2022 Emtb Shootout - Canyon Spectral:ON CFR LTD Review
The Canyon Spectral:ON was redesigned from the ground-up for 2022. Canyon Bicycles sought to add further capability and range to their ultimate all-rounder eMTB offering. Unfortunately, due to shipping delays we weren’t able to include the previous model in our 2021 eMTB shootout, but we did conduct a long term review after many months of riding it last year and really like it. Luckily this year we learned that the 2022 Spectral:ON model would arrive just in time for our 2022 shootout in Knoxville, Tennessee. The crew was excited to see how it would stack up against the rest of the eBikes in the Trail segment. Canyon’s Spectral:ON CFR LTD sports both the biggest battery capacity on test and the most individual batteries on a bike thanks to the interesting Flight Attendant suspension tech, SRAM AXS drivetrain and dropper. There’s plenty of batteries and tech to talk about, so let’s dive in and see how the Canyon Spectral:ON CFR LTD performed.
THE DIRT
We were excited to get on board the new Canyon Spectral:ON for a good head-to-head thrashing with the four other competitors in the Trail category at the 2022 eMTB shootout in Knoxville, Tennessee. Throughout the week of testing, the Canyon was passed between all of our testers to give it a healthy amount of trail time, and the experiences of all eight testers form the basis of the opinions contained in this review.
On first impressions the Spectral:ON CFR LTD is stunning, with the two-tone matte/metallic paint and ultra clean lines and cables. Seven of the eight crew members who got on board the Spectral:ON had the same initial reaction - a dislike for the integrated bar/stem combo. The “roll” of the bar felt too far forward for all but one of us initially, and with no option to change it - neither before buying or once owning the bike - a buyer would be out of luck. Swapping this bar/stem combo would require a considerable expense and effort, so it’s a shame to see a single fixed option for the geometry. Once you’ve ridden the bar for a while you can begin to get used to it, but it’s still far from optimal for most of us.
Getting the RockShox Flight Attendant suspension setup on the Spectral:ON CFR LTD requires a couple of extra steps compared with a “normal” suspension system. After connecting the system to the SRAM AXS app, the set up process is as follows: the air pressures are set as normal in the fully Open mode, with 30% sag out back and the recommended air pressure in the RockShox Lyrik fork. Next you stand on the bike in the neutral position on a level surface, you then hold a combination of buttons on the Flight Attendant control module on top of the fork to enter the calibration mode. You hold the bike still in an upright position until the lights on the module flash, then tilt the bike over to the non-driveside and hold until it flashes again. The system should now be calibrated, and the suspension ready to rip the trails.
Using the app, you can alter the bias of the system (how it favors the open, pedal and lock modes, with five options to tailor it to your preference); change the compression settings for the fork and shock independently; and even set up an AXS shifter or dropper lever to add a function that forces the suspension into your preferred mode on the fly. After some figuring out, both the calibration process and general operation of the Flight Attendant system were rather straightforward, and the difference on the trail is quite interesting.
[ This is just a short snippet of our written review. For the full write-up, visit the site. ]
Weight as Tested: 51.6 lbs
Review: theloamwolf.com/2022/05/20/ca...
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Пікірлер: 42
I took a very short (ca. 20 min) ride on Spectral:ON CF 8 a week ago. I was able to visit a Canyon demo day and they happened to have 2 of the yet unreleased ones. It was great to see that range estimate on BOOST was 78 km, my 2019 one gives 74 km on ECO at full battery. I cannot really comment much on the ride, because the ride was so short. I am not used to Shimano gears nor the brakes that were on the bike. However, the bike felt good on the local trails, ones that I ride almost daily. Surprisingly many pedal strikes, but the bike really was not set up for me. IIRC, the spec matched CF 8 on the press kit table. The local Canyon employee told me that there may still be changes to final specs before release, or later during the year, due to parts availability problems.
How is the bike on steep technical/rocky descents with that 65.5* HA? (i'd put 160mm fork to get 65*) other bikes, like Levo, have 63.5-64* - is the difference very noticable ?
Didn’t this come out before the Norco Sight VLT C1’s video? Regardless I’m going to watch it all the way through
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
It did, but the initial upload file cut off a good chunk at the end of the video so we had to re-upload it.
I love ❤️ y’all’s reviews but I felt like this was a review for flight attendant suspension instead of the Spectral
@SDPadre7
Жыл бұрын
Agreed.
Anxiously been waiting for your review on this bike. Too bad you were not able to review the top end models available in the US. Looking for a trail emtb to compliment my YT Shred and my Yeti-160E. The 900 wh battery is very appealing and was concerned the added weight/frame design necessary to accommodate bigger battery would impact performance. Appreciate your honesty when reviewing bikes (performance and intangibles), makes forming a decision much easier when you get input from a source you that has proven itself time and time again. Sincerely believe you tell it like it is and are not influenced by companies that may sponser you. About 95% sold on getting the top of the line CFR when its released in the fall (CF8 was just released in US with limited quantities and sold out within hours). Will wait and see the results of all the bikes in your test to help me finalize decision. Ride on Loam Wolfpack!
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
Wow thank you so much Dana! Those comments are exactly why we do what we do. We value our viewers and understand they work long and hard to buy these expensive bikes and we want to sleep well at night knowing we did our best to thoroughly review them and offer the best insight we can. This is a very fun bike, I think the CFR with a 160mm fork will be a very sick machine! I'm about to do some hop ups on this one and make it my own as a matter of fact. Bars, fork, grips and some personality stickers! haha. Thank you for watching.
