My Canyon Spectral AL6 After One Year of Abuse! | Do I Still Recommend It?
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2023
- While I still absolutely love this bike, it's not without a few problems. After a full year of abuse it's safe to say this thing is worn in. Chuck any further questions you might have down below, and we will see ya next time!
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Thank you so much! So informative, it’s really going to help me what bike to buy and I have been waiting so long for this lol
Cheers mate!! Sorry it took so long but hopefully worth the wait. Happy to help with any suggestions 🤟
@@BlueSkyBoys I was going to buy the Spectral 27 AL 5 for my birthday in September but unfortunately they discontinued it here in Aus :( , reckon I could still find a used one on the facebook marketplace for my b-day? Happy riding!
Thanks for your honest video. I got a Spectral 29 FW around Easter and it feels so much better than my old bike (2019 27.5 Stumpy). This model has ohlins forks and shock and lovely Magura brakes. It's a great value bike, a good spec in Aluminium, which suits me. Let's see how it holds up. I haven't tried lots of bikes, but this feels to me good for an all rounder.
Awesome mate! That sounds like an epic spec, very jealous! Enjoy the new bike!
I have the Al5 and yes, it is so good. Ride well man and have fun.
Cheers mate! Epic bikes aye!
Random comment. You guys have a great, super informative comments section! No wanker negative comments, just good feedback and suggestions. Cool to see.
It’s awesome to see aye. We are very appreciative of it!
I have had my AL 6 for 1.5 years now (2022 model) - the one upgrade I did was the brakes personally. Yes, the GX clutch is starting to become very loud, but thankfully the bike has stayed very quiet other than that. Great trail bike!
Nice! That's definitely on the cards for me.
I have my AL 6 2023 for a few months now and I am very happy with it. Only problem I have is the derailleur developing play, since I bent 2 hangers already and SRAM isnt really known for a side hit durability. I find the brakes a little bit funky, since the front lever feel is kinda sluggish. I also slightly bent the front wheel after a big off, but that is user error :) The fork on the 2023 model is still a select plus, but this model year Rockshox forks come with two compressions, even on the select plus versions. Other than that, so far so good. Magnificent video, I would still buy it if I saw this before. I imagine this video is gonna help many people in similar position as I was a few months ago.
Thank you so much mate! Appreciate it! One hundred percent I would buy the bike again. These notes can be made to any bike after a year, just an interesting case study to help people look out for issues and get on top of them before they affect the ride. I didn't know that about the 2023 select plus though, that's awesome!
A bit late to comment but I've had my Spectral 29 AL 5 for about 4 months now, about the same time I first watched this video! This definitely helped me with my decision making, so thanks!
Anyway, my bike is slightly different than yours, and I can say that I definitely like the Fox Float X rear shock, but have a confusing time with my Fox 36 Rhythm. The Float X is pretty much made for the Horst link. It's a pump track rider's dream rear shock. Don't just charge through rocks and roots and expect the bike to monster truck them for you. Pump and lift over them and watch as the Spectral gets faster and faster. Love it to bits.
The 36 Rhythm fork is a bit of a pain for me to study. Fox recommends setting 20% sag for plushness, and for my weight that's exactly at 90psi. But it's too chattery and stiff. So I keep lowering and lowering my pressure but I fear I may breach 30% sag soon and get a very low stack height just to get it feeling plush. It probably just really needs Fox Gold 20W in them lowers. I just went through Norco's RideAligned system using the Spectral's rival, the Norco Sight, to get a different reference for a base tune on the fork. I also just bought an air spring wrench to remove 1 volume spacer (as recommended). Let's see if this improves things.
I dunno, my SR Suntour Durolux wasn't this stiff, and the top range R2C2 costs and weighs about the same as the Rhythm. And I ran that thing dry as hell.
The powertrain, well, there's nothing truly bad to say about it. It works. Even Canyon's generic hub engages well, even better than the AL6's DT Swiss hubs apparently. It just sucks that they used a SunRace HG compatible cassette this time, meaning upgrading to a Shimano MS hub is now impossible unless I buy new wheels, or strip and rebuild the stock ones. But like I said, it works, so I'm doing none of that anytime soon.
Now for the sad part, the brakes. I gave these SRAM DB8 brakes the benefit of the doubt, because brand new, they worked and they worked well. The modulation and instant power delivery were exactly what I wanted. It provided a lot of slow speed control on steep tech. I even wanted to keep them. Then, I just didn’t get to ride for 2 weeks and these things somehow just turned spongy. That's just dumb. The DB8's can also only be bled by SRAM's proprietary mineral oil bleed kit. I've tried to fit the universal Shimano bleed cups that work on every other brand; no dice. Off to TRP DHR Evos I go.
