Canyon Strive and Spectral

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Canyon Strive and Spectral
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flag WillIAm131242
Posted: May 18, 2017 at 14:18 Quote
As Canyon prepares to launch in the US, I have become very interested in two of their bikes, the Strive and the Spectral. As it is time for me to upgrade my bike and the value that Canyon offers is unmatched, these two bikes seem appealing. However, I can't decide which is better for me.

My riding will likely consist of 60-75% trail and the rest enduro/park riding. A part of me says the strive is perfect, use the shapeshifter to drop the rear travel for those trail rides but always have the full travel mode for when things heat up. On the other hand, I worry about it being overkill. But, is the spectral enough to do those park rides? Or do you believe the strive is adequate for my riding?

I will also still have my XC hardtail, but I think it would make sense to have a bike that can still do-it-all if I do choose or if need be.
flag cjkj1999
Posted: May 22, 2017 at 8:43 Quote
I've got a Strive and my Dad has the Spectral, all I can say is that the shapeshifter system is brilliant for the 3 or 4 rides that it works. The rest of the time it's broken or just a bit shit and won't settle in a position.

Personally I'd go with the spectral and boost the fork travel to 150mm. The strive feels difficult to manoeuvre and awkward unless you've got lift accessed riding nearby.

If you can afford it I'd avoid canyon at all costs. Their after sales support is shite and their computer systems are so flawed that they've threatened to take me to court over a bolt that I'd massively overpaid for.

Getting proprietory spares is an absolute nightmare (and believe me there are very few stock parts on their frames) and they have a tendency to take your money quite happily but only dispatch the part you've ordered after several weeks.

That said, most of these problems came from the strive, the spectral has been fairly low maintenance and relatively trouble free.

Finally, if the strive still comes with DT Swiss E1900 wheels then you will probably wrote them off in a few weeks, the rims are either made of cheese or play-dough
flag Aideeaids
Posted: May 23, 2017 at 17:52 Quote
Heard bad things about the shapeshifter tech that canyon has, our friend google will explain and shownyou how many canyon users are having trouble with it, that's why i settled with a mondraker, best bike ever! ????
flag TheHill
Posted: May 24, 2017 at 3:28 Quote
cjkj1999 wrote:
I've got a Strive and my Dad has the Spectral, all I can say is that the shapeshifter system is brilliant for the 3 or 4 rides that it works. The rest of the time it's broken or just a bit shit and won't settle in a position.

Personally I'd go with the spectral and boost the fork travel to 150mm.

I' ve done the same with my Spectral (also added a spacer in the fork) and it rides very well like this

cjkj1999 wrote:
If you can afford it I'd avoid canyon at all costs. Their after sales support is shite and their computer systems are so flawed that they've threatened to take me to court over a bolt that I'd massively overpaid for.

Getting proprietory spares is an absolute nightmare (and believe me there are very few stock parts on their frames) and they have a tendency to take your money quite happily but only dispatch the part you've ordered after several weeks.
I have the opposite experience with Canyon (Belgium), I've had some issues and they were solved good and fast. Normally they take your money at the time the goods are out for delivery.
flag oldeh
Posted: May 24, 2017 at 4:59 Quote
I have a spectral (2015 8.0ex). The ex models already have a 150mm fork. you could definitely run a 160mm no problem. i'm also running some offset bushings with the hta ~66degrees, id definitely recommend that for the park / steeper stuff. The spectral can definitely take a beating. im pretty light so the roam50 wheelset on mine has been fine but you may want something a bit stronger with some dh casing tires for the bike park if you are heavier
flag WillIAm131242
Posted: May 25, 2017 at 15:44 Quote
Thanks for all the feedback. Just out of curiosity, are there any other long travel trail/endure bikes that you would recommend at around the $3000 mark? Canyon, obviously, offers great value but I'm just curious to see what else is out there. Thanks again.
flag lucythefin
O+
Posted: May 27, 2017 at 0:26 Quote
You can check out Commencal USA website. They have a trail and Enduro model with great specs and even better price.
Whyte Bikes USA also sells online direct and they have 2 trail and one Enduro model that are top notch, and with their sales come in at great prices. I have a G-160 I bought off them last fall, great bike and even better customer support.
Also chainreactioncycles .com sells direct all over the world, they have Vitus, Nukeproof and also carry Commencal. I've heard their customer support is great as well.
flag Aideeaids
Posted: May 27, 2017 at 9:49 Quote
Or if you're looking for used, there's a ton for sale here at pb! Good communication with the seller and bike check is key.
flag mountain-viking
Posted: May 27, 2017 at 21:34 Quote
oldeh wrote:
I have a spectral (2015 8.0ex). The ex models already have a 150mm fork. you could definitely run a 160mm no problem. i'm also running some offset bushings with the hta ~66degrees, id definitely recommend that for the park / steeper stuff. The spectral can definitely take a beating. im pretty light so the roam50 wheelset on mine has been fine but you may want something a bit stronger with some dh casing tires for the bike park if you are heavier
I have the same model. Brilliant, i don't mind the flex compared to my DH bike, this is not a pure DH bike and the flex is comfy. Id ridden Nelson and tusenmetar in Åre with this. The rims took a beating but other than that it comes down with you body not too tired and bike stil in one piece. th EX 8.0 is my recommendation! light and quick! No trouble with mine. Except the RS reverb post
flag shadow-flier
Posted: May 28, 2017 at 23:38 Quote
WillIAm131242 wrote:
As Canyon prepares to launch in the US, I have become very interested in two of their bikes, the Strive and the Spectral. As it is time for me to upgrade my bike and the value that Canyon offers is unmatched, these two bikes seem appealing. However, I can't decide which is better for me.

