Test: The Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX belongs to a category of mountain bikes that only really saw the light of day this season: trail bikes. A trail bike should be a playful partner for any excursions off the beaten track. Light enough for touring, powerful enough for passages where even an enduro bike breaks a sweat. A difficult balancing act, which the Spectral CF 9.0 EX succeeds with a few smears.
To start with, a few words about the history of the Canyon Spectral: The bike saw the light of day in its current form in 2014, but received a number of updates for the 2015 model year. This includes not only the model versions with carbon frames, but also a drilled-out geometry: the Spectral has become longer and flatter - so the adjustment screws were turned more in the direction of downhill in Koblenz - is that good for the balance of the bike?
The frame
As already mentioned, the full carbon frame is new for 2015, which – as you have come to expect from Canyon – is excellently processed and corresponds to the current state of the art. The rear end of the 140g (without damper) light frame offers 1900mm spring travel and the tapered head tube accommodates all fork shafts for spring travel up to 150mm. The cables and cables are routed completely internally: the cable housings for the dropper post, brakes and rear derailleur run inside the black carbon fiber frame, and in the case of the brakes and rear derailleur, the cables only emerge from the frame in the chainstay. The optics are so extremely clean, which is very good for the chic matt black speedster, but unfortunately at the expense of the ease of maintenance. Anyone who has to thread a cable through a frame for the first time is put to a hard test.
We think it's great that with the Spectral, Canyon still has such a bike in its range that allows for a front derailleur to be mounted. Many manufacturers now do without it for reasons of space or cost, but if the somewhat smaller bandwidth of the SRAM 2-speed drivetrain, in contrast to a classic 11-speed transmission, is not enough for you, you can also choose to have a front derailleur and a 2nd gear on the Spectral CF -fach mount crank. The topic of frame protection has also been considered in Koblenz. In the area of the bottom bracket there is a screwed-on, approx. 5mm thick impact protection made of elastic plastic and a steering stop limiter prevents the brake or shift lever from hitting the top tube in the event of a fall.
The Geometry
Now we come to what is certainly the most exciting part for us and the most difficult part for the engineers on a bike like the Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX – the geometry. Exciting and difficult because the Spectral (like many other competitors) wants to be a bike that can do a lot and could handle almost any terrain. Of course, a well-balanced geometry is crucial here.
A quick glance at the geometry data already reveals where the Spectral CF is headed – long reach, relatively slack head angle and a low bottom bracket: the hard facts are very reminiscent of those of a modern enduro. But you would be doing Canyon an injustice if you were to claim that the Spectral is just a light enduro with less suspension travel, because they have definitely thought about unique selling points, including in terms of handling and geometry. For example, the chainstays are extremely short at 425mm for a 27,5″ wheel, which promises agile and playful handling.
With the moderately slack steering angle and the long reach, you should get a secure feeling of “sitting on the bike” and the almost 74° steep seat angle promises good pedalability and decent power transmission. So, on paper, the geometry of the Spectral sounds very exciting - we'll see how it fares in practice.
equipment
Now we come to the equipment of the Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX - it should not go unmentioned here that the EX model versions at Canyon are more trimmed towards downhill in terms of equipment - race ready, so to speak. This becomes clear when you look at the drive: Canyon relies on the noble and meanwhile tried and tested X01 group from SRAM. The range with the 10-42 cassette is sufficient for most uses of the Spectral, depending on fitness level and distance. Instead of a front derailleur, we find a chain guide from e.Thirteen on our EX version. Although the narrow-wide chainring on the S2210 carbon crank usually holds the chain securely on the blade even without a guide, it provides additional security, especially if you really want to let it rip.
The brakes also come from the US manufacturer. The SRAM Guide RS is a powerful four-piston brake that is combined on the Canyon with a 200mm disc at the front and 180mm at the rear. So there should be more than enough power. Of course, a polyvalent trail bike like the Spectral should not be without the dropper post: The RockShox Reverb Stealth is the long-running hit in this area and offers a stepless adjustment range of 125mm. A nice side effect of the SRAM/RockShox cockpit is that all controls – brake lever, shifter and reverb remote – can be combined to save space using a matchmaker clamp.
What applies to the Reverb when it comes to the dropper posts also applies to the RockShox Pike when it comes to the suspension fork: It is probably the most popular and most installed fork in the all-mountain/enduro sector at the moment – and rightly so. Low weight with high rigidity, a gentle response and easy adjustability can book the Pike on the plus side. The Spectral features the Solo-Air variant with 150mm and RCT3 damping. Not only can the rebound be adjusted directly on the fork, but the low-speed compression can also be adjusted in three stages to suit the terrain and riding style (open/platform/lockout).
