The next generation Canyon Spectral 29 CF takes everything that made the original 27.5″ all-mountain trail bike and scales it up to be more capable than ever – an even better quiver killer. More than just a step up to 29er wheels, the new Spectral 29 gets a lighter & stiffer carbon frame, more travel, a more progressive ride, plus new adjustable geometry that makes it able to take on any type of trail riding – from local trails to trips to the bikepark…
Canyon Spectral 29 CF – carbon 150mm all-mountain trail bike
Canyon has given their popular all-mountain, all-rounder Spectral platform a complete ground-up redesign to take on ever more technical trails, while retaining its versatility. At first glance, the profile of the new Canyon Spectral 29 CF looks similar, but outside of the core ‘Triple Phase’ four-bar suspension layout, everything really is new.
At the most basic, the new mountain bike bumps up to 29″ wheels vs. the last generation’s 27.5″, and moves to 150mm of rear wheel travel vs. 140mm before. Both of those hint at more descending & high-speed confidence, but Canyon also says their reshaped geometry makes for “greater efficiency and comfort on climbs”, as well.
The suspension kinematics themselves got key tweaks too, with a more progressive leverage ratio increasing bottom-out protection, plus more anti-squat in early travel for better pedaling feel with minimal impact to pedal kickback.
All-new CF carbon frame – Tech details
Now at just 2598g (painted w/ hardware), the new CF-level spec carbon Spectral 29 CF frame is said to be both lighter and stiffer than the outgoing 27.5 CFR model – while officially being enduro-ready (Canyon’s Category 4 designation.)
Making the frame lighter is one thing, but Canyon also says it’s more serviceable. Taking threads out of the carbon and using replaceable inserts at the suspension pivots makes the bike easier to maintain, without risk of damage. Almost all the suspension hardware can also now be unbolted from the non-driveside, making it just easier to wrench on.
The new bike also now moves to more conventional, fully-guided internal cable routing vs. the semi-external setup under a downtube protector and gets a regular threaded bottom bracket. Gone is the integrated seatpost clamp, replaced by an easier-to-use conventional clamp.
The new frame also adds an integrated mini chain guide, optional/removable ISCG tabs, new molded downtube, chainstay & seatstay protection with the chainstay getting a chain-silencing design, and features double-sealed cartridge bearings in all suspension pivots.
The Spectral 29 CF will fit a 600ml water bottle in all frame sizes, plus an accessory tool mount above the shock, and a max tire size of officially 66mm – 29×2.5″.
For now the new Spectral 29 is only available in one CF full-carbon spec, and since it’s 63g lighter than the full-carbon 27.5 CFR, a lighter layup isn’t on the horizon any time soon. (It’s 222g lighter than the alloy+carbon combo of the 27.5 CF.) But neither is an alloy trail 29er. The 27.5 bikes will carry over for riders looking for a more nimble feel.
More Progressive Trail Geometry
The trail bike’s geometry has also been completely reworked – in four stock sizes. A 1-2 slacker head angle means more stability going down, and a 2-3° steeper seattube means better positioning on the climbs. Add to that longer frame reaches continue the move towards shorter cockpit, and with plenty of standover, more choice on picking the bike best suited for your ideal fit.
And if you want more control, a flip chip at the rear shock mount gives you a further 0.5° of customization of the head & seat angles, plus 8mm of bottom bracket height adjustment to suit your own type of terrain.
Canyon Spectral 29 CF – Pricing, options & availability
The new carbon spectral has two different types of builds, with two bikes a piece – always with a colorful or black paintjob. The two lighter trail builds stick with 150mm travel matching front & rear, with lighter 35mm stanchion RockShox Pike forks. The $3700 / 3300€ Spectral 29 CF 7 gets a Pike Select RC fork & Deluxe Select+ shock in a 14.16kg complete build with a GX Eagle drivetrain & G2 brakes.
Going light & premium, the $5700 / 5000€ Spectral 29 CF 9 upgrades to a 150mm Pike Ultimate fork & Deluxe Ultimate shock in a top-shelf 13.42kg build with SRAM X01 Eagle, G2 RSC brakes, and a carbon DT Swiss XMC1501 wheelset.
For the two more aggressive trail to all-mountain builds, Canyon swaps in 36mm stanchion Fox forks with 160mm of travel, slackening the geometry by another 0.5° for steeper trails. There’s an more-affordable shredder build in the $4700 / 4000€ Spectral 29 CF 8 with a Fox 36 Performance Elite fork & matching DPX2 shock at 14.44kg with a Shimano XT build.
Or you can go all out with the 6000€ Spectral 29 CF Ltd that gets Fox Factory 36 & DPX2 at 13.57kg with a XTR build, carbon RaceFace Next SL cranks & carbon DT Swiss XMC1200 wheels.
2021 Canyon Spectral 29 CF trail bike, lightweight carbon 150mm all-mountain bike, photo by Roo Fowler,
All four bike options are available now, direct from Canyon, although the LTD won’t be coming to the USA, where there are also some US-specific spec tweaks.
