see their 'revolutionary' and 'game-changing' on-the-fly geometry adjusting thingybob (already forgotten it's name) is gone now. I thought Canyon said it was going to be around for years and would be the best thing ever?

That was on the Strive, and they have kept it on for 2018 to be fair (they still haven't changed the frame since launch in 2014 though IIRC).

I see their 'revolutionary' and 'game-changing' on-the-fly geometry adjusting thingybob (already forgotten it's name) is gone now. I thought Canyon said it was going to be around for years and would be the best thing ever?

The shapeshifter thing was on the strive not the spectral

Edt: beaten by a few seconds

It doesn't look like the shapeshifter has made it onto their other potentially fourth coming bigger travel bike either ,this looks like a much better looker to me:[img] [/img]

The top one looks like an eby ek ebike

It doesn't look like the shapeshifter has made it onto their other potentially fourth coming bigger travel bike either ,this looks like a much better looker to me:

yeah that looks a lot better

wheels still too small though

new Canyon Spectral:
"Dubai", "eBike" - but not boring!

This bike design of the new Canyon Spectral sparks controversy!

On the trail: might end up in talking and arguing and not biking...?
Means: stress - bike?
😐

Like the red, but I agree with the above reach and wheelbase just not long enough.

Actually looking at it in more detail there some great features such as the cover for bearings (joe barnes influence ) and the seat tube clamp. http://flowmountainbike.com/tests/first-impressions-2018-canyon-spectral/

Looks like a stumpjumper to me. Very similar geo and suspension design.

darrenspink - Member
Actually looking at it in more detail there some great features such as the cover for bearings (joe barnes influence ) and the seat tube clamp. http://flowmountainbike.com/tests/first-impressions-2018-canyon-spectral/

The "internal" cable routing is tidy. Gets away from internal cable routing designed for left-front brakes too. Like the extra weatherproofing touches too.

Riding something like this means:

andreasrhoen - Member
new Canyon Spectral:
On the trail: might end up in talking and arguing and not biking...?
Means: stress - bike?

looks good imo. like the bearing covers.

Shame the low end carbon one didnt have shimano.

Chucked a leg over the gold n black carbon one a couple of months back, it's a lot nicer looking in the flesh, I liked it.

Axle is still on the seatstay. They’ve just moved the pivot

pivot is on the seatstay is it not? that makes it a single pivot. if the pivot is on the chainstay then its a horst link.

[img] [/img]

I like the aesthetic quite a bit.

I did clock the location of the horst link pivot too. FWIW, it's not a faux bar or a single pivot, as the seatstay is still one piece all the way to the rear mech, as it is with Spesh et al. However, the pivot point is [i]above[/i] the rear axle line. The closest thing that I can think of is an Ellesworth, where the chainstay pivot is directly in line with the axle.

As for geometry, it's quoted at 66 degrees of HA. That's surely on-trend?

poah - Member
pivot is on the seatstay is it not? that makes it a single pivot. if the pivot is on the chainstay then its a horst link

If the axle is on the chainstay it's singlepivot. The axle here is on the seatstay so the rear wheel isn't just moving in an arc (although it'll be bloody close I bet). The pivot has been moved drastically upwards but it's still a horst link

The pivot is still on the chainstay, but positioned above the rear axle like Rocky Mountains used to with some of their bikes.

The closest thing that I can think of is an Ellesworth

I like the looks, although the sneak pic of the sender esque longer travel bike looks nicer. Still prefer a radon if I was going German though

As for geometry, it's quoted at 66 degrees of HA. That's surely on-trend?

Reach figures would have been on-trend a few years ago, but 440mm medium and 460mm large seems conservative now.

And you can't size up easily 'cos the seat tube lengths are similarly conservative.

although the sneak pic of the sender esque longer travel bike looks nicer

That it is....

So have they delayed the launch of the Strive replacement in order to re-do it with 29in wheels?

Quite surprised they still don't do a fun full-sus 29er.

This one looks quite smart actually...
[img] [/img]

the axle is on the chainstay it's singlepivot. The axle here is on the seatstay so the rear wheel isn't just moving in an arc (although it'll be bloody close I bet). The pivot has been moved drastically upwards but it's still a horst link

not a horst link then but not a single pivot either

It's just another four bar design. There are loads of different ones - for some reason people obsess over where the chainstay pivot is despite it having less bearing on the suspension behaviour than where the other three pivots are.

(I don't include linkage driven single pivots or split pivots in this category as they don't have chainstay pivots, so the axle follows a simple arc rather than pivoting around a moving projected pivot point).

