2018 Canyon Spectral AL 6.0

(discontinued)

'What a most super special and awesome best good time thing this bike is. For many times of funs and sends, this off-road bicycle will make biggest splash.'

Marketing speak be damned, bikes these days are pretty awesome and the Canyon Spectral is no exception. Yes, light carbon wonder-rigs with the most bitching of parts are fantastic. One can even get a Spectral equipped as such. Thing is, the vast majority of us don’t truly need them and can't fully utilize them, much less do we want to shell out for them. Read on to find out why the Spectral AL 6.0 is the ultimate punctuation in that statement.

Spectral AL 6.0 Highlights

• 27.5-inch (650b) wheels
• 140mm (5.5-inches) rear travel // 150mm (5.9-inch) front travel
• Full 6066 aluminum frame (AL)
• Triple Phase (four-bar) suspension design with Metric shock sizing
• Fully sealed industrial bearings with additional X-ring seals for added protection
• Tapered headtube
• Semi internal cable routing
• Compatible with optional Frame Case for on-bike storage
• Integrated frame guards, including Impact Protection Unit near headtube and cable management channel/downtube guard
• Integrated seatpost clamp
• 180mm post mount rear brake
• PF30 bottom bracket
• Boost 148mm rear spacing with 12mm through axle
• Measured weight (size medium, no pedals): 30-pounds (13.6kg)
• MSRP: $2,399 USD

With eight models to choose from and weights starting at a claimed 27.3-pounds, Canyon's lineup of carbon and aluminum Spectral bikes offers something for everyone. Cruising through the specs of the most-affordable Spectral AL 6.0, we came to the bold conclusion that this bike has everything a rider needs in order to party. You could ask for some different parts here and there, but you certainly don’t need any more. The full SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain sporting a 32-tooth ring and massive 50-tooth cassette for the *squawk*, DT Swiss M1900 wheels with 30mm internal width rims, stealthy KS Lev Si dropper post, RockShox Pike RC and a metric Deluxe RT shock have all the bases covered. Not only are all the new standards present, but these are the sort of bits that do their jobs well.

Per Canyon, the Triple Phase Suspension is meant to be compliant off the top, deliver a stable mid platform, and then ramp at the end to keep your molars intact. After our First Ride in Madeira, we were eager to put one of these bikes through the paces in more terrain.

There was only one item that left us with a raised eyebrow: 2.6-inch tires. A slightly smaller variant of the plus-sized world, tires this large on a trail bike tend to conjure up a few images. Only time would tell once we got on the trails with Sparkles the Spectral and its late 90’s Rockhopper paint job.

Geometry

There is nothing outlandish or wild here, which is good. Close inspection of the digits will reveal what Canyon had in mind for customers: a mountain bicycle. A 66-degree head angle mated to a 74.1-degree seat angle and a moderate 436mm (17.2-inch) reach on the size medium are sensible numbers for those that like to go up hills so they can terrorize their way back down them.

Some have noted a slightly tall stack height as a potential concern – too tall or too low a front end and it can be difficult to weight the front end properly. Our bike came with 15mm of spacers under the stem, giving riders room to move that stem around. We did play with stem height and different stem/bar combos, but eventually came back and found the factory-set Race Face Ride bars with 20mm of rise to be the bee’s knees.

Reasonably short seat tube heights and low standover mean even garden gnomes can slam the 125/150mm dropper post while still being able to achieve correct leg extension during the climb up. Canyon offers the bike in sizes XS to XL, covering a wide rider height range of 5'1" to 6'7" (155 to 200cm).

Setup

Our Spectral showed up as it would to any customer that purchased a bike direct from Canyon. The FedEx guy rolled up, dropped it off and peaced out in a diesel roar as to thank us for the troublesomely large box. Though consumer direct is growing, there are plenty of riders that may want to know what this process feels like. Vital is here for you.

The real punchline? This bike costs $2,399. At a thousand dollars more this would still be a fantastic bike. Nobody is touching this sort of value or level of performance at this price point.

