In November Canyon issued a stop ride notice on all of its Spectral:ON CF and Torque:ON CF models after a potential fire-risk was identified with the casings of the third-party batteries used in those models. All owners were contacted swiftly and asked to stop using their bikes and examine the batteries for signs of cracks in the casing. In certain circumstances these cracks could allow moisture into the battery, “potentially triggering a short-circuit that bypasses the fail-safe mechanisms”. Although Canyon says the fire-risk is “unlikely” it cannot be ruled out.

Example of the type of hairline cracks that can cause a potential fire-risk.

The solution is for customers to return all the affected batteries to Canyon (or recycle them in accordance with local rules) and – although Canyon is not explicit about this – likely receive a new battery with an updated design. However, these new units are not expected until February, and it’s not clear whether that’s sign-off on the design, or delivery of production units to owners. In the mean time, Canyon has stepped up to offer partial refunds to owners who don’t want to wait for a solution. These can be in the form of a Canyon voucher to use on its website, or a direct bank transfer to the owner.

The Canyon Spectral:ON CFR has been one of our favourite e-bikes since it was launched.

Refunds are calculated as a proportion of the value of the bike when new, depending on how many months the bike has been owned for. With 1/72 of the value of the bike taken off for every month owned. So a bike with a purchase price of £6,649 would be refunded at 6649/72=£92.34. Then multiplied by the number of months owned, say 24 if the owner has had the bike for two years. So 24 x 92.34= £2,216. £6,649 – £2,216 = £4,433. So £4,433 would be the total refund offered to the owner.

The bike park-ready Torque:ON is also affected.

We’re not sure how many Spectral:ON and Torque:ON bikes are out there, but seeing as it’s a popular model with lots of favourable reviews (we awarded the Canyon Spectral:ON our Direct-Sales E-Bike of the Year in 2023) it’s likely to run into the tens of thousands. Which could leave Canyon with a hefty bill in terms of refunds, old battery disposal, new battery development and production, and all of the time spent dealing with the issue. Despite the obviously high cost, it’s great to see Canyon doing the right thing by its customers, and hopefully it won’t suffer damage to its reputation as a result of an issue that could just as well affect other e-bike systems. Click here to read more about the issue on Canyon’s website.