Until now, the Neuron has never adorned itself with attributes such as extravagant, extreme or even progressive. Maximum reliability by focussing on the essentials has always been the motto of the 140-millimetre bike, which is aimed at touring riders.
The history of the Neuron goes back to 2002:
The Canyon Neuron started life as the Nerve in 2002 and is the forefather of today's Neuron trail bike. Incidentally, the first version already had the shock located under the top tube. A version with a vertical shock was used from 2009 to 2019. The new Neuron is already the seventh version of the trail bike.
What has changed on the new Canyon Neuron?
The seventh expansion stage of the all-rounder remains true to its roots and favours a simple appearance without much fanfare. An integrated tool or storage compartment in the down tube is therefore just as much a thing of the past as design-driven details. On the outside, you have to look twice to recognise the differences between old and new. The most obvious is certainly the now straight seat tube of the carbon frame, which allows the seat post to be lowered as far as possible. However, despite the strong visual reference to the predecessor, there are many improvements in the details. First of all, the geometry has been modernised without drifting into extreme areas. The steering angle has been slackened to 66 degrees for a smoother ride. At the same time, the seat angle has been raised to 76 degrees, which places the rider further forwards on the bike. To ensure that the riding position is not too short, the reach has been increased by around 25 millimetres. It is now 480 millimetres in size L. In order not to lengthen the wheelbase too much and to give the bike a bit of playfulness, the chainstays are 440 millimetres long. The seat tube is also 20 millimetres shorter across all frame sizes, which allows the use of telescopic seat posts with a longer stroke.
Optimised service friendliness
Improving the serviceability and durability of the Canyon Neuron was also a top priority for the developers. All bearing seals have been optimised, the bolts on the Horst link have been reinforced and the main bearing on the rear triangle is supported more broadly, which should also result in greater stiffness. The cables and wires are now much easier to route. Internal guides from the rear triangle to the centre of the down tube allow cables to be threaded in easily. This should also prevent annoying rattling. To ensure that neither the top tube nor the cables are damaged in the event of a fall, the Neuron still has a steering stop. An integrated chain guide should keep the chain reliably on the crank even in rough sections. And in the unlikely event of chain jamming, the new chain shield prevents damage to the frame.
There's something for everyone
The Canyon Neuron is being launched in eleven different versions to ensure that there really is a suitable bike for every touring rider and every trail biker. Five aluminium versions from 1899 to 2699 euros (including two women's models), five carbon models from 2999 to 5999 (with one women's model) and a children's version with an aluminium frame for 1599 euros.
Carbon and aluminium Neuron in comparison:
As already described, the geometry remains the same across the two material variants. The wheel size does not change either. The suspension travel and kinematics of the Triple Phase Suspension rear triangle have also been developed in the same way. Both frame variants also have the practical Sram UDH derailleur hanger. Nevertheless, there are some differences that distinguish aluminium and carbon frames:
Canyon Neuron prices: starting at 1899 euros
While the cheapest aluminium Neuron is available for just 1599 euros, you have to fork out 5999 euros for the top-of-the-range Neuron CF LTD. Compared to what many other manufacturers are currently charging for their high-end bikes, this is a real bargain.
Canyon Neuron: the first ride impression
At the press camp in the Spanish Sierra Nevada, we were able to ride the Neuron CF 9 SL (price: 4999 euros) extensively over two days and collect plenty of metres in altitude. Despite the increased length, the position on the bike is by no means too sporty, but balanced and pleasantly far forward. After the first few turns of the cranks, it becomes clear that the rear triangle, which has been praised many times in tests, has lost none of its drive efficiency. Even with the shock open, the latest version of the Neuron is extremely stable when pedalling out of the saddle. Nevertheless, the rear triangle responds very sensitively to bumps and generates the best traction when climbing. Together with the smooth-rolling tyres, the Neuron accelerates light-footedly. Downhill, the plus in smoothness is pleasing. The new Neuron feels more confident at high speeds, and the suspension parries even big hits with sufficient progression. Thanks to the short chainstays, the trail bike can be pulled nimbly onto the rear wheel. The Neuron even masters tight trails without feeling bulky. A full test with all the lab data will follow in the next issue of BIKE. If you want to know how the new Neuron compares to its predecessor, you can find the Test of the Neuron CF9 SL from last year.
