Bikes Blog
All-New Canyon Neuron updates trendy, extra succesful do-it-all path mountain bike
Mar
At first look, Canyon’s new Neuron path bike appears to be like an terrible lot just like the silhouette of the outdated Neuron, however tucked inside a comparatively minor-looking reshaping is a whole overhaul to the consumer-direct retailer’s best-selling mountain bike.
The brand new Neuron will get each replace you can want for in a modernized path bike – lighter, stronger, stiffer, longer geometry, slacker steering, steeper seat angle with extra dropper drop, plus tidy cable routing, improved sturdiness, and extra. That is Canyon’s category-ignoring, fully-capable mid-travel full-suspension all-rounder – 130mm rear wheel journey paired to 140mm forks – a motorcycle for mountain bikers who don’t wish to overthink it and simply wish to go mountain biking…
2023 Canyon Neuron CF carbon path mountain bike
In a line-up that has 9 or 10 completely different mountain bikes – simply from XC to Enduro – one in every of my first inquiries to Canyon was, “Why is the Neuron their top-selling mountain bike?”. The reply primarily boils all the way down to actuality.
Most mountain bikers don’t actually race cross-country, and would reasonably have a extra confidently-handling bike for all types of path driving. And actually, regardless of how a lot all of us could dream of ‘shredding the gnar’ and smashing large days down uber-technical gravity tracks, most of us aren’t racing enduro, and we normally don’t want a big-travel gravity bike.
What we actually want is a motorcycle that’s quick & enjoyable on buff singletrack, is comfy climbing easy fireroads or steep switchbacks, able to descending tough technical tracks, and is solely up for all-day mountain biking adventures over any kind of path you’ll uncover driving unfamiliar terrain. You realize… a mountain bike. That’s the brand new Neuron – a mountain bike. No pigeon-holing required.
OK, so what’s new?
It’s nearly simpler to say what’s not new. What hasn’t modified is that is nonetheless a 130mm path bike paired to a set of stable 140mm forks – the wonderful Fox 34 for nearly each construct. What’s new is that the 2023 Canyon Neuron is lighter, stronger & extra succesful than ever.
Beginning with lighter, Canyon says they shaved 200g off the outdated carbon Neuron with the brand new mannequin, primarily by tweaking tube shapes and optimizing the carbon layup. There’s not an enormous shift in materials or format, simply every little thing achieved a bit extra exactly. That’s now a claimed weight of 2440g (measurement M) for the body and all its {hardware} – or only a shade over 2kg for the naked body items bolted collectively.
So how does a lighter bike get stronger?
Canyon strikes to a stiffer, wider important pivot for the brand new path bike and upgrades to stronger, better-sealed bearings and strengthened pivot bolts throughout. Plus, the brand new bike will get a brand new bolt-on built-in however replaceable downtube protector, and burly rubber chainstay safety that wraps solely across the keep even up subsequent to the chainring to eradicate any chain-slap noise and guard towards chainsuck. The principle pivot additionally will get a tiny built-in chainguide for further safety over rougher trails.
General the carbon body retains principally the identical 4-bar suspension format and far the identical kinematics with Canyon’s signature Triple Part Suspension.
The body form even appears to be like principally the identical, exterior of a barely raised downtube kink in entrance of the underside bracket. However the brand new Neuron does additionally straighten its seattube and lowers its seat clamp by 20mm – collectively permitting riders to now run longer-travel dropper seatposts.
Cable routing is one other large shift on the brand new Neuron. The bike goes absolutely inner with wiring routed via a headset cap punctured for as many cables as you want. Inside, absolutely guided tubes make it simple to route rear derailleur & brake strains deep via the body and chainstays, additionally with new seals as they bridge from entrance to rear triangles. The brand new bike additionally nonetheless will get a steering cease to stop harm to the cables (or to your toptube from a brake lever). However now this Impression Safety Unit 2.0 (IPU2) is smaller and extra discreet than ever, tucked flush into the toptube simply behind the headset. Apparently, up to date cable routing alone saved 80g.
Different new particulars embrace a BSA threaded backside bracket, an ordinary UDH on your present derailleur or no matter else drivetrain drops right this moment, the built-in QR rear Enhance thru-axle lever, room for a full measurement water bottle cage, plus an additional mount for a small instrument bag.
