Canyon fills out the Spectral family

By Tom Marvin

Published: Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at 12:00 am

With Canyon’s Spectral receiving a new carbon 29er frame a year ago, the direct-sales brand has now expanded the Spectral range to include alloy versions of the 29er, as well as a completely updated 27.5in bike, in both materials, and a pair of mullet (mixed wheelsize) options too.

The new bikes tie in nicely with the CF 29 models launched last year, with 150mm of travel at the back, paired with 160mm forks, along with updated geometry.

Canyon’s confidence in its trail bike shows too, with them rated for use at EWS races.

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The 2021 Spectral CF remains in the range, with updated colours and specs – this is the one we rode earlier this year
Russell Burton / Immediate Media

The 27.5in carbon frames take lessons from the 29er, and have been adapted for the smaller wheels with geometry to suit.

Much like the CF 29, there’s geometry adjustment via a flip-chip that steepens (or slackens) angles by 0.5 degrees and adds or subtracts 8mm from the bottom bracket height.

So why three wheel size options? Well, Canyon reckons the 29er is more confident, more stable and has more grip, all thanks to the bigger wheels. However, the 27.5 bike is more agile and precise, and has a more playful ‘character’.

Thus, the mullet version gets the front end benefits of the big wheel – rollover abilities and grip – while the smaller wheel at the back gives the bike more agility than the full 29er achieves.

Likewise, smaller riders who want the control of a 29er might not get buzzed on their backsides as much on the mullet.

Our first look at the Spectral CF 29 launched last year