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TECH NEWS
New Canyon Endurace joins growing endurance bike trend
German company Canyon launched the new Endurace over the weekend, a bike that aims to offer a more comfortable ride than their Ultimate CF models via a more relaxed geometry, to put less strain on your back, and use their VCLS technology (more on that in a mo). There will be four models sharing the same carbon frame priced from £1,399 to £2,599, and they’re available now. The first bikes are expected to ship in July.
Endurance road bikes are in fashion at the moment. In essence they’re relaxed versions of road race bikes, with geometry tailored towards providing a less aggressive fit and position, and with frame features to smooth the ride. Until now Canyon haven’t offered such a bike, but it’s clear they’ve been filling gaps in their range, such as with the Inflite cyclo-cross/winter training bike released last year. The endurance/sportive gap was a big one to fill.
The Endurace shares much of the carbon fibre frame technology of the Ultimate CF bike (which we reviewed last year) and it even looks very similar. However, the key difference is in the geometry, and for 2014 Canyon are basing everything on stack and reach which a handful of other companies are also doing. To clarify, stack is the vertical distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube. Reach is the horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre top of the head tube.
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They will offer three geometries: Pro, Sport Pro and Sport. The Endurace uses the Sport geometry, the most relaxed of the three. Looking at a size large (58cm) has a stack of 590mm and reach of 380mm, with a 555mm effective top tube, 565mm seat tube and 175mm head tube. Compared to a same size Ultimate CF the new bike has a 11mm taller stack and 15mm shorter reach, with a 5mm taller head tube, so we can see the new bike has a more upright geometry. The 73.25° head angle and 73.5° seat angle are the same.
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The wheelbase, however, is shorter on the Endurace than the Ultimate, according to Canyon's geoemtry chart. Which seems odd as most endurance road bikes we've been seeing have longer wheelbases then their racier cousins, for reasons to do with increased tyre clearance and extra stability. It’s clear the race DNA is still strong in this new model.
The company’s VCLS (Vertical Comfort Lateral Stiffness) technology is used in the seatstays and forks to smooth the road by dampening vibrations that would otherwise cause a harsh ride. The frame features what Canyon call the VCLS Module. This is the seat tube, top tube and seatstay junction, and they say they have optimised the carbon fibre layup in this area to provide more comfort. While there are visual similarities with the Ultimate series, the Endurace has much skinnier looking seatstays, the idea here is to offer a degree of flex and boost the comfort.
Furthermore, all models in the Endurace range will be fitted with a VCLS 2.0 seatpost. This is a rather novel split seatpost design that allows a large degree of fore-and-aft flex, much more than a regular seatpost. Most manufacturers or endurance bikes, and even race bikes, have moved to a 27.2mm seatpost (and Cannondale 25.4mm on their Synapse) in an effort to gain a vital bit of deflection to aid comfort in the saddle.
Canyon have clearly paid attention to the specification of the new bike, choosing DT Swiss R23 Spline wheels for most of the bikes in the range. These have a claimed 1,520g weight and, more importantly, a wider rim profile (23mm external, 18mm internal), so they should be good platforms for the Continental Grand Prix 4000S II 25mm tyres. Canyon reckon the wider rims balloon the tyres out wider than 25mm. There is clearance in the frame for 28mm tyres.
There are four bikes in the range with prices starting at £1,399 for the Endurace CF 8.0 with Shimano 105 and DT Swiss R23 Spline wheels, and rising to £2,599 for the Endurace CF 9.0 SL with Dura-Ace mechanical. Claimed weight for the CF 9.0 SL is 6.95kg (15.32lb), so it looks like little weight penalty for a the extra claimed comfort. There is a Campagnolo Chorus 11-speed option as well and that costs £2,199.
The Endurace is available now and is currently listed on the Canyon website, with bikes expected to arrive at the beginning of July, with the 105 model arriving later in the year. https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/series/endurace-cf.html
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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26 comments
Should be easy to remove spacers. Undo stem bolts, slip off stem and remove. But, slammed look on an endurance bike?
lol, fair point, i also dont want to sit up and beg too much!
I order the CF9 last week and am patiently waiting for delivery.
It will ship week 32 which happens to be when I am away on holiday!
I'll let you know more once I have it.
Went to Koblenz for a bike test. Did not ask about delivery etc because I'm not in such a hurry, but I wanted to get a feel of the bike. Initial observations:
- The front end is indeed higher, but the shortened top tube is quite noticeable. I think that in my case (I tested the XL version) I'd need a stem of at least 120mm to put me in my preferred position.
- The bike is seriously light, but not of course as light as some of SLX's I tried afterwards
- The wheels look class (I tried the R23 Ultegra version) and run super smoothly on the 25c tyres. In fact they look good on the bike, sporty and not lethargic
- Acceleration is however a little so-so. Maybe I was influenced by my stiff and unforgiving Ultimate AL, or by the SLX I tried after (with those SLR Mavics) but the bike - as expected - feels a little less eager to propel forward.
