THE ALL-NEW
SPECTRAL:ON

Like its namesake, the Spectral, the Spectral:ON is a “one bike, any trail” kind of machine. The Spectral:ON can tackle seriously chunky terrain thanks to its 155 mm of rear suspension, dialed chassis stiffness, low center of gravity, and steeze-enhancing mullet wheel setup.

Now, having said all of the above, the Spectral:ON is not the longest, slackest bike in the world. Frankly, we weren’t trying to create a dedicated E-Gravity or Enduro bike. Those bikes are well and good (in fact, they are a lot of fun), but we wanted to build a bike that you could take anywhere – from relatively mellow singletrack to a legitimately hairball bike park run – and have a good time. While this new Spectral:ON is, indeed, longer and slacker than its predecessor, it still rocks a very balanced geo that works well beneath a lot of different riders and on a lot of different types of terrain.

Everything. We’ve essentially made the Spectral:ON more capable and boosted its range. More impressive still, if you compare our new 720 Wh Spectral:ON models with the equivalent 630 Wh versions from the previous generation, you’ll find that we achieved all of this without also gaining overall bike weight.

We’ve created an entirely new, full-carbon chassis with two frame platforms: CFR and CF – all of which:

Our primary goal was to give riders the ability to ride further and faster, without imposing any weight penalties on them. That meant increasing the Spectral:ON’s range without simultaneously increasing the overall system weight. It was an ambitious target considering that adding more range inherently requires adding more batteries ... and adding more batteries inherently means adding more weight.

Thanks to clever engineering, we were able to increase range by 15 % with 720 Wh batteries while actually reducing overall bike weight. For instance, our flagship 2021 model, the XTR-equipped Spectral: ON CF 9, tipped the scales at 22.5 kg (size M). By contrast, our new XTR-equipped Spectral:ON CFR is 610 grams lighter than its predecessor despite being equipped with our larger 720 Wh battery.

When equipped with our massive 900 Wh battery, the new Spectral:ON CFR weighs just 350 grams more than its predecessor, yet boasts a 42 % boost in battery capacity.

The thing that truly sets the Spectral: ON apart is its ride quality. It’s not easy to make a full-power E-MTB feel playful. Let’s face It – bikes with this much power and range simply weigh more than their analog counterparts. And yet, the Spectral:ON captures a lot of the nimble ride quality of a pure-pedal bike. The Spectral:ON’s relatively short chainstays, mullet wheelsize combo, and balanced geometry make it a blast to ride on a wide variety of terrain ranging from steep, technical descents to flowy singletrack.

The Spectral:ON also delivers an uncommonly high degree of “bang for your buck”. For starters, all Spectral:ON models feature full (front and rear) carbon frames. You even get full carbon frames at prices normally reserved for aluminum E-MTBs. And then there’s the question of range – the Spectral:ON is class leading on that score. Our base-level 720 Wh battery offers riders more ride time and range than plenty top-tier offerings from other brands. What’s more, Spectral:ON riders looking to log maximum miles can upgrade from 720to 900 Wh batteries, which simply isn’t an option on most E-MTBs.

What ultimately sets the CFR and CF frames apart is weight. A size Medium CFR frame weighs 2,880 grams (6.34 pounds) – that’s 300 grams less than a Medium Spectral: ON CF frame. Stiffness, durability, and core frame features are the same across both the CFR and CF frame platforms. We achieved the weight savings on the CFR models purely through material and layup differences.

2,880 grams in size Medium (6.34 pounds).

The new size Medium Spectral:ON CF frame weighs 3,180 grams (7.01 pounds).

The new Spectral:ON benefits from increased stiffness and reliability. While we encountered no reliabilityissues with the previous generation of the Spectral:ON, we always aim to push performance further. Riders are constantly raising the bar on their riding and bikes need to keep pace with this evolution towards more and more aggressive riding. In this case, we realized greater rear-end stiffness and durability by evolving the pivot bearing design. The new Spectral:ON features significantly larger, 15 mm pivot axles and larger ball bearings. The end result is even better durability and handling in the roughestof conditions.

We designed the Spectral:ON to be incredibly versatile – a bike you can take on long singletrack expeditions as well as the occasional bike park foray. Bottom line, it needed to be tough. While the previous Spectral:ON was tested to our Category 3 standard, we raised the bar with this new model.

The new Spectral:ON meets the same demanding strength and impact resistance standards as our Enduro race models, but with a slight twist – we subject the Spectral:ON to more testing cycles than normally called for in our Category 4 testing standard. We call this “Category 4E”. We’ve developed this more stringent testing standard for E-MTBs in recognition of the greater stresses that E-MTBs experience. Both CF and CFR models meet this new, higher strength and durability standard.

Absolutely. Ease of maintenance was a driving influence on this redesign. If we can simplify a product and have it function as well as (or better than) a more complex version of that same product, then it’s inherently a better product. Fewer components ultimately mean fewer things the rider has to maintain over the years.

You can see this logic manifested in how we designed and arranged the wiring harness on the new Spectral:ON. There are just three electrical wires routed within the entire bike now. One wire runs from the HMI (the display unit) through the downtube and connects directly to the motor. The second wire runs from the motor to the battery. The third wire connects the motor to the speed sensor. That’s it – just three wires. Most e-bikes (including the previous Spectral:ON) feature a much more complex wiring configuration. Simple is good.

No. We designed the Spectral:ON’s kinematics with the spring curve of an air shock in mind. Moreover, coil shocks are not ideal in designs that use clevis mount shock extensions and rockers. The forces transferred (in such a design) to the smaller diameter damper shafts used in coil shocks is quite high and can lead to shock failures. Air-sprung shocks are better suited to this design because they utilize larger diameter damper shafts that better withstand those forces and thereby increase shock life.

