Canyon Spectral:ON CF 8 Electric Mountain Bike: Beginner-Friendly, Under $5K
Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain and brakes are popular in the eMTB market. You don’t get the lightest technology, but they are reliable workhorses. Suspension comes from a FOX 38 Rhythm fork and Float X shock, which, like the drivetrain and brakes, are sleek performance. The travel of 160 millimeters at the front and 155 mm at the rear provides good support on difficult and technical descents, while remaining effective on longer journeys and mixed terrain.
Also included here is Canyon’s internal iridium dropper stem, a 30.9mm internally routed unit with 125-170mm of travel, depending on your frame size. It’s sturdy, reliable and easy to use, although I found it quite slow to return to position. It doesn’t matter, though. The DT Swiss HLN350 tires (15 x 110 30mm) are right in line with the rest of the bike: trusted eMTB options that, while not flashy, will perform well and last.
The constituent parts add up to an extremely impressive electric mountain bike that’s a lot of fun to ride. It doesn’t have the headline-grabbing features of the Specialized S-Works or Trek Rail, but at $4,500, it’s hard – no, almost impossible – to argue with. Beginners will get more out of it than pro-level riders, but for me that only adds to its broader appeal.
It does, however, weigh 54.5 pounds. This is a heavy bike, even in the full-power electric mountain bike category. It’s an absolute brute to deal with when you’re not driving it, and I pity anyone who has to drag it up stairs or out of a ditch. It’s also a little heavy if you’re cruising technical terrain at slow speeds, but once you pick up the pace, the low-slung battery and user-friendly geometry transform it into a trail surf and mud cruiser.
The journey
Photography: Chris Haslam
The Canyon Spectral:ON CF 8 ate up my local singletrack, muddy trails, and tight treelines. The 64 degree head angle is quite low, but it suits both my riding level and the terrain. It’s stable and I feel like I’m in control on steep, fast descents. It feels incredibly stable and encourages me to ride harder and seek out more technical lines. Cornering traction is excellent and the geometry should appeal to as many mountain bikers as possible. Beginners will be confident that you will have to work hard to get over the handlebars.
