RockShox Vivid Air on a 2024 Canyon Spectral:ON CF7 — will it fit?

[iNeedGlue]

I'm on a Canyon Spectral:On Cf7 2024.

I want to get a new shock for my riding and the stock deluxe select r is not suitable. would a rockshox vivid air shock fit.

@Greg Watts

 

[Greg Watts]

Yes, a Vivid Air should fit your Spectral:ON CF7 — the key dimension is 230 x 60mm. Your stock Deluxe Select R runs that exact size (230mm eye-to-eye, 60mm stroke, standard mount), and the Vivid Air comes in 230x60, so the headline fitment is there.

A few things to nail down before you order, though:

Mount type and hardware. The Spectral:ON CF uses a standard (non-trunnion) mount, so you want the standard Vivid Air, not the trunnion version. Carry over or match your existing mounting hardware — measure the bushing width and bolt diameter at both ends before buying. Worth knowing from the community: RockShox shocks use bronze DU bushings rather than the white IGUS bushings Fox runs, so don't mix hardware across brands. @Emailsucks98 has flagged that one more than once → view post.

Clearance. The Vivid has a larger body and a piggyback reservoir, where your Select R is a simpler inline shock. On the Spectral:ON the reservoir generally clears fine, but check seat tube and frame clearance at full compression — this is the one thing I'd eyeball in person, since it varies with exact frame revision.

Tune matters more than the model name. This is the bit that'll actually fix your "not suitable" complaint. A Vivid dropped in with the wrong compression/rebound tune for a 24kg+ eMTB can feel harsh or vague. @Rando_12345 found a Vivid Ultimate running stiff and poppy rather than plush, traced to pressure and compression settings being off → view post. The good news: @Emailsucks98 notes Vivid retunes are a cheap service option to dial in the right tune for your weight and the bike's leverage curve → view post.

One value tip: in some markets the Vivid Ultimate sells at the same price as the Select+, so go Ultimate if you can — more adjustment for the same money.

If you tell me what specifically feels wrong with the Select R — harsh small-bump, blowing through travel, no support mid-stroke — I can tell you whether the Vivid actually solves it or whether a different air can or tune gets you there cheaper. And if you can confirm your exact frame year revision, I'll double-check the reservoir clearance.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

don't have a Spectral:ON, but I have a Strive:ON and I've mounted a Fox DHX2 coil without any issues.
The Strive:ON and Spectral:ON are very similar, so it shouldn't be a problem.

If you want a fox coil that it cheaper and moore for trail and enduro you have the fox dhx.

 

[Greg Watts]

Good shout from @InRustWeTrust - real-world experience always beats spec sheets, and if a Fox DHX2 coil dropped into your Strive:ON without drama, that's genuinely useful datapoint for @iNeedGlue.

A couple of things worth flagging though: The Strive:ON and Spectral:ON aren't quite as similar as they look on paper. The Strive:ON is a longer-travel enduro platform (170/160mm) with a very progressive linkage - Canyon actually designed that leverage curve specifically to work well with coil shocks. The Spectral:ON runs 160/155mm with a different linkage character. They share Canyon DNA but shock fitment and leverage curve behaviour aren't directly transferable between them. What fits and works beautifully on one doesn't automatically translate to the other.

Worth flagging too - Canyon's official position is that the Fox DHX2 coil should not be mounted on a Strive:ON due to frame clearance concerns. So while @InRustWeTrust has clearly made it work in practice, it may not be a supported or officially sanctioned fit - definitely worth checking with Canyon directly before going down that road, especially given any warranty implications.

More importantly - iNeedGlue is asking about an air shock (Vivid Air), not a coil. The Fox DHX2 is a coil unit, which is a different conversation entirely. Both are valid upgrade paths, but they solve different problems. If the stock Deluxe Select R feels wrong, the right fix depends on how it feels wrong - harsh small-bump usually points to air spring tune or volume spacers; blowing through travel points to more compression damping or a stiffer spring/more air.

@InRustWeTrust - since you've clearly got the DHX2 dialled in on the Strive:ON, what are you running for settings? You had a thread going on that - curious whether you landed somewhere you're happy with given that progressive linkage.

EDIT: Corrected a claim that the Fox DHX2 coil mounts without issues on the Strive:ON - Canyon's official position is that this fit is not supported due to frame clearance concerns. Thanks @Gspot for the heads up.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

Good shout from @InRustWeTrust - real-world experience always beats spec sheets, and if a Fox DHX2 coil dropped into your Strive:ON without drama, that's genuinely useful datapoint for @iNeedGlue.

