Canyon have expanded their women specific range with the new Canyon Spectral WMN 140mm enduro bike. Plus a Grand Canyon hardtail too.

>>> Compare to the all-new revamped men’s Spectral for 2018

Canyon Spectral WMN need to know

• 140mm rear travel trail/enduro bike aimed at female riders
• 150mm fork
• Tuned for lighter riders
• Shorter reach and lower BB women-specific geometry result of Canyon’s own research
• Sizes: XS, S, M
• 1 alloy model for £2,349
• 3 carbon models ranging from £2,699 up to £4,499
• Head over to canyon.com for pricing and specs

Canyon Spectral WMN first ride impressions

From mbr‘s Laura Bailey.

“Canyon’s strapline of Made for More is perfectly suited to the ride of the Spectral. Jumping aboard for the first time, the shortened reach is instantly evident and the bike feels compact, perhaps too much so.

“Within thirty seconds of pedalling off all thoughts of being crunched up on the bike are thrown out. One run down in and it’s a confidence inspiring, encouraging and responsive ride.

“I tested the bikes hard on a mix of terrains, in flowy sections it was rapid, rip roaring fun and hugged deep to berms. But it came into its own on more technical descents, handling anything with sure footed ease, encouraging you to commit to trails.

“As the trails get steeper the shortened reach comes into its own, making it easier to stay over the front wheel giving a sense of stability, while still remaining agile and responsive. It keeps any rowdiness in check, never feeling like it’s going to start taking you for the ride.

“The lower standover height give you plenty of room on the bike, more time and space to react to the trail, and if it all gets a bit much the chance to make a sneaky step off with ease.

“It’s a difficult balance to find a ride that is reassuring and trustworthy without removing the fun and spark, but the Spectral does just that.”

Canyon press release

For the challenge or the camaraderie, to disengage or simply get out and have fun on bikes, more women are taking to the trails. Across all disciplines, we’re committed to offering every rider the right tool for the job. Applying an in-depth knowledge of female and male anatomical differences attained from developing successful women’s-specific Road and Fitness lines, the target was set to release the full potential of Canyon mountain bikes for female riders, starting with the launch of the all-new Spectral WMN.

A 140 mm full suspension trail bike, the Spectral WMN is made for more. More precision, more control, and more agility thanks to dialled geometries, tuned suspension and perfect fit. Most importantly though, they’re made for more of the good stuff that makes any rider want to get out there.

The cornerstone to developing the Spectral WMN lay in the ability to analyze the anatomical data of over 68,000 female riders worldwide thanks to Canyon’s online sizing tool, the Perfect Positioning System. This data enables Canyon’s engineers to take the guesswork out of determining the key differences between male and female riders when it comes to body size and proportions, findings that were then used to shape the geometry and fit for each bike. Offering riders one of the broadest size ranges on the scene is key. With the addition of a new 2XS frame size, female riders between 148 cm and 179 cm now have four distinct frame sizes available to them.

When it comes to riding dynamics, the Spectral WMN excels where it matters most: on the trail. Thorough research pointed to three key areas that could enhance control for female riders. Adapting reach by making the frames slightly shorter creates a less outstretched, more balanced position on the bike. Low top tubes reduce standover height for extra room to maneuver. Finally, lower bottom bracket heights for smaller frame sizes mean every rider experiences a more planted feel on the trail from a lower center of gravity.

Beyond geometry and fit, we went the extra mile to bring the rider closer to the bike. The suspension on the Spectral WMN features a new leverage curve engineered with extra responsiveness at the start of the stroke to reflect the lower weights of female riders.

Canyon Grand Canyon WMN AL SLX also released

Canyon have also produced a 110mm travel fork-ed hardtail designed for women. Here’s what you need to know.

• 110mm fork-ed hardtail aimed at female riders
• Shorter reach and lower BB women-specific geometry result of Canyon’s own research
• Sizes: XS, S, M
• Prices from £649 up to £1,799
• Head over to canyon.com for pricing and specs

Canyon Grand Canyon WMN first ride impressions

First ride impression from mbr‘s Laura Bailey.

“Testing the Grand Canyon it’s clear it’s a hardtail that is happy frolicking on the trails. The female specific geometry with lower BB and a slightly slackened head angle means it pins to the ground with fast, responsive cornering as you chuck it down flowy, twisty trails.

Canyon Presscamp, Feb. 2018. Copyright: Markus Grebe

“Hitting the ascents it’s easy and efficient with the wide ranging Eagle groupset. It responds well to power on climb, although the lower bottom bracket height did lend to some pedal strikes on rapidly changing surfaces on more technical climbs.

“Additions including a dropper seat post and meaty tyres are just urging you to take it off to play on the descents, and help to boost confidence and leave you feeling you could take on more trail features without any harshness.

Canyon Presscamp, Feb. 2018. Copyright: Markus Greber

“It’s easy to feel you could throw this capable hardtail anywhere but occasionally the brakes didn’t always leave you with the sense that the stopping capability matched its go mode.

“For women looking to spend time in the saddle but wanting the freedom to tackle some more trails and deepen their sense of adventure it’s a bike you won’t get bored of riding.”