Nick Reviews the Canyon Exceed

Revamped and redefined for 2025, Canyon launched the latest iteration of its XC hardtail earlier this year, the Exceed. The last version of the Exceed we tested back in 2020 was an unapologetic race bike; however the new bike has shifted its sights.

Still built for XC racing, the Exceed now has adventure rides, big mountain climbs and maybe even some bikepacking on the menu. With Tasmania’s wilderness and endless fire roads just outside my door, I’ve been pushing the latest Exceed to see what it can really do.

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An Overview of the Canyon Exceed

For 2025, Canyon completely rethought the Exceed, redefining its purpose to match evolving rider needs. With dual-suspension XC bikes getting lighter and more efficient, especially with tech like RockShox Flight Attendant, hardtails are becoming rarer. Still, Canyon saw the XC hardtails value for bikepacking, adventure rides, and terrain too rough for gravel bikes. It remains an XC bike at heart, but its now built for durability and efficiency.

One of the most noticeable updates to the Exceed is the inclusion of a downtube storage hatch, dubbed the ‘Load System Integrated Storage’. With plenty of room in the front triangle, Canyon have separated the hatch from the water bottle mount, an excellent move to improve the overall durability. While the opening itself isn’t the largest we have seen, we have been able to squeeze an impressive amount of stuff into the frame — a little more on that later.

The Exceed’s headset still includes the IPU (Impact Protection Unit), a discreet steering limiter that helps prevent brake and shift levers from hitting the top tube in a crash. Other frame features include 2.4in tyre clearance out back, a threaded BSA bottom bracket, UDH rear hanger interface, along with flat-mount rear calliper mounting.

A Hardtail? In 2025?

We asked this same question when we reviewed the previous iteration of the Exceed back in 2020, and those same points stand true almost five years later.

In recent years, there has been a large uptake in gravel or adventure-style riding; people want to get outdoors, away from the concrete and tarmac, and explore Mother Nature. Gravel bikes have come a long way, but their descending capabilities can sometimes leave a seasoned mountain biker slightly terrified. Hardtail’s slot right in when the terrain is just a bit much for what a dropbar gravel bike can handle, in a lightweight package that’s incredibly efficient.

For adventure-style riding or bikepacking missions, which consist of a mix of tarmac, gravel, fire access roads and singletrack, a hardtail is the most versatile choice. They may be a little slower on the tarmac compared to a gravel bike, but everywhere else they will be more confident and comfortable.

It’s often touted that World Cup XC Courses are way gnarlier than they used to be, hence the shift to longer-travel XC bikes. The reality is, 99% of us aren’t riding World Cup XC courses, and some local XC racers could still be better suited to a hardtail. For those with bucketloads of fast, smooth rolling terrain, a hardtail will remain the quickest choice.

Canyon Exceed Geometry & Size Chart

The 2025 Exceed sees a host of changes to the geometry, tailoring it specifically for its newfound adventure character. To improve stability, the head angle has slackened from 69° to 67°, along with the reach increasing by 10mm on all five frame sizes. Chainstay lengths increase proportionally up the size range; sizes X-Small, Small and Medium sport a 425mm rear centre, while Large and X-Large see 430mm and 435mm chainstays respectively.

With the slacker headangle, and longer reach, the wheelbase has grown approximately 30mm per size and 70mm stems come stock across all five sizes, along with 740mm handlebars. The stack height is a touch higher than what we typically see on XC hardtails, lending itself to a more upright, comfortable fit for longer days on the bike.

What has remained is the wheel size, with the Exceed rolling on a pair of 29in wheels on all five frame sizes.

Canyon Exceed Price & Specs

The Exceed is available in five different models, which start at $3,099 AUD for the Exceed CF 5, and jump to $7,649 AUD for the Exceed CF 9 AXS, all sharing the same CF level carbon fibre frame. Our test bike is the Exceed CF 8, being one model down from the top tier, which retails for $5,549 AUD. Being a direct-to-consumer brand, Canyon adds the shipping fee on top of the cost of the bike, which will set you back an extra $200 AUD.

The CF 8 is almost a full SRAM affair, with an AXS Transmission drivetrain, a SID SL Select+ fork, and Level Stealth Silver brakes. Canyon has chosen to spec the cheaper OEM-only S1000 rear derailleur over the matching GX unit, which is clearly a cost-saving exercise, but opted for a GX Crank and the AXS Pod Rocker Controller. DT Swiss takes care of the wheels, which roll on the brand’s XRC LOG carbon wheelset.

