Canyon releases carbon version of Neuron — everything you need to know
Trickle-down upgrades to frame hardware and improved builds throughout range
Canyon has today launched a carbon version of its much-loved Neuron 130mm travel do-it-all trail bike. Alongside its new carbon frame, the Neuron CF range features a host of other upgrades to frame hardware, and improved builds.
Canyon has also released the Neuron:ON, an e-bike version of the bike, but we’ll have more on that later.
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Canyon Neuron CF
Canyon Neuron CF vs Canyon Neuron AL
Getting the inevitable out of the way to start, and in keeping with wider industry trends, the Neuron has got a touch longer, lower and slacker for 2019.
The head tube angle is 67 degrees for the size small and extra small bikes, steepening just a touch to 67.5 degrees for larger sized bikes. The seat angle remains a constant 74.5 degrees throughout the size range.
The stack and reach have also grown a touch, with the reach coming in at 433mm on a size medium.
The 130mm travel is comparable to other similarly-minded bikes on the market, but the geometry isn’t particularly wild in the wider context of the modern mountain bike market.
This is in keeping with Canyon’s approach to geometry on its other bikes and fits in with its aim to make the Neuron a more accessible do-it-all platform for most riders — there are rowdier options, even in Canyon’s own lineup, for dedicated riders who prefer a bigger bike.
Canyon Neuron CF geometry chart
| Frame size | XS | S | M | L | XL |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 400 | 400 | 445 | 480 | 520 |
| Top tube length (mm) | 558 | 581 | 603 | 626 | 654 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 88 | 100 | 102 | 112 | 143 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 67 | 67 | 67,5 | 67,5 | 67,5 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 74,5 | 74,5 | 74,5 | 74,5 | 74,5 |
| Chainstay length (mm) | 430 | 430 | 440 | 440 | 440 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,121 | 1,145 | 1,166 | 1,190 | 1,222 |
| Stack (mm) | 577 | 588 | 613 | 622 | 651 |
| Reach (mm) | 398 | 418 | 433 | 453 | 473 |
| Stem (mm) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Handlebar width (mm) | 740 | 740 | 760 | 760 | 760 |
| Trail (mm) | 95 | 95 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| Crank length (mm) | 170 | 170 | 175 | 175 | 175 |
| Wheel size | 27.5 | 27.5 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Triple Phase dominates
As with all of its new mountain bikes, Canyon has adopted its ‘triple phase’ suspension layout on the new Neuron.
This is essentially a fancy way of marketing the contemporary bike-tester’s favourite phrase, describing a suspension curve that is “active off the top of the stroke, supportive in the middle, but ramps up nicely towards the end of the travel.”
(If none of that made sense to you, a good explainer on common suspension concepts can be found in our ultimate guide to mountain bike suspension.)
As with the Lux, the new suspension layout — which sees the shock slung below the top tube — is said to transmit forces more directly into the shock, allowing Canyon to reduce weight and wear on the linkages.
As is expected, the tune on the shock is tailored to smaller and lighter riders on the size small and extra small bikes. The same is claimed to be done to the layup of the frame, with larger sizes gaining a touch more material to maintain the same level of stiffness as smaller sizes.
On that note, both the extra small and small bikes use 27.5-inch wheels, and larger sizes move up to 29-inch wheels. Bar width and stem length also change proportionally with size.
Interestingly, both the 27.5- and 29-inch-sized bikes use a 29er fork with a 51mm offset.
Many brands are moving to shorter offsets because, in some scenarios, they can provide more stable handling, but Canyon has opted for the more traditional offset in a bid to keep the handling nimble and engaging.
Improved frame hardware
The hardware of the frame has also been improved, with double-sealed bearings that are filled with what Canyon claims to be a particularly hard-wearing and water resistant grease.
Interestingly, the bearing layout on the main pivot is asymmetrical, with an additional bearing added to the driveside to help cope with the additional loads put through the suspension links by the drivetrain. These forces are increased due to the higher-than-average levels of anti-squat built into the suspension design.
As with all of Canyon’s carbon mountain bikes, the Neuron features a knock-block style headset bump stop that prevents the bars from over-rotating and damaging the top tube in the event of a crash.
Fans of not-hating-themselves will also be delighted to see that the Neuron employs a good ol’ threaded bottom bracket. This is particularly notable because neither the recently updated Lux or Spectral use a threaded bottom bracket.
