When Jay Vine was in the foggy soup of the Pico Jano crosses the finish line, the corks pop at Villa Loucisa. Not because Australian cycling fans are celebrating their compatriot's first World Tour success in the little house above Nice. Rather, the champagne mood has to do with Vine's racing bike, which won the sixth stage of this year's Vuelta a Espana also celebrated his winning debut. The 26-year-old professional from Team Alpecin-Deceuninck piloted the new Canyon Ultimate, which the Koblenz-based company led by chief developer Lukas Birr officially unveiled to the world press at the same villa.
The Palatinate team could hardly have wished for a more media-effective time for the first victory of their lightweight model. The carbon racer had already been on show in the professional peloton since May, and at the Tour de France the Ultimate has already climbed Alpine and Pyrenean passes - albeit without any notable results. In addition to the exclusive Ultimate CFR Di2 The Ultimate CF SLX 9 Di2 was the first road bike magazine to subject the Ultimate CF SLX 9 Di2 to a comprehensive individual test.
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9 Di2 in the lab, wind tunnel and practical test
The central question: Will the fifth-generation competition all-rounder succeed in balancing lightweight construction, speed and comfort? In order to combine this triad, Canyon relied on the expertise of "its" World Tour professionals and consistently tailored the Ultimate to the needs of the mountain specialists from Alpecin-Deceuninck, Arkea-Samsic and Movistar. This close dialogue is reflected first and foremost in the remarkably low weight. The frameset of the CF SLX 9 Di2 is one of the lightest on the market at a measured 1235 grams. Whilst the frame is even slightly heavier than its predecessor due to the reinforced seat tube and bottom bracket, the fork is a record-breaking 350 grams. At a total of 6.8 kilos, the test bike meets the UCI minimum weight requirement exactly - and is therefore 200 grams ahead of competitors such as the Scott Addict RC or Merida Scultura Team. The bike climbs the climbs so light-footedly that you could be forgiven for thinking you had a tailwind.
However, the extremely stiff and stable Ultimate loses a few of the seconds gained on the downhill or on the flat. The CF SLX 9 Di2 in the GST wind tunnel benefits from its fast wheelset, the flattened seatpost and the fully integrated cockpit, which can be adjusted in height by 15 millimetres and in width in three stages without having to change the cables. However, with 222 watts of pedalling power, which it needs for 45 km/h, it is hardly any faster than its predecessor, which landed at 224 watts with slightly different equipment (TOUR 8/2020). "Making a lightweight bike aerodynamic is the most difficult task," says developer Birr almost apologetically. Comparable lightweight all-rounders like the Cervélo R5 (231 watts) or the Giant TCR Advanced SL (227 watts) are slower, however.
Canyon Ultimate or Aeroad?
Overall, the aerodynamic quality is only average in relation to the large field of competition bikes - the only notable weakness of the new model. Although the previous model had slightly better suspension, the comfort of the new carbon seatpost in combination with the standard tyres is sufficient in most riding situations. The Ultimate also leaves room for tyres up to 32 millimetres wide, allowing the bike to be equipped for poorer roads. This is exactly what Gianni Vermeersch took advantage of and became with a Canyon Ultimate modified for the Gravel World Championships World champion.
Click through: The Canyon Ultimate CFR, with which Vermeersch became Gravel World Champion¹
Now that Canyon has followed up the update of the Aeroad (see TOUR 7/2022, p. 60) with the Ultimate, the question arises as to which bike is the better one? Based on the TOUR score, it is not possible to make a clear statement, as both models have been tested with different quality levels so far. However, it would not be surprising if many buyers favoured the more classic-looking Ultimate over the even more race-oriented Aeroad due to its successful balancing act. Canyon's approach is certainly unusual: while other manufacturers such as Specialized with the Tarmac or Giant with the Propel focus on a universal racing bike, the Koblenz-based company continues to offer both a rather light and an emphatically aerodynamic competition bike.
The direct distributor offers the new Ultimate in eleven models and three quality levels, which differ in terms of their carbon layup as well as their features. According to the manufacturer, there are 320 grams between the frame of the CF SL (from 2699 euros) and CFR (from 10499 euros). The tested CF SLX 9 Di2 costs €8699 and therefore €900 more than the comparable predecessor model, but is still relatively fairly priced in view of its high-quality components.
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9 Di2 - Facts
- Price8699 Euro
- Weight: 6,8 Kilo
- Info: www.canyon.com
Frame/fork/steering bearing weight* 843/350/42 grams
Frame sizes** 3XS, 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL
Seat/top tube/head tube 505/555/141 millimetres
Stack/Reach/STR*** 563/395 millimetres/1.43
Wheelbase/caster 990/55 millimetres
Equipment
Drive/Circuit Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (2x12, 52/36, 11-30 t.)
Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace (160/140 mm)
Wheels/tyres (weights)**** DT Swiss ARC 1100 50/Schwalbe Pro One 25/28 mm (1,171/1,499 g)
Measured values & individual notes*****
- Weight of complete wheel: 6.8 kilos Note: 1,7
- Steering head stiffness: 115 Nm/° Note: 1,0
- Lateral stiffness fork: 54 N/mm Note: 1,0
- Bottom bracket stiffness: 66 N/mm Note: 1,0
- Seatpost spring stiffness: 114 N/mm Note: 1,3
- Aerodynamics******: 222 watts Note:3,0
¹Data according to Bici da Strada
*Weighed weights.
**Manufacturer's test size bold.
***Stack/reach projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; STR (stack to reach) 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright riding position.
****Wheel weights including tyres, cassette, quick release/threaded axles and brake discs if applicable.
***** For reasons of space, we only print some of the individual grades, which are weighted differently in the overall grade. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are shown with rounded decimal places.
******Aerodynamics Theoretical pedalling power required to overcome air resistance at 45 km/h, measured in a wind tunnel with a pedalling leg dummy.
Julian Schultz
Editor