My riding will likely consist of 60-75% trail and the rest enduro/park riding. A part of me says the strive is perfect, use the shapeshifter to drop the rear travel for those trail rides but always have the full travel mode for when things heat up. On the other hand, I worry about it being overkill. But, is the spectral enough to do those park rides? Or do you believe the strive is adequate for my riding?

I will also still have my XC hardtail, but I think it would make sense to have a bike that can still do-it-all if I do choose or if need be.

Bit late to the party, but this sounds very similar to the dilemma I went through at the end of last year when looking to upraise from my hardtail. Did a tonne of research (which is frustrating because there are a lot of really good bikes out there and overtime you think you've narrowed your list, another good one pops up). Eventually settled on Canyon and after a bit of back and forth decided on the Strive (AL 6.0 race) because I was intrigued by the Shapeshifter; also they offered 30 trail with free return so I figured if I hated it I could just box it up, send it back and try the Spectral.

When it arrived it Tok me a few days of fiddling and some communication with the local Canyon guys (they have a warehouse in Australia) to get the Shapeshifter set up correctly (they were very helpful), but since setup I haven't had an issue with it in the 6 months of riding I've been doing. In fact the only two issues I've had have been with the proper post sticking a bit, and a few too many pedal strikes over rocky ground, which is likely more operator error than the bike Smile

For my local trails it's probably a bit of an 'overkill' bike, but it climbs a lot better than I expected and is a hell of a lot of fun. Took it to Rotorua at the start of the year and it was able to get me through some stuff that was above my riding ability.

There's been a few times where I've wondered if the Spectral would have been just as good, especially when the trails don't point down as much, but absolutely no regrets with the Strive so far.

Good luck with the decision!
flag iskysoma01
O+
Posted: May 30, 2017 at 19:00 Quote
I'm thinking most of the issues of the shape shifter were fo 2015 and 2016, 2017 seems to be sorted. I am also looking at the strive and will give it a hard look when they will be available in the US. It will also be the 2018 models so I'm hoping for the boost set up. Well see.
flag mountain-viking
Posted: Jun 3, 2017 at 23:17 Quote
Strive got frame issues aswell. And my buddy just got a new frame and now at first ride its sqeeking again. Third shapeshifter too . I beat all strivebuddies with my Spectral. It aint what you got its what you do. But if Strive is working it is better for bigger mountains and jumping. Spectral is somewhat (perhaps) too thin, light & wobbly for DH riding. Some might think. It is also not made for that so when i compare these bikes its not a faor comparison really. I ride EVERYTHING on my 2015 Spectral ex
flag WillIAm131242
Posted: Jun 10, 2017 at 10:59 Quote
Thanks a lot for the input. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know much about the Vitus Sommet? It seems to be an even better value.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/vitus-bikes-sommet-vr-suspension-bike-xt-1x11-2017/rp-prod146565
flag villager
Posted: Jun 11, 2017 at 13:27 Quote
Well, just to counter some of the views above, my strive has been awesome and i would highly recommend it. Had it 2 years and no shapeshifter issues at all. After sales has been great too.

My mate has a spectral and that's also been very good too. Prefer mine though!
flag WillIAm131242
Posted: Jun 13, 2017 at 4:50 Quote
villager wrote:
Well, just to counter some of the views above, my strive has been awesome and i would highly recommend it. Had it 2 years and no shapeshifter issues at all. After sales has been great too.

My mate has a spectral and that's also been very good too. Prefer mine though!

I'm glad to hear that. It seems like a killer bike. Another reservation of mine is that I want to be able to ride local trail centers, some XC but airing more on the side of true trail, as well as take it to the bike park a few times a year. Can the Strive handle all of that? My emphasis is definitely more on the descending portions but there will be climbing involved. Would the Spectral be a better choice? What about the Vitus Sommet?
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