There’s no denying Canyon’s Neuron cross-country-come-trail bike is a popular option for people who are looking to get into the sport or just enjoy riding trail centres and gentle singletrack trails thanks to its wallet-friendly prices, varied spec levels and good looks.
Until now, the alloy and carbon versions have shared different looking platforms, with the carbon model getting a horizontally-mounted rear shock tucked underneath the top tube when it was updated at the start of 2019 .
At the tail end of 2019, we reviewed the Neuron CF 9.0 and thought that it struck a good balance between descending and climbing performance while being able to get a bit wild some of the time. We did think that it could have done with some geometry updates, however.
Read our first impressions on the 2020 Canyon Neuron AL 7.0 here.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL updates
For 2020, the alloy Neuron has been updated to bring its aesthetics in line with the carbon bike and, just like its carbon sibling, is still touted to have the same all-round trail bike performance but now with a lower price tag.
The new AL version does have a few differences to the CF bike, though, most notably a wider main pivot and bigger and better bearing seals to help reduce maintenance intervals or increase reliability depending on which way you look at it.
Canyon has managed to widen the main pivot by removing front mech compatibly, and the Neuron AL is now 1x only.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL frame features
The frame’s got internal cable routing through the front triangle where the cables exit close to the main pivot to help reduce cable bend as the suspension compresses.
There’s a dual-compound chainslap protector on the driveside chainstay that Canyon claims helps to limit noise coming from the bike over rough terrain.
A Quixle thru-axle is used on the back of the bike with a hidden lever that pulls out from the hollow centre of the axle. This, Canyon claims, makes it easy to remove the rear wheel while keeping all of the advantages of a thru-axle system.
The medium and larger bikes can fit a 750ml water bottle, but the smaller bikes need to use Canyon’s Eject Hydration system.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL suspension details
Like the rest of its Neuron range, the new AL model has Canyon’s Triple Phase Suspension. This, it claims, is sensitive at the start of the shock’s stroke to give great grip and comfort.
Then through the middle of the bike’s travel, starting at the sag point, the kinematics provide a stable platform that gives resistance against pedalling forces and should let the rider push hard through turns and pump bumps to generate speed.
At the end of the bike’s travel, the kinematic ramps up progressively. This means a rider will only use all 130mm of rear wheel travel when they really need it rather than bottoming-out constantly, which Canyon says should give a confidence-inspiring ride.
Canyon claims the new Neuron AL has higher levels of anti-squat compared to the old model, which should make it an efficient climber. Also, the new clevis linkage design should reduce wear on the bearings.
The XXS, XS and S frames get slightly different shock tunes compared to the bigger bikes, so that lighter and smaller riders should still be able to make the most of the suspension on offer.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL geometry details
Like a lot of bikes in Canyon’s lineup, the Neuron AL gets size-specific wheels with the XXS, XS and S bikes having 27.5in hoops and the medium to extra-large bikes being built around 29in wheels.
To match up with these changes, the chainstay figure grows from 430mm for the XXS, XS and S bikes to 440mm for the medium and above.
In addition to this, XXS, XS and S bikes get narrower bars and shorter pedal cranks compared to the bigger models.
Overall, the geometry figures mirror the carbon bike almost exactly, with a small change in wheelbase length that grows or shrinks by 1mm depending on size and stack height that mimics these minute changes.
The geometry is far from revolutionary and given the blank canvas of designing the new alloy bike, Canyon could have made some updates to the geometry such as a steeper seat tube angle, slacker head-tube angle and longer reach to bring the associated benefits to beginners and expert riders alike.
Standout figures for a size large bike include a 453mm reach, 1,191mm wheelbase, 440mm chainstays and a 67.5-degree head angle and 74.5-degree seat tube angle. Stack height is 624mm.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL Young Hero
The Neuron AL Young Hero is Canyon’s first kid’s specific bike that’s built around the adult XXS frame but with lighter wheels and tyres, and shorter cranks with narrower bars. It also doesn’t come with a dropper post.
It’s designed for children ranging from roughly 140cm to 160cm tall and has a custom shock tune for their on average lighter weight. It will retail for €1,499 and weighs a claimed 13.6kg without pedals.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL models and prices
The Neuron AL features five bikes include two women’s specific builds, two unisex builds and the Young Hero model. Prices start at €1,499 for the Young Hero model and climb to €2,199 for the 7.0 version.
2020 Canyon Neuron AL Young Hero
- Frame: 6061 aluminium frame, 130mm travel
- Fork: RockShox Judy Silver 130mm
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Groupset: SRAM SX Eagle (1x12)
- Crankset: SRAM SX Eagle (1x12), 30t
- Brakes: Shimano MT200
- Wheels: RaceFace 25 rims on Shimano MT400 hubs
- Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25in Performance front and Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25in Performance rear
- Bar and stem: JD Riser Bar AL / Iridium stem
- Saddle: Iridium Trail
- Seatpost: Iridium dropper
- Sizes: XXS
- Price: €1,499
2020 Canyon Neuron AL 6.0
- Frame: 6061 aluminium frame, 130mm travel
- Fork: RockShox Judy Silver 130mm
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Groupset: Shimano SLX/XT mix (1x12)
- Crankset: Shimano MT610 (1x12), 30t
- Brakes: Shimano MT200
- Wheels: RaceFace rims on Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs
- Tyres: Continental Mountain King III 2.3in front and rear
- Bar and stem: JD Riser Bar AL / Iridium stem
- Saddle: Selle Italia X-Base
- Seatpost: Iridium dropper
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Price: €1,799
2020 Canyon Neuron WMN AL 6.0
- Frame: 6061 aluminium frame, 130mm travel
- Fork: RockShox Judy Silver 130mm
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Groupset: Shimano SLX/XT mix (1x12)
- Crankset: Shimano MT610 (1x12), 30t
- Brakes: Shimano MT200
- Wheels: RaceFace rims on Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs
- Tyres: Continental Mountain King III 2.3in front and rear
- Bar and stem: JD Riser Bar AL / Iridium stem
- Saddle: Canyon WMN
- Seatpost: Iridium dropper
- Sizes: XXS, XS, S, M
- Price: €1,799
2020 Canyon Neuron AL 7.0
- Frame: 6061 aluminium frame, 130mm travel
- Fork: Fox 34 Float Rhythm 130mm
- Shock: Fox Float Performance DPS
- Groupset: SRAM NX/GX Eagle mix (1x12)
- Crankset: Truvativ Stylo 6K (1x12), 30t
- Brakes: Shimano MT420/MT400
- Wheels: RaceFace rims on Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs
- Tyres: Continental Mountain King III 2.3in front and rear
- Bar and stem: JD Riser Bar AL / Iridium stem
- Saddle: Selle Italia X-Base
- Seatpost: Iridium dropper
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Price: €2,199
2020 Canyon Neuron WMN AL 7.0
- Frame: 6061 aluminium frame, 130mm travel
- Fork: Fox 34 Float Rhythm 130mm
- Shock: Fox Float Performance DPS
- Groupset: SRAM NX/GX Eagle mix (1x12)
- Crankset: Truvativ Stylo 6K (1x12), 30t
- Brakes: Shimano MT420/MT400
- Wheels: RaceFace rims on Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs
- Tyres: Continental Mountain King III 2.3in front and rear
- Bar and stem: JD Riser Bar AL / Iridium stem
- Saddle: Canyon WMN
- Seatpost: Iridium dropper
- Sizes: XXS, XS, S, M
- Price: €2,199