- Bike balance is superb, but for those looking for super low position this bike is unsuitable. I guess spacers would need to go. Check this geometries spreadsheet I created in my quest of a new ride for many contemporary endurance-minded bikes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15NnV25LJcvmbyOHHxBMnGdLKESMdTXEI...
- Stiffness is also a little pared back. Canyon does not allow test in normal terrain, you can only do it in their car park so judgement cannot be objective. I tried to do a little hard cornering and out-of-saddle pedalling and it was stable and predictable, but not racy. My impression is that the frame is plenty stiff but the wheels are not; let's wait for a pro review to verify.
- Both Of the bike colours are similar. The one with the red decals is a little darker with a shiny black saddle, while the one with the blue decals has a more rough carbon looking coating. They look a little utilitarian, but they are well made, and very neat. They give the impression of being designed by engineers, with functionality mostly in mind (See attached pic)
all in all quite a positive experience.
Canyon endurace.jpg
Just bought one and I can't wait to get it! Just getting into this sort and god it's addictive!
*sport
Makes a lot of sense from a business point of view - manufacturers can't afford not to have these bikes in their range these days. Also, fully agree with yennings re too many people riding wrong sorts of bikes etc.
So its a bit of a shame Canyon still seem to happy to go with zero amount of steerer and spacers above their proprietary headset retention gizmo (and only a 5mm increase in headtube height which is so small as to be unnoticeable) - going for the racy slammed look?!? A bit silly / missed opportunity to my mind. Personally, I like to be able to cut steerer tube to length that suits me, not have it pre-decided by manufacturer.
If they sorted that out I'd buy one without hesitation as it looks stunning and you can't argue with weight, engineering etc.
They come with a reasonable amount of spacers (my CF SLX had 30mm), guess the slammed look is just for the photoshoot. You can just see the spacers on picture 7.
well spotted!
How easy is it to remove the spacers? I want the slammed look on mine when it arrives...
Looks like a great intro to Canyon. I'm surprised it's necessary though - I ride an Ultimate AL 9.0 with the Mk1 VCLS seatpost and I find it plenty comfortable, even for 6hr+ days.
I love Canyon bikes but no discs = no thanks
The headtube / reach ratio isn't as great as the Specialized Roubaix, Merckx EMX1 or Look 566.
It doesn't have disk brakes - ok maybe this is a trend but it's a popular one
It has a radially spoked front wheel which is light and compliant (good) but more prone to spoke breakage (bad)
It's good to see another attempt at a bike with a relaxed geometry though
Blog has some photos of bikes that people used on an actual "endurance" event, the Bryan Chapman Memorial 600km and they are a mixed bag. So probably the details don't matter as much as the aspiration. Buy an "endurance" bike, do endurance events
About time, too - I still think about 90 per cent of road cyclists are riding frames that are too racy for the kind of riding they do. Vast majority should be riding these kind of geometries rather than stuff that wouldn't look out of place at the local crit circuit. I personally made the switch a few months back from my old Focus Cayo to a Giant Defy Advanced, itself no slouch but the difference in comfort and general twitchiness is startling. In a good way.
Strange they do not have a top end option with Di2 and better wheels - perhaps there's a hi-mod frameset to follow?
Very interested on this, let's get a review in Road cc! Please and thank you
You can see how the marketing meeting went can't you:
At last our new endurance bike is ready! Now, what shall we call it?
(Short pause, brows furrowed)
Endurance?
(Spontaneous applause fills room)
Very good!!
Another saving passed on to the customer.
Another tricky choice for the well heeled though, Dura Ace on the endurance or Ultegra on the CF SLX?
I think it is Endurace......????...!!!
You missed out the bit where they then mispelled it on the paperwork. There's no n.
I admit my offence and would like 2 previous glasses of red wine taken into consideration.
I clearly hadn't appreciated the marginal gain resulting from an 11% saving on letters
Indeed - imagine the wattage that would be lost from the disrupted airflow stalling around the letter n! Oh, and to your other question - Ultegra 6800 on the CF SLX I reckon.
Canyon have a fantastic, full range with this addition, something for everyone and they seriously look hard to beat. Now, if only they'd make test rides more readily available and update the Aeroad.
2500 for a DA equipped, Roubaix/Domane-ish bike from someone whose stuff is good enough for the likes of Leanda Cave is very good news indeed. A set of nicer wheels for events and that'd be hard to say no to.
"large (58cm) ... 555mm effective top tube"
Flippin heck, ill have to cut my arms off at this rate, could they make it any shorter!?. Risking false advertising even calling that 'a reach'!!
"They will offer three geometries: Pro, Sport Pro and Sport"
Does anyone know how the rest of the Canyon road range fits into these categories? This is the first I've heard of it.
Take a look at the Canyon site here http://www.canyon.com/_en/technology/geometriekonzept/index.html as it lists the bikes in the different categories.
Pro = Aeroad
Sport Pro = Ultimate Series (CF & AL)
Sport = Endurace & Roadlite