By Oscar Huckle

Published: Tuesday, 14 June 2022 at 12:00 am

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Canyon has refreshed its Lux platform for 2022, with the launch of the new Lux World Cup cross-country full-suspension mountain bike.

The Lux World Cup features 100mm of suspension travel front and rear, and runs on 29in wheels.

It sits alongside the Lux Trail with 120mm suspension travel and a more burly build kit, announced in August 2021, which saw Canyon adapt the platform for the downcountry discipline that bridges the gap between cross-country and trail.

The brand says efficiency, performance and speed were the key attributes it paid attention to in its design, purposely optimised for cross-country racing.

Canyon has also worked hard to cut the weight down and the Lux World Cup will be the first Lux to feature Canyon’s top-flight CFR carbon construction. Canyon will also offer a second-tier CF-level frame, but there won’t be a CF SLX offering. CF SLX was nominally Canyon’s premium carbon layup, which the CFR now supersedes.

Like many cross-country race bikes, Canyon has trundled down the integration route with a revised front-end aesthetic that hides the cables and hydraulic hoses through a proprietary headset cover.

The Lux World Cup was piloted to second place by Andreas Seewald in this year’s Cape Epic.

The range starts at £3,349 / €3,499 / $3,999 / AUD$5,349 for the CF 6 model and tops out at £7,599 / €7,999 / $8,449 / AUD$12,049 for the halo World Cup CFR Ltd edition.

The bikes are available now.

Lighter and stronger

The Lux World Cup is the first time Canyon has offered the platform at the CFR (Canyon Factory Racing) level.

CFR is Canyon’s acronym for its lightest and stiffest carbon layup, akin to Specialized’s S-Works moniker. It also features on the Exceed, Canyon’s hardtail equivalent to the Lux, as well as its longer-travel Strive and Sender platforms.

The brand claims the Lux World Cup is one of the world’s lightest full-suspension frames, its frame (excluding shock with remote, rear Quixle thru-axle and chain guide), coming in at a claimed 1,535g in a size medium. This represents a 127g weight saving over the outgoing Lux, which was no heavyweight itself.

This puts it in line with its competitors. Orbea’s Oiz comes in at a claimed 1,740g and Specialized’s Epic at 1,869g, both in a size medium with the rear shock.

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

The brand says the low weight hasn’t come at the expense of durability, because the new frames are claimed to be stiffer and stronger. Canyon says the Lux World Cup meets Canyon’s own Category 3 testing standards as its trail bikes, such as the 140mm trail-slaying Neuron.

The CF-level frame weight is also competitive, Canyon claiming a 1,925g weight, again in a size medium.

Canyon says the weight difference between the CF- and CFR-level frames is purely the result of material and layup differences. The brand adds there will be a difference in feeling, with the CFR models slightly stiffer.

Canyon has provided a breakdown of the weights of both frames in the below table.

CFR	Weight (g)	CF	Weight (g)
Raw frame	1,222	Raw frame	1,550
Artwork	30	Artwork	40
CFR rocker	20.6	Rocker CF	36.4
Shock extension	87.4	Shock extension	87.4
Hardware and small parts	157.5	Hardware and small parts	182.2
Seat clamp CF	11.4	Seat clamp CF	20
Chainstay protector	9	Chainstay protector	9
DIN weight total CFR	1,536	DIN weight total CF	1,925
Shock with remote (Fox Factory)	378.8	Shock with remote (Fox Performance Elite)	389.4
Shock with Remote (RockShox)	359.5
Quixle UDH	55	Quixle UDH	55
Chain guide	3.6	Chain guide	3.6
Chain guide bolt	4.2	Chain guide bolt	4.2

Weight savings

Canyon tells us it has worked hard at eliminating redundant weight.

Like its predecessor, the Lux World Cup lacks traditional seatstay pivots, instead using a carbon flex pivot.

Canyon says taking the rear pivot assembly and bearings out of the equation reduces weight without making sacrifices to suspension performance.

Canyon has also revised the rocker design, which is now hidden beneath the improved shock extension. The brand says both components are lighter and stronger through the use of carbon injection moulding.

CeramicSpeed SLT bearings

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

Although one of the the main focuses of the Lux World Cup is its low weight, Canyon says this is not at the expense of durability.

The Lux World Cup uses CeramicSpeed’s increasingly popular SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology) bearings on all pivot points, as well as in the headset on CFR models.

These are self-lubricating, corrosion-resistant bearings, backed by a lifetime warranty. CeramicSpeed has been able to achieve this by using stainless steel materials and an oil-­encapsulated solid plastic polymer core. They were recently specced for the headset on the Factor Lando, as well as an increasing number of road bikes.

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

When you consider changing an upper headset bearing involves undoing all of the brake lines, it’s a welcome feature given it shouldn’t require replacing. This also provides a solution to water entering the headset bearings causing premature corrosion, a problem sometimes associated with cables-through-headset designs.

Canyon employs additional bearing seals at the main pivot and rocker for added reinforcement against water and grime.

The CF frames are instead specced with Acros bearings.

Frame details

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In a welcome move, Canyon says the frame can accept two 750ml bottles, including the size XS.

Canyon is continuing to use its lightweight chain catcher to prevent dropped chains. The part is said to weigh in at 3.6g, with the fitting bolt adding an additional 4.2g.

Like many of Canyon’s mountain bikes, the Lux World Cup uses its Quixle rear thru-axle system, so you haven’t got to dig out your multi-tool to remove the rear wheel.

