Canyon has a new e-bike out called the Neuron:ONfly – it’s the brand’s first lightweight electric mountain bike, and could well democratise the mid-power category for riders without off-shore bank accounts and non-dom status.

That’s because the bike starts at £4,649 for the entry-level Neuron:ONfly CF 7, and while that isn’t exactly Hühnerfutter (German for chicken feed, I discovered at the launch) it is significantly cheaper than the competition. I think it’s fair to say the best lightweight electric mountain bikes were once the preserve of the rich, but now we’re one step closer to regular riders enjoying the dynamic handling brought by this category of bike.

The Neuron:ONfly CF 7 uses the same carbon frame, motor and battery as the top end LTD

Canyon Neuron:ONfly need to know

• Lightweight version of the Neuron:ON, which was launched in 2023
• Neuron:ONfly uses the new Bosch SX motor, with 600W peak power and 55Nm torque
• 140mm travel front and rear (XS gets 130mm) and 29in wheels only
• All-new frame, full carbon fibre, and no need for the clunky Kiox bar-mounted display
• Four models in the range, topping out at £7,649 for Fox Factory equipped CF LTD
• Modern geometry, XL gets 510mm reach, and sizing runs XS to XL

Launched just last year, Canyon originally developed the Neuron:ON as a full-power bike

Flyweight or lightweight

The Neuron:ONfly is Canyon’s first lightweight e-bike, and in many respects it is a carbon cutout of the German brand’s Neuron:ON, which launched in 2023. It shares the same 140mm travel front and rear, the geometry and sizing is near identical, and the purpose of the bike is also the same in Canyon’s eyes: principally, to convert e-bike naysayers, ride like a proper shredder for established riders, and draw in adventure riders who enjoy fireroads as much as technical singletrack.

The difference in my mind, is that mid-power e-bikes always excel when it comes to descending, and the Neuron:ONfly is no exception, something I found when testing the top-end CF 9 at its launch – check out my first impressions to discover in full how the Neuron:ONfly CF9 rides.

Bosch’s SX motor is reasonably small, but it’s nowhere near as svelte and unobtrusive as the TQ HPR-50

The Bosch SX motor

Of course, with a new Bosch SX motor instead of the full-power CX motor, the new Neuron:Onfly (try saying that after a few schnapps) has a completely new frame to accommodate it – the latest motor is two thirds the size and something like 900g lighter than the CX model. There’s also just 400Wh of battery power in the down tube, and that means it’s much skinnier than the full power bike when sat on and looking down at the bike. Canyon’s installed Bosch’s best power mode onto its software too, you can access E-mtb mode, which seamlessly switches between range-conserving Tour and all-out Boost, to increase the bike’s range.

Bumper on the down tube stop the Neuron:ONfly’s fork crowns from scratching… and there’s a turn stop in the headset to double up

Clever frame details

The frame gets a host of great features, including internal cable routing with separate channels for each cable to prevent rattling, a new chain device and chainstay protection, and even a Bosch Connectivity Module – essentially an anti-theft tracker with annual subscription that gives you live tracking of your bike at all times. Canyon has also protected the bike from itself, with a steering block to stop the bars from over-rotating, and bumpers on the down tube to stop the fork crown hitting the frame.

I rode the Canyon Neuron:ONfly CF9 at the launch in Germany – the size XL was big with a 510mm reach, but still had plenty of standover height.

Geometry and sizing

The Neuron:ONfly has progressive sizing and geometry for a trail bike, with a 64.5° head angle and a reach measurement of 485mm in size large. There are five sizes to pick from – XS-XL – and with long dropper posts and great standover height most riders should be able to choose between two sizes, depending on their preference for long and stable, or short and agile.

Suspension design

Canyon says its design here is called Triple Phase Suspension, that means it’s tuned the anti-squat to resist your pedalling forces in the first part of the stroke and help the bike climb and attack mellow trails. Then there’s support when the bike gets into its mid-stroke, before becoming progressive towards the end. It’s upped both the anti-squat and progression from the old bike, creating a tauter ride.

With four bikes in the range, five sizes and multiple colour options, the Neuron:ONfly should have mass appeal.

Canyon Neuron:ONfly range

All the bikes in the range share the same frame, motor and battery, Canyon dropper post and controls. It’s really cool that Canyon has also put the same tyres across all the bikes, there’s no scrimping here to save money or weight.