Well, those are my observations in a little over 4 months of ownership. The frame itself is a winner. Canyon nailed what a value, fun mid travel trail bike should be.
I just need to oil this damn fork and get rid of these damn brakes.
Great update! Will be waiting for the next video 😊 Ps. Nice cap
Hahahah cheers!!
Just got an AL5. Second ride out and the bottom bracket is making noise when the power output goes up. Guess it's time to pull the cranks and BB.
Changes?
* Pulled the She-Man-Oh brakes and put on the Hopes I had on the bike before.
* Set the bike up moto (right hand front brake)
* Added Wolftooth brackets to mount the shifter and dropper that were disconnected from the brake lever bodies.
Rockin' rig! Geo is awesome!
I bought the CF7 and the fist thing I did was upgrade the wheel set and hub. I bought the hydra 9 with NOBL TR37’s and the difference is a game changer. I would definitely suggest a wheel and hub upgrade!
Oh that's a very nice wheelset you have there! I would love to do a wheel upgrade but not sure what I would get yet.
Took me some time to get the best setup. Going with 20% SAG in front and 30% in the back makes this bike feel very confident. Lesser SAG on the back makes it feel too bouncy and front heavy (seat post full out). There are manufacturers recommendations out there not only for air chamber pressure but also for the optimal rebound setting according to your weight.
That's similar to what I run. Definitely takes some trial and error. I change rebound depending on the style of trail as well. I usually run it one click faster on very slow technical trails to help hop over stuff. And one click slower for blasting down fast rough stuff.
It’s funny watching this because I brought a spectral 125 just over a year ago and had a similar experience. Wish it had a Shimano drivetrain. I just did a full pivot service as well because it was creaking real bad and I rate the fork but not so much the shock
Good to know I’m not alone hahah. Still think they are great bikes but doesn’t mean it can’t be a little better haha. Would be so keen to try the 125 one day!
I've had my Spectral AL 6 for two months now and i love it, I bought this bike cuz your first review of it in the same color than yours, but i had to change the sram code r brakes while being highly modulable while braking they seem to overheat easily and lack stoping power, for the really steep and log descents here in the Pyrenees mountains.
I didn't notice much the lack of engagement but you do notice it and you just need to adapt to it and you'll climb fairly well and you're right the Lyrik is a really good fork you only notice it lacks in some aspects when you try a zebb ultimate and how much smoother and support it gives.
The shock is quite good honestly but it lacks adjustments yeah.
I've done some long XC rides with it and some bikepark session and i agree with you it's the perfect bike to do it all, if you like shred down the hills hahah.
The bike is quite sturdy as well i crashed into a tree as you can see in my channel shorts vids, and nothing happened to it.
Nice long term review m8 Keep it up, yo make good recommendations!
Thanks mate! Epic to hear you're enjoying the bike and that we were able to help with the decision! I agree the Code Rs aren't amazing, here in the North Island of New Zealand our descents are usually short and sweet, so overheating isn't too much of an issue. I can see that happening in the mountains though. I'm really having to be nitpicky in this video cause it's over all very good!
This thing is surprising good for XC Touring, even going on road, get some more pressure on your tires and there you go.
I can highly recommend trying the new SDU coil with hydraulic bottom out, everyone I hear from loves it. Properly dialed with the right spring it's still poppy but much more supple and the hbo really works to feel like you're getting support without any harsh bottom out. You should try some WAO Convergence wheels if you can!
Oh nice I’ll look into that shock. Haven’t heard much about it. Yeah I’m so keen on those wheels. Heard very good things. Maybe one day but a bit out of budget at the moment haha
Good video content. Was planning on getting the spectral sometime soon.
As for the creaking sounds. Ive heard that sometimes the saddle rails develop some play causing the creaking. Could also be the bottom bracket too. If it is one of the smaller bearings then regreasing my not fix it and need a new bearing.
As for the derailleur not shifting properly. Might be a slight bend in the derailleur hanger, maybe a new chain, or new cassette. Also know that sram has and issue with shifting if the B tension is not set correctly and that red b tension tool is required.
Looks like you ride your bikes pretty hard so its only natural that the parts will wear.
As for upgrades, the 54 rachet is good (you can even get after market star ratchet for cheaper). Oval chainring isnt that good. Had it and got ride of it and bought a 30t round which is better imo.
