The all-new Canyon Neuron - built for trails and adventure
The new Canyon Neuron is said to be your adventure buddy, the one mountain bike to take you up, over, along and down.
As mountain biking becomes bigger and more popular, we've had more bike categories created. From mid and high power eMTBs, through to downcountry, short travel trail bikes, bikepacking bikes, XC racing bikes, casual XC, Enduro… it's a mix with a whole lot of grey areas. But for the most part, all of us what a bike that is a tool for escape, something to go ride in wild places and to have fun. The Canyon Neuron has always filled that gap, but as mountain biking changes, the bikes must as well. And the new Canyon Neuron is said to be the ideal mountain bike to do most things, for most riders.
A capable trail mountain bike needs to get a lot right. It needs to pedal well, be balanced in rough trails, and be easy to look after. It has to be comfortable to ride, without any proprietary parts that could slow down an adventure.
Canyon reckon they have nailed it with the new Canyon Neuron. It is a 140/130mm travel, full-suspension bike that is said to hit the sweet spot of climbing efficiency, trail capability, and all-day comfort. M-XL bikes use 29er wheels, while XS and S run on 27.5". The new Canyon Neuron could be your adventure buddy who is happy to go long or just jam it for an hour before or after work.
Last year we saw Trek update their popular and versatile Fuel EX. And Canyon are doing the same with the Neuron. Although while Trek saw the Fuel EX get longer, gain travel and get chonkier, Canyon have been a little more refined. The new Canyon Neuron is lighter (2440g in Medium, for the frame), longer, slacker, lower, and more centred. All in all, it should be a more capable bike that is stronger as well.
“99% of adventure-minded MTB riders want that one great bike that just ticks all the boxes." saidKerstin Kaufmann, Brand Manager MTB at Canyon Bicycles. "That’s exactly what we’ve made with the new Neuron – a lightweight, comfortable, confidence-inspiring trail bike that does it all, and does it well. And thanks to a range of improvements compared to its predecessor, we’re proud to say that this is the greatest adventure MTB that we’ve ever made here at Canyon.”
A closer look at the Canyon Neuron
Canyon have dropped the seat tube height, by 20mm in M-XL and the frames have a longer reach. The result is the ability to use a longer dropper post, and you have more room to handle the bike in the jank.
The head angle is 1.5 degrees slacker at 66 degrees, to be less twitchy at high speed, and more planted in rough sections. Adding to that, the seat angle is a steeper 76 degrees. This keeps you centred when climbing, and helps offset the longer reach to create balanced handling.
Even better for those with big days on the cards – the carbon frame drops 200g. The medium CF frame is now 2440g, and that is very impressive.
From a build stand point, Canyon have full sealed internal cable routing, with reinforced bolts and pivot seals. There's frame protection around the chainstay, a chain guide and a replaceable downtube shield. Canyon also use the UDH (universal derailleur hanger) to work with SRAM's latest group set's direct mount derailleur, and a threaded bottom bracket below the wider main pivot. The extra width at the pivot helps make for a stiffer and stronger back end.
The internal routing is neat, but it does mean outer will typically go through your upper headset bearing – which we could do without. That said, Canyon have designed the frame so you slide the outer or hose in from the rear triangle, and it pops out at the head tube – that is handy! The downtube is a little slimmer, and has a mount for water bottles and an accessory mount. Canyon even do a snazzy little bag to mount there!
Canyon Neuron models and pricing
Canyon's Neuron range runs from the $2449 Young Hero, up to the CF 9 LTD at $8849. The Canyon Neuron CF 9 SL (below) is a stand out being built around the 200g lighter Neuron CF frame. The build is high end with a FOX 34 Float Factory fork, wireless SRAM GX AXS shifting, powerful SRAM Code RSC brakes, and superlight DT Swiss XMC 1501 carbon wheels. It sells for $7399. There is also a Neuron CF 9 at $5949
The Neuron 7 (below) is available as a unisex model as well as in female-specific WMN trim (2 below). For $4099, the bike has precise Shimano SLX 1×12 shifting, a FOX 34 Float Performance fork, a robust DT Swiss XM 1700 aluminium wheelset, and a dropper seatpost too. The Neuron CF 8 and CF 8 WMN is $4499.
For younger adventurers, there’s also the new Neuron Young hero, a fun machine made for adventure featuring child-size brake levers, 27.5” wheels, and the same trail geometry and Triple Phase Suspension kinematics as the full-size Neuron. The Neuron Young Hero will be available at a price point of $2449.
The range also includes the Neuron 5 ($2849), Neuron 6 and Neuron 6 WMN ($3499).
All Canyon bikes are available direct from the Canyon website. Take a look at what you can expect when unboxing a bike from Canyon – from last time we tested the last generation Canyon Neuron.
