By The Takeaway: Massive batteries, a lighter frame, and new geometry for Canyon’s premier e-trail bike
- Five models globally, CFR LTD, CFR, CF9, CF8, CF7
- Three models for the USA: CFR, CF8, and CF7
- Mixed wheels with 155mm rear travel and 150mm front.
- Sizes: small, medium, large, extra large
- CFR, CF9, and CF8 in sizes medium through extra large have 900Wh batteries, one of the biggest available in any e-mountain bike now
- CF7 has a 720Wh battery stock, but sizes medium through extra large can be upgraded to a 900Wh battery.
- Size small bikes cannot fit the physically larger 900Wh battery and run 720Wh. Due to the smaller battery, size small CFR, CF9 and CF8 bikes are less expensive than larger sizes.
Price: CFR $10,500 w/900Wh battery, $10,150 w/720Wh battery | CF8 $6,999 w/900Wh battery, $6,499 w/720Wh battery | CF7 $5,999
Claimed weights (medium): CFR 48.1lb. (720Wh) / 50.1lb (900Wh) | CF8 50.8lb. (720Wh) / 52.8 lb. (900Wh) | CF7 50.8lb. (720Wh) / 58.8lb. (900Wh)
On the heels of last month’s launch of the Spectral 125 comes Canyon’s latest: A new Spectral:On e-mountain bike. This mixed wheel trail bike has 155 rear travel with 150 in the front—not a misprint—slightly more rear than front travel, Shimano’ EP8 motor and some seriously large batteries for long days on the trails. In the USA models start at $5,999 with the top-of-the-line CFR with the biggest battery selling for $10,500.
Outside of the USA, you can buy a CFR from Canyon’s website from April 5th with CF models arriving on the site sometime in May. However, if you’re in the USA, you’ll need to be more patient. CF models arrive here “late spring” with CFR models available by “Fall”.
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I received my CFR review sample just before today’s launch and have not had an opportunity to spend enough time on the bike to provide any ride impressions. I’ll post a review when I get enough time on the bike.
Canyon Spectral:ON—Motor and Battery Details
Like its previous generation, he new Spectral:ON has Shimano’s excellent EP8 motor with 85Nm of maximum torque. Though it’s heavily shouded, enough shows to see that it sits at a jaunty 30-degree angle within the frame. This provides room for Canyon to position the battery lower in the downtube, lowering the bikes center of gravity. The angled-motor trick is also employed by Norco’s latest Sight VLT models.
Almost all models (more on this in a moment) get a massive 900Wh battery for long play times. For comparison, the Specialized Levo has a 700Wh battery, Trek’s Rail has a 750Wh battery, Yeti’s 160E has a 630Wh battery, Pivot’s Shuttle runs a 726Wh battery, and Santa Cruz’s new Heckler has a 720Wh battery. Norco’s VLT is, currently and as far as I know, the only other e-trail bike with a 900Wh battery.
Now, the battery stipulations. All size small Spectral:ON models run a 720Wh battery: The 900Wh battery is too large to fit in the small frame. Size smalls models sell for less because of this change. All sizes of the CF7 get a 720Wh battery—still quite large—and CF7s size medium and up may be upgraded to a 900Wh battery. Canyon did not have a price but expect it to be around four figures.
Compared to the previous generation Spectral:ON with its 630Wh battery, Canyon’s materials claim the 900Wh battery offers 42 percent more range while the 720Wh battery is good for a 15-percent boost.
Canyon Spectral:ON—Frame Details
Like the previous generation, the new Spectral:On rolls on mixed wheels, with a 27.5 in the rear and a 29er wheel up front. Rear travel is 155mm, up five from the previous generation, with a 150mm fork on the front.
The Spectral:ON frame gains a carbon fiber rear triangle for the first time: Previous generations used an aluminum rear end. Canyon’s engineers beavered away at the frame resulting in a “massive” weight reduction from the previous generation, though they did not offer a number. They did offer frame weights: the CF frame weighs seven pounds, and the CFR frame weighs 6.3 pounds. That’s without shock, battery, or motor of course. The frame is also stiffer than the previous generations, with more durable pivots, Canyon claims.
Any weight savings found in the new frame are more than eaten up by the larger battery. My CFR review model weighed 50.5lb. about a 1.5lb. more than the previous generation CF9—which had a similar build kit to the new CFR—I weighed.
The new Spectral:On features a much cleaner looking front end thanks to revised hose, wire, and housing routing. The bar has internal routing for the motor’s remote which exits the middle of the bar just in front of the headtube. From there, all the spaghetti runs through the upper headset cover and into the frame.
Canyon Spectral:ON—Geometry
As you’d probably expect, the new Spectral:ON gets new geometry which is, let’s say it together, lower, longer, and slacker than before. Overall, the geometry bears a strong resemblance to the Spectral 29. Still Canyon is quick to point out, “This isn’t the slackest, longest, most progressive E-MTB on the market. And with good reason—[We were not] aiming to build an E-Gravity or E-Enduro bike.”
All sizes get a bump in reach: The size small gets a 10mm bump to 435mm, medium is up 15mm to 460, large is up 20mm to 485, and the extra-large gets a 25mm increase to 510mm. Head tubes get a degree slacker and now sit at 65.5, while seat angle gets two degrees steeper and now is 76.5 degrees. Chainstays get a five-millimeter bump, now 440, which in combination with the slacker head angle abump wheelbase lengths. A small, medium, large wheelbases grow by 25ish millimeters, while the extra-large’s wheelbase jumps 36mm to 1,281mm.
Dropper post travel is size specific. Small frames get 125mm travel, medium a 150, and large and extra large get a 175mm travel posts.
Canyon Spectral:ON—Build Kits
The USA gets three models: the CFR, CF8 and CF7. All three use Shimano EP8 motor, Shimano drivetrain (34t ring and 10-51 cassette) with 165mm cranks, and Shimano four-position brakes with 203mm rotors front and rear. All models get a Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5-inch front tire with EXO casing, and a 27.5-inch DHRII 2.6-inch rear tire with EXO+ casing, a Fizik Aidon saddle, and Canyon lock on grips.
CFR-$10,500 w/900Wh battery, $10,150 w/720Wh battery
FOX Factory 36 GRIP2 fork, FOX Factory Float X shock, FOX Factory Transfer dropper, Shimano XTR drivetrain, Shimano EM900 cranks, Shimano XTR 4-pistion brakes, Canyon HB00057 handlebar, Reynolds TRE309 wheels with carbon rims
CF8 $6,999 w/900Wh battery, $6,499 w/720Wh battery
FOX Rhythm 36 GRIP2 fork, FOX Performance DPS shock, Canyon Iridium dropper, Shimano XT drivetrain, Shimano EM600 cranks, Shimano SLX-4 piston brakes, Canyon HB00057 handlebar, Sun/Ringle Duroc wheels with aluminum rims
CF7 $5,999
RockShox Lyrik Select fork, RockShox Deluxe Select Shock, Shimano XT drivetrain, Shimano EM600 cranks, Shimano Deore 4-pistion brakes, Canyon HB00057 handlebar, Race Face AR30/AR35 rims with Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