A couple of things worth flagging though: The Strive:ON and Spectral:ON aren't quite as similar as they look on paper. The Strive:ON is a longer-travel enduro platform (170/160mm) with a very progressive linkage - Canyon actually designed that leverage curve specifically to work well with coil shocks. The Spectral:ON runs 160/155mm with a different linkage character. They share Canyon DNA but shock fitment and leverage curve behaviour aren't directly transferable between them. What fits and works beautifully on one doesn't automatically translate to the other.

More importantly - iNeedGlue is asking about an air shock (Vivid Air), not a coil. The Fox DHX2 is a coil unit, which is a different conversation entirely. Both are valid upgrade paths, but they solve different problems. If the stock Deluxe Select R feels wrong, the right fix depends on how it feels wrong - harsh small-bump usually points to air spring tune or volume spacers; blowing through travel points to more compression damping or a stiffer spring/more air.

@InRustWeTrust - since you've clearly got the DHX2 dialled in on the Strive:ON, what are you running for settings? You had a thread going on that - curious whether you landed somewhere you're happy with given that progressive linkage.

Maybe the fox DHX coil is better for him beacause that coil is made for trail bikes.

I run my dhx2 right now with fox recommended settings but i am gonna tune it soon so so it fits me better.


Dont forget to buy the right mounting hardware if you not take the hardware from the old shock. Top mount is 8mm bolt and 25mm width and bottom mount is 8mm bolt and 40mm width.

 

[Greg Watts]

Maybe the fox DHX coil is better for him beacause that coil is made for trail bikes. I run my dhx2 right now with fox recommended settings but i am gonna tune it soon so so it fits me better. Dont forget to buy the right mounting hardware if you not take the hardware from the old shock. Top mount is...

@InRustWeTrust Fair point on the DHX coil - and those hardware dimensions are genuinely useful for @iNeedGlue, so cheers for putting them in writing.

On the "better for trail" argument: the DHX coil is a solid shout, and you're right that Canyon's progressive linkage on the :ON platform plays nicely with coil shocks - it does a lot of the spring progression work for you, so a linear coil spring doesn't end up feeling wallowy mid-stroke the way it might on a less progressive frame.

That said, @iNeedGlue hasn't actually told us what feels wrong with the stock Deluxe Select R yet. Coil vs air is a meaningful fork in the road:

• Harsh small-bump / not tracking well → coil is probably the answer • Blowing through travel → might just need compression adjustment or volume spacers in the air shock first

• General vagueness / lack of support → could go either way Dropping straight to a DHX coil is a legitimate upgrade, but it does commit him to buying a spring separately and getting the rate right for his weight - there's no free trial period with coil.

One practical note: the hardware dimensions you've quoted (8mm bolt, 25mm top / 40mm bottom) - are those from the Canyon spec sheet for the Strive:ON, or did you measure them yourself? Just want to flag that the Strive:ON and Spectral:ON may differ there, so @iNeedGlue should confirm against his own frame before ordering.

Also - how are you finding the DHX2 on the Strive:ON at Fox's recommended settings? Progressive linkage with a coil, Sweden, presumably some chunky terrain. Curious whether it's tracking well or whether you're finding it a bit stiff on the small stuff before you retune.

 

[Gspot]

I was interested in this as well. When I asked Canyon they said “NO” but if anyone has tried it let us know. I think the issue is frame clearance.

 

[Greg Watts]

I was interested in this as well. When I asked Canyon they said “NO” but if anyone has tried it let us know. I think the issue is frame clearance.

@Gspot - that's a useful data point, and Canyon saying "no" is worth taking seriously, even if it's not the final word.

Canyon's support teams tend to err on the side of caution with shock swaps - liability, warranty, that sort of thing. "No" often means "we haven't validated it and won't be responsible if it goes wrong" rather than "it physically cannot work." But it doesn't mean they're wrong either.

Your instinct about frame clearance is likely correct. The Vivid Air has a larger body diameter and a piggyback reservoir than the stock shock, and the Spectral:ON's rear triangle is quite compact around the shock. The question isn't really eye-to-eye and stroke - those dimensions stack up - it's whether the reservoir clears the seat tube and linkage at full compression.

Given you've been digging into dogbone clearance mods on the Spectral:ON already (saw your thread on that), you clearly know the geometry in there better than most. Do you have any sense of how much physical clearance is available around the shock body itself? That would actually tell us more than Canyon's blanket "no."

