First Ride: 2024 Canyon Lux Trail

Geometry

In the name of keeping things quick (a theme with this bike), here are the beats: the seat tube angle is 1.5° steeper, landing at 76° across all sizes. The head tube angle of 67° is half a degree slacker than the prior generation, while the reach, stack, bottom bracket drop, and chainstay length remain essentially unchanged. This addresses a primary complaint about the prior gen bike, which was just how stretched out the seated position was, given the relatively long reach and slack seat tube angle.

The new Lux Trail's numbers are more in line with typical trail bike sizing, giving it both a more comfortable climbing position and confidant descending geometry. I've been riding a size Large, and found the seated position quite comfortable. The stock handlebar is a bit flat for my taste, but a little rise improved the ride quite a lot.



Frame Features

Canyon took the opportunity presented by reworking the Lux Trail's front triangle and really ran with it. The level of integration here is impressive, with in-frame storage, a hard-mounted multitool, and two water bottles to boot. The bike feels like it's been accessorized with long days in mind, and the quick-access tools and stashes make for a speedy fix should something go awry.

There are two frame trims to choose from, with the differences essentially coming down to weight. For an average size Medium frame, the CF models are claimed to weigh 2101 grams, with the more expensive CFR frames clocking in at 1936 grams. With equivalently light parts kits fit to each, there will definitely be some weight-weenie friendly builds in there.

The Lux now features a UDH rear end, making all your hard-shifting Transmission dreams come true. Front and rear lockout mean you can turn your mountain bike into a road bike at a moment's notice, and might make some post-ride pumptrack sessions more fun.


While the improvements are many and welcomed, there are still some vestiges of the compromised designs of prior generations still at play here. The main two that come to mind are the flat-mount rear brake (this is for road bikes, please keep it out of the MTB world), and our favorite enemy, the through-headset cable routing. Both details make for a bike that requires specialized components that usually don't perform at the level of equivalently light or convenient designs.


Suspension Design

The Lux Trail retains the linkage-driven single pivot layout of the prior model, but implements a hanging rocker meant to improve the small-bump performance. The 115mm of rear suspension is much more progressive than the Lux World Cup, with a left-hand lockout setup that allows for quick changes in suspension characteristic. The Open mode is full fat, letting things move as much as your setup allows for; Pedal mode firms things up, and holds the suspension higher in travel; Locked means locked, expect no movement.


Build Kits

There's some difference between the United States market and the rest of the world when it comes to the Lux Trail, but overall expect a wide product range with many build kit options to choose from. The CFR models are not available in the US market, and the CF6 will be available sometime next spring. Spec and pricing is as follows:







Ride Impressions

So far, my time on the Lux Trail has been all about hard climbs, long rides, and mellow descents. Based on the nature of the bike, I think things are going to stay that way. The Lux Trail feels like a cross-country bike for the people, and won't easily be confused for a more capable trail bike. I was able to ride plenty of my go-to test tracks for more capable bikes, but not nearly at the pace or confidence I'm used to.

That said, don't take that less-capable claim as a demerit, as that's really not what this little Canyon is about. It feels like a bike made for very long days in the saddle, covering as much ground as possible at a quick clip. While you might have to skirt around some of the gnarlier features and trails, you'll probably make up for it when you're pinned on the road transfers, with the suspension fully locked out. The novelty of the grip-shift twin lockout quickly became a convenience, and something I was happy to rely on for punchy climbs and longer pedaling traverses.

The descending nature of the Lux Trail is sharp and a bit squirrelly, but with a higher-rise bar fitted things feel confidant enough to handle a wide variety of terrain. The suspension was predictable and supportive, with decent grip for a bike meant to maximize efficiency. The conveniences of the tool and spares storage baked into the frame are hard to overlook, and quite well integrated.


Build Notes

I had a couple weird build anomalies on my test bike, which Canyon says should be isolated to this pre-production batch, but things to look out for regardless. The suspension lockouts were routed through brake housing, as opposed to the correct shift housing, making the action feel spongy and imprecise at first. Once fixed, things felt much crisper. The lockout shifter was also using a cable guide that sent the cables out 90° from the bars, which works with the Shimano brakes on some spec levels, but looked a bit silly on the otherwise clean SRAM build. Nothing critical overall, but some small mistakes to keep an eye out for.

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Stay tuned for the long term review on the Canyon Lux Trail in the near future.

For more pictures of Lux, head on over to the album here.

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