£4,949 • 29in • canyon.com
NEED TO KNOW
• Carbon trail bike with 150mm travel
• Integrated K.I.S. steering stabiliser in the top tube
• Adjustable spring tension lets you tune the self-centring effect
• £350 upcharge over a regular Spectral CF 8
• Only model in the Canyon range to get this tech, although more will follow
What the heck is K.I.S.? That’s the question I’m asking myself as its inventor, Joe Klieber from Syntace components, stands in front of 13 representatives of the world’s mountain bike press, holding an upturned broom like a handlebar, with a partially eaten bread roll attached to the other end, while prodding it up against the torso of a volunteer lying on the floor. In over 20 years in this job, it’s the most consistently thought-provoking, occasionally insightful, frequently baffling, and utterly bizarre presentation I’ve ever witnessed.
So far, so surreal, but back to my original question, and K.I.S., or Keep It Stable, is a self-centring mechanism that aims to stabilise the steering and improve rider control. It consists of a cam ring that clamps to the fork steerer, attached by straps to two springs housed within
