Canyon E-bikes coming in 2021 to USA!

[bob armani]

I reached out to Canyon USA and they have a newsletter with the following announcement:

"Hey

Thank you for signing up to be notified about our upcoming Canyon US e-bike launch.

We’re excited to open up more riding opportunities to more people whether it be with sweat-free commuting, endless off-road adventure or faster workouts. Keep your eyes peeled - you’ll be the first to know about our e-bikes launch"! Love these bikes!

 

[onlineaddy]

If you ride a size L, you can get a Spectral:ON CF 7.0 in Shades of Stealth color now. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until 10/19/20 - 10/23/20. So, yeah, it looks like you don't have to wait until next year.

The purple looks awesome though.

 

[bob armani]

If you ride a size L, you can get a Spectral:ON CF 7.0 in Shades of Stealth color now. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until 10/19/20 - 10/23/20. So, yeah, it looks like you don't have to wait until next year.

The purple looks awesome though.

I have always been a big fan of their Ebikes and the marketing strategy they have instituted. I first saw them introduced on the EMBN channel as their bike of choice. Looks like they put a lot of thought into their designs, paint color schemes and graphics. Hope to see more of them here in the US in the coming months.

 

[Asher]

Any Class 3s?

 

[Ready]

No. It's not coming anytime soon. No words of when it'll be here either.

 

[Tantalus]

I got lucky and clicked the mouse back in September and got one of the first Spectral ONs here in the US. There was a $100 Velofix option for a bike build and setup - that was not available in my zip code. The bike was easy to setup. However, I made a rookie mistake during the build. I plugged in the charger and spun the pedals backwards in the work stand. Yes - the charger port broke! (I would have charged the battery out of the bike, but Canyon does not supply the Shimano BTE-80 charge adapter with the bike) Canyon did agree to send me a new charge port - but it has been on back order going on 3 months now. I taped the charger port/cable on the bike. It works, but it is not a good look!

 

[Deacon Blues]

I really like Canyon's Grail model. I would be really interested in buying one if I hadn't recently purchased a Cannondale Topstone Lefty 3 ebike.
On the other hand, there's no such thing as too many bikes.....is there?

 

[bob armani]

I got lucky and clicked the mouse back in September and got one of the first Spectral ONs here in the US. There was a $100 Velofix option for a bike build and setup - that was not available in my zip code. The bike was easy to setup. However, I made a rookie mistake during the build. I plugged in the charger and spun the pedals backwards in the work stand. Yes - the charger port broke! (I would have charged the battery out of the bike, but Canyon does not supply the Shimano BTE-80 charge adapter with the bike) Canyon did agree to send me a new charge port - but it has been on back order going on 3 months now. I taped the charger port/cable on the bike. It works, but it is not a good look!

Congrats on your new purchase. Sorry to hear about your charging port incident. This will be a good test to see how well Canyon does followup with the USA customer base. That is a beautiful bike indeed. I also like the fact that the box is well designed and re-usable. How do you like the overall performance of your new ride? Hope you get the port fixed ASAP!

 

[Tantalus]

Overall performance is quite satisfying. Spectral ON has a stable feel and just feels right for me. At 5-9 I chose a M which fits good overall - except the high position on the dropper is 1/2" too high for me, if you know what I mean. Coming from Yamaha power, I do miss that initial kick that you get from the PWX-2 torque sensor, otherwise the E8000 is great. The new XT 12-speed works flawless. However the SLX chain only lasted 187 miles. I bought an XT chain and will see how that goes. I upgraded to a $150 Ergon EBike saddle and it is really worth it!

(Both the charge port harness and charge adapter are hopelessly back ordered - over 3 months now)

 

[onlineaddy]

Canyon (a majority stake) has been sold to an investment group. The company has been growing year over year, so perhaps this is another move to continue that growth.

Adidas’ Largest Shareholder Groupe Bruxelles Lambert Takes Majority Stake In Canyon Bicycles (forbes.com)

 

[bob armani]

Overall performance is quite satisfying. Spectral ON has a stable feel and just feels right for me. At 5-9 I chose a M which fits good overall - except the high position on the dropper is 1/2" too high for me, if you know what I mean. Coming from Yamaha power, I do miss that initial kick that you get from the PWX-2 torque sensor, otherwise the E8000 is great. The new XT 12-speed works flawless. However the SLX chain only lasted 187 miles. I bought an XT chain and will see how that goes. I upgraded to a $150 Ergon EBike saddle and it is really worth it!