The damper installed on the Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX is a bit more exotic: The Cane Creek DBinline definitely belongs in the upper class of powerful air dampers and is particularly impressive due to the wide range of adjustment options. In addition to the obligatory air pressure, high and low-speed compression and rebound can also be set externally here, and we also find a climb switch, which changes the characteristics of the damper in such a way that climbing ability is said to be improved.
The Mavic Crossmax XL wheels are used, which not only fit well into the overall picture visually. The 1790g heavy set is offered by the French manufacturer specifically for the Enduro/Allmountain+ segment, so it offers enough stability for pretty much all outrages that you could do with a bike like the Spectral. The tubeless-ready rims are 23mm wide (inside) and just about suitable for 2.4″ tires – but slightly wider rims would certainly look good on the bike. Speaking of tires: The Spectral lives up to its "EX" here too: With the Maxxis combination of Ardent EXO and High Roller II, Canyon relies on an extremely potent and grippy duo whose rolling resistance is not to be scoffed at.
The other add-on parts are also noble, high-quality and appropriate for the area of application: The Renthal cockpit with the 40mm short Apex stem and the 780mm wide Fatbar carbon handlebar is technically beyond all doubt, but the Renthal-typical bronze-gold-ochre The sound doesn't really match the rest of the bike - but that's a matter of taste and, as is well known, there's no arguing about it. Even with the inconspicuous components, which are otherwise often fobbed off with cheap parts, the Koblenz direct seller relies on quality: the lock-on grips come from Ergon, the saddle from SDG and the Cane Creek 40 headset can shine with very good sealing.
On the trail
Before we dare our first longer ride, we try to find a suspension setting that is as close as possible to the optimum. While we quickly achieve a homogeneous characteristic with the Pike at the front, the Cane Creek damper at the rear presents us with somewhat greater difficulties. In order to also help inexperienced riders with the adjustment, Cane Creek offers an online tool on the official website with which you can select the appropriate bike and then get values for an initial basic adjustment. This also worked quite well in our case, but we weren't 100% satisfied with the result - the rear end still wobbled a little too much, even with the climbing aid activated. Nevertheless: We felt ready for a first endurance test.
Our test tracks offer a bit of everything: flow trails, rough root passages, a few steps, one or the other moderate drop and also a few meters uphill. The first flow trail already puts a smile on our mud-splashed faces. The low weight paired with the short chainstays makes the bike very agile and playful, as expected. It's easy to push through tight corners and every bump invites you to jump. Shortly thereafter, the first endurance test awaits us: a steep root trail with a small drop at the end. The Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX also masters this challenge, but our smile quickly turns into a somewhat cramped facial expression. Thanks to the slack steering angle, we are always in control, but due to the playful handling, the Spectral tends to be a bit restless in such passages, even if the chassis made of Pike and DB Inline feels at home here and proves to be enormously willing to swallow.
Once at the bottom, it goes almost immediately back up over a partly quite steep path with a few roots and technical hairpin bends. Again, we notice the seesaw in the rear end, which we can't completely stop even after another pause to tune the dampers. We also got stuck on roots or stones with the pedal a few times while pedaling - this is due to the very low bottom bracket for such a bike, which can score on descents, but causes a few problems here and forces us to adapt our riding style.
Other than that, we hardly have any reason for criticism: the brakes have a defined pressure point, but they can be controlled at any time and are always in control of the trail. The tires are simply sensationally good, offer very good grip in dry and wet conditions with rolling resistance that is always within limits. The fact that the X01 drive works well is no longer a big surprise.
Conclusion
No question, the Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 EX is a great mountain bike that offers almost unrivaled features and workmanship for the price of €3.999. From the drive to the chassis and the wheels, there really isn't much to complain about. The characteristics of the Spectral CF can probably best be described as 'playful': the bike is agile and light-footed, but due to these characteristics it also tends to get a little restless when things get rough. The rear end is easy to absorb and works very well – provided you have the patience to deal with the complex setup of the Cane Creek DBinline shock. There is minimal rocking, which in combination with the low bottom bracket causes pedal hits at one point or another, but is negligible in everyday use.
The question remains as to who this bike was designed and built for. We'd say the Spectral is the bike for those who find the Canyon Strive too cumbersome but want more downhill potential than the Canyon Nerve offers. Nevertheless, one must always keep in mind with the Spectral: every bike is a compromise and there is not (yet) one that fits all.