Review

Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 Review: 6 Months on the Budget Trailblazer

20.12.2016
by

Canyon’s dominance in group tests is almost getting boring. With 140 mm of travel, amazing components, and a balanced geometry, the Canyon Spectral has always been the trail bike to beat. But what about the cheaper models? After over 650 km on their very affordable 2016 Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 model, it’s time to find out if the bargain basement price means budget performance.

Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 | 140/140 mm (front/rear) | 13.61 kg | € 2,399
Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 | 140/140 mm (front/rear) | 13.61 kg | € 2,399

Specification of the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0

When we pulled this bike out of the box we thought there had been a mistake. The price tag of €2399 just seemed to be wrong. The 13.61 kg Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 is the second-most affordable Spectral model in the Canyon lineup but it’s certainly no bargain basement special. The specification is simply astronomical at this price point! We never expected to see a full Shimano SLX 2×10 drivetrain and SLX brakes. The inclusion of a RockShox Stealth Reverb got us excited, and when we checked out the FOX Rythm Performance 34 fork with a FIT4 damper and Performance FLOAT EVOL air shock – well, our minds were blown! Light and stiff DT Swiss M1600 Spline wheels with a 25 mm internal width are the icing on the cake. It’s a package that left us scratching our heads as to how it was so cheap. Damn! It even looks hot in the brushed alloy finish.

Fork: FOX RYTHM 34 FLOAT 140 mm
Rear shock: FOX PERFORMANCE FLOAT 140 mm
Brakes: Shimano DEORE SLX
Drivetrain: Shimano DEORE XT
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 125 mm
Stem: Iridium
Handlebar: Iridium
Wheels: DT Swiss M1600 SPLINE
Tires: Continetal Mountain King II Protection 2,2
Weight: 13.61 kg
Price: € 2,399

It's the small touches like this chain guide that make the Canyon such an attractive deal.
It’s the small touches like this chain guide that make the Canyon such an attractive deal.
It’s always great to see an inclusion of a Reverb dropper post.
It’s always great to see an inclusion of a Reverb dropper post.
Powerful brakes are important at this price.
Powerful brakes are important at this price.
None of our testers liked the cheap compound Continental Mountain King II tires which lacked grip and bite in loose terrain.
None of our testers liked the cheap compound Continental Mountain King II tires which lacked grip and bite in loose terrain.

Geometry of the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0

So do the premium parts give this very affordable bike a premium performance? Hell yes, they do! After 650 km on the bike, we can conclude the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 is a ridiculously good bike for the money. After punching efficiently up climbs, its muscular and lightweight chassis simply chews through flow trails with the poise of a featherweight boxer. The riding position on the bike is excellent; very central with a high front end and low-slung rear, providing a huge feeling of confidence and chuck-ability on technical trails. It’s more playful than a boisterous puppy, and even the most conservative of riders will be looking for opportunities to jump and double up sections, it’s a bike that encourages hooligan behaviour, but yet can be ridden with total confidence.

Size XS S M L XL
Seat tube 365 mm 395 mm 440 mm 480 mm 520 mm
Top tube 538 mm 566 mm 596 mm 627 mm 659 mm
Head tube 90 mm 100 mm 120 mm 145 mm 170 mm
Head angle 66.4° 66.4° 66.4° 66.4° 66.4°
Seat angle 74.5° 74.5° 74.5° 74.5° 74.5°
Chainstay 430 mm 430 mm 430 mm 430 mm 430 mm
BB Height 335 mm 335 mm 335 mm 335 mm 335 mm
Wheelbase 1089 mm 1120 mm 1153 mm 1188 mm 1222 mm
Reach 380 mm 405 mm 430 mm 455 mm 480 mm
Stack 570 mm 580 mm 598 mm 621 mm 644 mm
Despite the budget price tag, there is a lot of high tech components. The Fox FiT4 damper is a prime example, composed and high performance.
Despite the budget price tag, there is a lot of high tech components. The Fox FiT4 damper is a prime example, composed and high performance.
Yeow! The Canyon Spectral is a bike that loves to be thrown around at every pop and jump, it’s great fun!
Yeow! The Canyon Spectral is a bike that loves to be thrown around at every pop and jump, it’s great fun!
The central and dynamic riding position makes the Canyon Spectral easy to rail any corner.
The central and dynamic riding position makes the Canyon Spectral easy to rail any corner.

The SLX brakes, although budget-friendly, have enough power to make your eyeballs fall out, which is good as sometimes the excellent geometry cashes cheques that the cheap Continental Mountain King II tires cannot cash. The well-balanced FOX suspension allows you to hurtle over rocks, hustling bikes that cost three times the price! When we swapped out the tires to some with a better compound we found the Spectral was blisteringly fast and fun to ride, able to hold with bigger bikes. We never felt like we were riding on a budget. After 650 km we experienced very few issues, the worst of which was the cheap push in cable guides fell out and we had to resort to good ‘old cable’ ties to stop frame rub. The BB bearings developed some creaking too, and we have never been a fan of press-fit options.

We have been impressed with the SLX drivetrain, soldering on in the mud and always shifting accurately.
We have been impressed with the SLX drivetrain, soldering on in the mud and always shifting accurately.
We were a little annoyed that all the ‘push in’ cable guides fell out, having to resort to ties to keep the cables under control.
We were a little annoyed that all the ‘push in’ cable guides fell out, having to resort to ties to keep the cables under control.
We found that we were soon keeping up with the big guns on the budget Canyon Spectral.
We found that we were soon keeping up with the big guns on the budget Canyon Spectral.

What’s the Canyon Spectral 6.0 AL like to own?

For our 180 cm tester we opted for the size Large bike, which felt perfect, with enough reach to feel comfortable without feeling overly tall. After a fun summer of shredding on home trails, race stages and big mountain epics we were sad to give back the versatile 6.0 AL. For the money the Spectral is the definitive do-it-all trail bike; delivering fun on every trail from mellow gradients to ‘hang-on-and-pray’ steeps, it’s like riding a racehorse juiced up on Red Bull – agile but never nervous, stable but never boring. It’s crazy to pick fault with the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0, as at this price point it’s simply outstanding. Only the press fit BB and Continental Mountain King II tires dampened what could have been a perfect score, puncturing often and feeling dead on the trail.

For those looking for a great trail bike, we can think of few better ways to spend € 2,399.
For those looking for a great trail bike, we can think of few better ways to spend € 2,399.

Conclusion

For both all-day rides and slide-and-shred fun, for the money the Canyon Spectral is a revelation! In terms of value for money, the Spectral AL 6.0 re-writes the rules and is as much fun you can have – period. Buying this bike and upgrading the tires will leave you with a bike that can keep up, and embarrass bikes that cost far more, with enough cash left in your pocket for a holiday in the Alps.

More information on the Canyon website

Testers note: The Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 is an amazing bike, and if that’s your budget you will enjoy many happy miles. But for just a little more money (€ 2,599) the EX model, the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 EX, comes fitted with a 1×11 SRAM GX drivetrain, SRAM Guide brakes, Maxxis tires and Rockshox suspension and would certainly get us warming up our credit cards.

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