Canyon Spectral ONfly Review

The Canyon Spectral ONfly weighs 18.7 kg, costs 5599 €, and has 160 mm of travel. Is this the e-MTB everyone has been waiting for?

If you really want to feel the fascination of light, you previously needed a deep pocket. Bikes like the Mondraker Neat that weigh under 18 kilograms have already captivated us, but they also cost over 10,000 euros.

Our chart with a small market analysis clearly shows that there have been few attractive light e-MTBs so far. Is Canyon hitting a nerve with its new Spectral ON Fly models?

The obvious question that arises with the combination of price, weight, and travel is: Can Canyon work magic, or does the bike strike a lazy compromise? The most important thing for bikers interested in a lightweight EMTB with 160 mm of travel is definitely how it performs downhill.

We’ve pushed the bike on both flowtrail tracks and natural trails, and were surprised. Both by the ride noise and the handling, you actually forget you’re on an EMTB when descending singletrack with this bike.

Compared to the Spectral CF without a motor, which we tested this spring for bike-test.com, the EMTB version weighs only 3 kilos more. With a weight of 18.7 kilos, even the entry-level model stays below an absolute weight threshold, beyond which significant compromises have to be made in singletrack.

While bikes over 20 kilograms struggle mainly with jumps or quick direction changes, the Spectral ONfly handles such situations more like a regular bike. Especially when riding swiftly on the trails, you don’t need to yank the handlebars like Arnold Schwarzenegger to initiate a maneuver. The smaller 27.5-inch rear wheel gives the bike a relatively playful handling compared to many competitors.

The sluggish handling typical of classic EMTBs simply isn’t present here. The rear suspension supports this genuinely direct riding feel with a noticeable progression. It provides enough resistance to push off terrain edges. It works sensitively, but after the first third of travel, it tends to sit higher in its travel.

There are two limitations when it comes to descending: Our test bike, the Canyon Spectral ONfly 8 (entry-level model), features a shock without a reservoir. The same applies to the 9 model as well. Only the top two models come equipped with such a reservoir.

The simple shock on the affordable models handles descents with 200 meters of elevation gain with ease. However, those who regularly ride over 300 meters or more of continuous descents will notice that the rebound damping and compression support tend to fade towards the end.

Additionally, all bikes come equipped with SRAM Code brakes. Riders weighing less than 80 kilograms won’t have any issues with these. With the 200mm rotors, the braking power is adequate. However, it’s clear that SRAM’s new Maven or Magura brakes offer significantly better stopping power. Nonetheless, both the brakes and the shock perform at a level where these concerns are not dealbreakers.

Each Canyon Spectral Onfly comes factory-equipped with a K.I.S. system. This steering stabilizer is integrated into the top tube. Two small tension springs are mounted on one side to the top tube and on the other over a plastic eccentric on the steer tube.

The effect: As soon as you turn, the springs generate a minimal force that aims to bring the handlebars back to the straight-ahead position. We’ve detailed the K.I.S. system in our article on the motorless Spectral at bike-test.com with thorough physical explanations. Here, we’ll focus solely on the riding characteristics of the system.

The preload of the system is adjustable, and if you’re not a fan, you can also remove it. But there are few reasons to do so. On the trail, the K.I.S. system is very subtle. If you don’t know it’s installed, you often won’t notice it. It only becomes noticeable when you push the bike to its limits.

However, this is quite risky when descending. A wrong move with the handlebars, and the bike starts drifting in open corners. Control drops dramatically. As a rider, you often intuitively try to correct the direction by intensifying the steering movement, which the bike already resists. This is exactly where K.I.S. comes into play.

When riding a regular bike without steering stabilization, you often get that “light” feeling at the front wheel. In contrast, the K.I.S. system provides clear feedback on how much you’ve already turned the handlebars. This way, it keeps you from making the classic mistake of oversteering. Instead, it gives a slight nudge to straighten the handlebars, helping regain control in critical situations. It doesn’t dictate the rider’s actions. The springs aren’t strong enough to push the handlebars back, but compared to riding without K.I.S., you can feel much more clearly when the handlebars are severely turned and when it would be better to straighten them out.

The effect is noticeable on loose surfaces or in off-camber trail sections. In berms or fast straightaways, however, you barely notice the system at all.

If you’re looking for a powerhouse for uphill flow, you won’t be happy with the TQ HPR 50. With only 300 watts of assist, the TQ motor isn’t a beast. But if you’re coming from a bio bike and need some help to get to the trailhead, those 300 watts are definitely noticeable. If you’re used to full power, you’ll find yourself pressing the plus button a few times until you realize you’re already in boost mode.

The motor delivers its full performance across a wide RPM range. Starting from 70 rotations per minute at the crank, you can unleash its full potential. Other motors, like the Bosch SX, demand much more from the rider.

The motor control system is truly well-executed. You can feel when the motor kicks in, and it even provides slight after-push. All in all, the TQ HPR 50 offers a very natural control.

The lightweight construction of the Canyon Spectral ONfly certainly doesn’t come out of nowhere. With 360 watt-hours, the battery is relatively small. At 1864 grams, the small battery saves about 2 kilos compared to the 700-wh batteries used in full power EMTBs.

If you avoid the highest support level and put in some serious pedaling effort yourself, you can tackle 1000 to 1200 meters of elevation gain. Using the boost mode and consistently demanding full power from the motor will drain the battery in significantly less than 1000 meters of elevation.

That’s enough for an after-work ride, but not much more. For comparison: full power EMTBs like the Cannondale Moterra SL or the Orbea Rise can manage about 1700 meters of elevation gain in boost mode with just over 600 Wh. If you want to increase the range, you need to put in more effort yourself or invest around €500 in a range extender with 160 Wh. This way, you can also manage around 1500 meters of elevation.

We also had the chance to hop on the top model of the Spectral Onfly series. We were amazed even before the first descent, as the bike is only 500 grams lighter than the more affordable entry-level model. Not much considering the price difference of over 4000 €.

On the trail, the differences are noticeable, but less pronounced than expected. The suspension (especially the fork) offers significantly more resistance, which supports active riders in their riding style. The brakes work slightly better, thanks to better HSC2 brake discs. Overall, the bike leaves a slightly higher quality impression, but it’s not on a completely different level compared to the entry-level model, which already performs very well.

SRAM’s Transmission drivetrain, which shifts gears precisely in any riding situation, made the biggest noticeable difference during our test. However, the Shimano Deore ensemble on the more affordable model also shifts gears reliably. It is, however, noticeably louder and requires a bit more finesse to operate. Under full load, it only shifts gears reluctantly. The shock with a piggyback reservoir is likely to excel, especially on long, alpine descents.

At €5,299, our test bike is less expensive than any other light EMTB we’ve ever had our hands on. But Canyon proves they can also do high-end with the LTB model. With the arrow symbol , you can also compare individual models with any other bike from our extensive market overview. Also exciting is the comparison with the lightweight full power options on the market. The Cannondale Moterra SL and the Orbea Rise LT.