(Both the charge port harness and charge adapter are hopelessly back ordered - over 3 months now)

I hear you on the zero cadence immediate kick in on the Yamaha motor. I am on my second season riding a PW-X motor on my eMTB and it has been a flawless performer. Before that I was use to a rear hub drive with a torque sensor and I have to admit, I find myself on the Yamaha more than on the rear hub drive. I currently have the stock KMC X10e E-bike rated chain on mine, however, I may be due for a replacement after 2500 miles.

Just curious if your chain just snapped, or did it show excessive stretch causing a need for a replacement?
side note: Someone on YT did a Shimano chain comparison with both types: E-bike rated and Non E-bike rated: The end result found the Non-E-bike rated chain lasted longer and had endured less stretching. More points to ponder on chain replacements.
Saddle replacement is also a must. I upgraded to the Serfas Dual Density W/Cutout saddle which I am also happy with.
As long as charging your bike is not an issue now, it appears that it is all good to go. Had it been more of a broken disaster, 3 month wait time would probably feel like an eternity.

 

[McCorby]

Overall performance is quite satisfying. Spectral ON has a stable feel and just feels right for me. At 5-9 I chose a M which fits good overall - except the high position on the dropper is 1/2" too high for me, if you know what I mean. Coming from Yamaha power, I do miss that initial kick that you get from the PWX-2 torque sensor, otherwise the E8000 is great. The new XT 12-speed works flawless. However the SLX chain only lasted 187 miles. I bought an XT chain and will see how that goes. I upgraded to a $150 Ergon EBike saddle and it is really worth it!

(Both the charge port harness and charge adapter are hopelessly back ordered - over 3 months now)

Have you tried adjusting the Assist Character and Assist Start with the e-tube app.

 

[bob armani]

Have you tried adjusting the Assist Character and Assist Start with the e-tube app.


View attachment 74369

These are some nice tweaks in all assist levels. I wish the Yamaha PW-X had these features available via the app. I think my next E-bike eMTB purchase will have a Shimano motor. Not to mention, Di2 wireless shifting integration into the Shimano system is virtually seamless.

 

[Asher]

It's astounding and frankly annoying that Canyon would go to the effort of making a microcar, at much greater cost and with less of a proven market, than simply a class 3 ebike - though perhaps that's due to restrictive EU regulations and existing competition.

There has to be a lot more crossover appeal of a class 3 to existing cyclists than a microcar, plus moped and moto riders. All of these microcars seem to be perpetually stuck in the future. And if a high quality, big volume brand like Canyon is willing to put in more legwork than just slotting in Bosch hardware, they could be a top contender in the urban ebike world, alongside Specialized and Stromer.

Bicycle Brand Canyon Creates Concept Car

The vehicle is a one-person "future mobility concept," says the company—it can reach speeds of 37 miles per hour and travel on both roads and cycleways.

www.forbes.com

 

[McCorby]

It's astounding and frankly annoying that Canyon would go to the effort of making a microcar, at much greater cost and with less of a proven market, than simply a class 3 ebike - though perhaps that's due to restrictive EU regulations and existing competition.

There has to be a lot more crossover appeal of a class 3 to existing cyclists than a microcar, plus moped and moto riders. All of these microcars seem to be perpetually stuck in the future. And if a high quality, big volume brand like Canyon is willing to put in more legwork than just slotting in Bosch hardware, they could be a top contender in the urban ebike world, alongside Specialized and Stromer.

Bicycle Brand Canyon Creates Concept Car

The vehicle is a one-person "future mobility concept," says the company—it can reach speeds of 37 miles per hour and travel on both roads and cycleways.

www.forbes.com

Are you suggesting that they develop their own eBike motor system versus sourcing them from one of the existing motor/battery suppliers, who have been leaders in the industry for several years? I’m not sure how cost effective that would be for them. What would the advantage be for them to develop and manufacture their own proprietary system? Better integration? They could accomplish this working with an existing supplier. Should they also develop and manufacture their own brake, suspension, and derailleurs/geared hub components as well? The automotive industry doesn’t even do this.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they source the motor and battery systems for their microcar from someone else as well.

 

[Asher]

Are you suggesting that they develop their own eBike motor system versus sourcing them from one of the existing motor/battery suppliers, who have been leaders in the industry for several years?

