Hard-hitting cross-country bikes, or downcountry bikes, are one of the most fashionable bike trends right now and have boomed in popularity over the last couple of years. These bikes add a bit more thrash to the XC bike dash, and Canyon has jumped on board with its new Lux Trail.
Canyon’s Lux Trail has followed the likes of the Specialized Epic Evo and Cannondale Scalpel SE that saw their World Cup-winning XC speed machines beefed up. In the Lux's case, this sees the addition of more stable geometry and capable components.
The Lux Trail is claimed to be ideal for riders hunting speed over a wide variety of trails outside the race course or those looking for more confidence and comfort on long marathon-style cross-country races.
We have a size large in for testing, and Tom has given his initial impressions in his Canyon Lux Trail CF 8 first ride review
Canyon Lux Trail frame details and suspension
Canyon has made sure that while the Lux Trail is more capable than the Lux, it isn’t a plump trail bike, and has done its best to keep as much of the Lux’s efficiency as possible. It shares a few features of the Lux, including the rear flexstays and suspension layout.
The Lux Trail also shares the same carbon layup as the Lux. Still, Canyon claims the frames are approximately 30g heavier than the equivalent size Lux frame due to longer reach numbers.
To help keep weight to a minimum, Canyon has brought over the Lux’s flexstays to deliver 110mm of rear-wheel travel. This design negates the need for a pivot near the rear axle, shaving grams off the bike, and engineers bending into the stays to allow the necessary flex for the suspension to work. Nowadays, it’s a familiar design among XC bikes.
As both bikes use the same suspension platform, Canyon says the Lux Trail and Lux share similar kinematics and anti-squat values, meaning the Lux Trail should have comparable pedalling characteristics when putting the power down. However, the Lux Trail has that extra 10mm of cushioning to take a fraction more sting out of the trail.
Canyon has designed the suspension around its Triple Phase Suspension, first incorporated into its Sender downhill bike. This is more of a design philosophy than exact kinematics but means it aims for a supple beginning stroke, plenty of mid-stroke support to help transfer power, and a progressive end stroke to help handle the bigger hits.
Canyon’s flexstay design is claimed to transfer force directly to the shock with minimal stress on the bearings and pivots at the rocker assembly. Canyon says this has allowed it to make a very lightweight injection-moulded, carbon-reinforced shock extender, which also helps keep the scales from creeping upwards.
Other features include fully sleeved, uninterrupted internal cable routing and Canyon’s IPU (Impact Protection Unit).
The IPU is a plastic bumper mounted on the top tube and a specific headset cap that prevents the handlebar from over-rotating and damaging the top tube.
There’s also a minimalist 8.7g chain guide (guide and bolt) and space for two full-size water bottles.
Plus, the rear axle uses Canyon’s bolt-through Quixle for tool-free wheel removal.
Canyon Lux Trail geometry details
It’s in the geometry where you’ll find the most significant differences between the Lux Trail and Lux, with the reach and head tube angle being the two standout changes. Yes, the whole front triangle is new.
The Lux Trail has a 67.5-degree head-tube angle, which is right in the ballpark for these types of aggressive cross-country bikes.
The reach values aren’t far off what you would see on an enduro bike, with a size large coming in at 480mm. The Lux Trail has matched these longer reaches with a shorter 60mm stem to keep the rider more centred between the wheels.
While the reach and head tube angles are modern and help the Lux Trail’s descending character, the seat tube lengths are tall and somewhat conservative for allowing riders to really lower the seat out the way. On a size large, there’s a 505mm seat tube.
The seat tube angle is 74.5 degrees across all sizes, which should allow an efficient seated pedalling position. In addition, the 435mm chainstays should balance stability with agile manoeuvrability.
