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2025 Canyon

Spectral CF 8 CLLCTV

A 29″ / 27.5″ carbon frame full suspension trail bike with upper mid-range components.
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Manufacturer Price

$4,299
Weight34.9 lbs  
FrameCarbon
SuspensionFull, 140 / 150mm
ForkFox Performance Elite Float 36
ShockFox DHX Factory
Wheels29″ / 27.5″ Aluminum
GroupsetXT, SLX
BrakesShimano XT Hydraulic Disc
SeatpostDropper
View on canyon.comLearn about Canyon
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Insights
Ride Feel

Based on frame geometry and build specs.

Terrain
easyextreme
Handling
nimblestable
Spectral CF 8 CLLCTV
Other Trail bikes
Gearing

A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Lowest gear

(climbing)

26 mph

Spectral CF 8 CLLCTV

26 mph

Similar Bikes

Highest gear

(descending)

Spec Level

Based on build material and quality level of the frame, fork, wheelset, groupset, suspension system, and more.

Compare the full Spectral model range

View Comparison
Sizing
XS

< 5'7"

SM

5'4" – 5'10"

MD

5'7" – 6'1"

LG

5'10" – 6'5"

XL

6'2" +

Rider Fit Notes

None yet.

Do you have this bike? Help other riders make a decision about which size will work for them by sharing your own size and fit notes.

Reviews

Summary

The Canyon Spectral is a versatile and playful trail bike praised for its excellent all-around performance, offering both 29-inch and mixed wheel setups for adaptable handling. It features refined suspension with improved kinematics for better traction and a supple ride, along with practical details like in-frame storage. While generally reliable and fun, some reviews note issues with sizing confusion and occasional component rattles.

Pros
  • Versatile wheel setup options (29-inch or mixed)

  • Refined suspension kinematics for improved traction and predictability

  • In-frame storage with practical design

  • Playful and agile handling

  • Good value for price with competitive builds

Cons
  • Sizing may be unconventional and confusing

  • Occasional noise from cables or components

  • Long chainstays can feel unwieldy in tight trails

  • Not the most aggressive descender or efficient pedaler

  • K.I.S. steering stabilizer not favored by all riders

Key Quotes
Canyon’s new Spectral is a reliable all-rounder, ready to tackle most rides, in most places, under most riders.
BIKE Magazine logoBIKE Magazine
The new Spectral feels super playful and alive straight away, even in the base model.
Bike Perfect logoBike Perfect
Combined with the low-slung chassis and short chainstays, the dynamic Spectral is an absolute corner-ripping machine.
Flow Mountain Bike logoFlow Mountain Bike
Canyon was not bluffing when they said 'Any Trail. Every Rider'.
Loam Wolf logoLoam Wolf
It’s a bike that wants to climb and descend in just about any creative way you can imagine.
Mountain Bike Action logoMountain Bike Action

Feedback?

View all reviews

Freehub
Bike Review | Canyon Spectral AL 6

Jun 2025

Light on the wallet and the trail. Earlier this year Canyon released an aluminum version of its Spectral trail bike. On paper it’s a pretty simple proposition: take an award-winning formula, and replicate it in alloy to hit a lower-budget market segment. Sell a bike that will weigh a few pounds more, for a few thousand dollars less. But Canyon didn’t exactly follow that formula. This is the third edition of the Spectral I’ve ridden in the last three years, and yes, it’s also the most affordable. But shockingly, it’s also the lightest. By, well, a lot. To the point that it’s one of the lightest bikes I’ve ever reviewed. So we’ll talk about that, as well as how it compares to other similar trail bikes. Canyon Spectral AL 6 Overview, Travel: 140 mm (rear) 150 mm (front), Wheel Size: 29”, Size Tested: Medium, Build Tested: AL 6, Head Tube Angle: 64°, Measured Weight: 31.44 lbs (14.26 kg), MSRP: $3,099, By the numbers the Spectral AL 6 is a very straightforward trail bike. Typical geometry numbers (if you readjust your sizing paradigm which we’ll get into later), typical travel, no weird proprietary stuff. But over the last few weeks I haven’t been able to stop discussing it with my bike friends, because there is more than meets the eye going on here.

Read Review

Bikerumor
2025 Canyon Spectral AL Lowers Cost of Trail Bike Fun & All-Mountain Versatility in Alloy

Apr 2025 · Cory Benson

This new 2025 Canyon Spectral AL trail bike is simple & capable all-mountain shredder in more affordable & durable aluminum...