The DT Swiss M1900 Spline wheels sported a new 30mm internal width option which has become much more common in the trail category. As has been our experience, the rims held their own throughout the test without fuss or complaint. The hubs rolled fast and smooth, despite the somewhat slow (but easily upgradable) hub engagement. The rims came pre-taped so all we had to do was toss in some valves and sealant. Easy peasy!

SRAM's GX Eagle drivetrain worked perfectly sans chainguide or dropped chains. If you want that touch of insurance, it may be a bit tricky as there are no ISCG 05 tabs to mount a chainguide.

A full aluminum bike ridden in a manner that may have made Canyon a little less that appreciative should certainly be clinking down the trail. Not the case here. Cables are secure and quiet, and the Eagle only makes noise when the rider shifts to that big cog. Mate that with the clever rubber protection on the chainstay and you have a very quiet bike. Despite our best efforts to satisfy the pitchfork wielding anti-press fit crowd, the crank and bottom bracket area just wouldn’t creak.

Long Term Durability

The three and a half months we tested the bike proved to be some of the wettest that our region had to offer. We seized the tremendous opportunity to do a little "neglect testing" in an effort to squeeze out a typical year or so worth of abuse. Our test bike was ridden in all manner of mud and washed with abandon. We’d never treat our own rides like this, though sometimes the moral compass has to spin a bit to deliver quality content.

At the end of the test we did a teardown of the frame. You will need your full compliment of allen wrenches to pull all the parts and pieces off the Spectral, but access and layout are actually quite nice. Many of the bolts and pivots simply thread into the opposite side of the frame, keeping home mechanics from having to come up with a duplicate wrench to undo shock bolts. The potential for a stripped thread or sheared bolt inside the frame could mean searching for more than just small parts, however. Canyon states that their frames are covered under a six year warranty against defect. They also offer a three year crash replacement program.

Bearing inspection during out tear down revealed nothing alarming or out of the ordinary, and the plastic pivot caps did their job well. There was no sign of moisture or corrosion at the bearing interfaces. All pivots rolled smoothly and were in proper order. We did discover one bent shock bolt, however – something we haven't done since 1999 on an FSR Extreme.

Early in its time with us, the Spectral was subject to quite a few miles of fire road trailhead access and shuttling and was subsequently attacked by its shuttle mates. Ill placed pedals do a number on the paint. Other than this boneheaded thrashing, the finish and quality on the Spectral was top notch. That glossy, sparkling red paint wasn’t going anywhere.

What's The Bottom Line?

We’ve taken our cheap shots at this bike because, well, that’s all the ammo we have on this thing. Here’s the real shake: this is an outstanding bike with special attention paid to longevity. The Canyon Spectral crept up and won us over in ways we could not have imagined, and on trail performance was spectacular. A versatile ride that gets you all over the hills and lets you have a ton of fun along the way, the Spectral is the very definition of a mountain bike.

The real punchline? This bike costs $2,399. At a thousand dollars more this would still be a fantastic bike. Nobody is touching this sort of value or level of performance at this price point. Truly, the question isn’t whether the Spectral would be a good fit, it’s whether you should get the AL and feel like Scrooge McDuck or shell out the extra cheddar for one of the carbon builds. You simply can’t lose.

Visit www.canyon.com for more details.

Vital MTB Rating

• Climbing: 4.5 stars - Outstanding
• Descending: 4.5 stars - Outstanding
• Fun Factor: 5 stars - Spectacular
• Value: 5 stars - Spectacular
• Overall Impression: 5 stars - Spectacular

About The Reviewer

Brad Howell - Age: 38 // Years Riding: 25 // Height: 5’9” (1.75m) // Weight: 160-pounds (72.5kg)

Brad started mountain biking when a 2.25-inch tire was "large," and despite having threads, bottom brackets sucked. Riding in the woods with friends eventually lead way to racing, trying to send it at the local gravel pits, and working in bike shops as a wrench to help fix those bikes. Fortunate enough to have dug at the past six Rampages and become friends with some of the sport’s biggest talents, Brad has a broad perspective of what bikes can do and what it means to be a good rider. The past few years Brad worked in the bike industry and got to see the man behind the curtain. These days, though, he likes just riding his bike in the woods with friends.

Photos by Eric Rasmussen