Canyon Spectral 29 CF 2021 in review – The perfect do-it-all bike?

Good things come to those who wait! Finally, it’s here: the Canyon Spectral 29 CF 2021. We tested the brand new trail bike thoroughly for you. What’s the new 29er capable of, who’s it designed for and is it the ultimate do-it-all bike? Read our review to find answers to these and many more questions.

With the Spectral CF 29, Canyon present a new trail bike with 150 mm travel at the rear and, depending on the model, 150 or 160 mm up front. As the name suggests, it rolls on 29″ wheels and will initially only be available as a carbon version (CF). With the new Spectral 29, Canyon want to combine the agility of their existing 27.5″ model with an extra dose of stability. Additionally, the suspension and geometry have had some fundamental revisions. Canyon also claim to have further improved the durability of the pivot bearings, though should anything go wrong, the new Spectral is designed to be particularly easy to service.

The frame of the Canyon Spectral 29 in detail

Apart from the name, the new Canyon Spectral CF 29 has little to do with its 27.5″ counterpart, which will still be available this season. The frame has been completely redeveloped from the ground up. Despite the longer geometry, Canyon claim it is 63 g lighter than the Spectral 27.5″ CFR. That said, the frame is also claimed to have become significantly stiffer. That’s primarily thanks to the massive chainstays and the reduced kink in the down tube. The volume of the chainstays does limit the Canyon Spectral 29 to 30–34 t chainrings. A similarly burly chainstay protector serves to make the bike as quiet as possible. We also particularly like the new Canyon G5 cockpit with its neat-looking stem.

Easy to service and durable – What’s the special sauce?

Anyone who’s tried to thread cables through a down tube or fit a press-fit bottom bracket with bodged tools will know the frustration and anxiety of not wanting to damage a carbon frame. To make sure that not just riding, but also servicing the Spectral 29 is more fun, Canyon have paid attention to several important details. Cables and hoses are routed through tube-in-tube guides and come out exactly where they are supposed to. The bottom bracket is a threaded BSA shell. Additionally, replaceable aluminium inserts ensure that the frame won’t be destroyed through a cross-threaded bolt. Canyon initially presented on their updated downhill bike, the Sender, where they developed the technology together with their World Cup team. The ISCG mount isn’t fixed to the frame but is mounted with an adapter. Last but not least, with the rear Horst link bolt being the only exception, all hardware for the suspension pivots is removed from the non-drive side. Removing the chainring to tighten the main pivot bolt? Not necessary here. The previous, proprietary seat clamp of the 27.5″ Spectral is also history. Instead, there’s now a standard part. Speaking of standard: a SRAM UDH derailleur hanger is easy to find and quick to replace in case of any damage.

The suspension of the new Canyon Spectral 29

For the Spectral 29, Canyon have further refined their existing “Triple Phase Suspension” concept. Anti-squat at sag has been increased, but it also drops off more quickly as the suspension compresses to reduce pedal kickback. The support and progression of the suspension have also been increased. That shouldn’t just help the bike climb more efficiently but also offer more traction, pop and control for the descents. We tell you in our riding impression whether that’s worked and will save you the kinematic graphs that never reveal the whole truth anyway.

Long and modern – The geometry of the new Spectral 29

The geometry of the new Canyon Spectral CF 29 has little to do with the 27.5″ model. The new bike is longer, significantly so! The reach in size L is a generous 485 mm and at the same time, the 64° head angle is noticeably slacker while the 76° seat tube angle (160 mm model in low setting) is 2° steeper. On the 150 mm fork Spectral 29 in the high setting, that goes up to 77°. Chainstays are 437 mm long across all sizes. A flip chip on the shock mount allows the geometry to be adjusted by 0.5° to suit your preference. Canyon says that this is offered primarily for those riders looking for a higher bottom bracket on the climbs. We don’t really see the need for it though. Speaking of which, the bottom bracket drop is 36 mm in the low setting. So far, so modern. However, one exception is the long seat tube. In size L, this is 460 mm long, meaning lots of riders won’t be able to fit a dropper post with significant amounts of travel and if in doubt, will have to choose the bike based on seat tube length rather than its reach. Canyon reasons that this makes the choice of frame size easier for a lot of riders as fewer options will be open to them – we don’t really see the benefit. That said, the seat post on every bike can be dropped completely out of the way according to Canyon.