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

Canyon says the Lux World Cup has been designed around a 100mm-travel fork and it doesn’t recommend changing the travel. If you’re after a more shred-ready XC bike, you’d be better served by the Lux Trail.

Canyon says the maximum tyre clearance is a rather precise 29×2.52in, but all complete bikes will ship with 2.35in mountain bike tyres.

Integration

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

The Lux World Cup follows the trend of many cross-country mountain bike releases, with its cables and hydraulic hoses integrated through a proprietary headset cover.

Gone is the Impact Protection stop on the top of the top tube of the outgoing Lux, which limited the handlebar and fork crown steering angle to reduce the chances of the frame getting damaged by the fork.

In an attempt to prevent damage, Canyon instead uses a steerer stop arrangement just above the upper headset bearing.

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

Some sympathy is spared for mechanics when internally routing the cables. Canyon has fitted internal guided tubes through the stays that finish at the bottom of the down tube after the bottom bracket junction.

Canyon says that when you feed a gear cable or hydraulic hose starting from the back of the bike, it will pop right out at the head tube despite there not being internal routing guides within the front triangle.

Canyon hasn’t included a guided tube for a dropper seatpost, but the brand says you can run one, albeit with some imaginative cable fishing required. The maximum seatpost length allowed is 400mm, which roughly equates to dropper posts with 125mm of drop.

Canyon specs its integrated CP0008 bar-stem on the CFR models, which have a 70mm stem length and 740mm bar width. On sizes XS and S, the stem angle is -17 degrees and on sizes M through to XL, the stem angle is -6 degrees. If you’d like anything else, you’ll have to pay for another bar-stem.

Other options include an 80 or 90mm stem length and 740mm bar width with a -6 degree stem angle. You can also buy it in a -17 degree stem angle, but only in the 80mm stem length.

The CP0008 retails for £205.95 / €219.95 / AUD$326.95. US pricing is to be confirmed.

CF models use a separate RaceFace Ride handlebar and stem, but the integration arrangement is otherwise identical.

Canyon Lux World Cup geometry

Oscar Huckle / Our Media

The Lux World Cup features updates to its geometry, and it’s longer, lower and slacker than its predecessor – if still rather conservative.

The head tube angle has slackened by 1.5 degrees to 68.5. In our review of the outgoing Lux, our tester felt the 70-degree head tube angle held the bike back on descents.

The reach has grown by 15mm across all sizes, clocking in at 450mm on size medium, and the seat tube angle has steepened by 0.5 degrees to 75 degrees.

The chainstays have been shortened by 5mm to 430mm across the range to “preserve the Lux’s trademark agility and efficiency”.

The seat tube length has also been reduced by 10mm in case riders want to use a longer-travel dropper post and to allow you to manoeuvre when things get rowdy on technical descents.

Canyon will be offering the Lux World Cup in sizes XS to XL.

Frame	XS	S	M	L	XL
Head tube angle (degrees)	68.5	68.5	68.5	68.5	68.5
Seat tube angle (degrees)	75	75	75	75	75
Top tube length (mm)	564	581	602	625	648
Head tube length (mm)	90	90	95	110	125
Seat tube length (mm)	375	415	455	495	535
Rear Centre (mm)	430	430	430	430	430
Wheelbase (mm)	1,100	1,120	1,142	1,167	1,193
Reach (mm)	410	430	450	470	490
Stack (mm)	577	577	582	596	610

Canyon Lux World Cup specs and range

All models use Fox suspension, with the exception of the top-flight World Cup CFR Ltd, on which Canyon has opted for RockShox dampers.

All models feature rigid posts rather than dropper seatposts. Canyon says this is because the bike is designed for racing and fitting one would add weight. That said, in our dropper vs rigid seatpost test, we found running a dropper seatpost resulted in a faster time.

On the CFR models, Canyon uses its carbon CP0008 bar and stem, whereas the CF models use a separate RaceFace Ride bar and stem.

All models roll on Maxxis Ikon 2.35in tyres with TR and EXO casing.

Canyon

Canyon Lux World Cup CFR Ltd

• Frame: CFR Carbon, 100mm travel
• Fork: RockShox SID SL Ultimate, 100mm travel, 44mm offset
• Shock: RockShox SID Luxe Ultimate
• Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate brakes
• Wheelset: DT Swiss XRC1200 wheels
• Price: £7,599 / €7,999 / $8,449 / AUD$12,049

Canyon

Canyon Lux World Cup CFR Team

• Frame: CFR Carbon, 100mm travel
• Fork: Fox 32 Stepcast Factory, 100mm travel, 44mm offset
• Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory RMT
• Drivetrain: Shimano XTR with RaceFace Next SL G5 chainset
• Brakes: Shimano XTR brakes
• Wheelset: DT Swiss XRC1200 wheels
• Price: £6,649 / €6,999 / $7,399 / AUD$10,549

Canyon Lux World Cup CF 7

• Frame: CF Carbon, 100mm travel
• Fork: Fox 32 Stepcast Performance Elite, 100mm travel, 44mm offset
• Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance Elite RMT
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT
• Brakes: Shimano XT
• Wheelset: Reynolds TR 309/289C XC
• Price: £4,099 / €4,299 / AUD$6,549 (not available in the US)

Canyon

Canyon Lux World Cup CF 6

• Frame: CF Carbon, 100mm travel
• Fork: Fox 32 Stepcast Performance, 100mm travel, 44mm offset
• Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance Elite RMT
• Drivetrain: Shimano SLX
• Brakes: Shimano SLX
• Wheelset: DT Swiss XR1900 wheels
• Price: £3,349 / €3,499 / $3,999 / AUD$5,349

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