The new Canyon Spectral:ON CF line of bikes are designed to be Canyon Bike’s all-around eMTB that is capable of doing it all with speed, style and a Mullet wheel configuration. Sporting a Shimano EP8 drive unit with a Shimano 630Wh battery, 150mm of travel front and rear, our crew spent a more time on this bike than many other test bikes this spring and summer. We’ve grown intimately familiar with this bike, its many strengths and a couple of weaknesses, one which may be more important to some than others.
Canyon offers the Spectral:ON in three different builds as well as one Women’s version with prices from $5,999 up to this CF 9 model, which retails for $9,000. It’s a high price tag from the German consumer direct brand who are known for having really affordable bikes with solid spec. As with other high-dollar purchases, consumers may be happy to take advantage of a financing plan from Affirm to help break this sizable investment down into more manageable payments.
Our Canyon Spectral:ON boasts an impressive range with a 630Wh battery powered Shimano EP8 system. The Spectral:ON is a Class 1 eMTB, meaning it has no throttle, only offers assistance while pedaling and cuts off assistance at 20mph. Max torque is 85 Nm and in Shimano’s easy to use E-Tube application, riders can easily and quickly customize either of the two factory presets from their smart phone, even on the trail. If you forgot to charge your phone before the ride and want to be sure you get your Strava on, a USB C port is easily accessible on the top tube just in front of the power button. It’s something we never used, but perhaps riders with long night rides or tech equipment that needs to be charged regularly may enjoy.
For the most part, Canyon nailed the spec on the Spectral:ON CF9 and it certainly has a lot to do with why we love this bike so much. We’re huge fans of the Fox Factory suspension Canyon used on the Spectral:ON CF9 but felt that perhaps a 160mm fork, and maybe even a 160mm Fox 38 would have been a nice option.
Now to address a couple of shortcomings in the spec. We’re not certain Exo and Exo + were the right call for such a capable all around rig, but perhaps those who live in smoother areas may prefer the weight savings over a DD rear and Exo + front combo. Our team would gladly take the weight penalty to not have to try and fill holes put in the tires by sharp rocks. Next up is the 150mm dropper post height. We think most riders on a large agree, 170 is the place to be. Lastly, the bar/stem/grip combo is a major talking point. Despite our initial concerns, the bar sweep and bend is comfortable and we quickly adapted to it, however everyone has a different bar roll and position and by using a one-piece design, Canyon is eliminating the end user’s ability to fit the bike to their body without needing to make another investment on an already expensive bike. Lastly, the grips. We wanted to try and put this as simply as possible, so we apologize but, our team is pretty certain that Canyon has the worst grips in the industry.
There are a couple of eBikes that missed our eMTB Shootout this year and without a doubt, the Canyon Spectral:ON is one of those. The mullet wheels are a blast and with a 465 reach and 435 chainstays, snapping this bike into corners comes naturally. Unlike many of the super long, slack bikes of today, this bike is rewarding to handle and takes input with ease. A slide point of the hips and head and you’re on a new line. No need to muscle the bike, worry about weight distribution or ensure you’ve got enough of your upper body over the bars to keep a wandering front wheel tracking. The Spectral:ON simply shreds.
All of our frustrations experienced during those early climbing days were soon erased as the amount of fun and feeling of speed overwhelmed. We talked with Canyon’s team about our crank-striking concerns and found we were about 1.5mm off on sag, at which point in time we aired up, and combined with the shorter FSA cranks we installed was in improvement, but still not as good as other eBikes when it comes to climbing over obstacles. Once again, if you’re not regularly climbing over embedded features, in ruts or other stair-stepped or terraced terrain, you may not be as critical of this.
Once it came time to hit the downhills and jumps, Canyon’s Spectral:ON let us know it was ready to party. The suspension is absolutely dialed on this bike, and it blends small bump sensitivity with bigger hit capabilities quite well! This 150mm 36-equipped bike was putting down times and hanging on the heals, even leading bikes with Zebs and 38s with 10mm more travel day in and day out. It is an absolute flyer and loves going fast and getting sideways.
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