Review Canyon Spectral 125 CF 8 | Long-Term Test

Canyon Bicycles let us hang onto the Spectral 125 for a few extra months following our First Ride Review, to get a bunch more rides and understand exactly what rider this bike is for. The extra test rides we had planned turned into grabbing the mini-Spectral for every trail ride we went on for the past few months. The Canyon Spectral 125 is marketed by Canyon as the shredder’s trail bike and we can’t say they are far off. It is poppy, short, snappy, and responsive in all the right ways. It can’t all be shredding and slapping corners right? For this test we took the bike from our favorite shralpers to repeat loops on our local test tracks to really define where this bike fits in today’s genre-rich market.

THE DIRT
The Canyon Spectral 125 CF 8 model we received has the carbon fiber frame shod with a very solid parts kit, and for a touch over $5,000, it would be hard to get this kind of performance out of any other kit. We were stoked on the predictability of the Shimano Deore XT brakes and drivetrain, and the ease of setup and problem-free performance of the Fox suspension thus far. The paint is a very nice matte/gloss combo that has unfortunately seen some better days after some abusive UTV shuttles, long pedals in the rain, and pina coladas.

You would not expect a raked out, short chainstay bike to be the best climber in the world, but I have been very impressed at the agility and technical climbing performance of the Spectral 125. The poppy suspension allows the rider to move the bike up very technical terrain with short bursts of power and the rear end is compact enough to snap around the tightest of switchbacks. The front wheel can begin to wander a touch on the steepest of pitches, but if you’re a Spectral 125 rider you’ll probably have solid climbing muscles from all the repeat sessioning this bike begs you to do.

Climbing on sustained gradient fire roads is the only drawback of the Spectral 125, where the lively suspension has noticeable pedal bob, but that is easily remedied by flipping the platform switch on the shock to calm things down.

The flats and rolling terrain are really where you start to see Canyon’s Spectral 125 CF8 come alive. It pops off even the smallest of roots, turning every undulation into a natural jump. Pumping through trail compressions generates a reward of speed that’ll have you acting out your best Crankworx dual slalom race run on every descent. The short and stout rear end snaps turns with rabid agility, darting side to side on the trail with a quick tilt of the hips, and airing out of tight linked turns is effortless. The Spectral 125 is the kind of bike that challenges the connection of tire bead and rim frequently, as it encourages corners to be attacked like few others. You probably won’t want to take the most efficient line in wandering terrain, but you will definitely be having the most fun out of your buddies.

On long smooth downhills, the Spectral gives great confidence sending doubles and triples that punch way above the bike’s class. The ultra-progressive rear end feels nearly bottomless even when overshooting a landing, though beyond a certain size of hit your body can begin to take the toll. Thanks to the natural, relaxed position on the bike, it whips and tables with ease and feels like a 29-inch wheeled slopestyle bike on jumps.

The only place we saw the Spectral start to crack its cool demeanor was in rough, square-edged terrain, or repeated hard compressions. At high speeds, the rear shock starts to pack out and has trouble keeping you on line. This is made all the worse by the stable geometry and attacking body position, which can get you into these hairy situations fast. Luckily, you will be able to pop over most of these kind of problems as the bike just asks to be in the air at every opportunity.

The Wolf’s Last Word
The Canyon Spectral 125 CF8 is everything Canyon has marketed it as and more. It is confidence inspiring and can ride terrain we usually don’t think about taking a 125mm bike in. While it is not the fastest XC bike we have tested and starts to show its weakness in sustained big bike territory, it makes up for in good old, plain fun. If you are looking for a one bike quiver and like to keep the bike in the air as much as on the ground, the Canyon Spectral 125 CF8 is a very solid choice. Similarly, if you already have a burly long travel bike but want a bike that lets you maintain your aggro riding style with less travel that climbs and rolls much faster, this could be your match. Just know that this bike isn’t an XC racer and it’s not an enduro machine either, it is designed to offer the speed and playful demeanor of a shorter travel play bike with the geo and confidence of a bigger bike.

Price: $5,199
Weight: 30.4 lbs / 13.8 kg
Website: Canyon.com

Full Review: https://theloamwolf.com/2022/06/30/re...

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