Canyon has an all-new Lux Trail bike out today that once again reimagines what a regular mountain bike should be, leaving its XC and even downcountry origins behind to lean a bit more all-mountain. This new Lux trail frame is ~10% lighter than its most recent iteration, while adding more travel, too – 10mm more out back (maybe 11?), paired to 20mm more up front. But it’s the completely reimagined geometry that captured my attention.
This new bike is now much closer to the Spectrals than to the Lux World Cup, reminding me of the “most fun mountain bike” I’ve ridden from Canyon in recent years…
2026 Canyon Lux Trail lightweight 125/140mm mountain bike
Canyon first hypes the new Lux Trail as a lighter, lightweight trail bike. It gets slacker, more progressive geometry, increased suspension travel front & rear, and improved suspension kinematics that they describe as “more playful”. That all sounds like great refinements for the kind of mountain biking that most of us actually ride.
“Blending XC climbing efficiency with aggressive trail geometry, the completely redesigned Lux Trail drops 200 grams while stepping up to a 140mm/125mm suspension platform.”
From the start, I’ve appreciated the fact that Canyon makes a race-focused Lux XC bike and then a similar but clearly adapted Lux Trail version for the way non-racing mountain bikers ride. Generally speaking, that ‘more everyday mountain bike’ offered a bit longer travel, slightly relaxed geometry, and similar lightweight – often bleeding into what has been called ‘downcountry’.
But that’s only kind of what is going on here…
Where does this new Trail bike fit in the Canyon MTB spectrum?
Instead, this new Lux Trail looks to go full-on lightweight all-mountain, dare I even say mini-enduro.
Sure, 125mm of rear wheel travel is just 5mm more than what we now see on most new XC race bikes, these days. But 140mm of fork travel is already a far cry from a cross-country racing machine.
Yet, it’s the 64.8° headtube angle that most caught my attention. That’s 2.2° slacker than the previous Lux Trail, 1.2° slacker than the current but outgoing Neuron CF (which is Canyon’s self-described trail bike), and only 0.8° steeper off the current Spectral (only 0.3° steeper than the Spectral in its HI flip-chip position). It also looks a lot like the recipe for the excellent, but oft-overlooked and then discontinued Spectral 125. I loved that bike. And rode it hard before sadly sending it back to Koblenz after my review. It gave you enduro-ready geometry, progressive suspension that was a joy to ride, and lighter weight for everyday rideability. With the shorter travel, you had to work to ride it like an enduro bike on the toughest trails, but you could also ride it like a normal trail bike, too.
Canyon seems to have had a hard time 4 years ago convincing mountain bikers to accept a short-travel all-mountain bike. But now, as XC continues to evolve, it looks like they’ve figured out how to get us to ride such a capable bike coming from the opposite direction.
Enter the new Canyon Lux Trail – a long-travel, progressive cross-country trail mountain bike (totally not a lightweight, short-travel all-mountain bike *winks*).
OK, What’s actually new?
Longer travel for more shred-worthiness. 125mm, or an increase of 11mm out back over the previous Lux Trail which was 114mm (even though we thought 115mm). 140mm up front, or an increase of 20mm.
Slacker, more forward & upright geometry for more stable handling. Now, a 64.8° head angle, 76.1° seat angle. Then, 2-10mm shorter Reach & 4-14mm higher Stack, but 20-31mm longer wheelbases, including new size-specific rear ends.
Lighter weight for a faster, no-compromise ride. Canyon says it saved 200g through more refined carbon layup and a new 3D-forged rocker link, while making both seatstays and bottom bracket even stronger.
And completely reshaped progressive suspension….
Revised Kinematics
Quoting Canyon, the new, more progressive 125mm suspension kinematics have been reworked to prioritize grip & traction, over ultimate pedaling efficiency. It’s still a flex-stay single pivot with a linkage-driven shock. More plush, still snappy. This is where I see it leaving much of the Lux inspiration behind and leaning more towards the Spectral 125. A definite positive shift in my opinion.
“We’ve given the Lux Trail more progression at the sag point than was previously the case. That increased progressivity at sag gives you more support when you’re descending and improves stability and pedaling efficiency when you’re tackling climbs.
Taken as a whole, the Lux Trail now has a more consistent, steady progression through most of the travel, tailing off slightly at end stroke. It adds up to a bike that gives you better traction on both climbs and descents, a more supportive platform that makes popping off of trail features a blast, and more easily-accessed, end-stroke travel on bigger hits.”
Tech details
- all-new ultralight flex-stay carbon frame with stiffer 3D-forged alloy rocker link
- 1988g claimed weight, size M painted with axles & all hardware, no shock)
…1850g (without storage lid, seatpost clamp, rear axle, or mini chainguide) - 200g weight savings vs. previous Lux Trail CF, 1000g lighter than outgoing Neuron CF!
- full 29er with 125mm rear wheel travel, matched to 140mm fork travel
- ASTM Category 3 rated – XC & Trail, drops under 60cm/24″ (not all-mountain or enduro)
- size-specific rear end: XS-M get 435mm chainstays, L&XL go 440mm
- redesigned in-frame storage with a larger door opening, a water-tight seal & new, more secure latch
- 2 sets of bottle cages, plus tool carrier mount inside front triangle
- now includes mini-tool on external mount under the top tube & padded storage bag inside all models
- post mount brakes – all spec’d 180mm rotors front & rear
- BSA threaded bottom bracket
- traditional internal cable routing through headtube cable ports
- mini chainguide, plus molded downtube & chainstay protectors
- UDH with Boost thru-axles
- 5 sizes available (XS-XL)
All-new 2026 Canyon Lux Trail – Pricing, options & availability
The completely revamped Canyon Lux Trail is available in four complete bike builds, all sharing the exact same frame.
The most affordable Lux Trail CF 6 build starts at just $4000 / 3000€ with a smaller-stanchion 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm fork & Float Rhythm shock, mechanical Shimano XT drivetrain & brakes, and alloy Canyon wheels wrapped in the same Maxxis Dissector/Rekon EXO tire combo across all specs – 13.2kg (all weights claimed).
Then, the Lux Trail CF 7 sells for $5000 / 4000€, stepping up for the rest of the builds to 140mm Fox 36 SL forks and Canyon’s own house-brand XC 30 CF carbon wheels – 30mm internal, 36mm external, 25mm deep & rated for “XC – Light Trail”. The CF7 gets a Performance-level Fox fork & Float shock, a mechanical SRAM Eagle 90 transmission, and Motive Bronze brakes – 12.8kg.
The Lux Trail CF 8 goes for $6000 / 5000€ with an upgrade to Performance Elite-level 36 SL fork & Float shock, SRAM GX AXS wireless shifting, Motive Silver brakes, and a RaceFace Turbine SL stem & Era CF carbon handlebar – 12.3kg.
And the top-tier Canyon Lux Trail CF 9 retails for $7000 / 6000€, stepping up once more to Fox Factory fork, shock & dropper, SRAM XO AXS with a power meter, and Motive Ultimate brakes – 12.1kg.
All four builds are available globally starting today.