The most useful thing right now would be: • Anyone who's physically tried it - even just test-fitted without riding

• The Vivid Air's body diameter at its widest point vs. what the frame tunnel actually allows

If you've got the bike in front of you, measuring the gap between the stock shock body and the nearest frame surface at full compression would give a concrete answer Canyon's support line isn't going to.

 

[iNeedGlue]

yea so ive been riding for about 6 months on this bike so far and i do like a wide variety of riding like 60 percent blue trails and then 20 percent bike parks and 20 percent like urban freeride riding. when i go out for the urban sending like the suspension is not as progressive as i would want it to be. so im looking for a stronger shock that is more progressive and hopefully more durable.

 

[Greg Watts]

yea so ive been riding for about 6 months on this bike so far and i do like a wide variety of riding like 60 percent blue trails and then 20 percent bike parks and 20 percent like urban freeride riding. when i go out for the urban sending like the suspension is not as progressive as i would want it ...

Right, that's the useful bit - now I can actually point you somewhere sensible. @iNeedGlue Here's the thing the whole thread's been circling: your problem isn't really "which shock," it's that the stock Deluxe Select R is a fairly basic damper. The "R" is rebound adjustment only - no low-speed compression dial, limited tuning. So when you're sending urban drops and it feels like it ramps too softly, you've genuinely run out of road on that shock. That's a real reason to upgrade, not just upgrade-itis.

But a couple of things to get right before you spend: Progression comes from two places - the shock AND the frame linkage. A more progressive shock (more air volume spacers, or a shock like the Vivid with a big tuning range) gives you more bottom-out resistance. That's likely what you're after for the urban hucking - support deep in the travel so it doesn't blow through on flat landings. So your instinct is sound.

On whether the Vivid Air physically fits: @Gspot raised frame clearance as the sticking point, and that's the real unknown - the eye-to-eye and stroke line up with your stock 230x60mm, but the Vivid's larger body and piggyback are the question, not the mounting dimensions. I wouldn't order one until someone's confirmed the reservoir clears your frame at full compression. Worth a measure of the gap around your current shock body.

A simpler first move: before going full Vivid, you could try a Super Deluxe Ultimate in 230x60 - same footprint as your stock shock, so no clearance gamble, but with proper low-speed compression and rebound adjustment plus volume spacers. That alone might fix the "not progressive enough on landings" feel for a lot less faff. If it's still blowing through with max spacers, then you've justified the bigger shock.

What's your rider weight? That decides how aggressive the spacing needs to be - and it's the number that'll tell us whether the stock shock is just under-spaced for you rather than fundamentally wrong.

 

[iNeedGlue]

Right, that's the useful bit - now I can actually point you somewhere sensible. @iNeedGlue Here's the thing the whole thread's been circling: your problem isn't really "which shock," it's that the stock Deluxe Select R is a fairly basic damper. The "R" is rebound adjustment only - no low-speed compression dial, limited tuning. So when you're sending urban drops and it feels like it ramps too softly, you've genuinely run out of road on that shock. That's a real reason to upgrade, not just upgrade-itis.

But a couple of things to get right before you spend: Progression comes from two places - the shock AND the frame linkage. A more progressive shock (more air volume spacers, or a shock like the Vivid with a big tuning range) gives you more bottom-out resistance. That's likely what you're after for the urban hucking - support deep in the travel so it doesn't blow through on flat landings. So your instinct is sound.

On whether the Vivid Air physically fits: @Gspot raised frame clearance as the sticking point, and that's the real unknown - the eye-to-eye and stroke line up with your stock 230x60mm, but the Vivid's larger body and piggyback are the question, not the mounting dimensions. I wouldn't order one until someone's confirmed the reservoir clears your frame at full compression. Worth a measure of the gap around your current shock body.

A simpler first move: before going full Vivid, you could try a Super Deluxe Ultimate in 230x60 - same footprint as your stock shock, so no clearance gamble, but with proper low-speed compression and rebound adjustment plus volume spacers. That alone might fix the "not progressive enough on landings" feel for a lot less faff. If it's still blowing through with max spacers, then you've justified the bigger shock.

What's your rider weight? That decides how aggressive the spacing needs to be - and it's the number that'll tell us whether the stock shock is just under-spaced for you rather than fundamentally wrong.

yes would it be a better choice for me to get the super deluxe ult or risk getting a coil like the ext vecta or the dhx like what @InRustWeTrust recommended and get a progressive spring.