Yes, Canyon Bikes are finally here. Lucky I have a big letterbox because the other day the new Canyon Spectral CF was squeezed through the mail slot. Someone must love me and jumped online, paid a whoppingly reasonable sum of money ($7399 plus $229 shipping) and whammo! A full carbon 140mm trail bike with XO1, Pikes, CCDB inline, Crossmax XL wheels and a whole lot of other lovely stuff that would easily be in most peoples dream build.
A 28lb (without pedals) carbon bike with a CaneCreek Double Barrel Inline CS. 140mm rear and a 150mm Pike RCT3 up front giving it a 67 deg head angle, a 74.5 seat tube angle and a long reach of 455mm for this large we have here.
Canyon are a German brand and have decided to go the direct route and offer you their bikes directly from the factory and have an agent in Australia, very much like YT Industries. What does this mean for you? Simple, you make your purchase online and have the bike shipped to your door, pre-assembled so any monkey can put it together. Just attach front wheel, bars to the stem, put on your own pedals, slide the seatpost in and its ready to go.
There are 3 models, this is the middle one, the Spectral CF 9.0 EX. It comes in this stunning satin green, or good old stealth black. At $7399 it appears to be a great deal. I’m going to give it a good thrashing, see what happens and try and get a handle on what it means to own a mail order bike and when (if) I have any problems, then how I overcome them. Like who do I call? Will my local bike shop get all shirty with me when I take it in ’cause the pivots are creaking or the shock fell off? You know…all that normal stuff.
If you want more info then best you hop onto their site and drool a little more. – SPECTRAL
This is how it was pulled straight out of the box. Cables all in place and gears pre-tuned.(please don’t look too much in the background, my life is one big mess)
Here’s the Spectral CF in its natural habitat, the Akatarawa jungle out the back of my place. First impressions are a nimble and aggressive trail bike that can be pushed hard in any conditions.
It has all the usual tricks from a high end carbon frame package but this headset stopper thingy is a treat. It prevents the bars turning full circle and ripping out your cables or scuffing your top tube with the brake levers.
CCDB Inline CS. A great performing shock with lots of knobs to fiddle with. The frame is a work of art with beautifully sculpted lines and curves.
Very sweet bike. Since I got my Strive CF I haven’t been able to stop riding – Such a rad bike!!
You’re a lucky guy Michael. Im desperate to get my hands on a Strive. That shapeshifter looks like the dogs bollocks.
Hi Rod, how are you finding the sizing compared to what you would usually ride?