The CF7 is a bargain, at under £5,000

Neuron:ONfly CF 7

There are four models in the range, and the best value by a mile is the CF7 for £4,649 and Canyon says it weighs a respectable 20.4kg. The bike comes with a RockShox Pike Base fork with 44mm offset, and a Deluxe Select+ shock. It uses a Shimano Deore groupset with a 10-51T cassette, SRAM Code R brakes with 200mm rotors, Canyon controls and dropper, Schwable Hans Dampf and Nobby Nic tyres, and a Rodi wheelset.

Top end LTD bike gets Fox Factory suspesnion and SRAM AXS XX

Neuron:ONfly CF LTD

Top of the range is the CF LTD, it’s £7,649 and the claimed weight is just 19.1kg. Naturally it’s festooned with the best kit, including a Fox 34 Factory fork and Float Factory shock, SRAM Eagle Transmission XX groupset, and SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth brakes with 200mm rotors. The wheels are pretty special, Canyon’s specced a Reynolds Trail 329 wheelset, and there’s the same combination of Schwable Hans Dampf and Nobby Nic tyres with Trail Soft and Trail Speed compounds and casings respectively.

With SRAM GX AXS and top-end RockShox Ultimate suspension, the CF9 is a top performer

Neuron:ONfly CF9

The CF9 gets plenty of the LTD bike’s performance but without the sky high price, it’s still not cheap at £6,699 but for that you get arguably equally good suspension in the form of a RockShox Pike Ultimate and Deluxe Select+ shock. It weighs 19.9kg, and there’s a SRAM GX AXS Transmission drivetrain that we’ve found works just as well as the top-end XX AXS (it’s hard to tell the difference in fact), and SRAM Code Silver Stealth brakes. Finally there are brilliant DT Swiss HX1700 wheels and of course the same rubber boots as all the other bikes.

The CF8 perfectly blends price and performance

Neuron:ONfly CF8

Honestly this is probably our pick of the bikes on paper, because it’s so reasonably priced at £5,349 but still comes equipped with one great suspension components, which really is the most important way a brand can spend its money. That means it gets a Fox 34 Performance fork, which we found worked smoothly and with composure on the full-power Neuron:ON, and a Float Performance shock too. It’s 19.6kg (lighter than the CF9 thanks to mechanical shifting), uses a 12-speed Shimano XT drivetrain and gets a SunRingle 329 Expert wheelset.

Plug in a Bosch PowerMore 250Wh range extender and boost the bike’s range by over 50%

Range extender option

There is one more thing you might want to factor in to the Neuron:ONfly though, the bikes don’t come with a Bosch PowerMore 250Wh range extender. But you can add one when you buy the bike, for £439.95. You also need to add one of Canyon’s custom length cables to your basket, it’s another £27.95.

The CF9 proved a surprisingly competent bike, great fun and with great support and power

First Ride impressions

We’ve also got a full shakedown review on the Neuron:ONfly CF9 if you want to delve deeper into the new bike’s handling, but the snapshot is it’s a great bike… on the right trails. Climbing on the Neuron:ONfly is excellent thanks to its supportive suspension, the 450mm chainstays are long enough to prevent any loopout moments, and the Bosch SX motor is plenty powerful enough in most situations.

It’s important to remember this is no full-power e-bike though, and with just 55Nm of torque steeper climbs do tend to slow you down. It’s important to pick a low gear and keep your cadence up to tackle anything steep.

The Neuron:ONfly is great fun on 95% of singletrack, it’s lively and fun and with plenty of support from the shock you can load the bike into berms, jumps and support wherever you find it. Flowy trails are this bike’s forte, and that makes it ideal for UK riding. It’s no enduro bike though, the suspension is geared towards trail riding which means when very rough and fast trails unsettle things. Just as it should be then, on a 140mm trail bike.

If the Neuron:ONfly has a rival, it’s from fellow German brand Cube, with the lightweight AMS Hybrid ONE44

Best of the competition

The closest bike in terms of travel, price, intended use and motor is the Cube AMS Hybrid One44. It’s got the same Bosch SX motor with 600w peak power and 55Nm of torque to help you climb, and there’s 400Wh of juice in the battery. You also get a premium carbon frame with complete builds starting at £5,499.