The geometry of the Spectral CF 29

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	395 mm	430 mm	460 mm	490 mm
Top tube	582 mm	609 mm	636 mm	663 mm
Head tube	95 mm	105 mm	115 mm	125 mm
Head angle 150/160mm (flip-chip: Low)	64.5/64°	64.5/64°	64.5/64°	64.5/64°
Seat angle 150/160mm (flip-chip: Low)	76.5/76°	76.5/76°	76.5/76°	76.5/76°
Chainstay	437 mm	437 mm	437 mm	437 mm
Tretlager Offset	28/36 mm	28/36 mm	28/36 mm	28/36 mm
Wheelbase	1195 mm	1224 mm	1253 mm	1283 mm
Reach	435 mm	460 mm	485 mm	510 mm
Stack	610 mm	619 mm	628 mm	637 mm

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Four Spectral 29 models with two travel options

When choosing a new Spectral 29, you’ll have to decide whether you favour a light and agile bike or prefer to blast the descents. Canyon offer the Spectral CF 29 in two versions with two specs options for each. You can choose to go with either 150 mm travel up front, RockShox suspension and a MAXXIS Dissector rear tire, or you can opt for a 160 mm fork, FOX suspension and a Minion DHF and DHRII pairing. Prices range from € 3,299 to € 5,999. In terms of colours, the choice is between a completely black, red-black or red-green finish. All the models are consistently and thoughtfully specced. The only thing we could criticise is the G2 brakes which, based on our experience, don’t do a modern trail bike justice. We would have preferred to see CODE brakes here.

Model	Spectral 29 CF 7.0	Spectral 29 CF 8.0	Spectral 29 CF 9.0	Spectral 29 CF LTD
Fork	RockShox Pike Select 150 mm	FOX 36 Performance Elite 160 mm	RockShox Pike Ultimate 150 mm	FOX 36 Factory 160 mm
Shock	RockShox Deluxe Select+ 150 mm	FOX DPX2 Performance Elite 150 mm	RockShox Deluxe Ultimate 150 mm	FOX DPX2 Factory 150 mm
Brakes	SRAM G2	Shimano XT	SRAM G2 RSC	Shimano XTR
Drivetrain	SRAM GX Eagle	Shimano XT	SRAM XO1 Eagle	Shimano XTR
Cockpit	Canyon G5	Canyon G5	Canyon G5	Canyon G5
Dropper post	Canyon Iridium	Canyon Iridium	OneUp Components V2	OneUp Components V2
Wheelset	DT Swiss M1900	DT Swiss XM1700	DT Swiss XMC1501	DT Swiss XMC1200
Tires	MAXXIS Minion DHF/Dissector	MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHRII	MAXXIS Minion DHF/Dissector	MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHRII
Weight	14.16 kg	14.44 kg	13.42 kg mm	13.57 kg
Price	€ 3,299	€ 3,999	€ 4,999	€ 5,999

Is there no 27.5” version of the bike?

Canyon is offering the new Spectral 29 only with the larger wheel size. Nonetheless, the Spectral 27.5 will remain in the brand’s portfolio. This bike was only recently updated with a modern spec. Aside from very small riders and those who want the most agile handling, the new 29er will no doubt be the better choice.

Is the Spectral 29 the perfect do-it-all bike? We tested it in our first ride review.

Several weeks before its official launch, Canyon sent us a new Spectral CF 29 to test. We received the Spectral CF 29 8.0 which is priced at € 3,999. At 180 cm tall, we were riding a size L. Despite the autumn temperatures, we’ve had very good testing conditions and have been able to get out for multiple rides with the new bike.