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stack (mm) | 591 | 66 | 614 | 628 |
| Reach (mm) | 440 | 460 | 480 | 500 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 90 | 100 | 115 | 130 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 67.5 | 67.5 | 67.5 | 67.5 |
| Bottom bracket height (mm) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 |
| Front centre (mm) | 717 | 741 | 765 | 792 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,152 | 1,176 | 1,201 | 1,227 |
| Standover (mm) | 790 | 794 | 797 | 809 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 425 | 465 | 505 | 545 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 74.5 | 74.5 | 73.5 | 74.5 |
Canyon Lux Trail specs, models and pricing
There are four models of the Lux Trail available, from the £3,349 Canyon Lux Trail CF 6 to the £5,899 Canyon Lux Trail CF9 Emily Batty Edition.
Front suspension comes courtesy of either a 120mm fork from Fox’s 34 Step-Cast range or RockShox’ SID 35 – these wider forks should stiffen up the front end.
There are 30mm internal rim widths across the range and beefier 2.4in front tyres and 2.35in rear tyres for improved traction, control and rim protection.
All models get a dropper post and 760mm wide handlebar, highlighting Canyon’s intentions to give riders more control on demanding trails.
Canyon Lux Trail CF 6
- Frame: Canyon Lux Trail CF
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance Elite RMT
- Fork: Fox 34 SC Performance, GRIP, 120mm travel, 44mm offset
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX M7100
- Brakes: Shimano SLX M7100, 180/160mm rotors (f/r)
- Seatpost/saddle: Fox Transfer SL Performance Elite / Sella Italia SLS
- Bar/stem/grips: RaceFace Ride 35 (760mm) / RaceFace Ride 35 (60mm) / Ergon GA20
- Wheels: DT Swiss X1900 on DT Swiss 370
- Tyres: Schwalbe Wicked Will 29×2.4 SRC (f), Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29.2.35 SGRD (r)
- Price: £3,349 / $TBC / €TBC
Canyon Lux Trail CF 7
- Frame: Canyon Lux Trail CF
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance Elite RMT
- Fork: Fox 34 SC Performance Eilte, FIT4, 120mm travel, 44mm offset
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8100
- Brakes: Shimano XT M8100, 180/160mm rotors (f/r)
- Seatpost/saddle: Fox Transfer SL Performance Elite / Sella Italia SLS
- Bar/stem/grips: RaceFace Ride 35 (760mm) / RaceFace Ride 35 (60mm) / Ergon GA20
- Wheels: DT Swiss XR1700 on DT Swiss 350
- Tyres: Schwalbe Wicked Will 29×2.4 SRC (f), Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29.2.35 SGRD (r)
- Price: £4,399 / $TBC / €TBC
Canyon Lux Trail CF 8
- Frame: Canyon Lux Trail CF
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Ultimate RMT w/TwistLoc
- Fork: RockShox SID 35 Select+, 120mm travel, 44mm offset
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS
- Brakes: SRAM Level TLM, 180/160mm rotors (f/r)
- Seatpost/saddle: RockShox Reverb AXS / Sella Italia SLS
- Bar/stem/grips: RaceFace Ride 35 (760mm) / RaceFace Ride 35 (60mm) / Ergon GA20
- Wheels: DT Swiss XCR1501 on DT Swiss 240
- Tyres: Maxxis Rekon 29×2.4WT 3C MaxxTerra EXO TR (f), Maxxis Rekon Race 29×2.35 EXO TR(r)
- Price: £5,399 / $TBC / €TBC
Canyon Lux Trail CF9 Emily Batty Edition
- Frame: Canyon Lux Trail CF
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory RMT
- Fork: Fox 34 SC Factory, FIT4, 120mm travel, 44mm offset
- Drivetrain: Shimano XTR M9100
- Brakes: Shimano XTR M9100, 180/160mm rotors (f/r)
- Seatpost/saddle: Fox Transfer SL Factory / Ergon SM10 Pro Carbon
- Bar/stem/grips: RaceFace Next 35 (760mm) / RaceFace Ride 35 (60mm) / Ergon GA20
- Wheels: DT Swiss XRC1200 on DT Swiss 180
- Tyres: Schwalbe Wicked Will 29×2.4 SRC (f), Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29.2.35 SGRD (r)
- Price: £5,899 / $TBC / €TBC