I want to order this bike in CF 8 as it is on an insane price drop. Being 6'0 canyon puts me on an M. I am at the end of M and beginning of L. Would it make sense to just choose the small option to have more control over the bike? I like to ride technical terrain and also flow.
@florianradu4010
Жыл бұрын
Hi buddy, so what did you choose M or L ?
@djgenadeloos5893
Жыл бұрын
@@florianradu4010 Hi, i chose the M and its spot on...Really loved the first test day on the trails!
@drew5027
Жыл бұрын
@@djgenadeloos5893 Thanks for posting regarding sizing - I'm 5'11 and went with a Medium - I am not where the bike was shipped so have not tried it yet. How are you liking the bike?
@EmersonSalvador-ub4ih
2 ай бұрын
@@drew5027how was the medium size so far?
@drew5027
2 ай бұрын
@@EmersonSalvador-ub4ih I like the Medium - it fits slightly smaller than the Large Santa Cruz bikes that I have ridden in the past. I have not tried a Large in Spectral On so I can't say to a certainty if I would have liked the Large better or not.
Did you notice the chain rubbing on the chainstay protector in the four smallest cogs? Did it bother any of the testers?
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
We never noticed it rubbing if it did. I'll double check the protector for any wear though and follow up.
@aleszverca
2 жыл бұрын
@@TheLoamWolf that's good to hear, it was mentioned in some other reviews on yt...one more question about the headset. I can't find the specific specs for it. Is it possible to install an angleset? If I would fork it out to 160mm I would pair it with an 1° slacker angle.
@razorree
Жыл бұрын
@@aleszverca headset is IS I think and proprietary from Acros. I'd do the same, but it looks like not possible :(
No mention of next gen Lyrik on the bike?
@cben86
2 жыл бұрын
Embargo ends on the 26th. Details are already online if you know where to look 👀
How tall are you, what size was the bike, and how was the fit?
@TheLoamWolf
Жыл бұрын
5’11 and the large did feel a bit long for some riders who preferred the previous Spectral.
@djgenadeloos5893
Жыл бұрын
@@TheLoamWolf i am 6 feet tall and am right at the end of an M and beginning of an L, i guess this makes more sense than the L to keep it nice, nimble and playfull? i do like technical terrain and bikepark use...
@francisbrooks8533
Жыл бұрын
@@djgenadeloos5893 Compare it with your current bike on 99 spokes.
@djgenadeloos5893
Жыл бұрын
@@TheLoamWolf Thanks, i went with the M after some deep dive in the geo numbers :p. I am not a downhill racer but its all about having fun :)!
@EmersonSalvador-ub4ih
2 ай бұрын
@@djgenadeloos5893 how was medium size so far? Being a 6 ft person?
Yes. Already saw it.
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
Glad you saw it again.
I wish to order this bike but unsure which size to buy. I am a fraction over 6’3 barefoot and 35 inch inseam. Canyon recommends L for me, do you believe that sounds correct? I am normally XL with bikes, but I did notice the Spectral ON geo seems longer than most XL bikes.
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
That's a tough call. We typically prefer a smaller bike compared to a larger bike...But at 6'3 you're quite tall. Robert is 6'2 and rode the large without complaint but you may prefer the XL depending on your terrain and style... Good luck!
@djgenadeloos5893
Жыл бұрын
I had the same problem, i am a tad under 6 foot with a 35 inch inseam so at the end of M (i had an orbea occam in size L) but i guess i will follow the advice. I think the reach of 485 mm on the L will be to big for my hight to keep it nimble and playfull. Its really not so nice to be fully stretched out but thats the annoying thing of being a little bit in between sizes. Thanks @theloamwolf for the reviews and many tips and tricks. I guess going for the smaller frame option allways makes more sense untill you are obviously in the bigger frame when following the brands sizing advice. What did you think of the L and the big reach?
So this bike only had 2mm less reach than the rail but there wasn't really any commentary about that?
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
We would have loved the bike to be about 5mm shorter, however there are a lot of other factors that make this bike handle and feel a lot more lively than just the reach, compared to the Trek Rail.
Ebikes should be already adapted to those electronics, So manny batteries to charge and being an ebike that can feed all those electronics with one battery makes things complicated. ONE BATT FOR ALL THOSE ELECTRONICS
The previous one were well defined handling and cheaper ebikes out there. Now still are different but not that much, and they become expensive as fuck like all ... They got my curiosity yet, but not my attention
Everything has or doesn’t have “merit”
27 bb drop low??? That's extremely high!
@tsalesto
2 жыл бұрын
Canyon site has 36 mm drop listed. And, the bike is a mullet, which makes it really even more.
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
When we built out our notes, Canyon actually had bb drop in relation to both the front and rear axles, we took the average of both numbers which is closer to where the BB would be. Canyon has since updated their site to only show the bb drop in relation to the front axle.
Flight attendant looks like a pain. Last thing I want to do is spend more time on my phone. But 30 seconds isn’t bad. To get to that point I bet it took 15min of how to.
@TheLoamWolf
2 жыл бұрын
It was a lot of instructions and reading to get there yes, but now that we've done it once, should be easier.