The riding position on the Spectral 29 is spot on! You find yourself neither too far over the back wheel, nor in too compact a position. Long rides are comfortably dispatched. The cockpit has also been well chosen with a 40 mm stem and 780 mm wide bars. While pedalling, the Spectral is pleasantly efficient and marches willingly forward with the rear end remaining supportive even on steep climbs. Simultaneously, the Spectral 29 manages to offer enough traction for technical uphills. We never felt the need to reach for the pedal switch on the shock. When we did once firm up the rear end to try it out, we found the bike was lacking both in comfort and traction. With its grippy MAXXIS Minion tires the Spectral 29 isn’t an uphill rocket, but for what it does, it climbs superbly. If you put more value on uphill efficiency, you should take a closer look at the Canyon Neuron, which we’ve also tested. The only annoying thing is the limited space between the bottle and shock. It’s more than likely that not every bottle model will fit and that you’ll get stuck on the shock when taking it out of the cage.

Efficient when pedalling and super comfortable for long rides – the Spectral 29 is a great climber!

A really good trail bike manages to put a wide grin on your face on every trail. In short: the Spectral 29 does this brilliantly. This bike rocks! The Spectral 29 is a very roomy bike on which you sit centrally, ensuring great grip on both wheels from the get-go. There’s no adjustment period required. The Spectral 29 is big, but not giant. The high front end combined with the low bottom bracket integrates the rider well, creating a sense of security. You immediately feel ready to put your foot down and even on steep terrain, you’ll never feel unsafe or overwhelmed. Quick direction changes are dispatched directly, precisely and without much effort. The only thing that does take a bit more input is manualling the bike.

The suspension is sensitive without being too soft. The 150 mm stroke only reaches full travel when it’s really needed. That means the bike generates lots of grip but always provides you with enough feedback of what’s happening on the trail. If you want to pull up off an edge, it almost happens by itself. In all honesty, we spent much more time in the air on this bike than almost any other that we’ve ridden recently. Brilliant! Progression is tuned so that the rare bottom out, if it ever occurs, isn’t overly harsh and the bike always has reserves.

That grin stretches even wider when riding the Spectral on groomed trails with berms and jumps. Pumping the bike generates plenty of speed and the balanced handling lets you blast through corners at Mach 10 or drift in complete control from the inside into the next berm. Overall, the components are well chosen too. The suspension, wheels and drivetrain are all up to the job and the tires perform admirably. The only thing that disturbed us during our testing was the Shimano XT brakes. Like in our long-term test, the brake pads rattled and the levers exhibited the same wandering bite point on the Spectral 29. Make sure to thoroughly bleed your brakes and bend open the pad springs a little, though don’t expect things to get much better long term. As soon as you wear out the brake pads, we recommend swapping them for ones without cooling fins.

Canyon Spectral 29 or a Canyon Strive?

This is the almost inevitable question that will pop into your head. After all, at first glance, the two bikes look quite similar. Both have 150 mm rear travel and roll on 29″ wheels. However, on the trail, the differences are pronounced. Thanks to its steep seat tube angle, the Spectral 29 climbs more comfortably and feels just as efficient with the shock left open as the Strive does with Shape-Shifter activated. Downhill the Spectral 29 feels more secure thanks to its longer geometry, though the Strive generates a little more traction thanks to the plusher rear end. As a result of its shorter reach, the Strive rides a little more directly and with its increased grip, can be ridden quicker. However, this requires more skill and strength. If we had to choose today, we would go for the new Spectral 29.

Canyon Spectral CF 29 conclusion

Mission accomplished! Anyone who is on the search for a do-it-all bike to have a whole lot of fun on any kind of trail will find what they’re looking for in the new Spectral CF 29. It’s capable enough to be taken to the bike park yet is also a whole lot of fun on flowing trails. This bike bridges the gap between trail and enduro bikes, making it extremely versatile. Of course, that also ends up being its biggest weakness. The Spectral does everything well, but nothing perfectly. It’s not quite as responsive as the Neuron nor as capable as a modern enduro bike, yet it is definitely the one bike for everything.

The new Spectral 29 is available now at Canyon.com.