Five years after German global powerhouse, Canyon, started selling its bikes in Canada the brand’s eMTBs are finally joining the party. That means electric versions of very well received bikes like the Spectral and Strive will land on this side of the Atlantic soon.
Some are already here.
Canyon Spectral:ON in Cowichan, on Vancouver Island.
Not travelling alone: Canyon eMTBs arrive with network of service partners across Canada
At Endless Biking in North Vancouver, the staff have been hard at “work” testing a small fleet of Spectral:ON and Torque:ON e-bikes on their local trails and touring them around as a demo fleet.
Why does Endless have bikes from a direct-to-consumer brand? The longstanding North Van shop is one of a network of Authorized Service Partners Canyon is building across Canada. That network already spans from coast-to-coast, or from Oak Bay Bikes in Victoria, B.C. to Cyclesmith’s two locations in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Adding a brick-and-morter service element to the Canyon experience wasn’t just about e-bikes. These locations are a friendly port for any Canyon owner weathering a mechanical storm or misfortune. Locations with real people that are trained specifically on Canyon’s bikes and with stock of any proprietary parts specific to Canyon bikes.
For Canyon, having that service element in place was a crucial step to bringing eMTB’s to Canada. E-bikes of all stripes are undeniably more complex to work on. Knowing you’ll have expert support on hand and nearby is a huge positive when considering buying from a direct-to-consumer brand.
The Torque is an electric gravity beast!
A fully fledged fleet of ripping Canyon eMTBs
The exciting part is, of course, the bikes. And it is an exciting fleet. Canyon already has years of development backing up its extensive eMTB line up. That’s made these bikes popular in markets where they’re already available. It also makes them a known, proven bike for Canadians considering their next eMTB. This isn’t a brand tip-toeing into electric trail riding for the first time. It’s well established and shred ready.
At Endless, the two eMTB on tap are the Spectral:ON and Torque:ON. Those make sense considering the shop’s North Vancouver location. I expected the Torque:ON to be the go-to for the shop. Co-founder Darren Butler describes the 180mm e-gravity rig as an “absolute pillow” on the steepest, rowdiest North Shore tech.
The surprise hit? Endless’s team was really impressed by the 150mm/160mm, MX wheeled Spectral:ON. That tracks. When we tested the standard Spectral, we absolutely loved it as an all-rounder trail bike capable of having fun and going fast on just about any trail, while making every trail exciting.
Canyon’s range expands beyond those two bikes, and in either direction. At the other end from the Spectral:ON, the Strive:ON takes Canyon’s winning enduro rig and super-charges it. Bosch Line CX drive systems power a rig with gravity race pedigree so you can push your limits on the descents without draining your own battery on the climbs.
With that breadth of bikes, Canyon makes an electric MTB for any rider. And, with Canyon already showing a off a few new models with Avinox’s wild M2S motor, the rage of bikes available to Canadians starting in the fall will be expanding, too.
Canyon utilises motors from most manufacturers, including Bosch, Shimano and a couple new ones in the works…
Canadians deserve clear pricing
Another major change that Canyon wanted to be in place before its e-bikes launched in Canada is clear pricing. When buying from overseas direct-to-consumer brands, the price you see when you order can, sometimes, come with a surprise import fee later on. In its early days in Canada, this included Canyon. The German brand has now fixed that quirk. The price you see when you order is the full price of the bike, shipping and duties included, so there are no surprises to dampen the joy of new bike day.