Highs
  • More affordable than carbon model

  • Simplified and more indestructible

  • Less than 1 water bottle heavier than the most affordable carbon bike

  • Same geometry, wheel size options, and capable suspension as carbon model

  • Same 140mm of rear wheel travel paired to 150mm forks

  • Same revamped suspension kinematics as carbon model

  • Same 1-piece rocker link design for reduced rear-end flex

  • Same geometry as the carbon bike

  • Option for full 29er setup or 29″ front + 27.5″ rear wheel combo

  • Sleek & durable aluminum frame

  • Category 4 tested

  • 5 sizes available

  • Long travel 34.9mm dropper posts

  • Conventional internal cable routing

  • Sealed bearing pivots with extra grease-fill

  • BSA threaded bottom bracket with ISCG tabs

  • Boost rear-end spacing with a UDH

  • Downtube bottle cage mount, plus under-toptube tool cage mount

  • Silent chainstay & seatstay protectors, plus downtube protector

Lows
  • Less adjustability

  • No flip-chips

  • Rear-end specific to the rear wheel size, no switching after purchase

  • No hi/lo chip at the rear shock mount

  • No internal frame storage

Read Review

Mountain Bike Action
LONG TERM REVIEW: CANYON SPECTRAL CF 8 CLLCTV - BROADENING THE SPECTRUM - Mountain Bike Action Magazine

Oct 2024 · Ron Koch

It’s a bike that wants to climb and descend in just about any creative way you can imagine, aside from professional-level enduro racing, and is a versatile platform that can cater to a wide range of riders.

Read Review

off.road.cc
Canyon Spectral CF 9 mountain bike review - Top trail performance meets excellent value

May 2024

With the latest Spectral platform, Canyon has adjusted its suspension kinematic, geometry and introduced a redesigned rear triangle. The bike ushers in new technology and all of the mod-cons you'd expect of a modern trail bike, too. The result is a bike that performs well. Its incredibly competitive price is another reason why this iteration of the Canyon Spectral is one of the best mountain bikes currently on the market.

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Bike Perfect
Canyon Spectral CF 7 2024 review – the best affordable trail MTB I’ve ever ridden

Feb 2024 · Guy Kesteven

This entry level model of Canyon’s evolved all-rounder is a brilliant value, full feature trail MTB with pop and play for days. Guy Kesteven has been testing the Spectral CF 7 and is several weeks deep into a love affair with it, so what makes this bike so good?

Highs
  • Premium frame feel and details at a bargain price

  • Excellent adjustable all rounder geometry

  • Outstanding performance for price component selection

  • 29er or mullet compatible chassis

  • Adjustable steering stabilization

Lows
  • Not available from shops

  • Relatively heavy for its travel

  • Big senders might want to add a shock spacer

  • Initial rattle is irritating

Read Review

MBR
Canyon pulls out all the stops on the new 2024 Spectral CF 9 trail bike with less travel, more sizes, internal storage and steering stabilisation as standard - MBR

Feb 2024 · Alan Muldoon

Canyon clearly isn’t afraid to innovate. Because after just one year and a trial on just one model, it is back with a brand new range of Spectral CFs, all sporting KIS, its Keep It Stable steering technology. Not to be confused with a steering damper, KIS has springs that attach to a cam on the fork steerer that help recenter the front wheel after a deflection. And based on rider feedback the latest version has been tweaked to feel less intrusive. Best of all, there’s no longer an additional upcharge associated with the cutting edge tech. Packed with mod-cons, Canyon is plainly serious about building one of the best full-suspension trail bikes on the market. Canyon Spectral CF 9 need to know Updated Spectral CF is an out-and-out trail bike Rear travel is capped at 140mm Five sizes, reach on M is now 475mm, L grows to 500mm Geometry designed around a 150mm fork Internal frame storage first seen on the Grail gravel bike Wheel size flip-chip on the chainstays Chainstay length shortens from 437mm to 429mm in 27.5in setting New frame is only 20g heavier than the old one. Geometry flip-chip in shock eyelet gives high/low settings Detuned KIS steering stabiliser comes standard Four models, all with the same frame and all with KIS Prices start at £3,299 for the Spectral CF 7 – to find out more about the new Canyon Spectral range, read our news story and range overview One look and the new Spectral CF chassis and it’s clear that Canyon also isn’t afraid to imitate. Specialized pioneered internal frame storage with SWAT and given that we predicted that the new Spectral would have the same internal storage as the recently launched Canyon Grail gravel bike, its addition should come as no surprise. But that’s not the only technology the Canyon has borrowed from Specialized when reimagining the latest Spectral CF range. Take a closer look at the carbon rear dropouts on the new Spectral CF and you’ll notice the asymmetric Horst link pivots first used on the Gen 2 Specialized Levo SL to accommodate 27.5in or 29in rear wheels without messing up the geometry. Canyon is even referring to them as wheel size flip-chips, and just like on the Specialized Levo SL they keep the geometry identical, bar the 8mm shorter chainstay length when swapping from a 29in rear wheel to 27.5in. It’s a great feature and having measured the geometry of the Canyon in both settings, with both wheel sizes, both shod with same tyre treads and widths, it does exactly as claimed.  You simply choose your preferred wheel size at checkout and the bike ships in the corresponding geometry setting.  What’s interesting is that Canyon has claimed that the new frame with KIS and internal storage is only 20g heavier than the old one and retains its Category 4 rating. And I don’t doubt that for a second, but when I looked up my notes on the 2021 Spectral 29 CF 8 …Continue reading »