Canyon Exceed CF 8 Specs

• Frame | Carbon Fibre, Boost 148x12mm Spacing, IPU Steering Limiter, Downtube Storage
  
• Fork | Rockshox SID SL Select+, 100mm travel, 2-Position remote lockout, Boost 110x15mm
  
• Wheels | DT Swiss XRC LOG, Carbon, 29in
  
• Tyres | Maxxis Ikon 29×2.35in, EXO Casing, MaxxSpeed Compound
  
• Drivetrain | SRAM GX Transmission w/ S1000 Rear Derailleur, 34t Chainring, 10-52t Cassette
  
• Brakes | SRAM Level Silver Stealth 2-piston w/ SRAM Centreline Rotors 180mm (F) & 160mm (R)
  
• Bar | Canyon HB0072, Alloy, 740mm Width, 31.8mm Diameter
  
• Stem | Canyon ST0039, Alloy, 70mm Length, 31.8mm Diameter
  
• Seatpost | Canyon SP0083-01, Alloy, 31.6mm Diameter
  
• Saddle | Ergon SR10 Pro Sport
  
• Confirmed Weight | 10.9kg
  
• Price | $6,149 AUD

Canyon Exceed Sizing & Fit

At 188cm tall, I have been riding the size Large Exceed, and fall right within the 183-192cm height range. This has a 465mm reach, paired with the size specific 430mm chainstays, and a 632mm stack height. All frame sizes come fitted with a 70mm stem, and this felt spot on for my tall stature and gangly arms.

The overall fit of the Exceed was excellent straight out of the box, and in all honesty, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It is worth mentioning that Canyon’s sizing is on the large end for the given t-shirt size. I typically end up riding an Extra-Large in most other bike brands, but firmly slot into the Large category for Canyon’s. Regardless of whether it’s an Exceed or one of Canyon’s other whips, it’s critical you review the geometry charts.

Suspension Setup

This one is a simple as it gets, the pure beauty of a hardtail is that you don’t need to fuss or worry about shock setup. The back of the Rockshox SID has guidelines for air pressure, which I followed and inflated to the recommended 120psi. It rode fine at this pressure, however I did find it on the soft side, and ramped it up to 130psi to provide a little more support.

The SID has a remote lockout that is controlled via the twist-grip, which I found myself using quite a lot. It places the SID into a firm lockout mode, which was excellent for out-of-the-saddle efforts and extended climbs.

Canyon Exceed Weight

The Exceed CF 8 in a size Large weighed in at 10.9kg on the Flow MTB Scales of Truth™. This was weighed as soon as it came out of the box, set up tubeless with sealant installed, and without pedals.

Last time we had the Exceed CFR on test back in 2021, our medium-sized test bike weighed in at a featherweight 8.84kg. This was however a higher spec build, dripping with a bit more carbon and Shimano’s XTR drivetrain. Regardless, that’s a fairly substantial difference between the new and old, so what happened?

The previous generation of the Exceed CFR frameset tipped the scales at a claimed 835g, a featherlight proposition that was destined for the racetrack. For 2025, however, Canyon have ditched the CFR offering, and only offers the Exceed in the brand’s CF level carbon, being a heavier layup.

The previous generation was too available in the CF level carbon, and that frameset tipped the scales at a claimed 1,312g. Canyon claims the latest Exceed CF weighs 1,450g; this is starting to make a little more sense.

So why did Canyon make it heavier? The Exceed’s days racing World Cups are becoming few and far between, hence it seems as though the focus has shifted to robustness and durability for bikepacking and adventure riding; with that comes a little extra heft. The Exceed has gained downtube storage and a stiffer rear end too, both of which add grams.

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What did we dig about the Canyon Exceed?

If I had to sum up the Exceed in one word, that would be ‘Energetic.’ I haven’t ridden a bike in recent memory, which has made me want to sprint up a hill for no reason, or climb 1,000m vert on what was supposed to be a casual Wednesday morning spin. Riding tighter trails on the Exceed was a blast, and it zigs and zags beautifully through the terrain.

The power transfer is simply bonkers, and with a quick stomp on the pedals, the bike nearly whips your head back with the instant acceleration. The sharp handling, paired with the superb power transfer, makes for an exhilarating ride that just begs to be pushed further and faster. The weight distribution is also excellent, which is especially noticeable during seated climbs. The front wheel remains planted even on the nastiest ascents, and doesn’t wander or throw itself off course.

I love a quiet bike, and the Exceed is exactly that. There’s no cable rattles, squeaks, creaks, clacks or squishes, just the noise of rubber on dirt. I’ll go to the grave fighting the trend of headset cable routing, but I do appreciate the clean look it provides and the chance of rattles. The Rockshox SID is silent throughout the stroke; The squeltch and slurp that the older generation Rockshox or current generation Fox forks make aren’t by any means bad, it’s just pleasant with that removed. The freehub of the DT Swiss wheels has an almost silent ratchet, which is masked by the noise of the Maxxis Ikon’s rolling on the dirt.

