2019-05-01_Mountain_Bike_Rider

£2,249

2019 isallaboutgive

andtake.Canyongives

theSpectralmore

travelandtakesaway

some tyre volume

Notsoldonstealth

black?TheSpectralAL

6.0isalsoavailablein

an Infra Raw finish

Verdict

Poundforpound,thereis nobetter

27.5intrailbikethantheCanyon

SpectralAL6.0.It pedalswith

aplomb,it feelslightandagileon

flattertrailsandwhenit’stimeto

rumble,theextratravelanddialled

geometrymeansit’severybitas

comfortablegoingthefull 12 rounds

asdeliveringa knockoutblow.

TheMaxxGripfronttyreis overkill

forUKridingbutis theonly speccing

flaw.Evenaccounting

forshipping,you

couldbuya faster-

rollingMaxxTerra

fronttyreand

stillhavechange

from £2,500.

canyon spectral al 6.0

specification
FrameSpectral
aluminium,
150mmtravel
ShockFoxFloat
DPX2Performance
ForkFox 36 Rhythm
Grip,160mmtravel
WheelsDTSwiss
hubs,DTSwiss
M1900Spline
rims,MaxxisMinion
DHRII MaxxGrip/
Terra27.5x2.4intyres
DrivetrainTruvativ
Descendant32t
chainset,SRAM
GXEagler-mech
andshifter
BrakesSRAMGuide
R,200/180mm
ComponentsCanyon
G5780mmbar,
CanyonG550mm
stem,Iridium1x
remote150mmpost,
SDGFlyMtnsaddle
SizesXS,S,M,L, XL
Weight14.61kg
(32. 2 1lb)
Contactcanyon.com

Geometry
SizetestedL
Headangle65°
Seatangle70.4°
BBheight331mm
Chainstay431mm
Frontcentre789mm
Wheelbase
1,220mm
Downtube721mm
Toptube620mm
Reach 460mm

o

urTrailBikeoftheYear2018,

theCanyonSpectral,is the

27.5inbiketowhichallothers

aremeasured.Andfor 2019

it’sundergonesomemajor

revisionstothebuildkitthatmakeit

evenmorecapable.

Revisionsthatseethetravelcreepup

by10mmatbothends,transformingit

intoa 160/150mmbikethatblurstheline

betweentrailridingandenduro.

TomaintainthedesiredBBheight,

thetyresizehasshrunkfrom2.6into

2.4in,whichis basicallytheoppositeof

whatmostotherbrandsaredoing,but

it works.

Twomodelsfittedourcriteriafor

thisyear’stest:theSpectralCF7.0at

£2,699andtheAL6.0at£2,249.We

optedforthelatterasit meantthatall

ofthebikesinthe27.5incategoryhad

alloyframes.And,withCanyonbeing

theonlygenuinedirect-salesbrandin

thecategory,it helpedleveltheplaying

fieldattouch.Notthatyoucouldtellby

lookingatthespecification,asCanyon

givesnothing away to the other bands

on test.

suspension

Canyonmanagedtoincreaserear-wheel

travelfrom 140 to150mmbyaddinga

longerstrokeshockwiththesameeye-

to-eyelength.Soit’sthetaller160mm

travelforkthatmakesthisyear’sbikeone

fulldegreeslacker.Andbecausethebike

hasmoretravel,thedynamicgeometry

is lowerandslacker,eventhoughthe

staticBBheightis 1mmhigher.

Canyon’striple-phasesuspension

linkageoffersgoodsmall-bump

sensitivitywithgreatmid-strokesupport

forpedallingandcornering,butit’salso

veryprogressive,makingit harderto

usethefullmeasureoftravelonrougher

trails.Flat-landa droporovershoota

jumphowever,andyou’llbottomit out,

sothinkoftheextra10mmontherearas

insuranceforwhenyoumessup.

The 36 RhythmGripforkhasa more

linearprogressionrateasstandard,so

addinganextravolumereducergives

a bettermatchtotherearsuspension.

Volumespacerscomesuppliedwiththe

bike,alongwitha shockpump. Bonus.

components

Inkeepingwiththeextratraveland

more-capable geometry, the Spectral AL

6.0getsCanyon’sG5cockpitfromthe

Torque,whichincludesa 780mmbarand

two-piece50mmstem.TheG5lock-on

gripsextendthebarwidthto790mm.

It alsogetsthesametyresasthe

Torque—2.4inMaxxisMinionDHR

IIs.Greattyres,butthesuper-grippy,

incrediblyslow-rollingMaxxGrip

compoundupfrontwillsuckthelifeout

ofyouonlongerrides.It’stheonlychink

inanotherwiseflawlessbuildkit,and

is bestreservedforchairlift-assisted

rides.Withourmid-compoundMaxxis

MaxxTerrafronttyrefitted,theCanyon

feltlikeit hadbeenletoffthe leash.

performance

Hop-upkitsdon’talwaysmakea bike

better,butCanyongotit justrightwith

thelatestSpectral.Theextratravel

makesit morecapablethanbefore,

withouttransformingit intoa full-blown

endurobike.Yes,thelonger-travelFox

36 Rhythmforkhasmoremovement

whenclimbing,butthisbikeis stillfast

andefficient.

Downhill,theextrasuspensionmuscle

letsyourideharderwithlessfatigue.

Theslackerheadanglereallyhelpsin

thatdepartmenttoo.

Withthe170mmcrankarms,the

BBheightontheSpectralis spoton

forslashingturns,smugglinginpedal

strokesandgrindingupsteepclimbs.

If youdoneedextrapedalclearancefor

moretechnicalascents,thecompression

leverontheFloatDPX2shockis within

easyreach.

Sothe 2019 SpectralAl6.0is an

absolutedemononthedescents,

balancedonflowingsingletrackand

incrediblyefficientonclimbs.It’s

everythinga greattrailbikeshouldbe,

andthefactthatit’salsocheaperthan

anythingelseinitsclassmakesit our

undisputedTrailBike of the Year two

years in a row.

2 7.5in trail bikes

64 mbr M ay 2 019