2023 Canyon Neuron targets maximum versatility with updated geometry and smart frame details

Canyon's best-selling full-suspension bike gets a geometry refresh and new frame features to improve its all-round capabilities

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By Luke Marshall

Published: March 21, 2023 at 10:00 am

Canyon has updated the Neuron trail bike to offer refreshed geometry and a range of features designed to improve its reliability, versatility and practicality.

The new Neuron is available in carbon and alloy frame options and starts at £1,849 / €1,899 for the cheapest aluminium build, rising to £5,749 / €5,999 for the top-flight carbon version.

The Canyon Neuron sits between the short-travel Spectral 125 trail bike and the Spectral 29, the brand's burlier trail bike.

With that in mind, the new bike has 130mm of travel out back and is paired with a 140mm-travel fork.

The geometry of the Neuron has been updated with the intention of modernising the bike, while updated frame features include fully sealed cable routing and revised pivot points.

All this, Canyon says, means the Neuron is designed to be a true all-rounder – a bike equally able to take you for a multi-day epic or a lunchtime blitz.

How does this new trail bike ride? We put the Canyon Neuron CF 9 SL to the test.

The effective seat tube angle has steepened by 1.5 degrees to 76 degrees. Canyon claims this improves pedalling performance by helping to maintain rear-wheel traction and front-wheel control on steep climbs.

The head tube angle has been slackened by 1.5 degrees to a modest 66 degrees. That's not the slackest head angle out there for a trail bike, but it should still help boost stability at speed over the old Neuron.

Reach numbers have also been stretched out.

A medium frame has grown by 22mm, from 433mm to 455mm.

The seat tube has been trimmed by 20mm to enable the use of longer-travel dropper posts.

The seat tube on the carbon fibre frame is now straight for increased seatpost insertion. The down tube has also been slimmed to give the frame a more refined look, says Canyon.

Canyon has added several features to improve reliability and usability.

This includes fully sealed cable routing from the head tube to the rear of the stays.

The bike has, however, moved to internal cable routing through the headset. Canyon is hardly alone here, but it complicates servicing.

The pivot points and hardware have also been updated.

The main pivot is wider to improve rigidity. The pivots now use reinforced bolts and get new double lip seals to prevent contamination.

These are coated with a ‘special grease’ that is claimed to protect the bearings.

A bolt-on down tube protector can be fitted. This sits level with the surface of the tube.

Bolt-on chainstay protection lies flush against the chainring, near the yoke area, protecting your chainstay in the event of chain suck.

A chain guide is also integrated into the frame near the main pivot.

The Neuron now also uses the SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger.

Canyon has forgone internal frame storage (an increasingly common feature on bikes of all disciplines) in favour of a simple lightweight tool bag that is fitted to mounts on the down tube.

The new Canyon Neuron is available in either aluminium or carbon options.

The features that directly affect how the Neuron should ride (suspension travel, geometry and kinematics) are shared across both bikes.

This means both should ride similarly, though the aluminium frame has a few less sophisticated details.

To start, the internal cable routing isn't sleeved, and runs only through the down tube.

The seat tube is also bent, so it cannot accommodate as long a dropper post.

Size-small bikes and below get size-specific components.

The small and extra-small bikes use 27.5in wheels. They also get narrower 740mm handlebars.

For comparison, medium to extra-large bikes roll on 29in wheels and use 760mm handlebars.

Dropper posts are also size-specific, with most extra-small model bikes getting a 150mm-travel post. The small and medium bikes use a 170mm post, and the large and extra-large use 200mm posts.

While Canyon has three women's-specific bikes in the latest Neuron range, there isn't a specific frame for these bikes; all frames are unisex.

There are three sizes available, from extra-small to medium.

These bikes get a women's-specific saddle and a narrower 740mm bar. The unisex medium bike uses a 760mm bar.

The women's-specific models also get different paint schemes.

The Neuron is also offered in a Young Hero model. These fit riders down to 144cm (4ft 8in) and the suspension is tuned for weights as low as 30kg.

These bikes use extra-small and extra-extra-small frame sizes with smaller 650b wheels, shorter 152mm cranks lengths and narrower 700mm handlebar widths.

However, they keep all the same frame details and tech as the full-size bikes. So, young rippers should be able to feel perfectly comfortable on bikes built to suit their needs.

The new Canyon Neuron range comprises 11 models. This includes the three women's-specific bikes and the new Young Hero.

Further international pricing is TBC.

Technical writer

Luke Marshall is a technical writer for BikeRadar and MBUK magazine. He's been working for both titles since 2018 and has over 20 years of mountain biking experience. Luke is a gravity-focused rider with a history of racing downhill, previously competing in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Educated to a degree level in engineering and with a penchant for full-throttle speed, Luke is more than qualified to put every bike and product through its paces to bring you informative and independent reviews. You'll most likely find him on a trail, enduro or downhill bike riding the off-piste tracks around south Wales and the south west of England. He often makes an appearance on BikeRadar's podcast and YouTube channel.

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