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Today’s DealsSpectral 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| Weight | 34.9 lbs |
|---|---|
| Frame | Carbon |
| Suspension | Full, 140 / 150mm |
| Fork | Fox Performance Elite Float 36 |
| Shock | Fox DHX Factory |
| Wheels | 29″ / 27.5″ Aluminum |
| Groupset | XT, SLX |
| Brakes | Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc |
| Seatpost | Dropper |
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< 5'7"
5'4" – 5'10"
5'7" – 6'1"
5'10" – 6'5"
6'2" +
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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.
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
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
Canyon’s new Spectral is a reliable all-rounder, ready to tackle most rides, in most places, under most riders.
The new Spectral feels super playful and alive straight away, even in the base model.
Combined with the low-slung chassis and short chainstays, the dynamic Spectral is an absolute corner-ripping machine.
Canyon was not bluffing when they said 'Any Trail. Every Rider'.
It’s a bike that wants to climb and descend in just about any creative way you can imagine.
Feedback?
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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.

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

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.

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.
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?
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
Not available from shops
Relatively heavy for its travel
Big senders might want to add a shock spacer
Initial rattle is irritating

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 »
• 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
• 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

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

Feb 2024 · Seb Stott
The Spectral is now a 140mm trail bike with in-frame storage, and a removable steering stabilizer.
| 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 Standard: BSA, 68mm, Threaded Color: Stadtwald 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 Travel: 150mm Spring Type: Air |
| Shock | FOX DHX Factory, Spring: 350 Travel: 140mm Spring Type: Coil |
| 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 Type: Dropper |
| Pedals | None included |
| Grips | Canyon G5 |
| 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 Type: Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc |
| 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 |
First added September 14
Last updated March 14
Not listed for 78 days