The Spectral:ON features 155 mm of rear suspension which we’ve paired with 150 mm travel suspension forks.

The Spectral:ON is rated and approved for forks with up to 160 mm of suspension travel.

This new generation of the Spectral:ON sports a shorter seat tube than its predecessor. As a result, size Large and X-Large frames are equipped with 170 mm (RockShox) and 175 mm (FOX) dropper posts. Mediums run 150 mm droppers. Size Small bikes feature 125 mm (FOX) and 130 mm (RockShox) droppers.

The mixed wheel size configuration allows you to have a shorter rear center for playful handling, while the 29er front wheel gives you stable handling and the ability to roll over anything that gets in its way. For an aggressive trail bike, it’s an excellent combination of traits.

No. The Spectral:ON is designed around a 27.5-inch rear wheel. Attempting to fit a larger (29-inch) wheel on the back end of the Spectral:ON would adversely affect the geometry and reduce handling control. Moreover, since we designed the tire clearance around the smaller 27.5-inch wheel, attempting to use a larger (29er) rear wheel could also damage the frame.

All Spectral:ONs are equipped with29 x 2.5 front tires and 27.5 x 2.6rear tires.

27.5 x 2.6

Shimano’s system has a number of advantages. For starters, it’s proven very reliable. That’s vital. And in the rare event that riders actually need spare parts or assistance for either their motor or battery, Shimano has an extensive support network around the globe. In short, it’s a good choice from the rider’s point of view.

There are also benefits to the Shimano system from an engineering standpoint. The motor is quite light (2.6 kilograms) and relatively small, which gives our engineers more flexibility to design the best-handling bike possible. But perhaps the trait that we find most compelling in the Shimano motor is its actual ride feel. Shimano’s motor has a very smooth and natural feel at the pedals. And when it comes to integration – the switch and display– Shimano makes one of the cleanest and easiest-to-operate systems available.

Last but not least, choosing Shimano opened up the opportunity to equip the Spectral:ON with the largest possible batteries – giving riders the greatest range per charge possible.

The Spectral:ON is available with both 720 Wh and 900 Wh Canyon batteries. Canyon’s batteries are part of the Shimano Steps Service Program. This means consumers can order replacement batteries or get warranty support through bike shops that are Shimano dealers.

Ride quality and range. Developing our own battery allowed us to give riders more miles from every charge while also improving the Spectral:ON’s center of gravity and weight distribution. In short, going with our own battery opened the doors to providing riders with what they want most – outstanding ride quality and the ability to get out and ride all day long.

3.84 kg

4.75 kg

Shimano’s 630Wh BT-E8036 battery tips the scales at 3.7 kg.

It’s impossible to give a single prediction of how many miles any one rider will get out of a full battery charge, from any bike brand. Your mileage on any E-Bike is impacted by your weight, your cadence, your usage of different power settings, the steepness of your climbs, the ambient temperature during the ride, and much more.

But the question of how far you can pedal any E-MTB is entirely valid. So where does that leave us? Well, given the sheer watt-hour increase (from a standard Shimano 630Wh battery), we can say that the 720 Wh battery provides a 15 %boost in capacity while the 900 Wh battery offers a 42 % increase.

Moreover, we’ve also submitted the new Spectral:ON to independent range testing in which the Spectral:ON CFR was subjected to the “Standardized Range Test R200”. Created in 2018, R200 is an E-Bike range test developed by Bosch and ZIV (Germany’s bicycle industry association) with cooperation from Shimano, the Accell Group, and several other bike brands. The goal of the R200 standard is to create a more objective and transparent way of communicating how far you can ride on a single battery chargeon any given bike. In other words, R200 can give riders a more “apples to apples” comparison between different E-MTB models.

The R200 standard sets forth clear and repeatable test protocols that aim to replicate real-world riding conditions. We could seriously write a technical white paper on the R200 standard alone, but since we don’t want to bore you, we’ll getstraight to the point. Here’s how the Spectral:ON CFR fared, when equipped with both the 720 Wh and 900 Wh batteries.

900 WH

97.2 km
2,132 m elevation gain

720 WH

77.7 km
1,681 m elevation gain

77.7 km
1,681 m elevation gain

All size Small Spectral:ON models are limited to 720 Wh batteries, due to the size of their down tubes. All Medium through X-Large Spectral: ON models can fit either 720 Wh or 900 Wh batteries.

In the United States, the Spectral:ON CFR and Spectral:ON CF 8 are offered only with 900 Wh in size Medium through X-Large, while the Spectral:ON CF 7 will be equipped with 720 Wh batteries on all sizes.

Riders in America will, however, also have the option to upgrade M–XL Spectral:ON CF 7 models to the 900 Wh batteries while supplies of the bigger batteries last.

No.

No.

Canyon’s batteries are part of the Shimano Steps Service Program. This means consumers can order replacement batteries or get warranty support through bike shops that are Shimano dealers.

Absolutely. The new Rosenberger-style magnetic connector makes charging the battery “on board” the bike even easier than before. Removing the battery and charging it separately is also incredibly simple, merely requiring that riders unscrew two fixing bolds and then slide the battery out of the downtube. In that latter case, a helpful charge indicator on the battery housing lets riders now how much charge remains in their battery.

Standard Shimano battery chargers are not compatible with the new Spectral:ON batteries. Consumers will need to use the battery charger delivered with their Spectral:ON. Canyon battery chargers will also be available on canyon.com.