Despite the opening of the downtube storage being relatively small, I managed to fit an impressive amount of gear in there. The Canyon supplied storage bag was home to a CO2, inflator head, tyre levers and a spare tube, and I managed to stuff a rain jacket in there too!

The lid is a lightweight plastic construction, and while I didn’t have any issues, it did seem a little flimsy. One big tick for Canyon is separating the downtube storage lid from the water bottle mounts; I’ve had some lids develop rattles over time thanks to rough trails and the weight of a full water bottle.

Anything we didn’t love?

Rear wheel traction is one of the key limitations of a hardtail, which was evident on the Exceed when tackling technical terrain. On rocky descents, the rear wheel has a tendency to bounce rather than stick, which can make for a rougher, less controlled ride.

Climbing steep pinches requires deliberate weight shifts to maintain grip. Too far forward and the rear loses traction, too far back and the front lifts. In rough, uneven terrain, pedalling becomes a challenge as the lack of rear suspension means the wheel struggles to stay planted, reducing efficiency and making technical sections more taxing.

While these characteristics are inherently a part of any modern hardtail, they do somewhat limit the terrain on which Exceed thrives, and buyers need to be honest with themselves regarding where and how they’re going to ride.

In general, the frame details of the newest Exceed are pretty well sorted, but there are a few things that we’d like to see improved. Headset cable routing is the most obvious; it does lead to a tidy cockpit and a quiet bike, but long-term, it is a bit of a pain for maintenance.

A little less obvious is the flat-mount rear brake, which was carried over from the previous generation. Functionally, these don’t pose any issues, and the brake works exactly the same. However, I have found them to be harder to adjust for a drag-free setup, and it limits upgrade options, as not all manufacturers offer flat-mount callipers. And being pitched as an adventure-ready bike-packing bike, we’d like to see some rear rack mounts to improve compatibility for luggage racks.

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Component highs & lows?

The main gripe I had with the Exceed was the handlebars. The 740mm width was well suited to the intended body position, and I never found the front end to be too twitchy. The bars however are essentially flat, with what appears to be very little, if any backsweep, which didn’t play too nicely with my wrists. They are also extremely stiff, with very little flex to absorb vibrations. On rides longer than 1.5 hours, I found myself shaking out my wrists at every opportunity.

Personally, I would have liked to see a dropper post included at this price point. It’s quite a capable bike, and cornering on singletrack or descending even mildly steep terrain becomes quite the task with the seat at full mast. Even when bikepacking, a dropper post is very welcome. It makes getting on and off a loaded bike easier, and it’s nice to be able to drop the seat when stopping to check directions for the thousandth time. The frame does have internal guides to accommodate dropper cables, however running that cable is a little more complex thanks to the headset cable routing.

At this stage we’ve had a fair few bikes through Flow HQ with SRAM’s Transmission. It has consistently impressed with the shift quality and durability, and the drivetrain on the Exceed was no different. The surprise here is the S1000 rear derailleur, a cheaper sibling to the GX AXS Transmission derailleur that SRAM targets at the OEM market. Historically, when you dip below GX, the derailleurs have suffered from poor durability, however SRAM might have just shaken that trend with the S1000. So far it’s been flawless, and in a blind test, there is no way I’d be able to tell it was a cheaper alternative.

I am not the biggest fan of the AXS Rocker Pod Controller. With the oversized paddle-shaped button, I found it tricky to get the module in a good position, and I much prefer the two-button design that came stock when SRAM Transmission was first launched.

I also haven’t gotten along with SRAM’s Level brakes in the past, the lack of power is just plain scary when fitted to a moderately capable bike. That being said, they were a great match on the Exceed for it’s intended purpose and the terrain where it thrives.

Flows Verdict

While it was hard to fault the Exceed, there are minor areas we’d like to see improved. A carbon handlebar would do wonders to reduce vibrations and hand fatigue on longer rides, and is thankfully an easy upgrade.

And if you don’t get along with the SRAM Level brakes, there are limited options on the market in flat-mount to upgrade to. I don’t see any advantages that flat-mount poses that outweigh traditional post-mount brakes, and would like to see this scrapped in future revisions.

Canyon’s redefined Exceed gives gravel bikes a hard run for their money. It’s fast, efficient, and will leave any gravel bike in its dust on chunky fire roads. While it’s not quite as light as a dedicated gravel rig, it’s a far more versatile package, and for those looking for one bike to take on all kinds of terrain, the Exceed is an excellent choice.

Riders looking for a capable XC whippet will naturally gravitate towards the LUX, which will be more comfortable and capable on modern XC loops. The cost of entry for the LUX is a solid whack higher, starting at $4,649 AUD, hence a hardtail will always be the pick for those looking for a fast, agile bike on a budget.