Teased at Sea Otter, Canyon unveils the lightweight Neuron:ONfly e-bike

German bike manufacturer Canyon has announced the release of an all-new lightweight e-mountain bike based on its Neuron trail bike. The Neuron:ONfly adds the assistance of a 55Nm motor to the brand's 140mm trail bike, claiming that the new bike is "easily the brand's most versatile e-bike to date".

We weren’t kept waiting long after the brand had teased the Neuron:ONfly at the Sea Otter Classic last week. At the time, Canyon was keeping its cards close to its chest, with only the silhouette of the bike and a cryptic message for clues.

Now we can see that the new bike is the first in Canyon’s range to use Bosch’s lightweight SX motor platform.

• Read more: Canyon electrifies the Grizl with the new Grizl:ON gravel e-bike

The SX motor falls firmly in the lightweight category of e-bike platform, providing a peak torque of 55Nm and a peak power of 600 watts. This power has been configured in what Canyon is calling ‘Tailwind Technology', which aims to provide a natural feeling to the support provided by the motor.

The higher cadence and the more power the rider puts through the pedals, the more power the motor will provide. Canyon says that Tailwind Technology "brings a more agile, responsive bike, freed from the weight of burlier e-bikes".

© Canyon

The motor is powered by a 400Whr battery with a 250Whr range extender available as an optional extra

A large part of the lightweight e-bike equation is the battery that powers it. Often, these can be the heaviest part of the system. Canyon has opted to spec the Neuron:ONfly with a 400Wh battery, which helps to save around 2-3kg over a full-power e-bike.

Although hard to put an exact figure on it, Canyon claims that riders can "depending on the rider and conditions, climb 1,000m of elevation in Turbo mode".

For riders who want to take their riding further, an additional 250Wh battery range extender can be fitted in the bike’s bottle cage.

• Read more: Charging your electric bike: Everything you need to know about e-bike batteries

The Neuron:ONfly sees some changes in the bike’s geometry over the existing regular Neuron to make it more capable on steeper and more technical terrain. The head tube angle has slackened out by 1.5 degrees, now sitting at 64.5º while the reach has grown by 5mm for a size medium and the seat tube half a degree steeper at 76.5º.

Canyon is also offering the Neuron:ONfly in a five-size run from XS through to XL, with the brand confident that riders from 5’2’’ through to 6’5’’ will be able to find a frame size that fits them.

Builds and pricing

The Canyon Neuron:ONfly will be available directly from the Canyon website in four builds, starting with the CF 7, with the CF LTD topping off the new range.

All XS sizes bikes use a 130mm fork and shock with the rest of the range using 140mm.

Currently, the only model that will be available to the US market is the CF 7.

Neuron:ONfly CF 7

© Canyon

• 140mm RockShox Pike Base and a 140mm RockShox Deluxe Select+ shock
• Shimano Deore 12-speed groupset
• SRAM Code R disc brakes
• Weight: 20.4kg
• €4,849 / £4,649 / $5,499

Neuron:ONfly CF 8

© Canyon

• 140mm FOX 34 Performance fork and 140mm FOX Float Performance shock
• Shimano XT 12-speed groupset
• Shimano XT disc brakes
• Weight: 19.6kg
• €5,599 / £5,349

Neuron:ONfly CF 9

© Canyon

• 140mm RockShox Pike Ultimate fork and 140mm RockShox Deluxe Select+ shock
• SRAM XX AXS 12-speed groupset
• SRAM Code silver stealth brakes
• Weight: 19.9kg
• €6,999 / £6,699

Neuron:ONfly LTD

© Canyon

• 140mm FOX 34 Factory fork and 140mm FOX Float Factory Shock
• SRAM XX AXS 12-speed groupset
• SRAM Code Ultimate stealth brakes
• Weight: 19.1kg
• €7,900 / £7,649

What do you think of Canyon’s move into the lightweight e-bike market? Let us know your comments down below. For all the latest for the world of bike tech make sure to head over to the tech news section of the GCN website.