Cheers mate! Yeah my saddle creaked at the start but after putting drops of lube into where the rails enter the seat it eventually stopped for good. There is one bearing that needs replacing so that could be it. We've all worked as mechanics in bike shops so are very familiar with tuning SRAM gears. They are just a little bit more hit and miss than my last Shimano groupset, hence the complaints. Interesting about the oval chainring? I've been told to get one from so many people, what didn't you like?
@BlueSkyBoys Cool, that you worked as a bike mechanic...lol now I feel dumb hahaha.
As for the oval chainring, I know people love em. But for me, it's all about getting a good equal cadence when pedaling, especially on technical uphill climbs. With the oval chain ring, you have a low and high power stroke depending on the position of your pedal, creating that uneven power distribution to your wheel. On steep or technical climbs...the power stroke can sometimes cause your wheel to slip off roots and loose ground. On downhills or flat ground, it's okay but not a game changer.
The 30t round chainring however was alot better and made climbing and technical terrain easier to pedal through.
The round chainring, of course feels more natural and even stroke when pedaling which is more important to me in my opinion.
That was just my experience but you may like it. With my oval chainring ring I just bought a 32 t knock-off brand oval chianring to try out.
And if you like it upgrade to a better brand.
But you gotta wonder...if the oval chainring is so good, why are all the pros not using them?
@BlueSkyBoys Hey sorry I keep bugging you about the Canyon. Anyway I just found out that Canyon bikes press fit their bottom bracket. It's that the creaking you're hearing?
Man I like the Canyon spectral but if their bikes are press fit BB...then I don't think I'll get the Canyon (or YT because they press fit too).
Too bad I really like the Canyon but I just don't think I can get around the whole press fit bottom brakets because they tend to creak a lot.
@@gaddobronx6740 It definitely could be. I was under the impression the alloy frames had threaded BBs but not actually sure where I was told that so definitely could be wrong. That being said I've had a fair amount of luck with press fit in the past. Would always prefer threaded but I don't think it's worth completely writing off the bike if you like other aspects!
Good review. You commented that the bike size might feel too small and that you're 6'3". As you're willing to try different set ups, why don't you try higher rise bars. I have two XL Commencal bikes and have graduated from stock 30mm riser bars through to 50mm rise then 70mm rise bars, which now feel great. This also gives a rider height/stack height ratio that's closer to that of a medium bike. Word of caution though, the bar roll set up on higher rise bars is critical and even small changes make a huge difference to the balance on the bike.
Yeah definitely need to try some higher rise bars. As a kid I always preferred the look of lower rise so I guess I'm just stuck in my ways. And I got these carbon bontrager bars cheap. But will definitely look into it! Thanks for the advice
I've had my AL 5 for 8 months now and I still absolutely love it!
I can definitely recommend an oval chainring - I fit an Absolute Black 32T and it's made a difference to my climbing performance and comfort on technical climbs.
Also, I have a set of Hunt Trail Wide wheels (high engagement) and WTB High Grip tyres and they feel fantastic! I'd love to try the new Nukeproof Horizon Pro wheels as my last set of Horizon v2 were brilliant too. But if funds were available, I'd go carbon, maybe a set of Reserve wheels?
I really didn't like the 780mm stock bars but my current ones are spot on at 800mm. They're also have a 50mm rise which helps a lot too!
Lots of people have recommend hunt wheels to me in the last little while. I’ll have to look into them! Good to hear about the chainring. Pretty well everyone I know swears by oval chainrings. Stoked you’re loving the bike!
I cut my bars (on the older 27" spectral AL6) to 740mm. I'm 6'1, but my shoulders arent that wide and those narrower bars just made it soo much more comfy.
It really helps aye! I think a lot of people assume height and shoulder width is directly related. It's good to experiment.
The Megneg feels amazing on the Spectral, I changed to air on my mullet and went to megneg it was so good
Good to hear man! Would love to try a mullet setup!
@@BlueSkyBoys The mullet spectral was amazing with an air setup.
I have the exact same bike and I absolutely love it but mine has the fox suspension front and rear and it’s great no issues whatsoever
Nice! They are awesome aye!
Good quiver killer👍 maybe 🤔 a coil and riser bars?
Yeah good idea! I’ve always been a fan of the look of lower rise bars but that’s a stupid reason to be in the wrong riding position. I would love to put a DVO Jade X on there!
same bike, same color. Put newman sl.a30 wheels on it, 1750 grams and are miles better than stock. Also carbon handlebar and renthal stem. Plan to fit manitou mara pro air shock, heard a lot of good things about it.