Geometry & Match
A giant a part of modernizing the brand new Canyon Neuron meant reshaping its versatile geometry. Longer & longer & slacker geo are the hallmarks of most trendy path updates, and the Neuron isn’t any exception. The brand new bike grows body Attain by round 22mm relying on measurement and strikes all the brand new sizes to a one diploma slacker 66° head angle for extra assured descending. However to shift rider weight a bit extra ahead for higher management and to get again uphill simpler, they get a one-and-a-half-degree steepened 76° seat angle.
Pair that every one with longer droppers, and you may get again when you must, however nonetheless preserve the entrance wheel weighted for traction on steeper-than-ever climbs.
Whereas we nonetheless speak principally about trendy mountain bikes having all transitioned to 29ers, Canyon is without doubt one of the few firms that has caught to its place of delivering the identical experience for all riders, and nonetheless makes use of body size-specific wheel sizes. The 2 smallest XS & S sizes get 27.5″ wheels, whereas M, L & XL get 29″ wheels. This enables them to present the exact-same uncompromised steering geometry to bikes of all sizes, whereas bing capable of shorten the wheel base and proceed to decrease body Stack for small riders to ship a constant experience really feel to mountain bikers of all sizes.
2023 Canyon Neuron – Pricing, availability & choices
All in all, there are 11 completely different fashions within the new 2023 Canyon Neuron line-up – with both the 2440g carbon body or the 3100g aluminum body that shares a lot of the identical tech, simply with out the deeper integration.
On the high is a premium Neuron CF LTD construct with Fox Manufacturing unit suspension, SRAM X01 AXS drivetrain & RockShox Reverb AXS dropper, and ultralight DT Swiss XMC 1200 carbon wheels.
A bit extra into a worth efficiency price-point, the 5000€ Canyon Neuron CF 9 SL that I check rode will get the identical lightened carbon body, the identical Fox Manufacturing unit 34 fork & Float DPS shock, however a extra reasonably priced GX AXS wi-fi groupset (that performs precisely like X01), nonetheless with carbon SRAM cranks and the identical RaceFace Subsequent 35 carbon cockpit, nonetheless with 4-piston Code RSC brakes, and nonetheless with a light-weight set of carbon DT Swiss XMC 1501, simply with barely heavier hubs and Canyon’s house-brand Iridium dropper seatpost.
Then, the Neuron CF 9 drops again to a Efficiency Elite fork, a Efficiency shock, a mechanical XT drivetrain, and XMC 1700 carbon wheels. And the Neuron CF 8 & 8 WMN go Fox Efficiency, SLX 1×12, and DT XM1700 alloy wheels to save lots of much more.
The alloy bikes high out with the 2700€ Neuron 7 & 7 WMN with SLX, Fox Efficiency suspension & DT XM 1700 wheels. The Neuron 6 & 6 WMN preserve the SLX drivetrain, dialing it again to a Rythmn fork and DT LN star ratchet wheels to save lots of a bit of cash. Then the Neuron 5 takes it one step additional with a RockShox Reocn Silver fork & Deluves Choose+ chock paired to a Deore 12sp drivetrain and house-brand alloy wheels.
The final of the alloy bikes is the 27.5-only Canyon Neuron Younger Hero version for simply 1600€ with a Manitou Machete Comp 130mm fork, Mara IL shock to maintain 130mm of rear wheel journey, and a Deore 1×12 drivetrain. Constructed for youths to get into path driving, the Younger Hero comes spec’d with kid-sized Tektro brake levers, quick 152mm alloy Canyon cranks & slender 700mm bar, and it’s obtainable in its personal smaller 2XS & XS sizes.
The entire new Neuron line-up is accessible on-line direct from Canyon now.
US mountain bikers will nevertheless have to attend a bit and get simply three of the brand new Neurons this spring into summer time, all with SRAM drivetrains. The highest-tier $5500 Neuron CF 9 SL stays the identical with GX AXS drivetrain & carbon DT wheels. Then, the aluminum Neuron 6 at $2600 and Neuron 5 at $2100 each swap in barely altered full builds in comparison with the remainder of the world’s bikes with SRAM mechanical groupsets.
However how does it experience?
Keep tuned for our full evaluation of the brand new Neuron and the way it suits in between the Lux Path and Spectral 125 later right this moment. Sneak peek: It’s a stable path bike for the all-around mountain biker, however these different ‘path’ bikes definitely have their deserves, too.