Canyon Spectral 29 LTD
Boosting your trail rides to new heights
Boosting your trail rides to new heights
Wreviewed by Terry Mckall
hen Canyon arrived in Canada this past spring, it brought an extensive line of mountain bikes. The Spectral is the German direct-to-consumer brand’s do-it-all, go-anywhere trail bike. Yet, it is not a race bike. (Canyon has several of those.) The Spectral ltd is all about maximizing fun. And, depending what your definition of fun is, it is very good at doing just that. The ltd sits at the top of Canyon’s Shred builds for the Spectral range. It boasts a 160-mm travel Fox 36 Factory fork, 150-mm rear wheel travel via a Fox dpx2 Factory shock and Canyon’s Triple Phase suspension. In comparison, a Trail build Spectral arrives with a 150-mm fork and ever so slightly more conservative geometry. Climbing and pedalling, the Spectral’s comfortable seated position balances out its more modern geometry. The supportive pedalling platform delivers power to the cranks with just enough movement to hold traction up tricky features, while still being much more efficient than you’d expect from a bike with 150-mm travel. The Spectral ltd’s climbing is surely helped out by an elitelevel array parts. Based around a 2,598-g frame, Canyon’s dressed the top-end build with full Shimano xtr drivetrain and brakes, and Race Face Next SL cranks. With DT Swiss’s xmc 1200 carbon-fibre wheels, the total weight is a hair less than 30 lb. (13.57 kg).
While light, the Spectral ltd is fully prepared to let loose on the descents. Four-piston xtr trail disc brakes and a big, 203-mm front rotor provide excellent control, as do the Fox Factory-level suspension parts. Those xmc 1200 wheels may be light, but they’ve held up to many sideways and cased landings and are still running true. The 180-mm Oneup Components dropper post gets the saddle well out of the way when needed.
On the trail, the Spectral ltd is an exceptionally playful and fun bike on even mellower terrain. While race bikes tend to aim for a glued-tothe-ground feeling, especially on steep, rough trails, the Spectral’s strengths lie elsewhere. This bike has its head in the clouds, daydreaming of carving corners and getting air. The Spectral does like to go fast. It feels confident and stable at speed, but is just as happy to slow down, get creative and play with the trail or boost for more air instead of scrubbing speed.
While the Spectral comes with an impressively lust-worthy build, especially considering its $8,149 price, it is the Triple Phase suspension that’s the real star of the show. After testing the Spectral ltd with the Shred build and Spectral cf7 in Trail spec back to back, it is clear they share the same pedalling characteristics and play-inspired dna. What’s the difference? The ltd wants to help you push your limits, while Trail build shines brighter on slightly – but not much – mellower routes.
The Spectral is a spry climber and dialed descender that will make nearly any trail more exciting to ride. Canyon’s top-end ltd build balances performance and weight to maximize the playful trail bike’s potential.
“The Spectral ltd is all about maximizing fun.”