Nice! Don't know much about those wheels I'll have a look. Love the renthal stems, they are awesome but I had to give Title a go this time
Other than the sram derailleur I’ve had no complaints with my spectral!
Dim Tordo is riding the Spectral too with 170mm ZEB i am thinking to upgrade it too. Also rear shock to make it up to 160mm. What do you think ?
100% rate the ratchet upgrade ;)
I’m slowly getting around to convincing myself I need to do it hahah!
I also have the same bike, love how it rides. What noise are you having? Something squeking or more like clicks and pops. I have a headset/csu clicking and also cant get rid of it. So annoying.
They ride great aye! Yeah more like creaking as well, could be the CSU for me haven't looked into that. Seems to be from the suspension linkage or BB. The only thing I haven't regressed is the BB so maybe that needs to come out. It is a bit of a pain right!
You should get some taller bars instead of adding spacers and you'll gain some reach back. Lots of spacers really shortens the bike quick now that head angles are slacker.
Yeah that’s very true. I looked into the higher rise title bars to match the stem but they were out of stock and terribly expensive. But yeah I definitely need to sort that! Good point.
Was gonna get the al5 27, sadly looks like they’ve discontinued it just before I was gonna buy it. Gonna get a Commencal clash now
Ah really! That’s a shame. The Commencal will also be killer though! They are super nice.
How playful is the clash?
@@willekewk Compared to my brothers trek slash it feels really jibby and playful, but it’s still got a decently long reach and is reasonably heavy, which I guess you’d expect from a big travel bike. Still very playful, I think it does pretty well at everything you really notice the smaller wheels on small-medium jump lines where you get that playfulness. Obviously great on big jumps too but in my opinion feels pretty similar.
Vorsprung tractive tune on your shock, game changer
Really? I'll look into it. Thank!
@@BlueSkyBoys I've got a 2017 strive and the vorsprung tractive tune completely transformed my bike. He'll revolutionise your fork too....
I have yet to hear a bad word from a Vorsprung zeb smashpot owner either, I think they can go on Lyrics too. I want to try one!
I've had my AL 6 for a few days, and it's the first bike I have with a fork that has adjustable high and low speed compression. I don't even know what I want the fork to do, honestly, so I'll try and read a bit about what does what and I'll spend a weekend trying stuff out. It's still a bit early for any meaningful impressions, but so far I've been liking it a lot.
Nice mate!! Yeah it can be a bit overwhelming to start with. I would suggest finding a baseline tune online for your weight. Then just tweak either way from there to start to feel what the tuning actually does practically. I’m sure you will love it 👍
Good video. My AL 6 is about year and a half old but probably less driven than yours. It is still pretty silent. I have been wondering about the bar width. I'm 6'2. Maybe have to try 77-78. Keep making update videos!
Cheers! Yeah I think it depends really. The clutch has probably gone quicker cause I land flat off stuff a little too often. And that’s a lot of force pulling on it. It’s definitely better with a bit of grease now. Yeah definitely try a little narrower. It really helps!
Because you're a large guy, did you make any additions to cockpit like adding spacers, new stem , handlebars to make it bigger?
good review
Why didn't you choose the Torque?
You ride pretty harsh terrain with no mercy to the bike and on paper it leads us to Torque...
Thanks for the video btw!
Yeah I did consider it but I also ride my own backyard trails which are quite tight and slow. Along with sometimes just wanting to go for a cruise. So I decided I wanted the efficiency more. That being said I haven’t ridden a proper big travel bike in a few years so I bet they are pretty efficient now.
You've got the 18 tooth ratchet, right? I got the 36. Almost as silent, good enough engagement, decent(ish) price. I wouldn't go higher, the teeth get tiny.
Yeah I've heard some people have had issues with the 54T slipping. At this stage I think I would just get the 36. Good to know it's still quiet!
Just wondering how this bike would compare to say the Trek slash 7? Seem similar, but this may be better for general trail riding?
The Slash is quite a big bike, can be a little bit much to manoeuvre on really tight trails. So I would say if you are looking for a little more efficiency and a general trail bike. The canyon wins. If you are going to be in rough bike parks quite often. The slash wins
Hey! What type of headset spacers did you use for the spectral?
I’ve had mine for about a month but I think it might be too small, Canyons sizing is weird, 6 foot tall but they reckon a medium is my size, 456mm reach seems pretty small for that height these days
Yeah their sizing is a bit tricky aye. Seems to vary hugely between models if you will be a medium or large or extra large. I would say that is a bit short for your height. Then again it all depends on what you prefer riding. I prefer a smaller bike.
