CANYON SPECTRAL: ON 6.0
£3,496.98 (shipped) Valuerich e-bike that loves the climbs
For their first e-MTB, Canyon have taken their Spectral trail bike and added a Shimano motor. As ever with the German direct-sale brand, it’s one of the most competitively-priced bikes in its sector.
The frame
Canyon have stuck with aluminium for the Spectral:ON chassis and opted for a semi-integrated battery, on the basis that it’s easier to remove for charging. This is positioned as low and central as possible. The four-bar rear end delivers 150mm of travel, which is matched up front. Where things di er is with the wheels – unusually, the Spectral:ON uses a 29in front rim and a 650b+ at the back. Short chainstays (430mm) are mated with a reasonable reach (465mm on the large). A geometry flip-chip changes the head and seat angles by just shy of a degree – they sit at 66.8 and 73.8 degrees, respectively, in the ‘low’ setting.
The kit
RockShox take care of suspension duties, with their sti Yari RC fork and a Deluxe R shock. The 250W motor and wide-range 1x11 drivetrain come courtesy of Shimano. Canyon’s German counterparts Magura supply the MT Trail Sport brakes, while the wheels are from DT Swiss’s H 1900 family. These are shod with Schwalbe rubber – a 29x2.35in Magic Mary EVO ADDIX Soft up front and a more basic, Performance-level 27.5x2.6in Nobby Nic at the back. Canyon’s own saddle has an odd-looking shelf at the back for added support on steep hills, and sits atop a KS dropper post.
The ride
The Spectral:ON uses the same suspension system as Canyon’s Torque and Spectral bikes, and it’s great – supple where needed and supportive when things get rowdier, even with the added weight of the motor and battery. With quick and agile handling, it’s a bike that’s well suited to twisty, flowing singletrack, with the peppy Shimano motor reacting quickly to pedal inputs between corners or up climbs. Even at its slackest, the front wheel isn’t punted particularly far in front of the bike, so on the steepest tracks it relies on its weight rather than its geometry to give you confidence.
It’s climbing that’s the bike’s forte. Although the handlebar isn’t superlow, so long as you drop your elbows, the plus-size tyre out back just seems to grip for days, complementing the consistent feel from the front end. The STePS motor’s torquey feel, combined with the traction from the rear tyre, lets you get up the severest of ascents relatively easily. While a longer back end would make things even easier on steep pitches, it feels like Canyon have settled on a decent compromise between this and the bike’s ability to negotiate tighter, twistier technical sections. Even the funky-looking saddle plays its part – you really can feel that extra seated support when things get steep.
While the pricing is competitive, we’d recommend factoring in the cost of a better rear tyre, because the Performance rubber simply isn’t up to the abuse it’ll get on an e-MTB. We understand that Canyon may be upgrading this as stock soon. In the meantime, we’d switch to a 2.6in Maxxis Minion with a decent carcass (EXO or DD) as soon as possible. The Magura brakes are also lacklustre, even with 203mm rotors front and back, feeling underpowered and wooden.
Impressive and well-priced trail e-bike that’ll appeal to those who want to crush the climbs