Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV on test: The powerfully motorized and extremely well-equipped e-SUV is the right e-bike for anyone who wants to make progress on a wide variety of terrain. From medium-heavy off-road use to everyday rides, the Canyon does it all - only e-MTBs and e-road bikes can do more at the fringes of the spectrum.
Anyone who buys a bike should first consider what purpose it should be suitable for - it has always been like this, ever since there have been different types of bikes. However, it has probably always been the case that not all cyclists wanted or were able to commit themselves. In such cases, you either have to set up a small fleet of vehicles or accept disadvantages with one bike, depending on where and how you are traveling. Or you can get what is known in the English-speaking world as a “quiver killer”: a versatile product that makes a whole quiver of specialized devices superfluous.
Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV: "Quiver killer" for almost any terrain
When it comes to e-bikes, the ultimate “quiver killer” is called e-SUV. What is meant by this is easy to explain: It is an electric bike that is somewhere between an e-MTB and an e-trekking/touring bike and can therefore be used on a wide variety of terrain and for different purposes. If you want to know more about it, the Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV is a perfect example.
Everything except race and downhill
"Pathlite:ON SUV" stands for the Koblenz-based direct supplier for e-bikes with the sporty motorization of the Bosch Performance CX Smart System. In the simplest variant, the Pathlite:ON 4 SUV (2.699 euros), the bike is like a cross bike with eleven-speed derailleur gears, plastic mudguards and lights, and is delivered without a luggage rack. In everyday sport, you can get pretty far with this version. On the other side of the spectrum is the model presented here with an absolute dream equipment, which is of course only about twice as expensive. And with this bike you can really do pretty much everything that is possible and useful with an e-bike - with two exceptions: The Pathlite:ON is of course not a light e-racing bike with a small mid-motor that should also be ridden without drive support, but not quite as strongly supported. And of course it's not an E-MTB with long suspension travel for extremely demanding terrain either. Anyone looking for something like this will find it elsewhere at Canyon.
For everything in between, however, the Pathlite:ON SUV is a good bet. Let's start with the moderately sporty seating position, which seems suitable for longer tours as well as for everyday use. The handlebars (which form a solid unit with the stem) are slightly curved towards the rider, which together with the ergonomic grips is quite comfortable; the palm rests of the Ergon grips are of course quite soft. The SUV also proves its suitability for everyday use with the bright Supernova lighting system with spotlight mounted under the front end and the narrow luggage rack, which is equipped with a wide rubber strap.
So far, so "trekking" - with almost all other equipment details, the Canyon is oriented towards the terrain. It rolls on 27,5-inch wheels fitted with 2,5-inch (63 mm) wide knobby tires (more on that in a moment), and it also has an extremely wide-ranging 10-speed gearbox with a 52-520 cassette = XNUMX% scope of translation. In the LTD model, this ring is switched electronically; the vendor specifies the wireless SRAM GX Eagle AXS, which works great. Please occasionally pay attention to the light signals on the rear derailleur, which inform you about the battery status! The compact battery can be easily removed and charged quickly.
100mm travel is enough
Air suspension forks can now also be found on more and more e-trekking bikes - a good thing, because only they offer real adjustment options, for example with regard to the rider's weight. Canyon is rather economical with the suspension travel in the E-SUV; Of course, 100 mm is more than enough, especially since the torsion-resistant Suntour fork responds sensitively. The Pathlite:ON doesn't have full suspension, but it does have a suspension seat post that can also be lowered, making it easier to get on and off - a typical feature of SUV bikes. If you are still traveling with medium air pressure, you can look forward to an extremely comfortable chassis, which is just as effective on urban cobblestones as on the root carpets of narrow forest paths.
Tight fenders, too much profile
However, one can ask whether the e-SUV needs tires with such a strong profile as Canyon uses in the form of the Maxxis Crossmark II EXO TR. On soft ground, this tire can bite down perfectly, but on asphalt it doesn't build up too much cornering grip. A tire with a profile based on current gravel tires could be a better choice. Especially since the fenders, which are quite tight, are not necessarily tailored to rides over damp and muddy routes - small stones that are swept away by the tread scratch the sheet metal audibly.
The ABS brake system on the Canyon is something that has proven its worth on any terrain. The system developed by Bosch and Magura, currently reserved for the e-bike upper class, significantly increases the functional reliability of a disc brake - an abrupt grip on the irons or braking maneuvers on loose, slippery ground can no longer cause the front wheel to lock and is likely to cause some Prevent "single accidents". The system has been significantly improved in the second generation: The pulsation of the brake lever when the ABS engages can hardly be felt, and the control unit has shrunk significantly and is now on the inside of the fork. As before, the system only affects the front wheel; you can still slide to your heart's content at the back.
Bosch CX - that's all there is to say
The drive is one of the most important features of an e-bike, but saying "Bosch CX" is almost enough to characterize the bikes equipped in this way. The high-torque unit delivers consistently good performance wherever it is installed: the motor responds sensitively, delivers additional thrust if desired at high pedaling frequency and does not give up even when the going is steep and the leg strength decreases. On the Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV, the motor is combined with a 750 Wh battery, and Canyon integrates both very independently into the frame, which completely encloses the drive unit. The battery compartment in the steep down tube is open at the bottom; when the battery is pushed in, make sure it clicks securely into place. Of course, he can stay in the bike for charging - the charging socket is easily accessible on the left behind the head tube.
And that says almost everything - it remains to report that the e-SUV from Koblenz conveys a lot of driving fun and safety wherever you don't want a full-suspension e-MTB or a light e-racer. The price of 5.499 euros is appropriate for the high-quality equipment; Those who can do without ABS and electronic shifting get a hardly less attractive model with the Pathlite:ON 7 SUV for 4.199 euros. Both will appeal to those looking for an e-bike for different uses.
Raffle: Win the Canyon Pathlite:ON 9 LTD SUV
Here's the raffle:
[blog specific=”174267 “ posts_per_page=”30″ taxonomy=”post_tag” order=”desc”]
