Canyon has finally revealed its first ever eMTB. The Canyon Spectral:ON features 150mm of front and rear travel and mis-matching wheel sizes.

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It might come as a surprise to a lot of you that Canyon has never made an eMTB before. Whilst other brands have been scrabbling to jump onto the electric train as quickly as possible, for fear of missing out. The German direct-to-consumer brand has shown a hitherto unimaginable level of patience in waiting until they were completely happy that what they have created was a class beater.

In fact, this is what they had to say on the matter…

“The understanding of what it takes to make e-bikes work is so much better now than it was not so long ago. Somehow shoehorning a battery and motor into an existing frame does not work. Equipping standard components and expecting them to cope with the higher forces at play does not work. Designing a bike without taking into account the entirely different riding style power assistance enables, does not work.From the outset, Canyon engineers had a clear understanding of what they wanted to achieve from one of their most ambitious development projects to date; an eMTB with true mountain bike trail performance. The all-new Spectral:ON is testimony to a merciless attention to the smallest details, as well as a commitment to producing the ultimate rider experience.”

Our esteemed editor, Danny went on the launch of the new bike and will be putting forward his views and experiences very soon. For the time being, here are the basics you need to know about the new Spectral:ON.

Can you see the obvious difference between the Spectral:ON and pretty much any other eMTB?

Need to Know

• Based broadly on the new Canyon Spectral
• 150mm travel front and rear (except the Spectral:ON 8.0, with a 160mm Fox 36 suspension fork)
• Suspension kinematics shared with the Spectral, Torque and Sender
• Mis-matching wheel sizes: 29×2.5″ front wheel/tyre for steering precision, 27.5×2.8″ rear wheel/tyre for comfort and grip
• Shimano Steps E8000 system on all models. Providing 250 Watts of power from the externally mounted battery.
• Adjustable geometry, allowing BB height changes of up to 11mm and changing of head and seat angles
• Short 430mm chainstays on all sizes
• All models come with a new eMTB specific saddle
• 4 mens and 2 womens models will be available
• On sale from March 8th

Shimano’s Steps e8000 provides smooth and continuous power. That’s a vented plastic bash guard underneath it, to protect against rock strikes.

External battery is lighter and more practical than internal versions. It also allows for a lower CoG and makes the bike easier to work on.

Look how super neat that cable routing is!

Thanks to the different suspension demands of an eMTB the Spectral:ON has a slightly different suspension linkage to its non-powered version. It still shares the same kinematic ideals though.

Spot the pivot. Neat and stealthy rear pivot makes for a seamless look.

SRAM’S eMTB specific 8-speed EX1 drivetrain is present on the Spectral:ON 8.0. Also check out the dual purpose chain stay protector/cable guide.

This is what an eMTB specific saddle looks like. Significantly raised tail for keeping you locked in place on steep climbs and a wide, dropped nose for more comfort. After all, you’ll be spending more time sitting down, pedalling.

Innovative ‘floating’ bottle cage enables a 500ml bottle to be fitted in the gap.

For all you box geeks. Canyon has created a new transportation box allowing customers to unpackaged their new Spectral:ON without needing to lift it out of the packaging.

The Spectral:ON propels Danny up the mega steep slopes of Provence.

It’s safe to say he loved the Spectral:ON. Full video coming very soon!