Spectral canyon test: ON: A VTTAE to push its limits!

The sunny days come back and with them the desire to set off again to discover the paths by getting on your mountain bike.Yes, but here, the successive confinements of the past few months have undergone your motivation.What if the solution was in a VTTAE?Return of experience after a month spent in the company of the Canyon Spectral: ON, a high -end electric assistance bike.

Canyon, a pioneer in the remote bicycle sale

If the Canyon brand is known to bicycle enthusiasts, this is probably not the case for the general public.A presentation is therefore essential.

Roman Arnold, the founder, has always evolved around the bicycle universe.First in competition then very quickly, the vagaries of life pushed him to combine his passion with his job.Pioneer of direct sales, he opened his first store in the mid -1980s.Very quickly, success is there, to the point of becoming an essential mountain bike reseller in Germany.

This allows him to forge privileged links with major brands like Trek and Cannondale, two American giants anxious to take the pulse of the European market.Then, the exchanges of advice ended up making Roman Arnold want to develop his own bikes with the aim of offering his own vision, the fruit of the experience acquired over the years.

Canyon was thus born with the ambition of building a brand with international renown.The principle of direct sales won it from the start, with the desire to keep greater independence but also and above all, to be able to make the best bikes at the fairest price.

If the domain name was bought in 1998, he had to wait for the development of internet sales to reach a wider audience which allowed the brand to take off and become one of the leaders of theDistance Selling.

A wide range of bikes, for all profiles and budgets

Over the years, Canyon has expanded its range of bikes.Today, the brand offers many models for men and women, designed and assembled in Germany, traditional road and mountain bikes but also gravel and "velotaf" (electric or not) very trendy at the moment.Canyon also has more sharp bikes for competition.

Each cyclist, occasional or regular, can therefore find a bike adapted to his practice on the canyon site.All have in common to offer an attractive price / equipment ratio.They are therefore not necessarily the most affordable on the market, but at equivalent price, canyon bikes often take better equipment than their competitors.

The presentations being made, it is now time to get to the heart of the matter, namely the test of the Canyon Spectral: on, the emblematic electric mountain biking of the brand.

Presentation of the Spectral Canyon: we

The first contact with the spectral: we take place with the delivery of an imposing cardboard.Yes, who says distance selling, says transport.Canyon therefore offers the "Bike Guard", an ingenious card that ensures the protection of the bicycle and allows you to deliver it almost.

Only the handlebars, the front wheel and the pedals are to be assembled by the customer.Nothing insurmountable even with "two left hands".Less than 20 minutes later, after setting the saddle and checking the tire pressure, you can do your first laps.

With a price close to € 8,000, the spectral: we CF 9 is one of the brand's high -end VTTAE.As such, he has the best equipment of the moment: transmission (12 speeds 10-51) and 4 pistons Shimano XTR, Fox 36 Factory 150 mm front fork, rear suspension in triple phase to collect small pebbles like big bumps.

Particular attention has also been paid to the look.Gray two-tone colors (shades of shades), engine and battery discreetly integrated into the frame.

For a bit, it could almost pass for a "classic" mountain bike, especially since most cables are hidden.

Our opinion on the Spectral Canyon: we

Charged battery (count about 3:30), it time to leave for a first outing.Support on the Power button located on the frame and the discreet control screen located on the right of the cockpit comes alive.

Minimalist, the latter is satisfied with essential information: level of assistance and according to user preferences, instant speed, distance traveled or pedaling rate.

A connected mountain bike but perfectible applications

More parameters are however accessible via the E-Tube Ride application.Unfortunately, the latter requires the creation of a Shimano account to take advantage of all the features ... It will then be necessary to fix its smartphone on the stem or the handlebars (via a quad-lock system for example) to enjoy it in real time.

By the way, let's welcome the presence (next to the Power button) of a USB-C port to recharge its GPS or smartphone if necessary.

Another grievance, a second application is necessary: E-Tube Project.This latter this time allows to update the Shimano engine software but also and above all, to personalize the assistance settings.It is thus possible to personalize the torque range (up to 85nm), the level of assistance and the setting of the starting level.An option to dig if you find the reminders a little too brutal.But do not rush because, if it is a feeling present on the first outing, it fades later.

The spectral: on: an engine capable of climbing the trees!

After a few quiet kilometers on the dish in Eco mode, the first climb is announced.The weight of the bike (22.5 kg) is felt, it is time to press the small adjustment controller located on the left of the handlebars to increase the level of assistance.

The trial mode brings a welcome boost.As for the boost mode, it allows you to swallow any elevation with disconcerting ease.To the point of sometimes forcing to slow down the pace, the front wheel having the annoying tendency to pile up on the most difficult slopes.There remains the possibility of going down the saddle by driving thanks to the hydraulic telescopic rod and control controller positioned on the left of the handlebars to overcome, in part, this phenomenon.

But the engine is not the only one in question, the assembly of the wheels in "mullet" is not foreign there.The fact remains that having a wheel in 29 "at the front against 27.5" at the rear is also an advantage in other situations.This thus offers better handling and in the changes of fast angles.As often, everything is the story of compromise.This is why, it is important to choose your VTTAE well according to your practice.

The kilometers are linked and with them, the feeling.The opportunity to take more pleasure and have fun with each outing.Natural assistance from the Shimano EP8 engine allows you to get rid of the elevation and no longer "undergo" it.It also provides frank reminders on more technical passages.Fatigue is certainly always present at the end of the release but much less than with my usual mountain bike.This is all the advantage of electric assistance and a suspended mountain bike capable of collecting bumps and breaks without eyebrows.

Autonomy, Achilles heel?

There remains a crucial point with a VTTAE, its autonomy.Canyon announces up to 100 km thanks to the presence of a 630 Wh battery.In practice, it is difficult to answer this question, however essential as it depends on many factors: the cyclist's weight, level of assistance chosen but also and above all course and elevation collected.

For my part (1m80 - 75 kg), on outputs (in the plain) of 50 km on average, with D+ 500/700m, there were about 15% battery having opted for the BOOST mode continuously or around 35%With Eco mode.The 100 kilometers therefore seem possible but is it wise to buy such a racing beast to limit yourself to Eco mode?Not sure…

Electric assistance, trying to adopt it?

Should we leave aside electric assistance with electric assistance?No, because even if managing autonomy can constitute a (small) constraint, a VTTAE is above all a tenfold pleasure, higher speeds, and not only as a rise.The Shimano EP8 engine of the spectral: a bonus is offered a natural feeling even if the activation of the engine at startup and on the reminders requires somewhat pedaling its way of pedaling.

However, as pleasant as it is, a VTTAE will not suit all profiles.In addition to a higher cost, it is necessary to deal with the limit of 25 km/h, legal threshold where the assistance is cut.Beyond that, there is only the strength of your legs left to move the bike.Nothing insurmountable but you have to deal with a bicycle of more than 20 kg.Consequence, if you rather have good physical condition and make off out on flat and rolling trails, the benefit of the passage on a VTTAE will undoubtedly be justified.Conversely, in the hilly or mountain region, there is no doubt that a VTTAE will give new life to your practice.

One thing is certain, rolling in electric mountain biking then ironing on a "classic" mountain bike without assistance, will literally give you the impression of having the rear tire stick to the road ^

We would like to thank Canyon, more particularly Édouard of the Epic agency, for giving us the opportunity to test this VTTAE.

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