Geometry looks bang on trend. Bike looks a bit weird though!

Still untouchable value wise,... until something breaks.

old one always looked flimsy at the rear. this one looks a good bit more chunky

The weights of the Ali are porky, how have they managed to increase the weight from the AL 7.0 EX 2017 12.7kg to the AL 7.0 2018 14.2kg
Can't be the choice of 2.6 tyres can it?

Maybe they used accurate scales this time?

Fashionable wide rims?

I see canyon still haven't worked out how to make an XL trail bike.. 20.5" seat tube and the longest headtube of any mtb on the market (i think, maybe, it's long though!)

When the sender in XL is the most sorted dh bike I've ever ridden it's frustrating canyon can't bring that geo (relatively low stack, slammed BB, long reach and stays) to a trail bike.

reach and wheelbase just not long enough.

I really don't get this seemingly recent trend for fixation on reach and length

The 2015 orange 5 which many swooned over was 10 mm shorter with 10mm less reach and was apparently great but now the latest 5 and this are virtually identical in reach and wheelbase as it's now short, did we all change Size and shape in the last couple of years that I missed

Fashionable wide rims?

The weights of the Ali are porky, how have they managed to increase the weight from the AL 7.0 EX 2017 12.7kg to the AL 7.0 2018 14.2kg

Well they're now rated for jumps more than 60cm high. 😉

Goldigger - Member
The weights of the Ali are porky, how have they managed to increase the weight from the AL 7.0 EX 2017 12.7kg to the AL 7.0 2018 14.2kg
Can't be the choice of 2.6 tyres can it?

The AL 6.0 and CF 8.0 are almost identical in spec apart from a KS lev on the AL over a reverb and m1900 Vs m1700 wheels, so about the AL has a 300 grams heavier spec - yet the quoted weights are 14.7kg vs 13.3kg, that's 1.1kg extra weight just in the frame...

The Pro frameset looks to be about 2.8kg w/o shock and seatpost so that would make the non pro CF frames about 3kg with their alloy chain/seatstays so the alloy frame is about 4.1kg. Add a shock and that's 4.4kg.

Lardy bastard!!! The sonder Evol is 3.2kg with a shock for comparison of a simple alloy frame.

Looks just like the Marins everyone slagged off the other year.

Never wanted a Canyon and this has not changed my mind. Bleugh.

It's worth recognising that Canyon have realised making the bike available in black at every spec level is a good move. Was close to pulling the trigger in the past but didn't want either of the colours available at the spec I wanted.

The 2015 orange 5 which many swooned over was 10 mm shorter with 10mm less reach and was apparently great but now the latest 5 and this are virtually identical in reach and wheelbase as it's now short, did we all change Size and shape in the last couple of years that I missed

It's subjective, some people always liked longer bikes, it's just that now reviewers do too. Bear in mind that reviewers qualifications are mostly:
a) journalism degree or similar
b) plenty of time on a bike

It's still just an opinion, it might not be right for everyone. You couldn't just stick everyone on a Geometron or Bird Aeris, for plenty of people they'd be rubbish.

If you actually look at the geometry though, it's only short when compared to a handful of niche and semi-custom bikes (Geometron, Pole, Bird, Mondraker). Compared to Spesh/Trek/Giant it's on a par (and longer than a lot of others).

It's subjective, some people always liked longer bikes

Yep, and some of us only realised we needed a longer bike after reading Steve Jones banging on about it in Dirt for several years - then being blown away when we actually tried one.

Bikes were great, now they're [i]even greater[/i]. Logical enough innit?

Longer frame reach has been the best thing since sliced dropper posts, IMO.

Everything bigger than your smallest frame and smaller than your biggest frame is just a size.... Unless the frame has an unwieldy long seat tube, or ridiculously short one its really not that important.

Everything bigger than your smallest frame and smaller than your biggest frame is just a size.... Unless the frame has an unwieldy long seat tube, or ridiculously short one its really not that important.

With well thought out opinions like that you'll bankrupt the magazine industry!

Everything bigger than your smallest frame and smaller than your biggest frame is just a size.... Unless the frame has an unwieldy long seat tube, or ridiculously short one its really not that important.

I can tell you haven't got stumpy little legs.

Surprisingly few companies do a "large" with less than 450mm seat tube still. Trust me, I've checked!

chestrockwell - Member
Looks just like the Marins everyone slagged off the other year.