No. There is more than just Bosch. Stromer doesn't make its own motors. Nor does Priority (see the Current model). Or Juiced or Rad or many others. Specialized appears to have heavily modified an existing motor but they are the exception.

Canyon's calling card, like other direct sales brands, is value. Roughly 25% less than models of comparable quality. And if you're trying to deliver value, Bosch and such just isn't the best choice, but it is probably the easiest, the same way IBM was the 'safe' option.

As for the microcar, even if they sourced every internal part, designing the chassis, and doing all the integration and testing is still a much bigger undertaking than any modestly innovative ebike that Canyon would do.

 

[McCorby]

No. There is more than just Bosch. Stromer doesn't make its own motors. Nor does Priority (see the Current model). Or Juiced or Rad or many others. Specialized appears to have heavily modified an existing motor but they are the exception.

Canyon's calling card, like other direct sales brands, is value. Roughly 25% less than models of comparable quality. And if you're trying to deliver value, Bosch and such just isn't the best choice, but it is probably the easiest, the same way IBM was the 'safe' option.

As for the microcar, even if they sourced every internal part, designing the chassis, and doing all the integration and testing is still a much bigger undertaking than any modestly innovative ebike that Canyon would do.

I’m still confused. What would you like to see Canyon do? Use cheaper Bafang, or other Chinese, hub and/or mid-drives? I don’t really see them going there. Same for brands like Trek, Specialized, and Giant.

Edit: I don’t think they or the the other brands I listed have any interest in competing in the Chinese “white label” eBike market at this time.

 

[Asher]

The Canyon car is a concept so don't go on talking about it like it's in production.

Canyon also has their high end road bike (Canyon Ultimate CF SLX) on the Pro Tour ridden by Movistar team (Movistar used to ride Pinarello) since 2014 when Pinarello switch over to British team Sky.
Canyon was even in the UCI Pro Tour circuit in 2007 and in 2004 Canyon claimed to produce the worlds lightest racing bike at 3.7kg(8.157 pounds)

So Canyon's aim was never to produce budget bikes. If they happen to be a few dollars less to buy that is only that way to get their brand recognized.

This graf made it sound like more than a concept car.

"In September, Canyon announced it would be trialling a microcar-style crossover electric vehicle that could travel on roads and cycleways."

I didn't say Canyon makes budget bikes. I said they make bikes that cost less for the same quality.

I’m still confused. What would you like to see Canyon do? Use cheaper Bafang, or other Chinese, hub and/or mid-drives? I don’t really see them going there. Same for brands like Trek, Specialized, and Giant.

Edit: I don’t think they or the the other brands I listed have any interest in competing in the Chinese “white label” eBike market at this time.

Something mid-level, with the reliability but not the price of the existing high end options. Not just the motor, but also the proprietary battery systems. Vanmoof is excellent in concept - price, demographic, design quality - it's just that the implementation is kind of sucky compared to legacy bikes, mostly because they went overboard on using their own new fangled parts, though perhaps they'll work out the kinks within a year.

I don't see the brands doing it either, not while there isn't serious competition from a quality value bike. I don't conflate hopes with forecasts. Legacy brands don't offer subversive cheaper options that cannibalize their higher end fare unless forced to, and that hasn't happened yet, and protectionist EU tariffs don't exactly help.

 

[McCorby]

I don’t understand how people can expect the “premium” manufacturers to be able to produce a higher quality, mid-level eBike for under $2,000.

For example, my 2016 analog Trek Crossrip with mid-level components (currently doing duty as my winter exercise!) was around $1,700. How can someone expect Trek to be able produce a similar quality eBike for that. The numbers just don’t add up In my head.

 

[Asher]

I'm not sure that guy knows what he's talking about.
Canyon has never been a big volume supplier(as he claims) in any bike category. They are a boutique bike manufacturer and started out on the pure race bike platform from the start(triathlons then pro race UCI sanctioned)
Canyon's placement in non-e mountain and now ebike is nothing more than small-time market share.

Canyon is now owned by the same company that owns Adidas(GBL) so may see more distribution and brand recognition in the future. But for now they still are a niche product

Lol Canyon did ~$500m in sales this past year, more than double it's haul just a few years ago. You have a funny definition of boutique. Biggest direct sales brand without a retail presence, in Europe at least. (Giant technically sells direct but has stores.)

Canyon eyes future growth as annual sales top €400 million

Today Canyon announced that its co-founder and current CEO, Roman Arnold, is stepping down and will become the chairman of the newly established Canyon

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