I have been looking forward to the update of the Spectral since I demo’d a 2022 model last fall. That one was a top spec carbon bike with wheels made of the same plastic fantastic, and the same one-piece bar/stem. XTR components and Kashima bits throughout.
I really liked the experience I had on the bike - it was the first mullet ebike I rode and I thought it handled great. I had a lot of confidence charging into familiar lines and even hit some new to me jumps and features that i had previously ridden around. The only thing that would have kept me from purchasing one if $10K USD fell into my lap was the sizing - that model only went to a size large and was limited to a reach of 485. I see Canyon is now offering a 510 reach XL which is perfect for my height. (I will say though that when I reached out to their customer support team in the winter asking if they’d be making a larger frame, the representative said “people are happy with the sizes we offer.” Insert eyeroll here. I mean, there weren’t any 2022s left to buy, why not just keep the customer engaged with truthful information?)
Anyhow it’s a little surprising to see that this demo bike showed up in such a state - magnets that fell off, a battery strap that was torn, and a power connection that was not water-resistant - especially given that Canyon product guru Vernon Felton is formerly a BIKE mag gear editor. Did he box it up or personally transport it to NSMB HQ? Of course not, but you’d kinda think he might instruct his minions to ensure that the bike was dialed before it got handed off for a sorta high profile review.
Also the battery count is pretty confounding. Yes yes there are lower-spec bikes in the mid-four figure price range that don’t ship with these little energy pods but for the top spec bike, it’s odd they didn’t come up with a way to integrate the peripheral bits with the main battery esp given that there is the XL 900Wh option. Trek’s latest Fuel EX-e has this integration, I’ve read.
I’ll still keep one of these on my wishlist, but definitely not the model with all of these distracting servos. (FWIW the other bikes on the list are the Trek Rail and the Rocky Altitude PP.)
July 29, 2022, 4:29 p.m. - Dan
I have been looking forward to the update of the Spectral since I demo’d a 2022 model last fall. That one was a top spec carbon bike with wheels made of the same plastic fantastic, and the same one-piece bar/stem. XTR components and Kashima bits throughout. I really liked the experience I had on the bike - it was the first mullet ebike I rode and I thought it handled great. I had a lot of confidence charging into familiar lines and even hit some new to me jumps and features that i had previously ridden around. The only thing that would have kept me from purchasing one if $10K USD fell into my lap was the sizing - that model only went to a size large and was limited to a reach of 485. I see Canyon is now offering a 510 reach XL which is perfect for my height. (I will say though that when I reached out to their customer support team in the winter asking if they’d be making a larger frame, the representative said “people are happy with the sizes we offer.” Insert eyeroll here. I mean, there weren’t any 2022s left to buy, why not just keep the customer engaged with truthful information?) Anyhow it’s a little surprising to see that this demo bike showed up in such a state - magnets that fell off, a battery strap that was torn, and a power connection that was not water-resistant - especially given that Canyon product guru Vernon Felton is formerly a BIKE mag gear editor. Did he box it up or personally transport it to NSMB HQ? Of course not, but you’d kinda think he might instruct his minions to ensure that the bike was dialed before it got handed off for a sorta high profile review. Also the battery count is pretty confounding. Yes yes there are lower-spec bikes in the mid-four figure price range that don’t ship with these little energy pods but for the top spec bike, it’s odd they didn’t come up with a way to integrate the peripheral bits with the main battery esp given that there is the XL 900Wh option. Trek’s latest Fuel EX-e has this integration, I’ve read. I’ll still keep one of these on my wishlist, but definitely not the model with all of these distracting servos. (FWIW the other bikes on the list are the Trek Rail and the Rocky Altitude PP.)