Come on. It's no looker, but the Marin is an order of magniture uglier

[img] [/img]

Indeed Bikes are always great apart from of course when they are greater, in greatness rather than length, possibly

Everything bigger than your smallest frame and smaller than your biggest frame is just a size.... Unless the frame has an unwieldy long seat tube, or ridiculously short one its really not that important.

Or unwieldy long head tubes 😉

I couldn't size up to give a reach I'd like on the Spectral without losing 40mm off the seat tube, and 20mm off the head tube, and that is being conservative with reach. Reach wise I could happily go up two sizes doubling the amount off the seat and head tubes, but then the ETT would be too long, needing steeper seat tube. I won't even get into angle sets. Safe to say it's not for me 🙂

Having said that it's not a short bike, just middle of the road which will no doubt suit a lot of people.

. Reach wise I could happily go up two sizes doubling the amount off the seat and head tubes, but then the ETT would be too long,

Surely that's just a case of sliding the saddle forwards on the rails a bit?

Is going much beyond 74.5deg seat angle realistic with a straight post? That's already about 3deg (effectively) steeper than a road bike.

Surely that's just a case of sliding the saddle forwards on the rails a bit?

Yes that would go some way to bringing the ETT down by the required 40mm

I think enduro mag had the wrong geo numbers and have updated it, looking now the reach on a large is waaaaay more than my scout. Happy to try one now if they bring out a alu frameset 🙂

Still looks the same to me Darren, I think this is the official geo chart (it's even in JPS black & gold like the bikes)...

[img] [/img]

I must of read it wrong 🙂 ...fancy one Stacey?

Wrong size wheels (and too short). I was thinking Canyon might come out with a sweet 29er at some point, but they seem to be sticking to 27.

Surprisingly few companies do a "large" with less than 450mm seat tube still. Trust me, I've checked!

I wish I didnt have stumpy legs 🙂 Its true though, but with the newer longer 170+ posts becoming more common I am thinking of chopping a few MM off the seat tube on the next model.

mark90 - Member

Surely that's just a case of sliding the saddle forwards on the rails a bit?

Yes that would go some way to bringing the ETT down by the required 40mm

Can't tell if sarcastic or not...............

If you genuinely wanted the same reach figure as the Canyon, and 40mm shorter ETT you'd need a (frankly mental) 78.5deg seat angle because:

ETT = Reach + (stack/(Tan [seat angle]))

I'm a bit put out by this, I almost pulled the trigger on the old spectral but left it to long and the Mediums had sold out in the spec i wanted.
Now that it's heavier than my 5 I suppose I've saved 3k.

Well that and it's too long/short high/low, but unless I've missed it the wheelsize might possibly be agreeable. No, no that's wrong/right too 🙁 damn this is hard

Can't tell if sarcastic or not...............

If you genuinely wanted the same reach figure as the Canyon, and 40mm shorter ETT you'd need a (frankly mental) 78.5deg seat angle

Slightly 😉

Bird manage the same reach as the XL Spectral (in their ML size) of 480+/- and a 30mm shorter ETT (630 vrs 661) with a seat tube angle of 76, and a more reasonable stack (for me) of 600 which is 10% less than the Spectral with a 480 reach.

Ideally if I was speccing my own bike (dreaming of a Starling) I'd be looking for around 620 ETT, 470 reach, 600 stack. Which interpolating with off the peg bikes shouldn't be that radical, pretty much between a M and ML Bird. Though to be fair I haven't done the trig as I don't have the funds at the moment to get custom built frame anyway.

Edit: Just done the calculation = 76 seat angle, seems reasonable. Or 76.8 if I wanted to stretch to a 160 ETT-reach.

Well that and it's too long/short high/low, but unless I've missed it the wheelsize might possibly be agreeable. No, no that's wrong/right too damn this is hard

hey, nothing wrong with knowing exactly what you want

it's not like bikes are cheap these days and I can't afford an expensive mistake

I wish I didnt have stumpy legs Its true though, but with the newer longer 170+ posts becoming more common I am thinking of chopping a few MM off the seat tube on the next model.

Well your bikes are long enough anyway, but I appreciate the sentiment.

I think a few more firms are catching on FWIW, Cotic seem to have got it with the new Soul. I have to slam my seatpost on all my bikes anyway, I'm usually limited to a 125mm drop post.

I know, get the violins out.

I'm usually limited to a 125mm drop post.

I was with a reverb on my original Aeris, then I discovered that the Fox has a lower collar and a 150 will (just) fit, luckily this coincided with the Mojo fire sale.