Hey man what cranks are on the steed are they normal dub or dub wide
Heyo,
Could you please tell me whats the tune on the shock? Its either M/M or L/L
Anyone else feel like the bike is really bouncy in the backend when going really fast ? It’s the only complaint I have plus the chain rattle. Is it just as simple as a setup issue ?
Similar experience to mine. The chain slap is very annoying indeed. I also feel the back is a bit lacking and also thinking about getting a megneg. Another thing is the ratchet upgrade. I think you should have bought the XL. I'm 195cm (around 6′ 5″ in retard units :p) and I can easily ride a longer bike, ~500 reach feels a little short for me. I ride a 50mm high rise bars and would never go lower than that, it's just not comfortable. The most creaking I've had was somewhere from the seatclamp. Apart from that and the chain - all good for now.
Can get annoying aye! I prefer a smaller bike so while this isn’t quite perfect. The XL was too big for my liking but each to their own preference!
Even me at 1.88 feel like the L version of this bike is kinda small for me sometimes, I especially feel it when pedaling while standing.
6'3 here on an XL spectral as well. feels perfect. Previous bike was 490 reach and felt noticeably too small.
My previous bike was 2017 Transition Patrol with reach adjust headset, but even with that (~490 reach) it was too small for me. Looking at some older photos, it looks like I'm on a BMX :D I feel much more comfortable on the Spectral and it is overall a better bike. I've recently upgraded the rear hub with a 60t ratchet from aliexpress and so far it is great. It's a really easy swap. I was worried there might be a pedal kickback, but haven't felt anything different on the descends, while it is better on the uphills and sound-wise.
I’ve got the same bike as yourself, which kit do I need to do the freehub conversion for the higher engagement?cheers!
DT Swiss make ratchet upgrade kits. 54T is the most they offer, you need two of the star ratchets and some grease. But there is a kit that comes with everything. It's not cheap though!
@@BlueSkyBoys thank you! Managed to get it for £70 (uk) was a bit let down with the kit when I first got it. It’s not as loud as my previous hub (nukeproof horizon v2) but it’s a good middle ground and the engagement is so much better. Saves buying a new rear wheel though!
i want to ride a Neuron but the Spectral has a better value...And spectral 125 CF 7 for 2500$ is a dam good deal...I cant decide ;D
That is a good deal! I think it comes down to what you want to ride. If you want to race cross country or do super long rides. The Neuron would be a better option. If you just want to ride casually or do a little bit of racing for fun. The spectral will give you much more headroom to try rougher steeper trails comfortably. And probably be less twitchy if things get out of control. Hope that helps!
@@BlueSkyBoys thanks . Now i just can't decide whether Spectral 125 cf 7 for 2500 or spectral AL 6 for 2500 ?
Right now they have the spectral 29 cf7 for $3199. Or a spectral 125 Al 6 for $2699. I can’t decide.
Really depends on what you are looking to ride. The regular spectral will definitely cover a lot more bases than the 125. If you are just doing more chill trail riding and big days in the saddle then maybe the efficiency and playfulness of the 125 is worth it. Hope that helps (P.S. CF7 for $3200 seems like a really nice deal!)
can you put a 150mm fork on spectral 125 al 5 with 140 mm stock?
You probably could yeah. It would affect the geometry though. Can make the bikes handle quite differently so might be worth trying to find someone online that has done it (or steal a friends fork to test it before you buy one haha)
You gotta understand you’re putting SO much extra torque on everything on an e-bike. I ride about 50 miles a week with long climbs and rocky descents. In the two years I’ve owned my Turbo Levo I’ve gone though 4 chains, 3 cassettes and one rear derailleur. That’s just the drivetrain. Just think of it like two of you riding the same bike everyday, things are wearing down twice as fast.
Check out Hunt carbon wheelsets, great engagement and affordable price for very durable wheels and hubs
Good call! I’ve seen the alloy ones around and they look nice. Haven’t looked to far into the carbon ones but will check them out! Cheers.
Do you have to service the bike or take it in service??
Either is fine. All bike shops will work on Canyon bikes. But it's always good to learn some servicing skills for yourself
what did u say at 5:04?
The bike doesnt sound that loud in the clips of you jibbing around.
You've already got a meg neg, you want to try a different one?
I've got the standard air can on my shock, I want to try the larger one as an upgrade
@@BlueSkyBoys how's the frame? I'm so torn I want to buy a Spectral 2nd hand but they're the worst bike to bike second hand with no warranty.