Highs
  • • Progressive geometry that's 29in and MX compatible

  • • Extended size range + internal frame storage

  • • Innovative KIS technology at no extra cost

  • • Loads of suspension support for pedalling

  • • Improved heel clearance with slender stays

Lows
  • • Rear suspension bottoms too easily

  • • With 136mm travel, things gets rowdy on rough trails

  • • Internal frame storage has limited capacity

  • • Complete build is heavier than the old bike

Read Review

MTB Mag
[Review] New Canyon Spectral CF

Feb 2024 · Marco Toniolo

Canyon introduces the new Spectral, which is one of the most multi-purpose bikes on the market. Since the previous model was unveiled in 2021, I have used it assiduously: long alpine rides, bike park days, weekends in Finale Ligure with shuttle service, and a lot of day rides on the hote trails. The Canyon Spectral 2024 hasn’t been overhauled, partly because it didn’t need to be, but it has undergone some interesting changes and is slightly heavier, but let’s go in order. The model being presented today is the CF, that is, the carbon one. So it is not quite

Read Review

Pinkbike
First Ride: 2024 Canyon Spectral CF - Evolution Not Revolution

Feb 2024 · Seb Stott

The Spectral is now a 140mm trail bike with in-frame storage, and a removable steering stabilizer.

Read Review

Geometry
Specs
Build
Frame

Canyon Spectral CF, Full-carbon frame with optimised stiffness and compliance. Convertable wheelsize and geometry adjustment. Category 4 strength., Axle dimension: 12x148 mm, Material: Carbon (CF), Weight: 2.82 lbs

BB StandardBSA, 68mm, Threaded

ColorStadtwald Sunset

Fork

FOX 36 Performance Elite, Axle dimension: 15x110 mm, Stanchion Diameter: 36 mm, Travel: 150 mm, Fork steer tube diameter: 1 1/8" - 1,5", Offset: 44 mm, Volume Spacer Oe: 2/7, Weight: 5.18 lbs

Travel150mm

Spring TypeAir

Shock

FOX DHX Factory, Spring: 350

Travel140mm

Spring TypeCoil

Bottom Bracket

Shimano BSA BB52, Bottom bracket standard: BSA HT2 68/73, Weight: 0.22 lbs

Stem

Canyon G5, Modern design, extreme durability: Canyon G5 components were developed by our pros on the world's toughest trails., Fork steer tube diameter: 1 1/8", Clamping diameter: 31,8 mm, Material: Aluminium (AL)

Handlebar

Canyon G5, G5 stands for gravity riding, and category 5. This aluminium bar has superb ergonomics and durability., Clamping diameter: 31,8 mm, Rise: 30 mm

Saddle

Ergon SM10 Enduro Comp, Gender: Unisex, Weight: 0.66 lbs

Seatpost

Canyon SP0070-01, Air cartridge. Cable actuated., Travel: Dependent on frame size (see component geometry table.), Seatpost diameter: 34,9 mm, Material: Aluminium (AL), Weight: 1.44 lbs

TypeDropper

Pedals

None included

Grips

Canyon G5

Groupset
Rear Derailleur

Shimano Deore XT M8100, Cage length: long, Weight: 0.62 lbs

Crank

Shimano Deore SLX M7120, Number of chainrings: 1

Shifters

Shimano Deore XT SL-M8100, Weight: 0.29 lbs

Cassette

Shimano Deore SLX CS-M7100, Number of sprockets: 12, Range: 10-51

Chain

Shimano Deore M6100

Chain Guide

Canyon EP1266-01 ISCG05 Plate | Canyon GP0293-02

Brakes

Shimano DEORE XT M8120, Number of pistons: 4

TypeShimano XT Hydraulic Disc

Wheels
Rims

Front: DT Swiss E1900, Axle dimension: 15x110 mm, Rotor mount: IS 6-bolt, Weight: 2.21 lbs, Rear: DT Swiss E1900, Axle dimension: 12x148 mm, Rotor mount: IS 6-bolt, Weight: 2.47 lbs

Tires

Maxxis Assegai, Width: 2.5", Weight: 2.36 lbs | Maxxis Minion DHR II Exo+, Width: 2,4", Weight: 2.45 lbs

Disc Rotors

Shimano RT76, Size: 203 mm, Weight: 0.45 lbs

Rider Notes
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First added September 14

Last updated March 14

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